Anchorage news

• US rig count up 10 this week to 431

  02-07-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The sun rises on the North Slope between drill rigs, Nov. 6, 2012. (Creative Commons photo by Kevan Dee)
  The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 10 this week to 431.A year ago, 862 rigs were active. Oil and gas exploration has plummeted amid depressed energy prices.
  Houston oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday 341 rigs sought oil and 89 explored this week for natural gas. One was listed as miscellaneous.
  Among major oil- and gas-producing
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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,
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• Kuskokwim Bay commercial salmon fishery opens after 5-year hiatus

  31-07-2026 05:30 via ktoo.org
  
  Skiffs line up to offload their salmon catches to a tender vessel floating in the waters of Kuskokwim Bay near Quinhagak during the first commercial salmon fishing opener of the season on July 7, 2026. (Larry Strunk)
  Dozens of ocean-going skiffs have been busy unfurling gill nets along the shores of Kuskokwim Bay. But the catches haven’t been headed to fish camps. Instead, the salmon are quickly bled, put on ice, and offloaded onto vessels bobbing in the waters in front of Quinhagak and Go
  
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• Deadly 2025 Bering Air crash caused by ‘a series of preventable breakdowns,’ NTSB chief says

  31-07-2026 03:16 via ktoo.org
  
  A Bering Air helicopter ferries back sections of flight 445’s wings on Saturday, Feb. 8 , 2025. (Dustin Koehler)
  The National Transportation Safety Board says a Bering Air flight experienced “severe icing conditions” and pointed to “the pilot’s inadequate airspeed management” and unsuccessful recovery during a stall before the plane crashed onto an ice floe in 2025.
  The crash killed all nine passengers and the pilot.
  The NTSB issued its final acciden
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, July 30, 2026

  31-07-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260730-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Juneau police have confirmed the identity of a man whose remains were discovered in a chest freezer last week at a home in Lemon Creek,
  Three people are dead after a fiery plane crash Tuesday night near McCarthy,
  A volunteer group freed a humpback whale that was entangled in a gillnet near Petersburg last night,
  Juneau veteran says he was denied First Amendment rights during July 4 parade,
  Members of the
  
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• 23 Alaska legislators ask state to restore voters wrongfully removed from the rolls

  31-07-2026 01:02 via ktoo.org
  
  Voters in Bethel’s Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center on Nov. 5, 2024. (MaryCait Dolan/KYUK)
  Members of the Alaska Legislature are asking the state Division of Elections to immediately restore the voter status of thousands of Alaskans that the division deactivated based on outdated information about their citizenship status.
  A bipartisan group of 23 legislators wrote a letter Tuesday, asking Elections Director Carol Beecher to put all names back on the active voters list unless their ineli
  
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• Juneau veteran says he was denied First Amendment rights during July 4 parade

  30-07-2026 20:23 via ktoo.org
  
  KJ Metcalf testifies in front of the Juneau Assembly at a meeting on Monday, July 27, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Juneau’s downtown Fourth of July parade committee released a new rule  discouraging political opposition and protest during the parade earlier this summer. The Juneau community was left speculating what this rule would mean for the parade.Then, on the day of the event, a Juneau man said he wasn’t allowed to be in the parade carrying a sign that criticizes war. He say
  
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• Police defuse explosives found in Haines eagle preserve

  30-07-2026 15:01 via ktoo.org
  
  The Haines public safety building. (Melinda Munson/KHNS)
  In mid-July, a Haines resident found a funny-looking object near the Klehini Flats in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The man suspected it was a type of explosive called a detonating cord – and Haines Police Chief Jimmy Yoakum says he was right.
  “It is used to ignite bigger explosives, from my understanding,” Yoakum said. “You know, road work, crews, mining operations — it’s used in a number of d
  
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• Evidence of measles virus found in Anchorage wastewater

  30-07-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska wastewater testing samples from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Eagle River and Bethel as they get prepped for processing by the state in July, 2026. (Alaska Environmental Health Laboratory)
  Evidence of the measles virus was found in Anchorage wastewater in July, according to state epidemiologists. The data is from a national pilot program that analyzes wastewater for disease and looks for ribonucleic acid, or RNA, of certain pathogens.
  Joe McLaughlin, head epidemiologist for the state, said that b
  
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• Police identify man discovered in chest freezer at Juneau home

  30-07-2026 03:18 via ktoo.org
  
  This is the residence at the Switzer Village Mobile Home Park where police received a report about a body found in a freezer. Thursday, July 23, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The Juneau Police Department has confirmed the identity of a man whose remains were discovered in a chest freezer last week at a home in Lemon Creek. 
  According to the State of Alaska Medical Examiner, the remains are of Ross Pasquan. Pasquan was a Juneau resident who would be 74 years old today.  
  Pasquan was
  
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• New class to teach Southeast mariners how to avoid hitting humpback whales

  30-07-2026 03:18 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A cruise ship travels through Glacier Bay on July 24, 2023. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Listen to this story:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AvoidWhales-WEB.mp3
  A new class developed by whale biologists and marine pilots in Southeast Alaska will soon teach mariners how to avoid hitting humpback whales when sailing large ships through the region. The training comes as the state’s cruise industry booms.
  Humpback whales migrate thousands of miles from their winter breeding ground
  
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• 3 dead after plane crash near McCarthy

  30-07-2026 03:12 via ktoo.org
  
  An Alaska State Troopers vehicle. (Alaska Department of Public Safety)
  Three people are dead after a fiery plane crash Tuesday night near McCarthy, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement posted online Wednesday
  The pilot of a Piper PA-22 crashed while landing at the Dan Creek airstrip, about 20 miles east of McCarthy, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane banked left, impacted terrain and burst into flames, killing the pilot and two pa
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, July 19, 2026

  30-07-2026 03:04 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260729-News-Update-2.mp3
  In this newscast:For the second year in a row, the Juneau Assembly has rejected putting two bond debt proposals on the local election ballot,
  It’s been one year since a Juneau officer was caught on camera violently slamming a man to the ground during an arrest,
  A new class developed by whale biologists and marine pilots in Southeast Alaska will soon teach mariners how to avoid hitting humpback whales while sailing
  
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• After video of violent arrest, Juneau police pledged reform. 1 year later, what’s changed?

  30-07-2026 02:25 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Police Department station in Lemon Creek in 2022. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/29slam.wav
  A short video of a Juneau police officer’s arrest of local resident Christopher Williams, Jr. shook the Juneau community this time last year. 
  The video spread quickly online, across social media platforms and national news outlets. It showed an interaction in which an officer, who was later identified as Brandon LeBlanc, attempted to handcuff
  
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• Dozens of weather stations crucial for Alaska aviation went dark on Monday

  29-07-2026 23:09 via ktoo.org
  
  An automated weather station in Fairbanks. (National Weather Service, Fairbanks)
  A widespread weather reporting outage affected Alaska Monday, causing dozens of stations used by pilots and forecasters to go offline. No flight cancellations were immediately reported.
  More than 50 weather stations across the state were offline, which is just under a third of the entire network, said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
  “This is a particularly bad day of
  
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• Lawmakers say third Alaska LNG session is Dunleavy’s last chance to make a deal

  29-07-2026 23:01 via ktoo.org
  
  House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, a Dillingham independent, presides over a nearly empty House chamber on July 27, 2026. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  A handful of state legislators returned to Juneau Monday to once again talk about tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project.
  It’s their third special session this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy called lawmakers back on July 16 after threatening to veto a bill crafted by a conference committee and passed by the state Senate.
  That bill would have imposed c
  
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• Assembly rejects bonds to upgrade Juneau’s schools and wastewater system again

  29-07-2026 21:21 via ktoo.org
  
  A sign hangs outside the entrance of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  For the second year in a row, the Juneau Assembly has rejected putting two bond debt proposals on the local election ballot.
  The bonds would have helped fund $25 million worth of critical repairs and upgrades to Juneau’s schools and the city’s water and sewer systems. Last year, the Assembly similarly voted against putting nearly identical bond quest
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, July 28, 2026

  29-07-2026 02:58 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260728-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Forecasters predict the glacial lake responsible for producing Juneau’s annual glacial outburst flood will fill a bit later than initially forecast,
  Eight candidates are vying for three open seats on the Juneau Assembly during this fall’s local election,
  The upcoming school year is less than one month away and district leadership says operations will remain largely the same,
  A handful of state
  
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• 11 candidates vie for local office in Juneau’s fall municipal election

  29-07-2026 00:46 via ktoo.org
  
  Frank Rue drops his ballot off in the City Hall ballot drop box on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Eight candidates are vying for three open seats on the Juneau Assembly during this fall’s local election. Three people are running for two open seats on the school board.
  The candidate filing period for Juneau’s October municipal election closed on Monday afternoon. 
  For Assembly, three people are running for the open area-wide Assembly seat: incumbent Paul Ke
  
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• Alaska Democratic U.S. House candidate says he had support but not enough money

  29-07-2026 00:22 via ktoo.org
  
  Campaign signs for Democrats Matt Schultz and Tom Begich are seen in a Midtown Anchorage yard on July 17, 2026. Schultz mounted his campaign to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich. But he endorsed Nick’s uncle, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich, a former state senator. Schultz suspended his campaign on July 17 and urged supporters to rally behind independent Bill Hill. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
  On July 17, the leading Democratic candidate in Alaska’s U.S. House race&
  
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