Abandoned and adrift, North Pacific fishing vessel sunk by Coast Guard
The 170-foot Alaska Patriot was under tow from Dutch Harbor to Mexico when it broke free on Dec. 7. The vessel is currently adrift about 215 miles south of Chirikof Island and is a navigational hazard to commercial freighter traffic traveling along the Great Circle route.
‘Team Bobbi’ members shave their heads for Ketchikan woman
Co-workers and clients at Rendezvous Senior Day Center shaved their heads in solidarity with operations manager Bobbi Kessinger.
Pedestrian crossing street struck, killed in Ketchikan
Ronald Fulgencio, 68, of Ketchikan was struck by a vehicle and killed Monday night on Stedman Street near the Deermount intersection in Ketchikan.
Distracted dogging: Legal in most states, controversial in all
Those happy dogs sitting in a driver’s lap or hanging their heads out the car window may look like the model of canine companionship. But they’re also potential projectiles, poised to rocket through the air if there’s a crash.
Unalaska city clerk says mayoral recall petition does not have enough valid signatures
The petition, which charges Mayor Frank Kelty with “attempting to sole-source land use agreements for the Unalaska Marine Center positions 5-7,” was submitted to the office Friday.
ACLU won’t challenge Anchorage Assembly’s modified anti-camping measure
Earlier this month, the Anchorage Assembly voted on a measure designed to curb illegal camping in the city’s parks and wooded areas. The move reduces the number of days people have to vacate a camp from 15 to 10.
Congress passes $1.5T tax cut bill, a legislative win for Trump
The House gave final approval to the Republican bill to cut taxes, after a procedural hiccup in the Senate on Tuesday forced a repeat vote. It marks the GOP’s first major legislative victory of 2017.
Anchorage firefighter wins nearly $780,000 in lawsuit against city
The municipality of Anchorage has paid one of its firefighters more than three-quarter million dollars after his successful lawsuit against the fire department.
Mysterious pink pond prompts a question and a quest
A hydrologist’s marker dye is unlikely, but there are a variety of biological processes that could be responsible for discoloration of the pond that’s located about 4 miles down the Herbert Glacier trail.
After 40 years, battle over ANWR is ending quietly
The Sierra Club’s Melinda Pierce thought if Sen. Ted Stevens couldn’t get Congress to open ANWR in 2005 when Republicans controlled Congress, gas prices were up and the Iraq war was raging, it may never happen. Opening it up now is a stunning reversal for environmentalists.
Climate task force begins work — and push-back begins, too
Gov. Bill Walker’s climate change task force met for the first time Monday. But the team is facing questions before it even begins work.
Walker budget proposes fix for spring ferry funding foul-up
Gov. Walker’s budget fills a gap that could have shut the ferry system down for much of the spring. It also provides nearly level funding for the next year.
UA president: Flat funding limits education, training and economic development
The university system employs 1,183 fewer people than it did three years ago, student enrollment has declined 15 percent and tuition is increasing.
Did you submit a net neutrality comment to the FCC? Are you sure?
More than 2,500 comments were submitted to the FCC this year with Juneau addresses. There’s evidence that identities were stolen to submit millions of comments to the Federal Communications Commission arguing against net neutrality.
Rural Alaska losing access to fisheries, report says
The increasing costs to get into Alaska’s fisheries are making it difficult for new fishermen to break into the business — especially in rural, coastal communities, according to a recent report from University of Alaska Fairbanks and SeaGrant scientists.
Railroad workers slowly clear Amtrak derailment site
Railroad contractors are making slow progress at the scene of Monday’s deadly derailment on Interstate 5, in Dupont, Washington.
Procedural snag delays GOP tax victory
The GOP has rushed its bill through Congress and may pass the package of tax changes less than two months after introducing it.
Juneau Assembly urges feds to tackle transboundary mining
The Juneau Assembly will ask the State Department to raise transboundary mining concerns with Canada. An earlier resolution was rejected by some Assembly members as anti-mining.
Downtown Douglas convenience store to reopen as liquor store
Pete Thibodeau said he plans to reopen the Douglas Depot location as a liquor and grocery store in the spring.
Tongass in Transition: Wolves and logging both cut into Prince of Wales deer
This deer season has been the worst in recent memory for a lot of hunters on Prince of Wales Island. Large-scale industrial logging has damaged important winter habitat, and some locals believe a rapidly growing wolf population is also devouring the deer.