At the Alaska Beacon, we’re constantly trying to figure out where we should put our attention. There’s always more news than there are people to report it. Every Thursday, the Alaska Legislature publishes its committee schedule for the coming week. Public notices alert us to meetings and events. The governor’s office occasionally lets us know […]
Judy Edwards and her son Eric traveled from Palmer to advocate for people with disabilities at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau this week, and now one part of that process is a bit easier. A newly installed universal changing station on the first floor of the Capitol is a clean, safe space for people […]
An Oregon couple has sued a kennel founded by Iditarod winner Susan Butcher, saying they were injured during a 2024 dogsled tour. Randall and Philippa Hall filed suit in Fairbanks Superior Court on Thursday against Trail Breaker Kennel of Fairbanks. According to the complaint, the Halls were riding in a sled basket during a tour […]
The U.S. Forest Service has initiated a revision of the Tongass National Forest plan. At stake is whether the Forest Service will continue to shift its management strategy in support of a resilient climate, thriving Indigenous cultures, healthy fisheries, recreation, tourism and forest restoration — or whether it will backslide and try to bring back […]
An Alaska Superior Court Judge has set a new trial date for former Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage. LeDoux, who was accused of elections misconduct in 2020, will face trial in June, according to an order signed Feb. 24 by judges Catherine Easter and Thomas Matthews. A preliminary hearing will take place May 5. The state’s […]
Representatives of major oil field operators on Alaska’s North Slope said Thursday they are bullish on the region’s future as a major producer for decades to come. Their optimism was reinforced in part by a record-breaking oil and gas lease sale held this week by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. For ConocoPhillips, Alaska’s largest […]
The operator of Alaska’s massive Red Dog mine says it wants to use the sun to help power the sprawling zinc operation, which currently burns expensive, imported fossil fuels. If built, a newly proposed 8.8-megawatt solar farm at Red Dog would have slightly more capacity than the state’s largest existing farm, in the Susitna Valley […]
Redfin Real Estate compiled data on how many homes are for sale in Fairbanks, AK.
Redfin Real Estate compiled data on how many homes are for sale in Anchorage, AK.
The Alaska State Board of Education moved to establish a special committee to review ongoing issues and make recommendations to improve operations at the state-run boarding school, Mt. Edgecumbe High School. After a turbulent year of budget cuts, staff and administrative changes and more than 100 students disenrolling this year, a delegation of lawmakers made […]
Members of Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s local advisory board are urging the state to re-open hiring for the superintendent of the state-run boarding school. In a Mar. 6 letter, the local board asked the Alaska State Board of Education and the education commissioner to immediately re-open the superintendent position. The state board is responsible for […]
Federal aviation officials are investigating a close call at Newark Airport in which an Alaska Airlines jet flew over a FedEx cargo plane during landing approaches. The incident happened Tuesday …
The state of Alaska is starting to plan where new trails or roads may branch off the Dalton Highway in Interior Alaska. The choices made during the process likely have implications for hunting, fishing and tourism access, as well as the hundreds of people who live in the sparsely populated area. On Wednesday, the Alaska […]
Stacker compiled the most popular baby names for boys of the 1980s in Alaska using data from the Social Security Administration.
Reporter James Brooks regularly requests public information under the Freedom of Information Act and uses public documents, including those available through Alaska’s Court system, to do his job. As we observe Sunshine Week, an annual event that highlights the importance of open records and transparency in government, he shares a few thoughts. This month, the […]
A controversial oil and gas federal lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska generated a new bidding record, according to results released on Wednesday. It was the first auction held in that Arctic Alaska territory since 2019. The lease sale produced $163 million in high bids, beating the $104 million mark set during […]
An investigation is underway after two crew members of a tugboat were killed and two others were harmed in what the Coast Guard described as a “confined space incident” aboard a barge moored in …
Alaska legislators have sidetracked a bill originally intended for the legislative fast track. In a pair of votes Wednesday, the Alaska House and Senate voted to send House Bill 289, the state’s supplemental budget bill, to a conference committee empowered to iron out differences between two different versions respectively enacted by the House and Senate. […]
The first oil and gas lease sale held in years in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska has been touted by officials as the strongest to date. The sale Wednesday drew hundreds of bids and interest …
In Alaska’s rural communities, the school budget conversation no longer starts with new ideas but with what we must give up next. I see this firsthand as a school principal in Kotzebue. For years, districts across rural Alaska have trimmed budgets, delayed expenses, and stretched every dollar they could find. Programs have been reduced. Positions have […]