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Alaska’s 90-member firefighting team is making a major impact in Colorado’s raging Aspen Acres Fire — a blaze that’s scorched 96,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes since June 29. Normally battling their own fire season, Alaskans are stepping up thanks to milder weather in their southern regions. Arriving as flames surged out of control, they’ve turned the tide by building containment lines...

Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign just shattered fundraising records, pulling in seven million dollars in Q2—mostly from small donors—just as early voting kicks off and FEC deadlines loom. With the race now officially a toss-up, Senator Sullivan’s team stays silent on their numbers, doubling down on past wins despite being outspent. Amid 16 candidates and 8 officially registered, this Alaska Senate r...

Mosquitoes aren’t just pesky backyard bugs—they’re ecological powerhouses in Alaska, where swarms so thick they feel like living blankets are draining caribou of blood and forcing them into survival mode. Researcher Frank Morschel discovered that a single caribou can host thousands of these tiny vampires, losing pounds over summer. To escape the torment, caribou climb to snow patches with worse fo...

Discover how Juneau’s Bridge Adult Day Program is turning ordinary afternoons into vibrant opportunities for connection, growth, and independence—featured on Juneau Afternoon radio alongside a nature adventure that’s bringing locals closer to their wild backyard. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an...

Alaska’s controversial bear cull, launched in 2023 to revive the struggling Mulchatna caribou herd, is sparking outrage among big game guides whose livelihoods are collapsing. Helicopters are shooting bears in caribou calving grounds, but guides report plummeting bear sightings—even far outside the cull zone—leading to devastating income losses. One guide made less than $1,500 after taxes this spr...

Fifty-eight-year-old Phillip Phillips, convicted in absentia for sexually abusing a 12-year-old in 2020, vanished after his self-represented trial—selling his home, buying a satellite phone, and fleeing Alaska on a sailboat. Authorities tracked him down near Whittier, where he resisted arrest armed and wearing body armor and a gas mask. When he pointed a gun at officers, SWAT returned fire, killin...

Invasive northern pike are wreaking havoc on Alaska’s salmon populations, thriving in warming waters and even venturing into saltwater—threatening ecosystems and local economies that depend on healthy fish runs. Fish and Game crews are battling the problem daily, finding baby salmon in the pike they’ve caught, while scientists warn the climate-driven surge in pike aggression could spell disaster....

Alaska’s native bees—resilient survivors of ice ages and volcanoes—are now battling habitat loss, invasive plants, pesticides, and climate change, all accelerating faster than they can adapt. Even small disruptions like roads or construction can destroy their nesting spots, while invasive flowers replace vital native blooms. These pollinators are ecosystem barometers: their decline threatens berry...

A woman was seriously injured early Thursday morning in her Kenai front yard after confronting a mother bear and her cubs—she fired a shotgun in an attempt to scare them off, but it only enraged the sow, which then attacked her. A bystander intervened, helping her inside, while troopers later found overturned bird feeders, a known bear attractant. Wildlife officials are searching for the bear fami...

A new study blames a massive marine heatwave in the Bering Sea for the shocking collapse of Yukon River Chinook salmon, revealing that ocean mortality—not fishing or bycatch—was the main driver behind record-low returns. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, these king salmon now face ongoing threats as prey hasn’t recovered and ocean conditions remain harsher than before. With climate chan...

Alaska’s ranked choice voting system is under fire again as a new campaign, Repeal Now, pushes to put a repeal measure on the November 2026 ballot — but opponents are already sounding the alarm, accusing the group of violating campaign finance rules just like a failed 2024 effort. Allegations center on hidden donors and misleading disclaimers, particularly around the Aurora Action Network’s fundin...

Four Alaskan communities are set to receive nearly $7 million in FEMA disaster prep funds—Juneau, St. Paul, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Chilkat Indian Village—to tackle floods, erosion, and earthquakes. Chilkat, near Haines, could get $1.2 million to rebuild a landslide protection wall that’s aging and no longer effective, with a 10% local match required. Juneau gets over $3 million for glacial...

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is now completely empty after the White House axed two Democratic commissioners, while Republican members had already quit — leaving a void in a bipartisan body created in 2002 to help states run fair elections. Activists warn this is part of a broader strategy to reshape voting rules, citing stricter ID laws and gerrymandering. Lawmakers call it blatant pol...

In a tense early morning chase in Fairbanks, Sergeant Brent Hatch, a 18-year veteran of the force, shot and killed 20-year-old Thomas Aquino after a 90-second pursuit that ended on a dead-end street. The incident, which followed a failed traffic stop for equipment issues, has reignited scrutiny over Hatch’s history — including two prior officer-involved shootings. The Alaska Bureau of Investigatio...

Alaska’s beloved nonprofit for affordable pet care has rebranded as Alaska PAWS — a bold move to clear up confusion with the national ASPCA and spotlight its vital local mission. For over 70 years, this Anchorage-based group has offered low-cost vet services, from shots to surgeries, helping pet owners who can’t afford care. Now, they’re expanding beyond the city, traveling to remote villages to s...

Dipnet season is here—Alaska’s beloved salmon harvest kicks off with hoop nets, boats, or wading from shore. It’s tradition, sustenance, and adventure rolled into one. Just remember: check regs, pack safety gear, and get out there before the window closes. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an automa...

Don’t mess with cow parsnip—this towering plant, nicknamed “Satan’s celery,” packs a nasty punch. Its sap triggers brutal sunburns, even chemical-like pain, and can leave scars. Common but dangerous, it’s exploding in numbers thanks to its prolific seed production. Stay far away. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@the...

Providence Alaska Medical Center went into lockdown at 1 a.m. Friday, lasting over five hours, as a precautionary safety measure amid an unconfirmed emergency. Police, including SWAT, were heavily deployed around the hospital, sparking public concern and speculation. While officials say the protocol was triggered by potential threats to staff, patients, and visitors, the exact cause remains undisc...

Regulators have halted Enstar’s $240 million plan to build a new natural gas storage facility in Cook Inlet, citing insufficient answers about consumer impacts and unresolved issues with state agencies. The project, which could have added $12 to monthly bills and stored enough gas to meet nearly half of Enstar’s annual needs, was seen as vital to addressing Alaska’s looming gas shortage. With exis...

Alaska’s $55 billion LNG project is heating up — and sparking major political drama. Governor Dunleavy insists private developer Glenfarne has locked in deals with giants like ExxonMobil and buyers in Asia, plus serious funding. But the Alaska Senate is raising red flags: those “binding” agreements may be just preliminary talks, and even the union MOU isn’t legally enforceable. The governor’s furi...

A legal firestorm erupts in Alaska as a Senate candidate named Dan J. Sullivan faces claims of violating a century-old civil rights law — but the Alaska Supreme Court shuts it down, declaring he has a constitutional right to run. The court ruled that election officials can’t remove candidates based on subjective voter confusion unless state law explicitly allows it — and that federal voting rights...

Alaska Rep. Sarah Vance defiantly challenges a legislative ethics subcommittee’s findings after eighteen complaints arose from a letter she sent to the Homer News, claiming the paper’s coverage of her event was biased. She insists her personal platforms — including letterhead and social media — are extensions of her voice, not government tools, warning that attempts to censor elected officials’ sp...

Alaska Democrats are suing the state’s Division of Elections over a Republican candidate’s blank financial disclosure form, arguing it violates transparency laws and should disqualify him from the race — even though the division claims it’s not their job to verify content, only to ensure filings are submitted on time. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discou...

A 58-year-old man from Wasilla, Philip Thomas Phillips, fled Alaska during his own child sexual abuse trial—walking out on his self-representation, vanishing on a sailboat from Prince William Sound. Charged with multiple counts tied to a 2020 assault on a 12-year-old, he’d already sold his assets and bought a satellite phone before disappearing. The jury convicted him in his absence, and now Alask...

Alaska Governor Dunleavy just vetoed a bill that would’ve reinstated campaign donation limits — a move that actually benefits voters, since it keeps a popular ballot measure on track for August. The veto prevents the legislature from killing the public vote, ensuring Alaskans can decide whether to cap donations at $2K per donor (or $4K for governor/lieutenant governor) every two years — with infla...