Owner of new Sitka pot shop working to keep up with demand

SITKA — A second marijuana retailer has opened for business in the southeast Alaska city of Sitka. The Northern Lights Indoor Gardens began selling its… Continue reading

Anchorage Jewish community center among bomb-threat targets

ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage Jewish community center is among those targeted in a wave of bomb threats around the country. The Lubavitch Jewish Center of… Continue reading

Ex-Fairbanks police chief denies conflict of interest claims

. FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks’ former police chief, who resigned in October amid conflict of interest allegations, has denied any wrongdoing in operating his secondary security… Continue reading

Wasilla man dies in snowmobile crash near Talkeetna

TALKEETNA — A 19-year-old Wasilla man died after apparently crashing his snowmobile in the Talkeetna Mountains. Alaska State Troopers say a private helicopter helped recover… Continue reading

Woman dies, man injured in home fire near Butte

ANCHORAGE — The state fire marshal is investigating a home fire near Butte that killed a woman. Her name has not been released but troopers… Continue reading

Fairbanks man accused of setting occupied vehicle on fire

FAIRBANKS — Alaska State Troopers say they have arrested a Fairbanks man suspected of setting a vehicle on fire while people were inside the car.… Continue reading

Two Alaska highways reopen after weekend snow closures

Two northern Alaska highways closed by heavy snowfall reopened Monday. Highways north of Fairbanks saw 7 to 9 inches of new snow Sunday and high… Continue reading

Biologists begin moose count pilot study in Anchorage

ACNHORAGE — Alaska wildlife officials have begun a study to learn more about Anchorage’s urban moose population and the most efficient way to count the… Continue reading

Officials readying for Eielson F-35s to spur housing crunch

FAIRBANKS — Officials in Alaska are preparing for a possible housing crunch in 2020 that is expected to coincide with an influx of service members… Continue reading

In this May 24, 2015 photo a vehicle drives on a pier to be loaded onto an Alaska state ferry while people fish underneath the pier in Homer. The fishing town is the latest U.S. city to consider affirming its commitment to inclusion amid national concerns about the treatment of immigrants, religious minorities and others. Homer city leaders are expected to weigh a resolution Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, that says Homer will resist any efforts to profile “vulnerable populations.” (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press)

Inclusivity measure stirs debate in Homer

JUNEAU — The small Alaska fishing community of Homer is no stranger to political activism. In the 1970s, a landmark legal case involving one of… Continue reading

In this May 24, 2015 photo a vehicle drives on a pier to be loaded onto an Alaska state ferry while people fish underneath the pier in Homer. The fishing town is the latest U.S. city to consider affirming its commitment to inclusion amid national concerns about the treatment of immigrants, religious minorities and others. Homer city leaders are expected to weigh a resolution Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, that says Homer will resist any efforts to profile “vulnerable populations.” (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press)

Petersburg renovates municipal building

PETERSBURG — Petersburg will be open for business Monday in the renovated portion of its municipal building. KFSK-FM reported work is expected to eventually total… Continue reading

Jim Rearden in 1955 with a Dall sheep he hunted in the Brooks Range. (Courtesy photo)

Legendary Homer writer, scientist Rearden dies

HOMER — Writer, photographer, editor, professor, biologist, outdoorsman, scholar, veteran, Alaskan and family man: In the history of Alaska’s post-World War II generation that came… Continue reading

Jim Rearden in 1955 with a Dall sheep he hunted in the Brooks Range. (Courtesy photo)
In this Feb. 13 photo, Phil and Jami Gibson pose for a photo in Kodiak, Alaska. The Gibsons look forward to celebrating three years of sobriety in June thanks to the help of faith-based mentoring they received while incarcerated. (Joann Snoderly | Kodiak Daily Mirror)

Prison, mentoring lead to new life

KODIAK — Jami Gibson’s emotions overwhelmed her as she peered from an airplane window at Kodiak just over a year ago, and she began to… Continue reading

In this Feb. 13 photo, Phil and Jami Gibson pose for a photo in Kodiak, Alaska. The Gibsons look forward to celebrating three years of sobriety in June thanks to the help of faith-based mentoring they received while incarcerated. (Joann Snoderly | Kodiak Daily Mirror)

No charges for officer who killed armed man

FAIRBANKS — No charges will be filed against an officer who shot and killed an armed man last year. An investigation found Sgt. Gregory Foster… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, talks with Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 in the Alaska Capitol before Sullivan was presented with a legislative resolution in support of oil and gas drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)

Legislature officially asks to drill Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Alaska House’s representative for the North Slope welcomed U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan to the Capitol with a gift Friday: A fresh resolution proclaiming the… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, talks with Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 in the Alaska Capitol before Sullivan was presented with a legislative resolution in support of oil and gas drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)
Erika McConnell, seen here in on Feb. 23, 2017, has been named Alaska’s new top regulator for alcohol and marijuana. (Contributed photo)

State’s new alcohol and marijuana regulator has Anchorage roots

Erika McConnell is an Anchorage resident who wears glasses and a toothy smile. She enjoys reading, the outdoors and caramels. On March 20, she’ll chew… Continue reading

Erika McConnell, seen here in on Feb. 23, 2017, has been named Alaska’s new top regulator for alcohol and marijuana. (Contributed photo)

Alaska nonprofit using online tool to share Yupik history

BETHEL — An Alaska nonprofit organization is encouraging residents of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to share stories about the region’s rich history as it works to… Continue reading

Fairbanks grand jury indicts 4 in theft of heavy safe

FAIRBANKS — Four people suspected of stealing a loaded 500-pound safe from a home in North Pole have been indicted on felony burglary and theft… Continue reading

In this March 15, 2016 photo, Aliy Zirkle drives her dog team to the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome. One of dog mushing’s leading figures has suffered panic attacks and undergone therapy in the year since she was stalked by a drunken snowmobile driver on an isolated stretch of the Iditarod race across Alaska. (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press file)

Therapy, husband lead musher back to Iditarod

ANCHORAGE — One of dog mushing’s leading figures has suffered panic attacks and undergone therapy in the year since she was stalked by a drunken… Continue reading

In this March 15, 2016 photo, Aliy Zirkle drives her dog team to the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome. One of dog mushing’s leading figures has suffered panic attacks and undergone therapy in the year since she was stalked by a drunken snowmobile driver on an isolated stretch of the Iditarod race across Alaska. (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press file)

Alaska’s Allakaket village banishes 4 for dealing meth

FAIRBANKS — Four people have been banished from a remote Alaska tribal village for dealing methamphetamine, community leaders said Thursday. Twenty-five residents of Allakaket confronted… Continue reading