Map of the Bristol Bay region. Lake Iliamna is close to the Pebble Deposit location, indicated by the red box. (Photo courtesy U.S. EPA) By ANTONIA GONZALES (NATIONAL NATIVE NEWS) Announcement of a major change in the access route to the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska is met with resistance from Tribal groups and other opponents. …

By Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage April 2020 job losses taken from Department of Labor press release Alaska lost 42,200 in the month of April compared to the same month last year, according to data released Friday from the state Department of Labor.  The losses are staggering, but Karinne Wiebold, an economist with the state, says that after seeing the …

By Rashah McChesney, KTOO – Juneau The City of Valdez harbor in 2014. (Creative Commons Photo courtesy Ronald Woan/Flickr) A seafood worker in Valdez has tested positive for COVID-19. But state health officials say they aren’t sure how the man, who works for Peter Pan Seafoods, contracted the virus because he has been in the state for a month, went through …

King salmon, red salmon, and chum salmon. (Photo: Shane Iverson / KYUK) By  Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage Alaska’s charter fishing businesses are suffering this summer, with prolonged travel restrictions severely impacting tourism to the state. Andy Mezirow guides fishing charters out of Seward with his business Gray Light Sportfishing. He also sits on the North Pacific Fishery Management …

Anchorage businesses are reopening after coronavirus-related restrictions shut them down for weeks. Polar Bear Gifts in downtown Anchorage welcomed customers on Friday, May, 22, 2020.(Tegan Hanlon/Alaska Public Media)   By Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage Alaska is reopening. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has removed state restrictions for businesses, and is allowing for larger groups. Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is also lifting local capacity …

By Nathaniel Herz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference about COVID-19 this month. (Office of the Governor) As Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz move to reopen the state and city economy, both say that their actions will be guided by data. But both officials and experts caution that …

Nome’s Norton Sound Regional Hospital. (Laura Kraegel/KNOM) by Davis Hovey–KNOM, Nome A Norton Sound Health Corporation employee in Nome tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The corporation made that announcement Thursday night, confirming the Bering Strait region’s second case thus far. According to NSHC, the positive COVID-19 result was found through routine employee testing at the regional hospital …

GCI’s proposed project would bring undersea fiber optic cable from Kodiak to Unalaska, spanning approximately 860 miles.CREDIT COURTESY OF GCI by Hope McKenney–KUCB, GCI says it won’t move forward with bringing broadband communications to Unalaska at this time unless they receive a large grant from the USDA. The company has put in an application for a $25 million grant from …

The case is not associated with the seafood industry, and the person wasn’t tested in their home community, according to the state.  by Isabelle Ross–KDLG, Dillingham CREDIT ALEX HAGER/KDLG The first Alaskan from the Bristol Bay and Lake and Peninsula region has tested positive for COVID-19. The state has not disclosed which community they are from because it has less than 1,000 …

Alaska Commissioner of Education Michael Johnson by Dan Bross–KUAC, Fairbanks Listen here: State K-12 and University of Alaska officials have developed plans for operating through a range of COVID-19 threat levels. During a state COVID-19 press conference Wednesday night, Alaska Commissioner of Education Michael Johnson described a basic framework districts can use to guide delivery of education during any pandemic …