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After two-year COVID hiatus, tours on Pribilof island set to resume
Two years after becoming one of the most sealed-off locations in the United States, St. Paul Island is reopening to visitors. St. Paul Island Tour, a business within the Unangan-owned TDX Corp., is resuming its operations after a pause forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. An email blast sent out last week revealed a lot of […]
Alaska inflation similar to U.S. trends, but a sharp departure from recent past
The annual inflation rate for the Anchorage area was 7.5% as of April, nearly matching the annual national rate that was most recently measured at 8.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week. The close match between Alaska and national economic trends is noteworthy, said Neal Fried, a senior economist with the Alaska Department […]
Alaska tops nation in overdose death increase
Alaska had the national biggest increase in drug overdose deaths in the past year, far outstripping rate increases in other states, the Centers for Disease Control reported. A report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics said Alaska had 75.3% more overdose deaths in 2021 than in 2020, compared to an national average of […]
Alaska U.S. House candidates use industry forum to try to stand out in crowded field
The nine candidates at the forum, seated in alphabetical order, faced their own common challenge: distinguishing themselves from other contenders in the very crowded field.
Action needed to address Alaska’s stagnant demographic trends, economist says
More people are leaving Alaska than coming, too few babies are being born to make up the population gap and the state workforce is withering. That presents a tough challenge that demands aggressive policy responses, a university economist argues. “In 2010, essentially, Alaska stopped growing. That’s not the Alaska we all know,” said Ralph Townsend, […]
Beyond COVID: Zink seeks to refocus on Alaskans’ holistic health
When Anne Zink began working as the state’s chief medical officer in the summer of 2019, she had a vision of transforming the state’s health system into one that promotes health holistically rather than one that simply responds to sickness. Then came COVID-19. At least a third of Alaskans have tested positive for the COVID […]
Recent earthquakes may raise risk of Alaska tsunami, study finds
The dual earthquake action deep underground appears to have increased the risks of future tsunamis in that region, the study said.