Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers have approved $3.5 million in renovations to be spent on renovations for their new office building in Anchorage.

KTUU-TV reports the Legislative Council approved the funding proposal on Thursday.

The committee chairman, Democratic Representative Sam Kito III, says the money will be used to update the facility and bring the building’s features up to code.

The renovations will include heating upgrades, ventilation, electrical and plumbing projects.

Kito says construction will begin soon.

BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — The mayor of Bethel has failed at getting city council members to agree with his plan to lower the southwest Alaska city’s sales tax.

KYUK-AM reports Mayor Rick Robb had proposed lowering the sales tax from 6 percent to 5.75 percent in response to the council’s 2014 decision to increase water and sewage rates.

Robb says water and sewage rates have since risen by between 30 and 50 percent per Bethel household. He says he wanted to lower sales taxes for residents to offset those costs.

But the city council turned down the proposal in a 3-2 vote last week.

Council member Leif Albertson says it would not be right to change the city’s revenue before officials finalize next year’s budget.

KASILOF, Alaska (AP) — Alaska officials say highway improvement plans will result in better fish passage and overall safety.

The Peninsula Clarion reports the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities showed the latest draft of their plans for Sterling Highway on Wednesday. DOT plans to widen the existing shoulders from 4 feet wide to 8 feet wide on the highway stretch from Soldotna and Clam Gulch.

There were 266 accidents in the area between 2006 and 2010, 93 of which officials say could have been avoided with wider shoulders.

Other highway improvements include improved signage, a safety edge and culvert replacements. The new culverts will impact a Slikok Creek tributary, Coal Creek and an unnamed creek near Clam Gulch and Crooked Creek.

Officials plan to start construction next summer.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A record breaking amount of cruise passengers are expected to land in Juneau this summer.

The Juneau Empire reports Cruise Lines International Association Alaska President John Binkley announced Thursday that over 1 million summer cruise passengers are traveling to Juneau. The association predicts the travelers in the city from May 1 to Sept. 30 will spend around $183 million.

Binkley says that the cruise ship tourism industry is growing worldwide. CLIA’s cruise lines have seen an estimated 7 percent annual increase. More cruise ships are expected to come through Alaska and average passenger space is expected to increase by 15 percent from 2015 to 2018.

The first cruise ship for the 2017 season is scheduled to arrive Monday.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — State health officials say an Alaska resident who recently traveled to Central America has tested positive for the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

But the state’s top medical officer, Jay Butler, is urging Alaskans to stay calm.

In a release, Butler says people cannot spread the virus through casual contact. He also says it is transmitted by mosquito species native to warmer climates that do not live in Alaska.

The state health department says prior cases of Zika were reported in Alaska in 2007 and 2016.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many people infected with the virus will have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, pregnant women can pass the virus to their fetus, and infection during pregnancy can cause birth defects.

President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to find new ocean expanses in the Atlantic and the Arctic for offshore drilling isn’t likely to reach its goals anytime soon but instead, will kick off a yearslong review and legal battle.

Trump signed the order Friday aimed at dismantling a component of former President Barack Obama’s environmental legacy.

“This executive order starts the process of opening offshore areas to job-creating energy exploration,” he said, adding it would create jobs and help wean dependence on foreign oil.

Nonetheless, U.S. oil imports have declined in recent years as domestic production has boomed. And experts question Trump’s authority to reverse established restrictions, saying the question likely will be decided in the courts.