Anchorage news

• Newscast – Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

  07-08-2026 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260806-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:A Juneau construction company could have to pay $350,000  for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act by dredging and dumping in several wetlands without permits.
  There are over a thousand manmade stream crossings in the Tongass National Forest that aren’t up to standard. But on Prince of Wales Island, in southern Southeast, an environmental nonprofit is replacing a handful of these structures
  
  Read more

• Alaska will now regulate its own hazardous waste

  07-08-2026 03:11 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau’s hazardous waste facility in 2017 (Elizabeth Jenkins/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  Alaska will now regulate its own hazardous waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency handed over the responsibility to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on Thursday.
  This makes Alaska the 49th state with an authorized hazardous waste program. Only Iowa lacks one. State regulators will oversee the generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of qualifying waste pr
  
  Read more

• Juneau School District faces hiring challenges ahead of start to school year

  07-08-2026 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  Auke Bay Elementary School on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (Photo by Clarise Larson / KTOO)
  The Juneau School District is slated to start the school year in 2 weeks with 10 open elementary teacher positions. Nine positions are full time and one position is part time. School officials say this number represents a spike in teaching vacancies compared to previous years. 
  The district’s largest elementary school, Auke Bay Elementary, might start the year down four teachers, or a sixth of its
  
  Read more

• Why KTOO did not livestream Thursday morning’s federal press conference on glacial outburst flooding

  07-08-2026 02:58 via ktoo.org
  
  The KTOO office on Aug. 6, 2026. (Jamie Diep/KTOO)
  A note from the editors:
  There was significant confusion surrounding a press conference Thursday morning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan regarding a long-term solution to Juneau’s glacial lake outburst floods. KTOO did not livestream it due to a last minute request from the senator’s office to embargo the information. 
  We understand this confused many people in the community so we wanted to expla
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Alaska superintendents drill down on education policy with some gubernatorial candidates

  07-08-2026 02:06 via ktoo.org
  
  Six candidates for Alaska governor and lieutenant governor participated in a debate on education hosted by the Alaska Superintendents Association in Juneau on July 30, 2026. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
  Six candidates for Alaska governor from across the political spectrum appeared side-by-side in a room full of superintendents and school officials in Juneau and promised that boosting education funding would be a priority of their administration, if elected.
  Six candidates participated in the d
  
  Read more

• Eyes on Alaska’s Murkowski as confirmation vote nears for Trump attorney general pick

  07-08-2026 01:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, with striped tie, was one of the reporters pressing Sen. Lisa Murkowski for answers on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. She wasn’t providing them. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)
  WASHINGTON — A lot of focus is on U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski as Republican leaders try to round up the votes to confirm Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
  Murkowski’s vote could be pivotal, but she rebuffed all questions about how she&rsquo
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Army Corps of Engineers, Sen. Sullivan discuss glacial outburst flood long-term solution

  06-08-2026 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan are set to hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m.They’ll be discussing commitments to a long-term solution to Juneau’s recurring glacial lake outburst floods in the Mendenhall Valley. 
  
  Read more

• Newscast – Wednesday, August 5, 2026

  06-08-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260805-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The University of Alaska is eliminating an out-of-state tuition rate,
  The building and land that house the Juneau Makerspace on Douglas Island are for sale, but the community workspace isn’t closing its doors,
  A Gustavus family’s sailboat suddenly sank in Glacier Bay National Park last week. The family swam to shore, and later learned a humpback whale could be the culprit,
  The U.S. Forest Serv
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• University of Alaska to eliminate out-of-state tuition for 2027 academic year

  06-08-2026 02:52 via ktoo.org
  
  University of Alaska Southeast students celebrate their graduation on Sunday, May 7, 2023. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The University of Alaska is eliminating an out-of-state tuition rate. In a special meeting Tuesday, the Board of Regents unanimously approved making in-state tuition available for all students, at all degree levels. The new tuition rates will go into effect in the 2027 fall semester.
  Out-of-state tuition is currently at least double in-state tuition, depending on the campus a
  
  Read more

• A Juneau construction company could pay $350K for Clean Water Act violations

  06-08-2026 02:52 via ktoo.org
  
  An aerial view of S&S ponds near Lemon Creek, where Duran Construction Company is accused of excavating and stockpiling sand and gravel without required permits. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  A Juneau construction company could have to pay $350,000 for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act by dredging and dumping in several wetlands without permits. The U.S. Department of Justice, State of Alaska and Duran Construction Company, LLC, agreed to a proposed settlement on Thursday. 
  The f
  
  Read more

• Future of Juneau Makerspace location in limbo as its building goes up for sale

  05-08-2026 23:27 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Makerspace on Douglas Island on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The building and land that house the Juneau Makerspace on Douglas Island are for sale — but the community workspace isn’t closing its doors. 
  Sam Bornstein is one of the nonprofitʼs founders and formerly served as president. Heʼs now the interim treasurer. 
  “The landlords are looking to sell the property, which includes the building. Our current hope is th
  
  Read more

• Abandoned and derelict boats removed from waterways in three Southeast Alaska communities

  05-08-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  BoatUS Foundation cleans up waterways in Metlakatla (photo courtesy of BoatUS Foundation)
  The Metlakatla Indian Community is in the process of removing 27 abandoned and derelict vessels from its waterways. It’s part of an effort – also happening in Yakutat and Sitka – to improve marine habitat and clean up tidelands, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program.
  Michael Moore, Program Director for The BoatUS Foundation, spoke with KTOO about
  
  Read more

• Humpback whale sinks Gustavus family’s sailboat in Glacier Bay National Park

  05-08-2026 03:56 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Gustavus family’s sailboat with a large patch over the hole where the whale struck it. (Photo courtesy of Lu Syrene)
   
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04WhaleSank-WEB.mp3
  A Gustavus family’s sailboat suddenly sank in Glacier Bay National Park on July 29. The family survived. When they recovered the sailboat a few days later, they found something unusual: the rubbery, black skin of a humpback whale. 
  Tania Lewis has been a wildlife biologist at Glacier
  
  Read more

• Newscast – Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

  05-08-2026 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/260804-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:It’s been almost six months since Junior Siufanua was last seen in Juneau. He had been staying at a local shelter for unhoused people before he was reported missing by staff on Feb. 25.
  Seventeen candidates are running to be Alaska’s next governor. Alaskans are already heading to the polls for early voting in the Aug. 18 nonpartisan, pick-one primary, which will narrow the fi
  
  Read more

• Six months pass since this Juneau man went missing

  05-08-2026 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A missing person poster for Juneau resident Junior Siufanua hangs inside the Glory Hall homeless shelter in the Mendenhall Valley on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  It’s been almost six months since Junior Siufanua was last seen in Juneau. He had been staying at a local shelter for unhoused people before he was reported missing by staff on Feb. 25. 
  Siufanua is 39 years old and was last seen at the Glory Hall homeless shelter in the Mendenhall Valley on Feb. 9. Staff at
  
  Read more

• Low catches close Southeast commercial Dungeness crab season three weeks early

  04-08-2026 15:01 via ktoo.org
  
  Dungeness crab photographed May 30, 2020. (Angela Denning/Coast Alaska)
  Southeast Alaska’s commercial Dungeness crab summer season ended three weeks early on July 25 after fisherman harvested far fewer crab than expected.
  The amount fishermen caught at the beginning of the season was the lowest amount in over 30 years, said the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
  Fish and Game estimated permit holders would catch roughly 1.5 million pounds of crab during the season. State shellfish biologi
  
  Read more

• Early voting opens for Alaska’s 2026 primary election — here’s what to expect

  04-08-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A group of pro-democracy demonstrators gathers Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Juneau on the first day of early voting for the 2026 Alaska primary election. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Early in-person voting began Monday at 10 locations in the Railbelt, Juneau and Nome for Alaska’s Nov. 18 statewide primary election. As of July 31, just under 10,000 voters had requested absentee ballots for the election, and hundreds of absentee voters had already mailed in their votes, according to fi
  
  Read more

• Newscast – Monday, August 3, 2026

  04-08-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260803-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:After two years empty, Juneau’s Marie Drake building will soon get new life,
  New Amalga gold mine in Juneau secures fast federal permitting process,
  Contract negotiations between University of Alaska and its staff union begins,
  The summer Southeast commercial Dungeness crab season ended three weeks early
  
  Read more

• After two years empty, Juneau’s Marie Drake building will soon get new life

  04-08-2026 02:21 via ktoo.org
  
  Nate Abbott, the Parks and Rec’s building maintenance supervisor, explains some upcoming changes to the Marie Drake building downtown to members of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  After sitting mostly empty for more than two years, Juneau’s Marie Drake building will soon see new life. 
  The former school building – which housed Juneau School District’s Montessori and alternative high scho
  
  Read more

• Contract negotiations between University of Alaska and its staff union begins

  03-08-2026 20:25 via ktoo.org
  A University of Alaska Southeast shuttle stopped at an intersection at UAS on April 16, 2025. (Photo by Jamie Diep/KTOO)
  Listen here:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/31CAUSEHuh.wav
  The University of Alaska and its newest staff union have begun negotiations on its first contract. The university recently presented an initial contract proposal. But what’s in the proposal – as well as the university’s efforts to remove members from the union – are creating a
  
  Read more

• A women’s pro wrestling troupe in Fairbanks rings in a decade of bruises and bodyslams

  03-08-2026 19:45 via ktoo.org
  
  Chokecherry shoves the Golden Heartbreaker into the ropes while Mary Lou “Thunder Thighs” Fagan and Rocky look on during a FLOW show on Feb. 21, 2026. (Shelby Herbert/KUAC)
  Picture a dark, winter night in Fairbanks. The thermometer is stuck below minus-30. Most of the bars are quiet. It’s too cold to be outside, and if you’re looking for nightlife? Good luck.
  That is, unless you know where to find the wrestling ring. There, under bright, multicolored lights, a crowd of fa
  
  Read more

• First week of third gasline special session ends with no action by Dunleavy or Alaska Legislature

  03-08-2026 19:27 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska House of Representatives is seen on Friday, July 31, 2026, during a technical sesison. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  The Alaska Legislature ended the first week of its third special session on the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline with no action.
  The session is for lawmakers to consider a property tax break to incentivize the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who called the session and set the agenda, has yet to propose legislation f
  
  Read more

• New Amalga gold mine in Juneau secures fast federal permitting process

  01-08-2026 03:39 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Herbert Glacier carves through the Tongass National Forest on Aug. 6, 2025 (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO).
  Listen to this story:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/31FastMine-WEB.mp3
  A controversial gold mine proposed within the Tongass National Forest in Juneau was authorized to go through a faster federal permitting process on Thursday. Some Juneau residents say they worry the mine would turn the serene area into an industrial zone. 
  The New Amalga Gold Mine is now the fifth
  
  Read more

• Newscast – Friday, July 31, 2026

  01-08-2026 03:02 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260731-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Another man was taken into custody in Juneau for immigration enforcement purposes and held in Lemon Creek Correctional Center this week.
  In addition to races for governor, the U.S. House and Senate and the state Legislature, Alaskans will face a ballot initiative when they vote in the primary this August.
  After a legal battle that went all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court, Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg
  
  Read more

• Federal agents detain fifth a Juneau man for immigration purposes

  01-08-2026 02:24 via ktoo.org
  
  Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. (Lisa Phu/KTOO)
  Another man was taken into custody in Juneau for immigration enforcement purposes and held in Lemon Creek Correctional Center this week. 
  Alaska Department of Corrections spokesperson Betsy Holley said a man named Jose Manuel Rivera-Rivera was at the Juneau prison on a federal custody hold from Wednesday until today. She said he was transferred to Anchorage Correctional Complex Friday.
  Juneau Police Chief Derek Bos told KTOO via ema
  
  Read more

• Federal agents detain a fifth Juneau man for immigration purposes

  01-08-2026 02:24 via ktoo.org
  
  Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. (Lisa Phu/KTOO)
  Another man was taken into custody in Juneau for immigration enforcement purposes and held in Lemon Creek Correctional Center this week. 
  Alaska Department of Corrections spokesperson Betsy Holley said a man named Jose Manuel Rivera-Rivera was at the Juneau prison on a federal custody hold from Wednesday until today. She said he was transferred to Anchorage Correctional Complex Friday.
  Juneau Police Chief Derek Bos told KTOO via ema
  
  Read more

• Here’s when to expect results in Alaska’s 2026 statewide primary election

  31-07-2026 23:29 via ktoo.org
  
  Elections workers double-check the results of Alaska’s Aug. 16, 2022 primary election during a meeting of the state review board on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 at the Alaska Division of Elections in Juneau. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Early, in-person voting begins Monday for Alaska’s Aug. 18 state primary election, and thousands of voters have already cast absentee ballots by mail.
  Regardless of when — or how — Alaskans vote, ballots will be counted starting on election day,
  
  Read more

• Alaskans face August vote on ending unlimited campaign donations

  31-07-2026 23:23 via ktoo.org
  
  People in Anchorage voting early at City Hall on October 28, 2024. (James Oh/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaskans will face a ballot initiative when they vote in the primary election this August. The initiative, known as Ballot Measure 1, aims to limit the influence of big-money donors on Alaska’s state and local elections.
  That’s in addition to races for governor, the U.S. House and Senate and the state Legislature.
  Alaska has allowed individuals to make unlimited contributions to candidat
  
  Read more

• Southeast State Fair brings the sound of music — and chainsaws — to Haines fairgrounds

  31-07-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  Ericka Johnson competes in the logging show at the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines. (Avery Ellfeldt/KHNS)
  Mid-day on Saturday, six musicians were set up on a walkway at the Haines fairgrounds, playing a lively tune for a growing crowd. The fiddler had a baby strapped to his chest, wearing ear protection.
  The small ensemble was one of many that came to town for the Southeast Alaska State Fair. Aside from the near-constant music, the big draw on Saturday was a logging show. More than three h
  
  Read more

• Alaska providers say childcare gap is growing

  31-07-2026 14:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Palmer Head Start teacher Moriah Morris sits with children. (Mark Lackey/CCS Early Learning)
  In Alaska, the gap between the need for childcare and the availability of services is growing, according to providers and national data. Some sources estimate it’s costing the state millions each year.
  An estimated 55% of Alaska children lack reasonable access to child care, according to data compiled by the national non-profit advocacy group First Five Years Fund. Alaska childcare provid
  
  Read more

Follow @AnchorageNewsUS on Twitter!