Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · 1d

A U.S. Coast Guard commander compared the devastation in Southwest Alaska villages over the weekend to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“This took people into peril, where folks were swimming, floating, trying to find debris to hold onto in the cover of darkness," Capt. Culpepper said.

Officials say storm 'completely devastated' Western Alaska communities

A Coast Guard commander recounts scenes of Alaskans swimming in floodwaters in the middle of the night, in search of debris to hold onto.

akpub.io

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Taylor Heckart @theckart.bsky.social · 1d

If you’re in Petersburg, Cooper Landing, Seward, Ketchikan, Tok, Unalaska, Soldotna, Skagway, and Bethel, you should get free access to a news database through your library! There are 20+ Alaska news publications in there, including many that are normally paywalled. www.kfsk.org/2025/10/13/g...

Grant funding will give 15 Alaska libraries free access to many paywalled newspapers - KFSK

Fifteen libraries across Alaska will be gaining access to a large online database of national and in-state news sources. The Alaska Library Network received a $10,250 grant from the Atwood Foundation,...

www.kfsk.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · 2d

Some residents are reportedly unaccounted for or trapped in houses as a major storm brings high water and winds to some Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities. The storm is expected to move north and continue into Monday.

Live updates: A major storm is bringing dangerous flooding and hurricane-force winds to Western Alaska

The remnants of Typhoon Halong have already caused damaging flooding in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The storm is expected to move north and continue into Monday.

akpub.io

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

KTOO Public Media @ktoopublicmedia.bsky.social · 11d

The resolution also asks the federal government to loosen regulations for how Alaska Native subsistence hunters can use harvested sea otters.

(From KFSK - Petersburg)

Petersburg joins other Southeast Alaska communities in asking for stronger sea otter management

Sea otters were once wiped out in Southeast Alaska due to the fur trade, but their population has skyrocketed since reintroduction in the 1960s.

www.ktoo.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · 11d

Here are four graphics that show how much the PFD's purchasing power has changed over the years. UAA economist Brett Watson says they tell us "as much about how we think about inflation or the things that we buy as it does about the dividend itself."

Four graphics that chart the purchasing power of your PFD over the decades

University of Alaska economist Brett Watson looked at what you can buy with this year’s $1,000 dividend compared with 1982 and 2003.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Mikko Wilson @mikkowilson.com · 18d

For those in southeast #Alaska watching the wind & rain weather system,
@nws.noaa.gov Juneau has a live #akwx update on the hurricane force low storm system at 8:30am on YouTube: www.youtube.com/live/ZJ3GOJY...

Hurricane Force Low update, Friday morning 9/26/2025

YouTube video by NWS WFO Juneau

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · 22d

For years, a national database that tracks and maps landslides has had a major hole: Alaska.

But that’s about to change.

A new map shows where landslides have happened across Alaska

The state released an inventory this week that pinpoints thousands of past slides. The aim is to better understand the risk – and prepare for the future.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

KTOO Public Media @ktoopublicmedia.bsky.social · 27d

A storm moving through Southeast Alaska is causing high winds that will continue into Wednesday evening in Juneau. It’s resulting in power outages and fallen trees. Multiple cruise ships have canceled port calls.

Severe wind causes fallen trees, power outages in Juneau

Three cruise ships that were scheduled to arrive in Juneau canceled their stops ahead of the storm Tuesday night.

www.ktoo.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Aug 22

Advocates say it’s finally time to connect Alaska’s largest city to bedroom communities to its north using commuter rail service.

A proposal from the Alaska Commuter Rail Coalition is fairly straightforward, though it’s still unclear who will pay for it.

Could commuter rail between Mat-Su and Anchorage become a reality? Advocates push for a pilot project

If built, the pilot project would have two trains running daily from Wasilla to Anchorage and back again on existing rail that’s maintained by the Alaska Railroad Corporation.

alaskapublic.org

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Taylor Heckart @theckart.bsky.social · Aug 18

KFSK’s summer intern Hannah Weaver got the chance to head over to Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales Island recently. She put together many great radio pieces, including this story on the new disc golf course! www.kfsk.org/2025/08/15/f...

First Coffman Cove disc golf course opens with a par-ty - KFSK

Prince of Wales Island hosted its first-ever disc golf tournament on Aug. 9. The new course in Coffman Cove is plenty challenging — and plenty fun.

www.kfsk.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Eric Stone @eriwinsto.bsky.social · Aug 13

On Sunday, tens or hundreds of millions of tons of rock fell into Tracy Arm, a deep, narrow fjord south of Juneau popular with sightseers.

It set off a colossal tsunami, stranding and nearly washing away a group of kayakers who had camped on a nearby island.

alaskapublic.org/news/environ...

'Pure chaos out of nowhere': Mega-landslide and tsunami rip through Tracy Arm south of Juneau

Waves that may have reached 100 feet scoured an inlet that’s frequented by cruise ships, tour vessels and pleasure boats.

alaskapublic.org

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Taylor Heckart @theckart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Happy Friday! Here’s a fun story I’ve been working on this week!

www.kfsk.org/2025/08/08/c...

Canadian kayakers pit stop in Petersburg during a thousand-mile expedition - KFSK

Michelle Martin and Heather Grant McLoughlin are more than two months into a kayaking expedition from Vancouver Island to Glacier Bay. The Canadian women have paddled hundreds of miles through the Ins...

www.kfsk.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Aug 2

Alaska lawmakers voted today to overrode Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of some $51 million in state funding for public schools.

Alaska lawmakers override Dunleavy’s education funding veto

The vote was the second successful veto override after lawmakers convened Saturday for a special session called by Dunleavy.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 17

Petersburg’s police chief and his employer, the Petersburg Borough, have officially resolved a lawsuit over his statements during the COVID-19 pandemic with a $70,000 out-of-court settlement.

Petersburg police chief settles lawsuit against borough for $70K

James Kerr said borough officials retaliated against him after he testified as a private citizen against enforcing a masking mandate at a 2021 Assembly meeting.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

NPR @npr.org · Jul 17

The Senate voted to approve a $9 billion rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television — a major step toward winding down nearly six decades of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. https://n.pr/44QnXjT

Senate approves cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs

The Senate voted to approve a $9 billion rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television.

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Update: The Weather Service has lifted its tsunami advisory. No major waves were reported in any community.

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Update: The Weather Service has downgraded its warning to an advisory.

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Breaking: The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for communities on the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck about 50 miles south of Sand Point.

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Update: The Weather Service has downgraded its warning to an advisory.

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Breaking: The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for communities on the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck about 50 miles south of Sand Point.

Tsunami warning issued after M7.3 earthquake near Sand Point

The warning includes the southern end of the Alaska Peninsula, along the coast, and up to both sides of Cook Inlet.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jul 16

Breaking: The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for communities on the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck about 50 miles south of Sand Point.

Tsunami warning issued after M7.3 earthquake near Sand Point

The warning includes the southern end of the Alaska Peninsula, along the coast, and up to both sides of Cook Inlet.

alaskapublic.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Anchorage Daily News @adn.com · Jul 16

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck off of Alaska’s Aleutian chain on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas of the state.

Preliminary 7.3 magnitude earthquake triggers tsunami warning for Southwest Alaska communities

A tsunami warning was issued for several coastal communities after the earthquake struck south of Sand Point.

www.adn.com

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

James Brooks Cascade @alaska.bsky.social · Jul 16

In Kodiak, the largest community currently under a tsunami, warning, KMXT public radio is the most valuable source for information about what’s happening in the community and for emergency information relayed by city officials. #Alaska

Liz Ruskin @lizruskin.bsky.social · Jul 16

While the U.S. Senate is voting to defund public broadcasting ... my colleagues at rural Alaska public radio stations are scrambling to help coastal residents understand the tsunami danger from a 6.6 mag earthquake that struck minutes ago in Sand Point/Aleutians East.

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Liz Ruskin @lizruskin.bsky.social · Jul 16

While the U.S. Senate is voting to defund public broadcasting ... my colleagues at rural Alaska public radio stations are scrambling to help coastal residents understand the tsunami danger from a 6.6 mag earthquake that struck minutes ago in Sand Point/Aleutians East.

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Anchorage Daily News @adn.com · Jul 1

The Yukon River village of Galena is in the midst of a clean energy transformation that locals say will boost savings, build resilience and provide jobs.

In words and photos, Galena residents reflect on their village’s sustainable practices

These Alaska villagers want to curb their reliance on expensive, imported diesel that when burned is one of the largest contributors of planet-warming emissions.

www.adn.com

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

KTOO Public Media @ktoopublicmedia.bsky.social · Jun 30

The new Supreme Court decision has significant implications for Alaska in particular, because it is not among the states that have legal challenges against Trump’s executive order.

(From @alaskabeacon.com)

After Supreme Court ruling, some Alaskans could be denied or lose U.S. citizenship

The court is allowing Trump's new definition of citizenship to advance in states that have not challenged it legally.

www.ktoo.org

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Reposted by Taylor Heckart

Eric Stone @eriwinsto.bsky.social · Jun 28

The Alaska DMV would like you to know that those texts you’ve been getting demanding payment are, as you may have suspected, a scam.

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Taylor Heckart @theckart.bsky.social · Jun 19

One of my stories from Petersburg!

Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · Jun 18

Teri Toland was making breakfast in her Petersburg home on June 7 when she heard a loud crash: a bald eagle breaking through her living-room window carrying an orange rockfish.

“I couldn’t walk out because there was glass all over the place,” she said.

Petersburg bald eagle dies after crash through living-room window

The eagle flew into Teri Toland's home carrying a fish on June 7. An expert says the birds can get disoriented chasing each other over freshly caught prey.

alaskapublic.org

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