Author: The Tundra Drums Staff

A bright fireball streaked across the night sky over Fairbanks, Alaska, late Monday, briefly lighting up the horizon before bursting into a flash. The rare celestial event was caught on camera and quickly drew attention from residents across Interior Alaska. The event occurred on March 10, when a glowing object raced across the sky and appeared to explode in a bright flash. Video shared online shows the fireball moving rapidly before fading moments later. Fireballs are extremely bright meteors created when pieces of space debris enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up due to intense friction. Most disintegrate…

Ten conservation groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Trump administration decision that removed long-standing protections from about 2.1 million acres of federal land in Alaska, a move that could allow new mining, energy and infrastructure projects. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage and targets a decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior to revoke public land orders that had protected portions of land along the corridor surrounding the Trans-Alaska Pipeline since the 1970s. Those protections covered an area stretching along the pipeline route and parts of the Dalton Highway. The administration’s decision…

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded south of Sand Point on Alaska’s Alaska Peninsula late Tuesday night, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. The earthquake occurred at 11:06 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on March 10, 2026, about 60 miles south of Sand Point, according to data from the Alaska Earthquake Center. The quake had a depth of about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) and was classified as a small earthquake. Initial information published by the monitoring center indicated that a seismologist had not yet reviewed the event. No reports of damage or injuries were immediately associated with the earthquake. Earthquakes are…

U.S. President Donald Trump is “not happy” with Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, warning that the leadership change could further complicate relations between Washington and Tehran. Trump made the comments during an interview with Fox News, responding to the announcement that Mojtaba Khamenei had been chosen to lead Iran following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When asked about the new leader, Trump said he does not believe Mojtaba Khamenei “can live in peace,” signaling skepticism about the future direction of Iran’s leadership. Despite the criticism, Trump also indicated that diplomatic discussions…

The race for two seats on the Anchorage School Board is drawing attention as candidates present sharply different levels of experience and competing visions for the future of the Anchorage School District ahead of the April municipal election. The election will decide two of the seven seats on the Anchorage School Board, which oversees Alaska’s largest school district serving more than 43,000 students. Ballots for Anchorage’s citywide election are due April 7, 2026. Candidates running for the seats include a mix of incumbents and challengers with backgrounds ranging from education leadership and community advocacy to limited direct experience with district…

A small earthquake measuring magnitude 1.6 was recorded early Tuesday near Tatitlek in Southcentral Alaska, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. The quake occurred shortly after midnight and was not expected to cause damage. The earthquake struck at 12:22 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time on March 10, about 29 miles northwest of Tatitlek. It occurred at a depth of approximately 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) below the surface. Seismic data shows the tremor was located in the Prince William Sound region, roughly 33 miles west of Valdez and about 86 miles east of Anchorage. The Alaska Earthquake Center reported the event as…

A Wasilla man previously convicted of killing his mother and younger brother in 2016 pleaded not guilty Monday to new murder charges related to the death of an Anchorage teenager, according to Alaska court records. Ian Millard entered the plea in Palmer Superior Court in connection with the death of 18-year-old Ataja Banks, who was reported missing in November 2023. Prosecutors have charged Millard with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and tampering with physical evidence. Investigators say Banks was killed on or around Sept. 25, 2023, according to charging documents. Human remains discovered in September 2025 near Moose Meadows Road in Wasilla…

Iran’s powerful clerical body selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader on March 8, replacing his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after his death during a period of escalating regional conflict. Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the 88-member body responsible for appointing the nation’s supreme leader, confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. The decision came days after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mojtaba Khamenei, a Shiite cleric born in Mashhad in 1969, had long been viewed as a powerful figure within Iran’s political and religious establishment. Although…

Hundreds of athletes from across Alaska gathered in Anchorage for the 2026 Special Olympics Alaska Winter Games, competing in several winter sports while celebrating teamwork, competition, and community during the statewide event. The 2026 Special Olympics Alaska Winter Games were held March 6–8 in Anchorage, bringing together delegations from several regions around the state. Athletes from Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, the Tanana Valley, and Kodiak participated in the competition. Events took place at multiple locations across the city. Competitors took part in sports including floor hockey, snowshoeing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding during the multi-day event. The games offered athletes an…

Anchorage is still experiencing sidewalk plowing delays this winter despite the addition of new snow-removal equipment, as city crews struggle to clear pedestrian routes following repeated snowfall across Alaska’s largest city. The Municipality of Anchorage recently added new snow-removal equipment to improve winter maintenance operations. However, clearing sidewalks across the city has remained slow during recent storms. Large snow accumulation and multiple snowfall events have created setbacks for crews responsible for clearing pedestrian routes. The Municipality of Anchorage’s Street Maintenance Division maintains more than 100 miles of sidewalks and trails in addition to many miles of sidewalks across the city,…

The 54th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officially began Sunday in Willow, Alaska, sending dozens of mushers and dog teams onto the nearly 1,000-mile trail to Nome in one of the most competitive fields in recent years. The competitive restart of the race took place at Willow Lake after the ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage the previous day. The Iditarod Trail Committee sends mushers onto the trail at two-minute intervals as teams begin the long journey across Alaska’s Interior toward the Bering Sea coast. The race covers roughly 1000 miles from Willow to Nome and typically takes…

Alaska Nanooks Win United Collegiate Hockey Cup, Finish Season With Overtime Championship Victory The Alaska Nanooks captured the 2026 United Collegiate Hockey Cup championship Saturday, defeating Lindenwood Lions men’s ice hockey 4–3 in overtime to close the 2025–26 season. The championship game took place in St. Charles, Missouri, where Alaska Fairbanks entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Nanooks finished the season with a 15-15-3 record after securing the overtime win against Lindenwood in the final of the inaugural tournament. Alaska opened the scoring late in the first period when Peyton Platter netted his eighth goal of the…