In Juneau, University of Alaska Southeast students, faculty and alumni spent the week debating a proposal to merge the university with one of the other UA campuses to cut costs.
Canada’s recent announcement that its ports will remain closed to large cruise ships through the end of October means nearly all of Alaska cruises will be cancelled.
Juneau is about to become the first city in Alaska to get a permanent electric bus in its fleet.
Researchers say they have detected elevated levels of tocins in Juneau area shellfish that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.
State leaders say travelers to Alaska who take a test before or upon their arrival should take a second test seven to 14 days later.
Governor Mike Dunleavy described the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis as “horrific” in a news briefing yesterday.
Protesters returned to a busy Ketchikan intersection Wednesday in solidarity with the protests against racism and police brutality across the country.
A proposal to absorb the University of Alaska Southeast into campuses in Fairbanks or Anchorage was not well-received during public testimony before the board of regents Tuesday night.
Tlingit and Haida President Richard Peterson reminds citizens to respond in the 2020 census or the tribe could lose funding.
A federal judge will decide on whether the U.S. Forest Service will need to start from scratch before resuming work on a massive timber sale in Southeast Alaska.
A Monday night vigil in downtown Sitka for George Floyd was peaceful and mostly silent, although armed counter-protesters were not far away.
Residents of Kotzebue gathered in the center of town Tuesday evening in solidarity with rallies worldwide.
The Andrew Hope building houses offices for the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska in Juneau. (Courtesy of CCTHITA)
Southeast Alaska’s largest tribe is reminding citizens that it could see a loss in funding if they don’t report in the 2020 census.
Tlingit and Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson said at last count, a little over 40 percent of tribal citizens have reported in the census.
He also says there was an undercount in the 2010 census — which impacted housing in a very real way.
“Throughout Alaska, we have seen a reduction in housing because the census didn’t accurately reflect the need in the communities,” he said.
Peterson says much of the federal funding Alaska tribes receive is dependent on the census. Many of the basic services the tribe has for citizens depend on this funding. If only 50 percent of citizens report, the tribe only receives 50 percent of the funding.
“Whether it’s health or social services, public protection, public safety, education, it all falls back to the census. So, you know, if you think it doesn’t affect you, you’re wrong,” he said.
Peterson encourages all tribal citizens to go to the census website and answer a simple set of questions.
“Again, it benefits everybody to have accurate numbers so that accurate funding goes into our communities,” said Peterson.
Tlingit and Haida President Richard Peterson reminds tribal citizens to report on the 2020 census or the tribe could see cuts in federal funding.
Alaska Native organizations are proposing alternatives to the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents’ controversial option to merge UA Southeast with one of the other UA campuses.
Residents in nursing homes and their families are coping with ongoing social distancing measures.
Kodiak joined in the global Black Lives Matter protests with a small gathering of five community members.
Alaska Native organizations in Southeast are proposing alternatives to the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents’ controversial option to merge the University of Alaska Southeast with one of the other UA campuses.
Native leaders from Sealaska, Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida sent a letter to select regents this week.
They’re asking for the option to establish University of Alaska Southeast as the administrative hub for rural community campuses. They say a more centralized campus in the region can increase overall enrollment.
It could also expand options for students and streamline program and course offerings.
Sealaska Heritage Institute President Rosita Worl said the proposed merger would not result in the financial savings the university system is seeking.
Another option is to transfer UAS to a tribal college in the region.
Sealaska Board of Directors Chair Joe Nelson said the Southeast community deserves university leadership that is “committed to this native place.”
The board of regents are meeting to discuss options on Thursday and Friday.
