May 20, 2021 by Eric Stone, KRBD – Ketchikan Big cruise ships could be heading for Alaska later this summer. A federal bill that would allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to bypass Canada on their way to Alaska is headed to the president’s desk after unanimously passing the U.S. House of Representatives. That follows the U.S. Senate passing similar legislation earlier this month. The measure …

By  Angela Denning, KFSK – Petersburg — May 17, 2021 Alaska’s seafood industry has a lot of moving parts. There are the fishermen, the processors and the market, plus all of the fish. By all accounts, the pandemic has hit the processors hard. A recent survey found that they spent about $70 million on COVID-19 mitigation measures and other pandemic-related …

Special Report By TRIPP CROUSE (KNBA) Listen here:   In this 2017 photo, Russian Orthodox Father Innocent Dresdow performs service on the remains in the room where they’re being kept, in a lower level of the Alutiiq Museum. (Photo by April Laktonen Counceller / Alutiiq Museum) In early 2021, the Harvard Peabody Museum issued a statement apologizing for its reluctance working …

May 17, 2021 by Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media Alaska is expecting to see a lot of travelers this summer — especially compared to last year. Cheapwheels Rent-A-Car. (Abbey Collins/Alaska Public Media) As COVID-19 restrictions still bar large cruise ships from Alaska waters, most visitors are expected to come by plane — which means many are looking for rental cars. The demand …

by Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media The cruise ship the Silver Shadow. (Photo by Maggie Wall / KMXT) The U.S. Senate passed a bill Thursday that could allow cruise ships to return to Alaska ports this summer. The bill temporarily lifts the requirement that foreign cruise ships – nearly the entire fleet – stop in Canada on their way to …

By Robyne, KUAC — Fairbanks – May 13, 2021 Internet users in Alaska who are low income or who lost wages during the pandemic are eligible for an internet subsidy of up to $75 per month under a new federal program. A household is eligible if someone qualifies for the Lifeline program, receives assistance such as free and reduced-price school …

May 12, 2021 by Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO and Alaska Public Media Alaska state Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, speaks in support of Abe Williams who was rejected from sitting on the Alaska Board of Fisheries on Tuesday, May 11 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska Legislature held its annual joint confirmation hearing for dozens of the governor’s appointees to boards and commissions. (AP …

by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska Crew members shovel pollock on the deck of a trawler on a Bering Sea fishing trip in 2019. (Nat Herz/Alaska Public Media) A raw fish tax that has pumped tens of millions of dollars into coastal communities over the past decade has survived a legal challenge before Alaska’s highest court. The state can tax seafood caught beyond …

by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska A ferry reform bill passed the Alaska House of Representatives 37-0 on Wednesday, with no objections from the floor. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy believes the bill violates the separation of powers clause in the Alaska Constitution. House Bill 63 would create an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board, which would craft short- and long-term planning for Alaska’s ferry …

May 5, 2021 by Sabine Poux, KDLL – Kenai Map showing differences between the last and current 30-year averages. (National Weather Service Alaska Region) Every 10 years, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration analyzes data from its thousands of weather stations and releases new climate “normals,” providing temperature touchstones for any given day or month of the year. NOAA’s latest batch of data …