Alaska News

Cook Inlet lease sale draws bids on 44 tracts

Alaska's annual Cook Inlet petroleum lease sale drew bids on 44 tracts by five bidding groups and individuals, with primary drillers doing fill-in work around existing leases, the state says.

Pentagon restrictions on F-22 fighters limit Alaska patrols

Facing a mysterious safety problem with the Air Force's most-prized stealth fighter, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered new flight restrictions on the F-22 and summoned help from Navy and NASA experts.

Air Force whistle-blowers to get protection

Groups appeal air quality permit for Shell Arctic drilling

Environmental and Alaska Native groups are appealing an air permit granted by the Environmental Protection Agency to Shell Oil for a drilling ship the company hopes to use in Arctic Ocean waters.

Magnitude 4.6 earthquake was centered in South Anchorage

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 jolted Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Mat-Su just after 7 a.m. today. The quake, centered in South Anchorage, was 35.5 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Alaska wins $71,000 in Skechers shoe lawsuit settlement

Claims that Skechers' fitness shoes can help people shed pounds and tone muscles are sketchy at best, says the U.S. government -- and they're going to cost the company millions of dollars.

Anchorage School District gives layoff notices to 55 employees

The Anchorage School District is handing layoff notices to 35 teachers and 20 support staff members as a result of "budget restraints."

Four groups sue to protect Cook Inlet beluga whales

Four groups including an Alaska Native village are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service, claiming the federal agency's permit for oil exploration will hurt endangered beluga whales in Cook Inlet.

2 Alaska-based soldiers killed by bomb

Two Alaska-based soldiers died in Eastern Afghanistan when enemies attacked their vehicle with an explosive Sunday, the Army says.

People get too close to Turnagain Arm bear

A brown bear frequenting popular spots along the Seward Highway and the Turnagain Arm Trail is showing signs of being uncomfortable with picture-snapping humans who have come far too close, officials say.

Turnagain Arm Trail Run leaders encounter grizzly

Eagle River bear-mauling survivor surprised to be alive

Dozens of flyswatters wash up on Kodiak beaches

Dozens of flyswatters bearing logos of collegiate and professional sports teams have been washing up on the beaches of Kodiak island.

James Koenig charged with DUI, other charges

Anchorage police arrested James Koenig, father of homicide victim Samantha Koenig, early Tuesday morning and charged him with drunken driving, assault and weapons misconduct, a police spokesman said.

Fundraising for coastal zone ballot initiative is slow so far

A leader of the coastal management initiative says fundraising so far has been slow

Pebble mine developers earmark $107 million for permitting

A Canadian mining company eyeing development of a huge Alaska copper and gold deposit near one of the world's premier salmon fisheries said Tuesday that $107 million has been allocated to prepare the mine for permitting starting this year.

Group to evaluate how to advance oil tax cuts

Supporters of changes to Alaska's oil production tax structure have called for a meeting to discuss how best to advance the debate after another legislative defeat.

Man charged in wife's slaying leads police to body in Valley

Acting on a tip from a man charged in his wife's slaying, Anchorage police found a body Friday in the Matanuska Valley they linked to the case. William "Mike" Dixiano has agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder, a prosecutor said.

Anchorage betrayal infuriates family

Millennium's first central eclipse visible in Alaska on Sunday

A partial eclipse of the sun will darken Anchorage from 3:17 to 5:54 p.m. Sunday. At its height, around 4:38 p.m., the sun will appear to local viewers as a crescent with the moon obscuring about half of the solar disk.

More information on eclipse from NASA

Man gets 27-year sentence for cocaine trafficking

A Kansas City man who federal prosecutors in Alaska called a "prolific cocaine trafficker" will spend 27 years behind bars, according to his sentence handed down Monday in Anchorage.

Cost of special session of Legislature more than $400,000

Last month's 13-day special legislative session cost at least $403,790.

FBI asks for help with guns possibly linked to Kodiak killings

The FBI is again asking for help from the public in the April 12 killings of two Coast Guard members at a communications station on Kodiak Island.

North Dakota passes Alaska to become No. 2 US oil producer

North Dakota, which just six years ago was the ninth-largest oil-producing state, has passed Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state in the nation, trailing only Texas.

Eagle River bear-mauling survivor surprised to be alive

When a brown bear charged him Saturday from about 30 yards away while he was on his property bordering Chugach State Park, Howard Meyer had one thing on his mind: "I thought that it was the end of my life."

More bear attack stories