Alaska

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Alaska's 3rd Largest Political Party Is No More

Leaders of Alaskan Independence Party vote to dissolve it, leaving 19K voters in limbo

(Newser) - Alaska's best-known secessionist brand just voted itself out of existence, leaving 19,000 voters in limbo. Leaders of the Alaskan Independence Party, the state's third-largest political party, met on Dec. 7 and opted to shut it down, according to a statement by former Chair John Wayne Howe, reports...

In Alaska Murder, Arresting the Boyfriend Was a Big Mistake
In Alaska Murder, Arresting the
Boyfriend Was a Big Mistake
in case you missed it
Dec 28, 2025 10:00 AM CST

In Alaska Murder, Arresting the Boyfriend Was a Big Mistake

ProPublica analyzes 2015 murder of Eunice Whitman in Alaska, still unsolved

(Newser) - Alaska didn't solve who killed 23-year-old Eunice Whitman, but its justice system did manage to lock up the wrong man for seven years, ProPublica reports, in a gripping investigation of two eerily similar murders that police have not linked. Whitman of Bethel, Alaska, was found in May 2015 on...

For 90 Minutes After Bear Attack, 911 Dispatcher Was Her Lifeline

Victoria Lytle, 67, thanks Alaskan first responders who hiked for miles to help her

(Newser) - A 67-year-old retiree who survived a brutal bear mauling in the Alaska backcountry this summer has finally reunited with the Anchorage first responders who saved her life. Victoria Lytle was hiking on the Anchorage Hillside in July when she heard barking—only to realize too late that it was a...

Anchorage Rattled by Strongest Quake in Years

No major damage was reported after 6.0-magnitude quake Thanksgiving morning

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake shook the Anchorage area on Thanksgiving morning, but there were no initial reports of major damage. The 6.0-magnitude quake, which started at 8:11am, was centered around 67 miles northwest of the city at a depth of 43 miles, according to the US Geological Survey. The...

Fatal Mistake: Crab Boat's Crew Viewed It as a 'Battleship'

As the Guardian recounts, only two of seven survived a brutal winter storm near Alaska

(Newser) - Being a commercial fisherman is one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation, with more than 800 deaths logged between 2000 and 2020, along with another 164 missing. A story at the Guardian brings home that truth with a harrowing look at the last voyage of the Scandies Rose...

Lawsuit: Killing Bears to Boost Caribou Is Unconstitutional

Conservation groups say Alaska program culling black, brown bears has no scientific basis

(Newser) - Conservation groups sued this week over a state program in Alaska that authorizes killing brown bears and black bears as a way to increase the size of a once-significant caribou herd in the southwest part of the state. The groups allege the program lacks a scientific basis and is unconstitutional,...

White House Is Opening Up Drilling in Alaskan Wild

Trump administration move paves the way to drill for oil, gas in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

(Newser) - The Trump administration has finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, renewing a long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation's environmental jewels. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision on Thursday that...

Alaska Experiments With Voting by Smartphone

Critics say Anchorage program could fuel conspiracy theories

(Newser) - Anchorage, Alaska, is about to launch an experiment that could reshape how Americans vote: letting residents cast ballots via smartphone. Starting with the city's April municipal election, the pilot program will give Anchorage's 240,000 registered voters the option to vote by phone, though traditional mail and in-person...

Search Continues for Friends After Heli-Skier's Body Found
Crews Recover Remains
of Second Alaskan Skier
updated
Nov 6, 2025 6:05 PM CST

Crews Recover Remains of Second Alaskan Skier

3 friends were caught in an avalanche in March

(Newser) - The body of a skier who was caught in an Alaskan avalanche has been found, the second such discovery since three friends from Minnesota were swept away in March. A helicopter crew and recovery team recovered the remains on Tuesday, the state Department of Public Safety said. The body found...

Villagers Are 'Scared, Worried' After Massive Alaska Airlift

They don't know when, or if, they will be able to return to areas hit by flooding

(Newser) - Hundreds of Alaska residents airlifted from storm-ravaged villages are now facing life in the state's largest city, with little idea of when—or if—they'll be able to return home. More than 200 residents from Kipnuk boarded a C-17 military transport plane in Bethel, en route to...

One of the Biggest Airlifts in Alaska History Is Underway

Hundreds evacuated from coastal villages devastated by storm

(Newser) - One of the most significant airlifts in Alaska history got underway this week to move hundreds of people from coastal villages ravaged by high surf and strong winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend, officials said. The storm brought record water levels to two low-lying communities and washed...

EPA Pulled Flood Grant Months Before Storm Hit Alaska

Homes were washed away in Kipnuk

(Newser) - On Sunday, a devastating flood tore through the Alaska village of Kipnuk; five months prior, federal funding meant to help the village withstand disasters was abruptly cut. The Environmental Protection Agency had earmarked $20 million for riverbank stabilization—a project designed to shield the largely Alaska Native community from...

Typhoon Plows Into Alaska, Sweeps Away Homes

At least 3 missing, dozens rescued as remnants of Halong hits Alaska

(Newser) - More than 30 people were rescued and three people remain unaccounted for in western Alaska after the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds and flooding strong enough to sweep away entire homes in coastal communities, authorities said. Rescue aircraft were sent to the tiny Alaskan villages of Kipnuk and...

In Rural America, the Shutdown Threatens Air Travel

Hundreds of rural airports could lose service by Sunday as EAS funding dries up

(Newser) - Federal funding that keeps air travel running in rural parts of the United States will expire this Sunday if the government shutdown drags on . The Essential Air Service program , created in 1978, provides subsidies to airlines serving 177 small airports—often the only link these communities have to bigger...

House Backs 211-Mile Road Through Alaska Wilderness
Trump Approves 211-Mile
Alaska Wilderness Road
UPDATED
Oct 6, 2025 6:30 PM CDT

Trump Approves 211-Mile Alaska Wilderness Road

Controversial project will open path to massive mineral deposits

(Newser) - President Trump has approved a new 211-mile road through Alaska wilderness that will give mining companies access to deposits of copper, gold, zinc, and rare earth minerals. The president signed an order Monday to reverse the Biden administration's cancellation of permits for the controversial project, the Alaska Beacon reports....

Russian Warplanes Buzz by Alaskan Airspace. Again

NORAD scrambles jets in new incident that follows Trump saying Ukraine may regain its territory

(Newser) - US fighter jets scrambled to identify and intercept four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Thursday. It's the third time in about a month, and the ninth time this year, that NORAD has reported such an incident involving Russian aircraft flying near Alaska....

Meet the Bears of Fat Bear Week
Meet the Bears
of Fat Bear Week
Sep 23, 2025 8:11 AM CDT

Meet the Bears of Fat Bear Week

They include Grazer, Floatato, and Chunk

(Newser) - The contestants have been chosen. Now, Fat Bear Week officially begins. Voting is open for the 12 chosen bears from Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park, featured in a bracket-style tournament—four of whom automatically advanced past the first round due to their size. Despite the name of...

Keeping Alaskans Fed Is a Tricky Business
Getting Food to Alaska
Is a Dicey Proposition
longform
Sep 21, 2025 11:10 AM CDT

Getting Food to Alaska Is a Dicey Proposition

High Country News looks at the fragile network of shipping and trucking

(Newser) - Earlier this year, a threat from Canada to impose tariffs on US trucks en route to Alaska got Eva Holland at High Country News wondering about her state's food supply. It is, in a word, precarious. "It struck me that, for a state where many residents pride themselves...

Amid ... Everything Else, Fat Bear Week Soldiers On

Annual Alaskan contest kicks off next week, but first: a 'chubby cubby appetizer'

(Newser) - The brawny bruins on the Alaska Peninsula are ready to brawl it out to see which will win this year's fattest bear title in the wildly popular annual Fat Bear Week contest. The main event featuring adult bears starts next week, but first up Thursday is what the National...

Texas Man's Alaska Hike Turns Fatal
Texas Man's Alaska
Hike Turns Fatal
Sep 18, 2025 7:39 AM CDT

Texas Man's Alaska Hike Turns Fatal

Rescue teams recover body of cruise passenger after fall on Mount Roberts trail

(Newser) - A Texas man on an Alaska cruise died after he and a fellow passenger fell while hiking the Mount Roberts trail in Juneau, state troopers say. The two men, both visiting from the cruise ship, slipped down the steep mountainside Tuesday evening after mistakenly going off trail amid foggy,...

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