Author: The Tundra Drums Staff

On the final day of the session, Alaska lawmakers passed sweeping payday loan reform to shield borrowers from predatory lending. The House approved Bill 35 with a 24-16 vote, and the legislation was sent to Governor Mike Dunleavy’s desk for final action. If signed, the bill will cap interest and fees for loans under $25,000 at an annual percentage rate of 36%. The legislation removes payday lenders from a long-standing exemption that permitted exorbitant interest rates beyond typical loan protections. Anchorage Democratic Sen Forrest Dunbar and Representative Ted Eischeid co-sponsored the bill to end what they called a harmful legal…

Construction will begin this summer on the Pentagon Arctic training center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Spanning 150,000 square feet, the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center will enhance US air and ground simulation capabilities. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced the project will run through 2029 and have a projected budget of $500 million. The facility will house 426 computer servers powered by a 15-million megavolt-ampere electric substation, which will support 24/7 operations. John Budnik of the Army Corps said the new center will coordinate personnel on the ground with pilots flying F-22s, F-35s, and other…

Anchorage officials are overhauling Town Square Park to restore its safety and public appeal. Originally envisioned as a peaceful refuge in the 1980s, Town Square Park today feels anything but that for many residents. Downtown business owners and city leaders agree the park has become unsafe, plagued by public intoxication, drug use, and daily police activity. “I think we’re all aware that it’s become a place that feels not as comfortable,” said municipal manager Becky Windt Pearson, speaking on the city’s growing concern. In response, the municipality will spend millions over two years transforming the park into a more secure…

On Saturday, a house caught fire in Eagle River, forcing an evacuation and triggering a complex firefighting operation. At 10:13 p.m., Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue responded to 911 calls reporting flames erupting from a garage on Savage Drive. Inside the home, the family remained unaware until loud popping sounds signaled something was wrong, prompting a quick emergency evacuation. According to the Anchorage Fire Department, the sounds were from explosions inside the home, not gunfire as neighbors initially thought. Volunteers quickly reached the mountainside property, but the location’s elevation severely limited their access to essential water for firefighting. Despite the…

A late-night shooting rattled the quiet community of Parkview condos in northeast Anchorage during the early hours of Thursday morning. Jack Gelionea, a two-year resident of the complex, remained unaware that bullets had entered his home until a police officer arrived. Gelione works late most evenings and said he usually falls asleep around 2 or 3 a.m., missing the exact moment of the shots. Shortly after dozing off that night, he heard noises outside but dismissed them due to the area’s frequent background gunfire. Around the time of the incident, Anchorage police were already responding to reports of gunfire coming…

Authorities have issued an oil spill alert after a Liberian-flagged cargo ship sank Sunday near Kochi, spilling hazardous materials. The vessel, MSC ELSA 3, was traveling from Vizhinjam port to Kochi when it started tilting off the coast.  Flooding in one of the compartments caused the ship to capsize into the Arabian Sea in the early hours of Sunday. Indian Navy personnel launched an hours-long rescue operation and successfully saved all 24 crew members aboard the distressed vessel. However, the ship carried 640 containers, and several have broken loose, drifting dangerously close to Kerals’s heavily populated coastal zone. Local authorities…

Dozens of mourners gathered Friday night at Sleepy Dog Coffee Shop to attend a vigil for missing man Tony Kronos. The candlelight gathering gave friends, family, and concerned residents space to remember Kronos and focus on his unresolved case. Tony Kronos vanished on March 6, nearly three months ago, leaving loved ones searching for answers and desperate for any new information. Organizers of the vigil shared personal stories and heartfelt memories and offered support to those still grieving Kronos’s unexplained disappearance. One of Kronos’s closest friends, Catlin Mobley, addressed the crowd with raw emotion and a call for continued community…

A fake post claiming a police officer named Carolyn Lynch is missing is now posted on Alaska Facebook groups like “Alaska sell personal items,” where scammers falsely claim she’s based in Anchorage.  It has been confirmed the post is a hoax with no truth behind it. This is part of a broader scam previously targeting Facebook groups in other states such as Durham, North Carolina; Citrus County, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; Orange, Texas; and Girard, Ohio. Earlier versions of the message claimed Officer Lynch was missing from York County. Now scammers are using the same fabricated story and changing the only…

A suspected act of arson sparked a massive Cannes power outage disrupting film festival events on Saturday morning, stunning attendees. The fire damaged a high-voltage transformer around 10 a.m., causing 160,000 homes in Cannes and nearby areas to lose power. France’s electricity operator, RTE, said the flames, alongside line damage, triggered a large-scale disruption. They worked urgently to restore service and succeeded by 3:00 p.m. local time. Local police quickly launched an investigation and believed criminal activity caused damage to the fire and the power line.  A gendarmerie spokesperson confirmed authorities are treating the incident as a possible arson case…

Former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed major investors in the $TRUMP meme coin to a black-tie dinner near Washington, D.C. Around 220 top buyers of the coin, tracked on a public leaderboard, received invitations to the exclusive event on Thursday. The dinner took place at a Trump-owned golf course, drawing criticism from Democrats and protesters who gathered outside with signs. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy condemned the gathering, calling it “fundamentally corrupt” and a means of buying access to Trump. Senator Elizabeth Warren labeled the gathering “an orgy of corruption,” accusing Trump of profiting personally from his presidency. The meme coin,…

A violent mob in Assam´s Golaghat district killed a Royal Bengal tiger with macheres after the animal allegedly attacked livestock. Authorities say around 1,000 villagers gathered and chased the tiger after it strayed into farmland and killed multiple domestic animals. Witnesses described chaotic scenes as villagers surrounded the animal and struck it repeatedly causing deep wounds that ultimately proved fatal. Forest officer Gunadeep Das confirmed the tiger died from sharp weapon injuries not gunshots and an autopsy is underway. The crowd allegedly dismembered the carcass removing sections of its skin, legs, and face before officials reached the scene. Das noted…

A private jet slammed into a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday, killing three passengers, including an Alaska talent agent and entrepreneur. The Cessna S550-Citation II departed Wichita around 2:36 a.m. CDT and never reached its destination at Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport. Flames and twisted wreckage scorched the neighborhood after the plane hit multiple homes and several parked vehicles during the crash. Federal officials said six people were on board, though they may not have confirmed the exact number of fatalities as of Thursday night. Sound Talent Group confirmed that three of its team members, including co-founder David Michael Shapiro of…