Associated Press

Alaska officials are outlining new measures to control pollution in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, as federal regulators plan to upgrade two borough cities from moderate to serious air quality nonattainment areas this summer.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation officials say the new rules for Fairbanks and North Pole will have the most immediate impact on wood sellers, home sellers, and power plant operators.

The regulations include requiring homeowners to remove old wood and pellet stoves before selling their properties and having power plant operators place additional filters in their smoke stacks.

Efforts to improve air quality in the two areas have already been underway, with businesses voluntarily disclosing the moisture content of firewood and power plants taking additional steps to reduce emissions.

A group is working in Willow to help dozens of residents whose properties burned down in last year’s Sockeye Fire to bring life back to their community.

KTUU reports that Tam Boeve with the Willow Garden Club says her group has been working with about 40 residents to bring back the trees, flowers and other plants that once surrounded their properties.

Willow resident Kathleen Fielder says almost every tree was burned down on her property by the June 2015 fire that also destroyed 25 homes and other structures. She is planning to rebuild with 60 pine tree seeds she received from the Willow Garden Club.

According to Boeve, the group has received about $10,000 in grants and donations to support the recovery efforts.

Alaska legislators’ to-do list is largely unchanged from four months ago, with the budget, oil tax credits and plans to address a multibillion-dollar budget deficit unresolved as they head into a special session.

While lawmakers passed several large bills dealing with issues like Medicaid and the criminal justice system in the regular session that ended just before midnight Wednesday, they couldn’t come to terms on the priority budget and revenue bills.

Lawmakers faced a constitutional meeting deadline Wednesday and had an option to extend an already over-long regular session by up to 10 days. But the House and Senate could not agree on extending themselves and adjourned, inviting a special session from Gov. Bill Walker.

House Minority Leader Chris Tuck said his Democratic-led caucus determined the best move would be going into a special session, where the focus would be narrowed to select bills.

A 31-year-old man with a felony conviction was arrested Tuesday night after a six-hour standoff with Anchorage police.

Officers used gas to force William Hopster from a car.

Police just before 1 p.m. received information that Hopster was armed, which is illegal because of his felony conviction. Police say he had threatened to harm himself and others.

Police spotted his car and followed him until they had obtained an arrest warrant.

Just after 4 p.m., they attempted a traffic stop but Hopster rammed a police car on East 68th Avenue.

After hours of negotiating, police deployed the gas. Hopster attempted to escape through the car’s sun roof and officers used a stun gun to subdue him.

Hopster remained jailed Wednesday at the Anchorage Jail.

Juneau police are investigating the death of a man found Friday afternoon near the Brotherhood Bridge.

Police say they’ve determined the man’s identity, and believe he lived in Alaska but was not from Juneau.

Police say they received a 911 call from someone shortly after 3 p.m. Friday who was concerned about an individual who was lying on the grass near the bridge.

The man on the grass was dead when officers arrived. According to police, foul play is not suspected in the death.

The president of the University of Alaska says he will push to merge the system’s three campuses into a single combined university.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the plan by UA President Jim Johnsen would mean the end of independent administration and accreditation at campuses in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau.

Johnsen says he will forego appointing a new chancellor at UA Fairbanks as he pursues single accreditation.

Johnsen announced the plan in the wake of significant reduced support from the state.

The university received $350 million this year and the Legislature is considering a $50 million cut.

Johnsen in an email to campuses says fixed costs and contractual obligations on top of the reduction in state support will effectively mean a 22 percent cut in funding.