Anchorage Police have identified Officer Kaden Pohl as the officer involved in a deadly Walmart shooting on the Old Seward Highway. The incident began during a shoplifting arrest and escalated when a suspect fired on officers.
Category: Alaska News
Thousands of lightning strikes over the weekend sparked 53 new wildfires across Alaska, according to the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. One of those fires, the Starry Fire near Anderson, prompted an evacuation order from the Denali Borough. Officials…
Weekend lightning strikes sparked 53 wildfires across Alaska, including the Starry Fire near Anderson that prompted a go-evacuation order, while burn permits remain suspended in several regions.
A paddleboarder who went missing in Turnagain Arm Friday night was later identified as 25-year-old Josh Navokovich. Family members say he remained in contact with his father and girlfriend for nearly two hours while awaiting rescue in challenging conditions. Despite…
(The Center Square) – In an effort to prepare for hotter, drier weather in the coming years, state officials are planning to use $268.9 million to pay for expanded water storage across California.
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Josh Navocovich
Authorities have recovered the body of 25-year-old Anchorage man Joshua Novakovich after a multi-day search in Turnagain Arm. He was swept away while paddleboarding Friday.
Juneau has extended its disaster declaration for six months as officials prepare for the possibility of another glacial outburst flood season later this summer.
(The Center Square) – The City of Seattle and King County are jointly allocating $900,000 to stabilize the troubled finances of the King County Regional Homeless Authority for the next half year as the future of the agency hangs in…
By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
The Juneau Community Foundation is giving the Alaska Legislature 16 two-bedroom apartments as part of a long-term effort to keep the state’s capital in Juneau.
Members of the House-Senate Legislative Council voted unanimously to accept the apartments, which are spread across two four-plexes and one eight-plex in the Starr Hill and Chicken Ridge neighborhoods, respectively.
The new acquisition follows the Legislature’s acceptance of the Assembly Building by a similar donation in 2022. That building has 33 apartments for legislators and is regularly in use.
Under the terms of the donation, the Juneau Community Foundation will buy the three new buildings, renovate them and turn them over to the Legislature once the renovations are complete.
Fifty-seven of the Legislature’s 60 members do not live permanently in Juneau; there will be 49 legislative housing units when the renovations finish.
Reed Stoops, a lobbyist, is a member of the board of the Juneau Community Foundation and helped organize the latest housing donation.
“Basically any kind of improvement that will make the Legislature function better in Juneau, we’ll do,” he said.
The ultimate goal is to give the Legislature more housing options to keep legislative sessions in Juneau, “especially during a special session like this,” he said.
Juneau is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists per year in the summer, and housing becomes scarce between April and September. Historically, legislators and staff have struggled to find housing for special sessions that take place during the summer.
The Legislature hasn’t yet decided how much rent it will charge legislators who live in the new apartments. Legislators living in the Assembly Building are charged market-rate rents based on the size of the apartment.
“Many on this council are strongly supportive and excited about Juneau Community Foundation’s donation, and just really thankful for it,” said Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks and a member of the Legislative Council.
“Juneau is an incredibly welcoming community, and this is just yet another example of why we should keep the capital in Juneau,” she said.
NOTN- A dead fin whale was discovered draped over the bow of a cruise ship when it arrived at the dock in Seward on Friday, prompting a federal investigation and an animal autopsy to determine how the endangered whale died.
The whale, a 61-foot adult female, was found on the ship’s bow after the vessel arrived in the port on June 19. A local marine towing company later moved the whale to a nearby beach, where biologists are conducting a necropsy, or animal autopsy.
Officials are working with the Alaska SeaLife Center to examine the whale and determine its cause of death. Preliminary findings indicate the whale was pregnant at the time of its death.
Authorities have asked the public to avoid the beach where the necropsy is taking place, citing safety concerns and the need for researchers to have adequate space to collect samples and conduct the examination.
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement has opened an investigation into the incident. Officials are asking anyone with information about the whale’s death to contact the agency’s 24-hour enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964.
Fin whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They are the second-largest animals on Earth and can grow to more than 80 feet in length.
Officials also reminded the public that it is illegal to collect tissue, baleen or any other part of the whale without authorization. An exception exists for Alaska Natives who are collecting tissue or parts for subsistence purposes or use in traditional handicrafts, as allowed under federal law.