USDA Proposes Rescinding National Roadless Rule
USDA wants to end nationwide roadless protections, shifting more decisions to individual forests while leaving current rules and project reviews in place.
Alaska
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Southcentral Alaska utilities warn gas shortages could raise heating and power costs this winter
Enstar and regional electric utilities warn that tightening Cook Inlet gas supplies and low storage margins could raise energy costs and trigger conservation measures during extreme winter demand.
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Mat-Su prioritizes Shaw Elementary roads before the 2026 school start
New traffic-circulation roads around Shaw Elementary are being prioritized ahead of the late-August 2026 school start, but paving must be completed before they open. The opening is expected in September, while the Wasilla Fishhook Road intersection remains planned for 2027.
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Anchorage Assembly takes up tax incentives for mixed-use housing
The Anchorage Assembly held an August 4 hearing on a proposal for tax incentives tied to mixed-use, multifamily housing. The measure is not yet confirmed as final.
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Fairbanks’ 2026 municipal election process moves past Aug. 5 withdrawal deadline
Fairbanks’ 2026 municipal election process has passed its candidate-withdrawal deadline. The regular election remains scheduled for Oct. 6, while a ballot question could move future municipal elections to November.
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Anchorage public-safety commission proposal dies without Assembly vote
A proposed independent public-safety commission ended without an Assembly vote after July 21 testimony, leaving Anchorage without a replacement advisory body.
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Alaska job count falls 0.3% year over year as government losses outweigh private-sector gains
Alaska’s statewide employment count fell 0.3% from June 2025 to June 2026, as a loss of 1,900 government jobs outweighed a 1,000-job private-sector increase.
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Alaska’s FY2027 budget becomes law after Dunleavy vetoes $89.5 million
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Alaska’s fiscal 2027 budget on June 24 after vetoing $89.5 million, while school funding remained intact, according to Alaska Public Media.
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Alaska expands 2026 spring-flood disaster declaration as recovery assistance continues
Alaska expanded Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s May 11 disaster declaration on May 21 to cover additional areas affected by spring flooding. The state has opened individual-assistance registration and published recovery information, but the current list of added areas and registration deadline were not available in the approved records.
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Alaska voters can cast ballots early in the Aug. 18 primary. Here are the deadlines
Early voting and absentee options are open statewide for Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary. The mail-ballot request deadline is Aug. 8, and eligible voters seeking electronic transmission have until 5 p.m. Alaska time Aug. 17.
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NTSB Finds Overweight Flights and FAA Oversight Failures in Alaska Crash
The NTSB says severe icing, airspeed management, overweight operations and inadequate FAA oversight contributed to the 2025 Bering Air crash that killed 10.
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Anchorage wastewater detects measles-virus RNA, but Alaska reports no confirmed case in alert
Very low levels of measles-virus RNA were found in Anchorage wastewater samples collected July 7–14. Alaska officials say the signal does not confirm a case, transmission or an outbreak.
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Juneau mobile crisis program reports more than 250 behavioral-health responses
Bartlett Regional Hospital says its Mobile Crisis Program has answered more than 250 behavioral-health crisis calls since launching in November 2024, with about half resolved without an emergency-department transport.
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Michigan man arrested in Fairbanks cold-case murder more than 30 years after disappearance
Christopher Popps, 54, was arrested in Michigan and faces an Alaska second-degree murder charge in the 1993 disappearance of former Fairbanks coworker Patrick Orville Dearth.
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North Star Behavioral Health can relocate Anchorage psychiatric beds without new certificate of need
Alaska health officials determined that North Star Behavioral Health may move and reassign existing psychiatric beds and programs among its Anchorage facilities without a new Certificate of Need.
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Alaska Anchorage hockey to open season against defending national champion Denver
The UAA Seawolves will open the 2026-27 men’s hockey season at home against defending national champion Denver on Oct. 9-10 at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex in Anchorage.
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Alaska school districts await August 31 determination on as much as $115 million in oil-revenue education funding
Alaska school districts could receive up to $115 million in one-time education funding tied to higher oil revenue, but the final amount will not be determined until August 31.
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Alaska announces $180 million federal settlement tied to Port of Alaska project
Alaska will receive $180 million under a federal settlement resolving decades-old litigation over a failed Port of Alaska project, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced July 7, 2026.
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Army Corps completes second phase of temporary Mendenhall Valley flood barriers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it completed Phase 2 of temporary flood-mitigation measures in Juneau’s Mendenhall River Valley on July 24, adding to ongoing efforts to protect against glacial lake outburst floods.
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Fairbanks North Star Borough candidate-withdrawal deadline arrives Wednesday
Candidates in the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s 2026 municipal election have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, to withdraw. Election Day is Oct. 6.
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Early voting opens in Anchorage for Alaska’s August 18 primary
Early and absentee in-person voting is underway in Anchorage for Alaska’s August 18, 2026 primary election, with sites at Midtown Mall and Anchorage City Hall.
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Dunleavy signs Alaska fiscal-year 2027 budget into law with school infrastructure and district-cost funding
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Alaska’s fiscal-year 2027 budget on July 3, 2026. The governor’s office said the enacted spending plan includes school-infrastructure investments and additional funding for districts facing higher energy and related costs.