Author: Rachel Enano

Before adjourning for the year, Alaska legislators finalized plans to allocate millions of dollars toward housing projects statewide to address the ongoing housing shortage that residents have been grappling with. Alongside approving several housing-related bills promoting home ownership, these plans have yet to be forwarded to Governor Mike Dunleavy for approval or veto.  Central to this effort is the state-owned Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), which oversees housing operations and extends home loans across the state. Last year, lawmakers sanctioned over $63 million for AHFC projects within the state’s capital budget, covering construction and renovation endeavors across Alaska. This year,…

Alaska lawmakers greenlit $3.7 million in funding for nine projects integral to an expansive trail network envisioned to match the fame of the Appalachian Trail in the East and the Pacific Crest Trail in the West. Dubbed the Alaska Long Trail, though subject to potential renaming, the system aims to span over 500 miles, linking Fairbanks in the Interior to the Kenai Peninsula’s Gulf of Alaska coastline. Seamlessly integrating existing trails across federal, state, and municipal lands, it promises uninterrupted exploration. The Alaska Long Trail projects included in the upcoming fiscal year’s capital budget were part of a more extensive…

By the end of the month, an Anchorage Superior Court judge will decide whether to uphold a substantial fine imposed by Alaska’s campaign finance regulators on supporters of a petition aimed at reversing the state’s election laws. The Alaska Public Offices Commission, which oversees campaign finance regulation, fined the petition backers over $90,000, concluding they had illegally funneled money through a church in Washington state. The supporters appealed the decision in Anchorage Superior Court. At the same time, opponents of the petition cross-appealed, arguing that the fine was too lenient and that additional penalties should have been imposed. This led…

On the final day of Alaska’s legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill directing the Alaska Board of Education to establish regulations for correspondence programs. This decision followed a Superior Court Judge’s ruling that such programs, enabling homeschooled children’s families to receive state funding, violated the state constitution. However, despite the bill’s passage three weeks ago, it has yet to be sent to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for signature. Additionally, during the board of education’s recent meeting in Kotzebue on Wednesday, discussions were kept open regarding regulations for these programs. The legal dispute regarding Alaska’s correspondence programs is scheduled for a hearing…

An Anchorage gas station shooting in a parking lot left a man critically injured on Tuesday, as confirmed by authorities. Following the incident, 25-year-old Savon Berry was apprehended on Monday on charges of felony assault. The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Holiday store, as detailed in a summary of an Anchorage police report accompanying criminal charges. Police were alerted to gunfire in the parking lot at the intersection of Northern Lights Boulevard and Boniface Parkway around 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Savon Berry, who fled the scene, was apprehended within two hours. Meanwhile, the victim, who sustained a…

During a news briefing on Monday morning, Anchorage Police Department Chief Bianca Cross revealed that a 25-year-old man lost his life in a chaotic fatal downtown shooting early Saturday. The incident, which also left another man injured and the suspected gunman wounded by police, was captured on numerous surveillance and cellphone videos. Chief Cross stated that detectives are currently reviewing “hundreds” of videos linked to the tragic event. According to the police, Kaleb Eugene Bourdukofsky faces charges related to the shooting of Joe and another unidentified man who survived and was hospitalized. The shootings occurred after a brawl outside a…

On May 31, 2024, at 5:07 PM, the Fairbanks Rural Unit received a tip about a boat traveling from Old Crow, Canada, to Fort Yukon, Alaska. The tip said that a drug dealer responsible for an overdose in Old Crow was on board. The boat had four Canadian Drug Dealers: aged 41, 50, 27, and 24. A Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) in Fort Yukon was alerted and intercepted the boat while Fairbanks Rural Troopers applied for a search warrant. During the initial stop, drug paraphernalia and three dead black ducks were found. It is believed that one passenger threw…

The August Primary Election will not narrow the field in nearly all Alaska legislative races. If a race has four or fewer candidates, they advance to Alaska’s August Ballot and November election. Since Ballot Measure 2 was enacted in 2022, creating an “open” primary system that allowed Senator Lisa Murkowski to avoid a Republican primary, the top four vote-getters now move on to the General Election. This year, only three legislative races have more than four candidates: Senate Seat L, Senate Seat R, and House District 36. With the implementation of Ballot Measure 2, political parties have lost their ability…

Alaska’s prominent elected officials expressed dissatisfaction last month after the Biden administration turned down a state agency’s plan to construct a new road in remote Northwest Alaska, aiming to reach numerous mining sites.  Supporters of the mining industry and their political backers had emphasized the significance of the road and the potential mines it could facilitate as essential economic pillars for the thinly populated area. However, the primary concern for many local leaders lies with an already operational mine: Red Dog, positioned 75 miles to the north of Kotzebue, the regional hub. The development contributes approximately 5% of the world’s…

Alaska’s $80 billion trust fund overseers have decided to enlist a third-party law firm to probe the leak of internal emails. These emails had suggested potential self-dealing by board member Gabrielle Rubenstein. The unanimous 6-0 vote on Thursday sanctioned the law firm’s hiring, which will also assess six years’ worth of interactions between Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. staff and board trustees. This comprehensive assessment aims to gauge the extent of issues within the corporation, ensuring a thorough examination of the fund’s governance and transparency. The leaked internal emails, first brought to light by the Alaska Landmine in April, have raised…

A man was shot and killed early Saturday in a downtown Anchorage parking lot. Responding police officers shot and injured another man who witnesses claimed was involved in the initial Anchorage shooting, according to police. The incidents occurred around 2:30 a.m., police said in a statement early Saturday. Officers were patrolling the 700 block of West Fourth Avenue during bar closing time when they heard gunshots coming from a parking lot at H Street and West Third Avenue, approximately a block away, police reported. “Witnesses identified a man to officers, indicating he was involved in the recent shooting,” police stated.…

Two Fatalities Reported in Western Alaska Boating-related incidents. Alaska State Troopers were alerted to a capsized skiff on the shores of Ekuk, a coastal village in Bristol Bay, about 15 miles south of Dillingham, on May 15th. The skiff had departed from Dillingham on May 13th with two individuals on board: Rachelle Johnson, 29, and Carl Nunn, 36. Johnson’s body was discovered on May 25th on a beach near Clark’s Point, just north of Ekuk. Nunn remained missing as of May 28th. Johnson’s remains were transported to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage for examination. Another Incident on the…