
Juneau’s first tribal casino soft opens on Douglas Island amid lingering legal questions
Very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven’t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48. Many, like Tlingit and Haida, have sought to assert authority over Native allotments — like this one — owned by individual tribal citizens.

Alaska one of only 2 states to see increase in SNAP participants in 2025
That’s despite the Lower 48 seeing a decrease after federal cuts to the program.

‘You’d be crying at the pump’: This Alaska village’s gas was $8.44 — before the Iran war
Consumers across the country are contending with sharply higher fuel prices amid a supply crunch brought on by the closure of a key strait in the Middle East. But even residents of California, where $6-a-gallon gas prices are making headlines, would face sticker shock if they traveled to Hooper Bay, or any of the dozens of other villages and hub towns across Western Alaska.

Deep sea observation station that tracks climate change set to be pulled from Gulf of Alaska
Ocean Station Papa, which collects ocean and climate data, is one of five federal ocean monitoring stations the National Science Foundation plans to dismantle over the next couple of years.

An evolution in traditional canoe carving had its maiden voyage this week
Old growth trees used to make traditional dugout canoes in Southeast Alaska are scarce. So carvers have developed a new method to build traditional boats, the first of which completed its maiden voyage this week, landing back in Juneau for Celebration.

In bid for re-election, Alaska U.S. Rep. Nick Begich defends against 14 challengers
Monday was the filing deadline for candidates interested in running in this year’s elections, and in addition to the incumbent Begich, there are two other Republicans, six independents, two Libertarians and four Democrats.

Nearly 70 candidates filed on deadline for Alaska’s August primary ballot
As recently as midday Friday, the Division of Elections listed 26 races with fewer than two candidates, including a handful with none at all. Now, just six are unopposed.

Yaakw paddlers arrive in Juneau from across Southeast, Canada as Celebration begins
Every other June, more than 100 paddlers arrive in Juneau to kick off Celebration, a gathering of Alaska Native people celebrating cultural revitalization.

12 people infected with gastrointestinal outbreak on cruise ship in Southeast Alaska
The ship began its six-day voyage in Juneau last Tuesday and traveled through several Southeast Alaska towns, including Sitka and Haines.

FEMA denies request to cover 90 percent of initial Halong disaster relief costs
The increase would have been limited to disaster relief during the first 90 days after the storms. It would have covered the bulk of costs related to debris removal and emergency protective measures, costs that the state says reached $20 million in the first weeks after ex-typhoon Halong.

Changes to Juneau Costco’s shipping service expected to hurt small businesses in outlying Southeast communities
For years, Juneau’s Costco has offered a specialized shipping service for members in outlying communities that many small business owners relied on. But that’s changing June 7.

Glacier Bay’s humpbacks are recovering, slowly, from 2014-16 marine heatwave
Just one of 22 whales born between 2014 and 2018 is known to have survived.

Election updates: Dahlstrom drops out, Kreiss-Tomkins picks running mate, Myers retires
Monday is the last day to officially begin a campaign for state or federal office in Alaska this election cycle. Here are a few updates on the day’s elections news.

Juneau hatchery king salmon sport fishing opens
The daily limit is four Chinook salmon of any size, within hatchery areas.

SEARHC opens new urgent care clinic in downtown Juneau
The new facility is Juneau’s fourth urgent care. It will provide treatment for nonemergency medical issues like minor injuries, sinus infections, and upper respiratory symptoms.

In setback for oil companies, tax board raises trans-Alaska pipeline value by $3 billion
Alaska and three of its municipalities could be in line for an extra $60 million in oil industry tax revenue after a new ruling in a long-running feud over the value of the trans-Alaska pipeline system. A state appeals board this week determined the property tax value of the enormous 50-year-old pipeline system, which moves crude 800…

Alaska’s deteriorating schools could receive more than $148M for repairs. It’s a fraction of what they need
Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica, and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13% of what school districts requested.

Canoes launch from Petersburg on Journey to Celebration
A group of canoes from several different communities embarked from Petersburg on May 24 to paddle together to Juneau, camping and visiting villages along the way. It’s a tradition known as Journey. Kéet yaakw — a hand-painted, 39-foot, Tlingit-style fiberglass canoe — is Petersburg’s first in over a century. The local tribe says launching the canoe Journey…

3 things to watch as Alaska’s election filing deadline approaches
People hoping to be the state’s next governor, congressperson or state legislator have until 5 p.m. Monday to formally file to run. Here’s what to watch as the deadline nears.

Appeals court says Alaska has the right to make ConocoPhillips oil well data public
The state of Alaska has the right to make public data from exploration wells drilled by ConocoPhillips in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, an appeals court has ruled. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, issued Wednesday, overturns a 2023 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason that allowed well data to remain under…