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Bill to stiffen drug penalties, aimed at fentanyl epidemic and overdoses, faces Alaska House vote
Spurred by the state’s sharp increase in fentanyl-overdose deaths, the Alaska Legislature is considering a bill that would make those who supply the drug subject to potential second-degree murder charges in cases that lead to death. The measure, House Bill 66, was introduced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who used part of his Jan. 23 State […]
Wastewater plant at Haines and other Southeast sites likely to need upgrades to control bacteria
Alaska’s coastal communities are home to more than a third of the U.S. wastewater plants that are still allowed to treat their sewage at the lowest and most basic technological level. But six cities in Southeast Alaska may soon have to invest in improvements to better clean their wastewater before discharging it into the ocean. […]
Alaska Senate passes bill banning use of firefighting foams containing ‘forever chemicals’
The Alaska Senate on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would mandate an end to the use of firefighting foams containing the long-lasting and health-damaging compounds known as “forever chemicals.” Senate Bill 67 requires use of PFAS-containing foams end on Jan. 1, unless otherwise required by federal law. The foams are generally used in airport […]
Bill to make Juneteenth an Alaska state holiday clears Senate, heads to House
The Alaska Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday. The measure, Senate Bill 22, now heads to the state House for its consideration. The sponsor, Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, used her floor debate to describe the significance of the June 19 holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in […]
With money pouring in for Alaska water and sewer projects, focus shifts to ensuring sustainability
Historically, the biggest challenge to getting adequate water and sewer service in remote communities in rural Alaska was lack of money. Now, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021, there is plenty of money from the federal government, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation officials told legislators on Tuesday. That presents a […]
Huge Malaspina Glacier is positioned to be a big contributor to sea-level rise, study says
Alaska is the home of the world’s biggest piedmont glacier – meaning it falls from a mountain into a plain. But a new study has revealed it is not quite as big as previously believed, and its low-elevation positioning makes it more highly susceptible to melting that would affect the rise in global sea levels. […]
Rabies in Alaska bats is very rare, but caution is warranted, state medical experts say
In Alaska, where many people might be unaware of bats’ existence, there are risks that the flying nocturnal mammals are carrying rabies, a recent bulletin from the state Department of Health advised. The risks are very small, especially when compared to areas elsewhere in North America, where bats are the most commonly reported rabies-infected animals. […]
Bill to mandate financial education is intended to help address Alaskans’ pocketbook problems
In a nation where most people lack adequate savings for emergencies and retirement, Alaska stands out as being particularly bad at personal finances. Alaska has the highest per-capita credit card debt among all states, measured at over $8,000 in 2019, the lowest rate of completion of the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known […]
As Alaska duties evolve and expand, military branches’ housing needs grow, leaders say
The Alaska-based military branches that are patrolling the Arctic, buffering against an increasingly hostile Russia and standing ready to deploy to global trouble spots are coping with another adversary: a housing squeeze. In testimony at the 2023 legislative session’s first hearing held by the Joint Armed Services Committee, Alaska military leaders on Tuesday described some […]
APU president says the school can help address Alaska’s outmigration woes
Alaska Pacific University, with about 600 students, is dwarfed by its next-door neighbor, the University of Alaska Anchorage and its approximately 11,000 students. But university President Janelle Vanasse said the small private university, which is transitioning into a federally designated tribal college, can play an important role in addressing a sweeping Alaska problem: the continued […]
Antibiotic-resistant microbes lurk in poop of Anchorage moose, UAA research finds
The moose that amble through Alaska’s largest city are leaving more in their wake than piles of nugget-shaped feces. Within that scat, researchers from the University of Alaska Anchorage have discovered, is something troubling: microbes that are resistant to several varieties of antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli, a pathogen commonly abbreviated as E. coli, and other […]
Appeals court denies injunction request, allowing ConocoPhillips to proceed with Willow work
Planned construction of a gravel road for ConocoPhillips’ huge Willow project on Alaska’s North Slope is cleared to proceed, now that a federal appeals court has rejected petitions for a temporary injunction blocking that work. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday issued a one-page ruling rejecting requests from an Alaska Native organization and […]