Public Safety

It’s been nearly three weeks since a storm caused major flooding and erosion damage in Kotzebue and other Northwest Arctic communities. That was before the remnants of Typhoon Halong made their way through the region.

After assessing the damage in multiple communities, officials said the region is moving quickly to make repairs as winter sets in.

Kelly Hamilton is the emergency manager for the Northwest Arctic Borough. He says more than 150 homes in Kotzebue have already been assessed for damage after the Oct. 8 flood and the remnants of Typhoon Halong a few days later.

The region saw similar flooding last year, too. Hamilton said many of the homes that needed repairs last year will have to go through the same process again, tearing out and replacing damaged flooring and insulation.

This year, he said the borough had a better game plan to start that work immediately.

“If at all possible, help the residents de-water, dehumidify, dry out their house, and then help them to the extent the borough can and get things buttoned up for winter,” Hamilton said.

Gov. Dunleavy declared a disaster for the region on Oct. 9, which was later amended to include damage from ex-Typhoon Halong. But Hamilton said it’s a tight timeline to get relief.

Temperatures in Kotzebue are already in the low teens and 20s this week, making repairs more challenging.

“The residents need a dry place to live, and winter is on the way,” Hamilton said. Otherwise, they’re just living on an ice block.”

According to Hamilton, a coordinated response between the borough and multiple local, state and even national agencies — including Maniilaq, NANA and the City of Kotzebue— helped assess the damage.

Hamilton said the borough’s Village Public Safety Program also helped, but now about a dozen of the borough’s VPSOs are deployed in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to help with emergency response efforts there.

Damage in Kivalina and Deering

Kotzebue wasn’t the only community in the Northwest Arctic to experience damage.

In the community of Kivalina, over 280 residents sheltered at the school during the night of the Oct. 8 storm. Several returned home to flood damage.

The Alaska Organized Militia, including Alaska National Guard members, deployed eight people to Kivalina for repairs and assessments, according to Jeremy Zidek, a public information officer with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security.

Emergency officials said Kivalina also received help from the nearby Red Dog Mine, which was able to transport water, non-perishable food items and diapers to the community via helicopter. Many Kivalina residents have already applied to the state’s individual assistance program for financial help.

Zidek said the community of Deering had erosion near their health clinic.

Erosion in Kotzebue

Zidek also said emergency officials are working with Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium on Kotzebue’s sewage lagoon, which had just undergone repairs.

“Those repairs were just completed about a week before the storm from last year’s storm,” Zidek said.

Representatives from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said there was significant slope erosion in Kotzebue, especially along Ted Stevens Way. The road is closed because of the severity of the erosion, and repairs are ongoing.

“We’re working on the repairs between the bridges, and we’re working as fast as we can,” said Angelica Stabs, a public information officer with the division. “We just saw a lot of erosion.”

Kotzebue resident Matt Bergan said his home experienced damage from the flooding. He spoke at a recent Kotzebue City Council meeting. Bergan said he thinks there should be more of an effort for long-term planning.

“It seems like there’s plenty of money to respond to emergencies and fix things like we’re doing now, but it seems harder to get the money for preventive measures before disasters happen,” Bergan said.

Residents have until Dec. 9 to apply for state individual assistance and can apply for federal individual assitance until Dec. 22.

State of Alaska Individual Assistance (IA) – Deadline is December 9, 2025
To register for State of Alaska Individual Assistance:
Call 1-844-445-7131, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Or apply online https://ready.alaska.gov/Recovery/IA

FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) – Deadline is December 22, 2025
To register for FEMA Individual Assistance:
Call the FEMA dedicated Alaska Center at (866) 342-1699
Or apply online at https://disasterassistance.gov
 
Red Cross Assistance
To Register for assistance through the American Red Cross:
Call 1-800-RED-CROSS

On Wednesday, the Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments in a legal case that will determine whether or not the state of Alaska may restrict abortion care to licensed physicians.

Since 2019, attorneys representing Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky, have been challenging a state law setting out that restriction. They argue that advanced practice clinicians should be permitted to provide abortion care, even though they are not licensed physicians.

The law, enacted in 1970, has been partially suspended since 2021, which has allowed advanced practice clinicians to perform abortions. In 2024, Alaska Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, continuing the suspension.

The state of Alaska, which opposes Planned Parenthood’s interpretation of the law, appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court in hopes of restoring the law’s effectiveness.

The deciding issue may be whether strict scrutiny applies in the case. Under strict scrutiny, the government bears the burden of proving that a law is constitutional.

In 2024, Alaska Superior Court Judge Josie Garton ruled that strict scrutiny does apply, which contributed to her determination that limiting abortion services to state-licensed physicians violates the Alaska Constitution.

In written briefs to the Supreme Court this year, attorneys representing the state have argued that Garton’s ruling was mistaken; attorneys representing Planned Parenthood have argued in favor of the strict scrutiny determination.

If Garton’s decision on strict scrutiny is overturned, the rest of her decision could follow, and advanced practice clinicians would no longer be legally able to provide abortion care in Alaska.

In Alaska, abortion rights have generally been protected since 1997 by the Alaska Supreme Court’s interpretation of the state’s constitutional right to privacy.

Since then, subsequent editions of the court have repeatedly held that abortion care is health care and thus protected by the right of Alaskans to keep medical decisions private.

Attorney Laura Wolff, representing the Alaska Department of Law, argued Wednesday that the physician-only abortion law doesn’t violate the constitutional right to privacy because few people have been affected.

“The privacy clause analysis requires a significant impairment,” she told the justices. “Not a modest, not a medium, a moderate, a significant impairment, in order to even trigger the privacy clause.”

Attorney Camila Vega, arguing for Planned Parenthood, said some of the group’s clients have been able to access care more often because they no longer have to wait for a doctor to be available.

She said that it would be a mistake for the Supreme Court to require that a minimum number of patients be affected in order to violate the constitution.

“This court has never before required evidence about a threshold number of individual patients to strike down a law, and we would urge the court not to do so here,” she said. “The evidence … shows that since the injunction in this case, patients have been better able to access medication and aspiration abortion. They’ve been doing so for the last four years, and so we respectfully request that the court affirm the order.”

National and local groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of Planned Parenthood. Standing Together Against Rape, an Alaska group, argued that restricting access to abortion care would harm abuse victims and survivors of sexual assault.

The national groups argued that advanced practice clinicians are able to provide safe and effective abortion care, and there’s no difference in outcomes between their care and care provided by doctors.

Planned Parenthood has also argued that even if the Alaska Constitution’s privacy amendment does not apply in this case, the abortion-doctor law would violate the constitution’s equal protection clause.

That clause states “that all persons are equal and entitled to equal rights.”

Restricting abortion patients to doctor treatment alone deters them from getting treatment, Vega said.

“For example, if the state offered marriage appointments twice a week, but it said that for same-sex couples, you could only get a marriage appointment once a month, that is a clear equal protection violation,” she said.

The state argued in writing that it has a valid interest “in ensuring that these procedures ending fetal life are performed ethically, professionally, and under a uniform standard,” and because of that reason, the Alaska Legislature intended abortion to be regulated to a higher standard.

At the end of Wednesday’s arguments, Chief Justice Susan Carney said the case will be taken under consideration, with a written order to be published at a future date.

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Aaron Peterson, an attorney with the Alaska Department of Law’s natural resources division, for one of two open federal judgeships on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.

The president’s plans were confirmed by the news organization Reuters, which published a copy of a questionnaire Peterson submitted to the U.S. Senate’s judiciary committee.

Trump himself has not formally announced Peterson’s nomination, but state and federal officials confirmed the president’s plans with the Beacon.

Reuters reported that Trump is preparing to nominate two federal judges in other states as well as Peterson.

A message left on Peterson’s work phone was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

According to a copy of Peterson’s questionnaire, a member of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s federal transition team encouraged him to apply to a committee formed by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, to vet possible candidates for the federal judiciary.

According to state voter records, Peterson is a Republican. He identified himself in the questionnaire as a member of the Federalist Society, whose members generally follow Republican legal principles and support President Donald Trump.

Records published by the Federal Elections Commission and the Alaska Public Offices Commission do not list any political contributions by Peterson.

Attorney General-designee Stephen Cox served on the Sullivan committee. By email, he called Peterson an “outstanding choice.”

“He’s demonstrated a remarkable ability to navigate complex issues with fairness and integrity, including during his representation of the Board of Fisheries. His extensive understanding of both civil and criminal law, honed through his experience as a prosecutor, makes him uniquely qualified for this position. Alaska needs judges who are equipped to handle the complex cases before them and the realities of our state, and I am confident that Aaron will be an excellent addition to the bench,” Cox wrote.

Alaska has three federal judgeships but only one sitting federal judge. Judge Timothy Burgess retired at the end of 2021, and Judge Joshua Kindred resigned in disgrace in 2024 amid a sexual scandal.

Since then, Alaska’s two U.S. senators have been divided about who to pick as replacements and how to pick those replacements. Under longstanding Senate tradition, judge picks normally advance only with the assent of both home state senators.

As a result of the senators’ disagreements and Sullivan’s decision to not attempt to fill a vacancy under President Joe Biden, the judgeship vacated by Burgess is now the fifth-oldest vacancy among 50 in the federal court system.

Sullivan has not disclosed the names of judicial candidates that he examined through a special committee designed to serve as an alternative to the Alaska Bar Association’s traditional review process.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, disclosed the names of applicants she received and solicited opinions from the Bar Association. Peterson’s application was not among those initially received by Murkowski.

Through a spokesperson, Murkowski said she learned about Peterson’s nomination from the White House.

“After speaking extensively with him last week about his many qualifications, I informed the White House that I would support his nomination. Alaska’s District Court has had two vacancies for far too long, and I hope the White House will soon announce a second qualified nominee whom I can support to fill out the bench,” Murkowski said.

According to Peterson’s questionnaire, he met with Murkowski on Oct. 23, seven months after being interviewed by Sullivan and four months after his initial interview by the White House Counsel’s Office. Since September, according to the questionnaire, he has been in regular contact with White House and Department of Justice officials.

By email, Sullivan said Peterson has “extensive legal experience.”

“Throughout his career, which includes military service, Aaron has demonstrated a commitment to the rule of law and federalism. He also understands the principle that the job of a federal judge is to interpret the law, not to make policy,” Sullivan said. “I’d like to thank each of the members of the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council, who worked with me to fully vet a number of well-qualified Alaska nominees, including Aaron. The council’s diligent work and input are invaluable in ensuring Alaskans are represented by jurists and citizens of the highest caliber. I also want to thank President Trump and his team for working closely with my office on identifying outstanding judges who will serve Alaska and our country well.”

According to the information Peterson submitted to the U.S. Senate’s judiciary committee, he was born in Anchorage in 1981 and served in the U.S. Air Force from 2000 to 2003 before attending the University of Alaska Anchorage, graduating in 2007. He attended Gonzaga University School of Law and graduated in 2010.

After graduation, he returned to Alaska, serving first as a clerk to Justice Michael Spaan of the Alaska Supreme Court, then as a prosecutor with the Municipality of Anchorage.

The Alaska Bar Association’s directory says he was admitted to the state bar on Nov. 16, 2010.

Peterson worked in the Anchorage District Attorney’s office starting in 2012, including on violent felonies, such as murder and sexual assault. He moved to the Department of Law’s office of special prosecutions in 2015 before beginning work with the Department of Law’s natural resources section in 2019.

Since joining that section, he’s prosecuted high-profile criminal cases, including a 2018 incident in which two Matanuska-Susitna Borough men illegally killed a black bear and her two squealing cubs within their den.

More recently, Peterson has represented the state in an ongoing case that challenges the state’s current two-tier system of subsistence fishing management. He also represented the state in a lawsuit that challenged salmon fishery management in Cook Inlet.

“If confirmed,” Peterson said in his questionnaire, “I will recuse myself from any case where I have ever played a role. Further, I will evaluate any potential conflict or issue that could give rise to the appearance of a conflict, on a case-by-case basis and determine appropriate action, including recusal where necessary.”

A major rockslide has been threatening Skagway’s busiest cruise ship dock in recent years. Numerous industry experts were in town recently to present options for long-term mitigation. None of the choices were easy or cheap.

A rockslide above Railroad Dock in 2022 prompted a study by the geological firm Shannon & Wilson. That report stated the firm’s opinion that “the slide mass will eventually fail and the consequences of such failure will be catastrophic in nature with significant risks to life and property.”

Since then, the municipality has been doing routine scaling work, which is basically removing loose rock. Crews installed additional fencing and netting and instruments to measure ground movement. During tourist season, they send someone up the mountain each morning to take photographs. But, these are all admittedly short-term solutions.

“Nobody wants the big failure to happen and then not be ready for it,” said Kyle Brennan, project manager for Shannon & Wilson.

Brennan said the mountain needs long-term mitigation.

“We’re able to keep track of what’s happening up there. And right now, we have safe operation of the facility at the bottom,” he said. “But it’s time to move forward and take care of this larger hazard with these unstable rock masses at the top of the slope. Because predicting when that failure will eventually happen … is very difficult. And so right now, we have time. To be proactive about these things and take care of them is in the best interest of the community and everybody else.”

Shannon & Wilson presented four options. Option one concedes that the rock is too difficult to move and will therefore remain in place. The dock and everything below would be moved to a safer distance. Option two is excavating the unstable rock and sending it down the slope, where it is collected and hauled off-site. Option three leaves the rock mass in place and attempts to stabilize it. Brennan says this would be a “case study.” Option four would excavate the rock mass and move it up the slope, leaving it on the mountain.

The team wholeheartedly prefers option two.

“We’re looking at modifications to the dock,” Brennan said. “But for the most part, it’s just simply excavation and removal and letting gravity move the rock for part of it, and then picking it up and putting it somewhere else. This seems to be like our lowest risk option right now.”

The municipality was awarded a nearly $20 million grant for the project from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But a majority of that money dissipated with President Donald Trump’s administration, leaving only the funds for the design portion of the project.

However, the municipality chooses to move forward, and however they manage to pay for the multi-million-dollar project, Brennan said it’s not going to be easy.

“It’s a tender site,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of TLC to get that rock down. And so we want to make sure we’re doing it in a purposeful manner that’s safe, that’ll achieve the goal without catastrophe. The last thing I want to do is stand up here in front of you guys in a couple years and try to explain why everything went sideways…”

Skagway resident Lynne Davison was one of many intently listening to the presentation.

“And so I hear you talking about these alternatives and when the decision is made,” she said. “But how and who? How is that decision going to be made?”

“The decision, the ultimate decision is not one that Shannon & Wilson and our design team will make independently of anybody else,” Brennan answered. “The city will be involved with that decision. And ultimately will likely be the ones to make that decision based on our input and based on all of your input.”

Brennan said there will be at least two more public meetings before the construction phase. If funding is procured, that could start in 2026 and would take place between tourist seasons.

Project options can be found at Skagway.org.

As evacuees from villages like Kipnuk, Kwigillingok, Nightmute and Tuntutuliak boarded military helicopters bound for safety, many had no choice but to leave their dogs behind.

The mass evacuations from Western Alaska villages in the wake of ex-Typhoon Halong are mostly over. More than 600 people were airlifted to Anchorage aboard military helicopters and transport planes.

But a parallel effort to shuttle dogs and other pets out of storm-damaged villages aboard everything from Cessnas to cargo planes is continuing — and many of them are coming to Anchorage.

“People know how they would feel if this happened to them, so they want to help,” said Julie St. Louis, the cofounder and director of The August Foundation for Alaska’s Racing Dogs. She started the nonprofit to find long-term homes for retired sled dogs, she said, and today, the group takes rescue dogs of all ages and connects them with families.

Now, she said, planeloads of dogs are arriving on cargo flights just about every day. Twenty-nine arrived in Anchorage Wednesday night.

But reuniting those dogs with their families is a complicated task. So Anchorage Animal Care and Control on Tuesday started taking in dogs at an emergency shelter set up in a long, sandy-brown heated tent outside its main facility. The idea is for it to serve as a hub, said the agency’s community outreach manager, Joel Jorgensen.

“We specifically are being told to get involved because no one knows how to go about finding their dogs without calling 10 different rescues,” he said. “So, at this point, Anchorage would like to funnel the animals that are coming to the Anchorage city into Anchorage Animal Care and Control, and then disperse them out from there.”

The emergency shelter keeps dogs isolated from one another and from the shelter’s other dogs before they can be checked for diseases like Parvo. Once they get to the shelter, a veterinarian gives them a quick health exam and checks their vaccine records before connecting them with rescues and foster homes, Jorgensen said.

“The animals wouldn’t stay here for hopefully more than 24 hours, is the goal,” he said.

As of Thursday, the agency appeared to be meeting that goal. They wouldn’t let the public inside for health reasons but Jorgensen said the emergency shelter was empty.

Jorgensen said some volunteers have stepped up to provide long-term fostering for people who won’t be able to return to their homes for months, or longer.

“You would hate to lose out on a family pet just because of a natural disaster like this,” he said. “But we have folks lined up that are willing to hold on to animals for six months, and then when that six months is over, they get their animal back and they have the happy ending they all deserve. ”

As local animal shelters and rescues coordinate evacuations and reunifications, other groups are taking on support roles. Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach, a nonprofit that provides vet service to rural communities, is shipping out dog food and airline crates to places like Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel and Aniak. Board member Christine Witzmann said it’s all part of an important mission.

“I think people just want to make sure that the animals are treated humanely, and that they get rescued too, and that they are valued — they are valued as a living being,” she said.

St. Louis, with the August Fund, said there have been some hiccups along the way as everyone involved figures out the best way to handle the complex task — the kinds of hiccups you might expect in a disaster. She said she’s grateful for everyone who’s stepped up to help.

“Stand by, I guess, and be patient, is the best thing I can can tell people,” she said. “We’re all working really hard and are going to get the dogs out.”

How you can help

Anchorage Animal Care and Control is taking supply donations at its facility at 4711 Elmore Road, including:

• Unopened bags of kibble and cans of wet food
• Gallon jugs of water
• Toys
• Leashes
• Collars
• Blankets
• Airline-approved kennels

Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach has a dog food collection site at South Side Animal Hospital in Anchorage.

Best Friends Animal Rescue, a Wasilla-based group helping with the effort, also has an extensive list on its Facebook page.