Anchorage news

• Deep sea observation system that tracks climate change saved from disassembly

  19-06-2026 01:11 via ktoo.org
  
  Researchers pull in a surface buoy that’s part of the Coastal Endurance Array on the West Coast, one of five stations in the national Ocean Observatories Initiative. (Photo courtesy of Kim Kenny/OSU)
  A critical deep ocean observation network that includes a long-standing station off the coast of Alaska has been saved from getting dismantled. As first reported by the New York Times, the Trump administration dropped its plan to get rid of the ocean and climate tracking system after the U.S.
  
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• Gasline bill remains stalled in Senate as Dunleavy vetoes 9 bills, threatens another special session

  19-06-2026 08:21 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Bert Stedman, left, chats with a Capitol tourist while he and Sen. Lyman Hoffman, right, await a meeting in the governor’s cabinet room on June 18, 2026. (Eric Stone | Alaska Public Media)
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s bipartisan majority caucus spent Thursday in another round of closed-door talks discussing a bill that passed the state House offering tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project.
  It was the penultimate day of a special session Gov. Mike Dunleavy called to consider th
  
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• Juneau issues preemptive disaster declaration ahead of 2026 glacial outburst flood

  19-06-2026 03:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Flood water seeps through HESCO barriers on Killewich Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution Thursday declaring a local emergency in anticipation of the annual glacial outburst flood expected later this summer. 
  Since the catastrophic 2024 flood impacted around 300 homes in the Mendenhall Valley, the city has been operating under an ongoing emergency due to the continued threat to the community. Last year, the city issued a
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, June 18, 2026

  19-06-2026 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire at the site of two historic, abandoned cabins in the Mendenhall Valley Thursday afternoon. Smoke could be seen from the surrounding area. No injuries were reported.
  Juneau residents will have their first chance to testify in front of Juneau’s Visitor Industry Task Force Thursday at City Hall or online at 5:30 p.m.
  A critical deep ocean observati
  
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• Fire destroys historic farm ruin in Mendenhall Valley

  19-06-2026 02:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Capital City Fire/Rescue responds to a fire in Mendenhall Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire at the site of two historic, abandoned cabins in the Mendenhall Valley Thursday afternoon. Smoke could be seen from the surrounding area. No injuries were reported. 
  Division Chief Brandon Bagwell said the fire was fully contained within about an hour of initial reports. 
  “We had fire coming from the top
  
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• Assembly members Christine Woll and Greg Smith | Community members encourage participation in Visitor Industry Task Force | ‘Sabbath Queen’ screens at Jewish Film Festival

  18-06-2026 23:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Afternoon – Recorded live on Wednesday, June 17, 2026Juneau Afternoon featuring Assembly members Christine Woll and Greg Smith on the finalized FY 27 city budget, plus citizen feedback is sought at the Visitor Industry Task Force meeting, and the documentary film “Sabbath Queen” screens at the Jewish Film Festival at the Goldtown.
  Audio PodcastVideo LivestreamBostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcas
  
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• Dunleavy faces Thursday deadline to sign or veto 24 bills as gas pipeline bill looms

  18-06-2026 23:03 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures to his wife, Rose Dunleavy, during the opening moments of his seventh annual State of the State address in Juneau on Jan. 28, 2025. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until the end of the day Thursday to veto or sign two dozen bills into law.
  The 24 bills run the gamut. They include a wide-ranging education bill, taxes on nicotine vapes and pouches, a bill allowing a state development agency to pursue workforce housing, and a ban on
  
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• State’s refusal to put Petersburg Sullivan on ballot ‘likely not legally justified,’ attorney says

  18-06-2026 21:12 via ktoo.org
  
  Dan Sullivan from Petersburg, left, was denied a spot on the ballot to challenge U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, right.(Alaska Public Media)
  An attorney advising the state Legislature says the Division of Elections likely lacked legal justification to block Dan. J. Sullivan of Petersburg from running in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race.
  The Division of Elections ruled Monday that Sullivan could not be on the ballot because, as the Division director said, he did not file “in good faith.”
  That
  
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• Beach testing for fecal bacteria underway in Juneau for second summer in a row

  18-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Rebecca Bellmore scoops a sample of seawater for fecal contaminant testing at Auke Village Recreation Area on June 8, 2026. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO)
  Listen to this story:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/17BeachTesting-WEB.mp3
  Summer is in full-swing, and that means many coastal Alaskans are flocking to the shoreline. Scientists are testing a few popular beaches in Juneau for fecal contamination and so far, they’re mostly poop-free. 
  At low tide on a bright June
  
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• Alaska districts close 12 schools this year, amid severe budget cuts

  18-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Students perform during a final spring concert on May 13, 2026 at Meadow Lakes Elementary, one of three schools closed by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District this year to address a budget deficit.(Elise Giordano | Mat-Su Sentinel)
  Alaska saw an unprecedented wave of school closures this year. District officials grappling with severe budget shortfalls have opted to close 12 elementary and middle schools across the state — in Anchorage, Wasilla, Sutton, Seward, Sterling, Soldotna,
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, June 17, 2026

  18-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260617-News-Update-1.mp3
  In this newscast:The local firefighter union and the City and Borough of Juneau reached an agreement on a labor contract last week,
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until tomorrow to veto or sign two dozen bills into law,
  Denali National Park’s sled dog puppies will begin sowing off their training to visitors this month,
  Residents of Anuktuvuk Pass can now use four wheelers to subsistence hunt in the Gates of the Arctic Nat
  
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• Juneau firefighters have a new contract after nearly a year without one

  18-06-2026 02:14 via ktoo.org
  
  CCFR apprentices line up at the Douglas Fire Station on Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
  The local firefighters union and the City and Borough of Juneau reached an agreement on a labor contract last week. That’s after more than a year of negotiations, and nearly a year without an agreement.
  The Juneau chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters, or IAFF, ratified the new contract that takes effect now and lasts two years. The contract comes as the department has s
  
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• Natural gas pipeline tax break lacks needed Senate votes, Alaska lawmakers say

  18-06-2026 01:14 via ktoo.org
  
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s bipartisan majority talk during a break in the Senate Finance Committee meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s majority coalition said on Tuesday that a tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline currently lacks the votes to advance in the Senate.
  Because lawmakers are meeting in a special session that ends on Friday, even a short delay could kill
  
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• Residents can share their thoughts on tourism to Juneau task force on Thursday

  18-06-2026 00:04 via ktoo.org
  
  Tourists walk the seawalk in downtown Juneau on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Juneau residents will have their first chance to testify in front of Juneau’s Visitor Industry Task Force on Thursday at City Hall or online at 5:30 p.m.
  The task force has been meeting since mid-December and is comprised of Juneau Assembly members and people involved in the tourism industry. 
  The group is examining whether the city’s current approach to managing tourism is work
  
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• Oregon man dies in apparent fall after getting lost on hike near Ketchikan

  17-06-2026 20:36 via ktoo.org
  
  Ketchikan’s Deer Mountain on a clear day. (Leila Kheiry/KRBD)
  An Oregon man died after getting lost on a hike and apparently falling off a cliff near Ketchikan, according to Alaska State Troopers.
  Searchers found the man, believed to be 49-year-old Portland resident Heath Didier, near Silvis Lake early Monday after he had gotten lost near the Deer Mountain trail on Sunday.
  Didier sent an alert Sunday night using a locator beacon with messaging capabilities saying he was lost, cold and wet
  
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• Senators weigh risk of gas pipeline project as special session deadline approaches

  17-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Senators chat during a break in a Senate Finance Committee meeting discussing the Alaska LNG project on June 16, 2026. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  State senators are closely examining a House-passed bill offering tax cuts for a North Slope natural gas pipeline as they near Friday’s deadline to end a special session on the issue.
  Many of their concerns center on a theme: what’s at risk for Alaskans if things don’t go according to plan?
  At a hearing on Tuesday, senators pre
  
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• Crude oil surfaced at historic Treadwell Mine. The state plans to study it.

  17-06-2026 03:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Marc Wheeler, Marc Thomas, Flannery Ballard and Jason Jones look at the Treadwell oil spill site on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO)
  Listen to this story:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TreadwellOil-WEB.mp3
  A short walk down the trail from the end of St. Anns Avenue on Douglas Island, a bright orange plastic fence circles the site of an old oil tank in the Treadwell Mine complex. 
  Juneau’s historic Treadwell Gold Mine is a beloved city park with trails and
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, June 16, 2026

  17-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260616-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The City and Borough of Juneau is repairing two school roofs this summer that were damaged during this winter’s record-breaking snowstorm,
  Oil rose to the surface at Juneau’s historic Treadwell Gold Mine, and the state plans to assess how wide the pollution has spread this summer,
  A new report shows that the population regrowth of humpback whales after a heatwave a decade ago has been slow,
  Th
  
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• Repairs to 2 school roofs in Juneau expected to begin this summer

  17-06-2026 00:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Workers shovel snow off the roof of Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx – Glacier Valley Elementary on Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Jamie Diep/KTOO)
  The City and Borough of Juneau is repairing two school roofs this summer that were damaged during this past winter’s record-breaking snowstorms. 
  The Juneau School District closed Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx – Glacier Valley Elementary School and  evacuated Mendenhall River Community School during the
  
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• How a change to mail-in voting could impact Alaska’s most rural voters

  17-06-2026 00:42 via ktoo.org
  
  Platinum, Alaska on May 29, 2026. (Samantha Watson/KYUK)
  Platinum, on the Bering Sea coast, is a small town — it has fewer than 50 residents. But when it comes to local elections, administrators make sure that traveling even small distances within town doesn’t get in the way of voting.
  “We’ll go to elderly homes and present the ballots, because they, hard to get around for them,” explained Lou Adams, the acting tribal administrator for Platinum Village Traditional
  
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• Planned Parenthood of Alaska sues state for requiring in-person visits for medication abortion

  16-06-2026 20:17 via ktoo.org
  
  The Planned Parenthood clinic in Anchorage on September 10, 2020.
  Planned Parenthood is suing the state to expand access to abortion medication via telehealth. Under Alaska law, people seeking a medication-induced abortion must go in person to a clinic, which is usually limited to Anchorage or Fairbanks.
  Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky filed the lawsuit Thursday in Alaska Superior Court.
  Lead case attorney Dylan Cowit said restricting access to a med
  
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• Alaska Elections Division makes it official, says Dan J. Sullivan can’t run against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan

  16-06-2026 03:06 via ktoo.org
  
  Dan Sullivan from Petersburg, left, is no longer a candidate for the race for Senate. On the right, pictured is current Sen. Dan Sullivan.
  Alaska Director of Elections Carol Beecher issued a final determination Monday that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg can’t be on the ballot to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
  “On review of the complaints and other information in the Division’s possession, I conclude that your declaration of candidacy was not properly filed with th
  
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• Newscast – Monday, June 15, 2026

  16-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260615-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:A citizen ballot proposition that would add a new seasonal sales tax will appear on the local ballot this fall election,
  Six new firefighters officially joined Capital City Fire/Rescue after completing a year-long apprenticeship,
  Alaska allows at least some late-arriving ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by election day, but a U.S. Supreme Court ruling could complicate that,
  Planned Par
  
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• Six firefighter apprentices complete first year of training

  16-06-2026 01:22 via ktoo.org
  
  CCFR captains high-five apprentices Brendan Jackson, Kajson Cunningham, Justus Paden, Sarah Kuhnell, and Lillian Thorington at their pinning ceremony on June 14, 2026. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
  Six new firefighters officially joined Capital City Fire/Rescue after completing a year-long apprenticeship. It was the first year of this paid apprentice program in Juneau and it’s helping the agency fill a staffing shortage.
  Assistant Fire Chief Sam Russell led the program. At the pinning cer
  
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• Two Coast Guard icebreakers to be homeported in Kodiak

  16-06-2026 00:06 via ktoo.org
  The Coast Guard Cutter Storis, a polar icebreaker. (USCG)
  Two new Coast Guard icebreakers will be homeported in Kodiak, according to a press release posted by the U.S. Coast Guard on June 11.
  A third icebreaker will be homeported in Seward when construction of supporting infrastructure in the town is completed. Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke about the announcement alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan on a press call today.
  “This announcement today from the Coast Guard is not just cause for celebration
  
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• Federal officials say drastic proposed changes to a contracting program won’t affect tribes and Native corporations

  15-06-2026 22:32 via ktoo.org
  
  Haven Harris testifies to the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Feb. 3, 2026.(House Committee on Natural Resources YouTube.)
  The U.S. Small Business Administration proposed Thursday to drastically change a contracting program that benefits disadvantaged individuals and groups. But the agency said the change won’t affect tribes and Alaska Native corporations, which benefit heavily from the program.
  The 8(a) Business Development Program under the U.S. Small Business Administration al
  
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• Federal appeals judges reject lawsuit against Alaska Airlines by former state senator

  15-06-2026 21:51 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, speaks Tuesday, May 10, 2022 on the floor of the Alaska Senate at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by former Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, against Alaska Airlines.
  Alaska Airlines banned Reinbold in 2021 for refusing to follow its masking policies during the COVID-19 pandemic eme
  
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• Citizen proposition to support recreational facilities secures spot on Juneau’s local ballot

  15-06-2026 21:46 via ktoo.org
  
  Augustus Brown Pool on Friday, March. 1, 2024. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  A citizen ballot proposition that would add a new seasonal sales tax will appear on the local ballot this fall election. That’s after advocates gained more than 3,200 signatures of support. The tax is intended to boost funding for the city’s recreational facilities. 
  Michael Cole is one of the residents behind the proposition. He says the proposition saw an overwhelming amount of support from the publi
  
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• Newscast – Friday, June 12, 2026

  13-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260612-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:
   A plan to build a $500 million cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island is taking shape, and tourism leaders and North Douglas residents have a lot of questions,
  The Alaska House passed a bill this afternoon tat would reduce taxes on the planned Alaska LNG project,
  A Juneau artist created a magazine where Indigenous artists and writers to share their perspectives without having to reduce
  
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• ‘We don’t think that’s good public policy’: Goldbelt criticizes five-ship limit, shares details on proposed cruise port

  13-06-2026 01:19 via ktoo.org
  
  Goldbelt Incorporated’s President and CEO, McHugh Pierre, presents to the city’s visitor industry task force about a proposed cruise ship port on Douglas Island on Thursday, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  A plan to build a $500 million cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island is taking shape — and tourism leaders and North Douglas residents have a lot of questions. 
  Goldbelt Incorporated President and CEO McHugh Pierre presented to the city’s
  
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