Paul Nelson squinted into his cell phone, lining up a photo Thursday of about 30 people crowded in front of the back bay door of Bigfoot Auto. A Cuban cigar hung from his lips as he prepared the shot. From the back of the group, Mayor Tom Morphet started a rendition of “For He’s a […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Wildlife
Whale pops up and lifts up fishing boat near Sitka
While cleaning up after a successful fishing trip near Biorka Island, southwest of Sitka, on July 20, Vern Culp and Brian Neal felt their 22-foot boat being lifted from underneath. Neal thought they had hit some rocks until he looked over the side and saw a giant eye, belonging to a humpback whale, looking back. […]
Posted inNews
‘Exhausting and demoralizing’: How public media in rural Alaska is responding to federal cuts
On July 17, Congress voted to eliminate federal funding for public media across the United States. The cuts, called a “rescission” in Congress-speak, are huge: They will take away some $1 billion that the federal government had previously allocated for the next two years to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for national […]
Posted inEducation, Alaska Legislature
Alaska Ignored Warning Signs of a Budget Crisis. Now It Doesn’t Have Funding to Fix Crumbling Schools.
When Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon toured the public school in Sleetmute last fall, he called the building “the poster child” for what’s wrong with the way the state pays to build and maintain schools. The tiny community 240 miles west of Anchorage had begged Alaska’s education department for nearly two decades for money to […]
Posted inLocal News, Transportation
Motives questioned as state signs $28.5M contract for first phase of ferry terminal at Cascade Point
A $28.5 million agreement for a ferry terminal at Cascade Point, signed this week by the state despite objections by Alaska Marine Highway System board members, is being welcomed by a gold mining company planning an ore shipping facility at the site. The agreement dated Monday for site preparation and other work with a 2027 […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Legislature
Alaska’s Legislature is scheduled to begin a special session Saturday. Here’s what to expect.
Alaska lawmakers are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. in Juneau for a special session of the Alaska Legislature. You can watch live online on Gavel Alaska. Why is the Legislature meeting in a special session? Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the special session. The official agenda says that it will involve legislation about education policy and […]
Posted inLocal News
Tsunami expert shares tips for Southeast Alaska
The effects of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake near Kamchatka, Russia, rippled through Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. West Coast on Tuesday afternoon. A tsunami watch was issued for Southeast Alaska at approximately 4:19 p.m. Nicole Ferrin, a warning coordination meteorologist with National Weather Service Juneau, said a tsunami watch means having an action plan. “At this […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Local News
‘I’m so excited to see all of my friends,’ Fair lineup packed with Southeast favorites
Six Alaska bands are headlining the Southeast Alaska State Fair set for July 31 to August 3. They’re part of an entertainment lineup that pulls in a number of Southeast Alaska musical acts, alongside dance groups, a hypnotist, a clown, a talent show, wearable arts, a fiddling contest and the Sunday staple singer-songwriter showcase. The […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letter to the editor: Dunleavy throws Haines and Skagway “under the ferry”
While spending public funds to benefit private corporations is nothing new, wasting $28 million on the design and initial construction of a Cascade Point ferry terminal against the opposition of his own Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board will secure Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s place in Alaska political lore as one of the great purveyors of pork. […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letter to the editor: 5G tower permits should not be rushed through legal review
Referring to Chilkat Valley News, July 24, 2025, Assembly Briefs, cell towers, page 3: “pressure… from companies that say the borough has a legal imperative to review permits in a timely fashion.” I’m here to ask — please show me where this ‘legal imperative’ exists and please tell me who wrote it? Please tell me […]