Alaska

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Alaska Experiments With Voting by Smartphone

Critics say Anchorage program could fuel conspiracy theories

(Newser) - Anchorage, Alaska, is about to launch an experiment that could reshape how Americans vote: letting residents cast ballots via smartphone. Starting with the city's April municipal election, the pilot program will give Anchorage's 240,000 registered voters the option to vote by phone, though traditional mail and in-person...

Search Continues for Friends After Heli-Skier's Body Found
Crews Recover Remains
of Second Alaskan Skier
updated
Nov 6, 2025 6:05 PM CST

Crews Recover Remains of Second Alaskan Skier

3 friends were caught in an avalanche in March

(Newser) - The body of a skier who was caught in an Alaskan avalanche has been found, the second such discovery since three friends from Minnesota were swept away in March. A helicopter crew and recovery team recovered the remains on Tuesday, the state Department of Public Safety said. The body found...

Villagers Are 'Scared, Worried' After Massive Alaska Airlift

They don't know when, or if, they will be able to return to areas hit by flooding

(Newser) - Hundreds of Alaska residents airlifted from storm-ravaged villages are now facing life in the state's largest city, with little idea of when—or if—they'll be able to return home. More than 200 residents from Kipnuk boarded a C-17 military transport plane in Bethel, en route to...

One of the Biggest Airlifts in Alaska History Is Underway

Hundreds evacuated from coastal villages devastated by storm

(Newser) - One of the most significant airlifts in Alaska history got underway this week to move hundreds of people from coastal villages ravaged by high surf and strong winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend, officials said. The storm brought record water levels to two low-lying communities and washed...

EPA Pulled Flood Grant Months Before Storm Hit Alaska

Homes were washed away in Kipnuk

(Newser) - On Sunday, a devastating flood tore through the Alaska village of Kipnuk; five months prior, federal funding meant to help the village withstand disasters was abruptly cut. The Environmental Protection Agency had earmarked $20 million for riverbank stabilization—a project designed to shield the largely Alaska Native community from...

Typhoon Plows Into Alaska, Sweeps Away Homes

At least 3 missing, dozens rescued as remnants of Halong hits Alaska

(Newser) - More than 30 people were rescued and three people remain unaccounted for in western Alaska after the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds and flooding strong enough to sweep away entire homes in coastal communities, authorities said. Rescue aircraft were sent to the tiny Alaskan villages of Kipnuk and...

In Rural America, the Shutdown Threatens Air Travel

Hundreds of rural airports could lose service by Sunday as EAS funding dries up

(Newser) - Federal funding that keeps air travel running in rural parts of the United States will expire this Sunday if the government shutdown drags on . The Essential Air Service program , created in 1978, provides subsidies to airlines serving 177 small airports—often the only link these communities have to bigger...

House Backs 211-Mile Road Through Alaska Wilderness
Trump Approves 211-Mile
Alaska Wilderness Road
UPDATED
Oct 6, 2025 6:30 PM CDT

Trump Approves 211-Mile Alaska Wilderness Road

Controversial project will open path to massive mineral deposits

(Newser) - President Trump has approved a new 211-mile road through Alaska wilderness that will give mining companies access to deposits of copper, gold, zinc, and rare earth minerals. The president signed an order Monday to reverse the Biden administration's cancellation of permits for the controversial project, the Alaska Beacon reports....

Russian Warplanes Buzz by Alaskan Airspace. Again

NORAD scrambles jets in new incident that follows Trump saying Ukraine may regain its territory

(Newser) - US fighter jets scrambled to identify and intercept four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Thursday. It's the third time in about a month, and the ninth time this year, that NORAD has reported such an incident involving Russian aircraft flying near Alaska....

Meet the Bears of Fat Bear Week
Meet the Bears
of Fat Bear Week
Sep 23, 2025 8:11 AM CDT

Meet the Bears of Fat Bear Week

They include Grazer, Floatato, and Chunk

(Newser) - The contestants have been chosen. Now, Fat Bear Week officially begins. Voting is open for the 12 chosen bears from Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park, featured in a bracket-style tournament—four of whom automatically advanced past the first round due to their size. Despite the name of...

Keeping Alaskans Fed Is a Tricky Business
Getting Food to Alaska
Is a Dicey Proposition
longform
Sep 21, 2025 11:10 AM CDT

Getting Food to Alaska Is a Dicey Proposition

High Country News looks at the fragile network of shipping and trucking

(Newser) - Earlier this year, a threat from Canada to impose tariffs on US trucks en route to Alaska got Eva Holland at High Country News wondering about her state's food supply. It is, in a word, precarious. "It struck me that, for a state where many residents pride themselves...

Amid ... Everything Else, Fat Bear Week Soldiers On

Annual Alaskan contest kicks off next week, but first: a 'chubby cubby appetizer'

(Newser) - The brawny bruins on the Alaska Peninsula are ready to brawl it out to see which will win this year's fattest bear title in the wildly popular annual Fat Bear Week contest. The main event featuring adult bears starts next week, but first up Thursday is what the National...

Texas Man's Alaska Hike Turns Fatal
Texas Man's Alaska
Hike Turns Fatal
Sep 18, 2025 7:39 AM CDT

Texas Man's Alaska Hike Turns Fatal

Rescue teams recover body of cruise passenger after fall on Mount Roberts trail

(Newser) - A Texas man on an Alaska cruise died after he and a fellow passenger fell while hiking the Mount Roberts trail in Juneau, state troopers say. The two men, both visiting from the cruise ship, slipped down the steep mountainside Tuesday evening after mistakenly going off trail amid foggy,...

Melting Glacier Gives Alaska a New Island

Prow Knob was once encircled by 2 arms of Alsek Glacier

(Newser) - Alaska has gained an island without gaining any land. NASA satellite images reveal that the Alsek Glacier has retreated so far that a small mountain once surrounded by the glacier is now a 2-square mile island in Alsek Lake, Newsweek reports. The glacier has been retreating for decades and the...

For 2nd Time This Week, Disaster at Alaskan Glacier

Italian researcher missing after falling into stream, days after US man is found dead near Mendenhall

(Newser) - A researcher from Italy is missing after falling into a stream on Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier, just days after the body of another man, a hiker from Arizona, was found off a trail near the glacier, authorities said. According to the state's Department of Public Safety, wildlife troopers received...

Morning Jog Turns Harrowing for Alaska Mom

Mother of three faces long recovery after bear attack

(Newser) - A routine morning jog in Kenai, Alaska, turned harrowing last week when 36-year-old Ariean Fabrizio Colton was mauled by a bear just steps from her home, CBS News reports. According to a statement shared with Anchorage's KTUU , Colton had "simply stepped outside for a jog" when the...

Alaska Man Has New Wheels—Thanks to Putin

Mark Warren is given a brand-new Ural motorcycle

(Newser) - An Alaska man is said to be the owner of a new Ural motorcycle—a gift bestowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his summit with President Trump. "This is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation," Andrei Ledenev, an employee of the Russian embassy...

Trump: 'I'm Not Here to Negotiate for Ukraine'

President leaves for Alaska and a high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin

(Newser) - Summit day has arrived. President Trump departed for Alaska Friday morning for his one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin later in the day. Trump initially downplayed expectations for the summit, describing it as a "feel-out meeting." But in more recent days, he had said he will urge Putin to...

Putin's Plan to Sway Trump? Financial Incentives: Sources

Putin brings economic team to summit as he seeks leverage on Ukraine

(Newser) - When Vladimir Putin and President Trump meet in Alaska, the Russian leader is set to tempt Trump with financial incentives to back Moscow over Ukraine, the Guardian reports. Putin's adviser said the "huge untapped potential" of Russia-US economic relations will be up for discussion, and said the...

Columnist Predicts a Specific Putin Joke

Masha Gessen guarantees that Russian leader will reference Alaska being a part of his country

(Newser) - New York Times columnist Masha Gessen thinks President Trump has made a mistake in inviting Vladimir Putin to Alaska. "The moment Putin walks into the negotiating room, he has gotten everything he wants," he wrote in a piece earlier this week. "If the meeting does not produce...

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