Wesley Early

Alaska lawmakers push Trump administration to waive $100k visa fee for international teachers | Alaska Beacon Some Alaska school districts say they can’t afford to hire and retain international teachers after the Trump administration hiked fees for highly skilled worker visas.  Alaska school districts have in...

Alaska lawmakers push Trump administration to waive $100k visa fee for international teachers, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/03/03/a...

Anchorage voters to decide on 2 school-related items on April ballot One ballot initiative is a roughly $80 million bond. The other is a one-time $11.8 million tax hike that school district leaders plan on using to hire 80 teachers.

Next month, Anchorage voters will decide on 2 ballot initiatives that would support the Anchorage School District.

One ballot initiative is a roughly $80M bond. The other is a one-time $11.8M tax hike that school district leaders plan on using to hire 80 teachers. alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

Congratulations!

Anchorage School Board approves ‘severe’ budget with hundreds of staff layoffs and 3 school closures With the school district facing a $90 million budget deficit, the budget trims hundreds of teachers, more than 50 administrative staff, over a dozen nurses, nine principals and eight counselors, but p...

Last night, the Anchorage School Board approved a budget that officials described as "severe," to address a $90 million budget deficit.

Cuts include more than 500 staff -- including over 300 teachers -- and three elementary school closures.

alaskapublic.org/news/educati...

UPDATE: He was charged with a count of driving under the influence, a misdemeanor, on Monday. alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

Alaska legislator's chief of staff arrested on child sex crime charges Federal agents arrested Craig Scott Valdez, 36, early Friday in Juneau, according to court documents.

The FBI is looking for more information about 36-year-old Craig Scott Valdez, state Sen. George Rauscher's chief of staff, arrested this morning on charges of child sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking.

https://akpub.io/3MVAT2T

Alaska’s Department of Corrections spent $24M over budget last year, mostly on staff overtime | Alaska Beacon The Alaska Department of Corrections spent over $24 million more than the budget approved by the Legislature last year, with a large portion for staff overtime, raising alarm from lawmakers.

NEW: The Alaska Dept. of Corrections spent $24 million over budget last year, with $20 million on staffing and overtime.

DOC presented a breakdown of staff overtime hours: 15 staff logged over $100k in overtime, with 2 logging over 2,000 hrs - up to $225k

alaskabeacon.com/briefs/alask...

Weird delay in Alaska courts:

An Anchorage police officer got arrested and charged on Jan. 31 for operating under the influence, according to APD. It's been over two weeks and no record of his charges are showing up on the state's Courtview database.

In which I get to tell Alaskans... if you want a date, get out of the house!

That doesn't include the group of 39 detainees brought up from the Lower 48 because there wasn't enough space for them.

Just got a batch of info from the Alaska Department of Corrections re: the number of people detained by ICE in the state.

Last year, there were 101 people detained by ICE and held in Alaska.

This year, there have been another 14 people held, with four still in custody.

No. I was a web editor/producer/education reporter at Alaska Public Media for a lil over three years before that.

Started as an intern my last semester at UAA and got hired full time after I graduated.

Shameless self-plug, but today marks 10 years to the day that I’ve been on Alaskans’ radios.

I feel genuinely privileged to still be on the air in the Last Frontier.

On Anchorage crime, city and state announce new partnership During his State of the State address, Gov. Mike Dunleavy singled out Anchorage as he noted that crime rates across the rest of the state had dropped during his tenure.

During his final State of the State address last week, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a partnership between the state and Anchorage aimed at addressing the city's crime rates.

alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

That was one of my first radio pieces ever, as an intern.

WOW! I just read this, not expecting a callback to a 49 Voices segment I did nearly a decade ago!

Great read about Anchorage's jazz age

Alumni, former staff sound alarm on mental health crisis at Mt. Edgecumbe High School - KCAW Alumni and former staff members at Mt. Edgecumbe High School are raising serious concerns about safety and student support at the state-run boarding school in Sitka that serves Alaska Native students ...

Don't worry. Katherine Rose at KCAW wrote about this a month ago: www.kcaw.org/2025/12/04/a...

Anchorage leaders propose one-time tax hike to send millions to schools Mayor Suzanne LaFrance wants the Assembly to pause other revenue proposals, including her 3% sales tax, to focus on the $12 million education tax levy.

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance is putting a pause on her proposal for a 3% sales tax. Instead she’s pushing city leaders to focus on a one-time $12M tax hike for the Anchorage School District. alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

Anchorage officials say online survey for new municipal seal was manipulated Anchorage IT staff say over 2,100 responses were logged in under an hour, leading officials to believe they were fraudulent.

File under Anchorage municipal seal drama:

In a survey where locals could vote on a new municipal seal, city IT staff say over 2,100 *very similar* responses were submitted in a 52-minute period earlier this week, leading officials to suspect they were fraudulent. alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

Boys and Girls Club to abruptly close 2 Anchorage child care programs Officials wrote that afterschool care at Turnagain Elementary and the Woodland Park child development center will cease operations on Dec. 24.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southcentral Alaska announced last night that two Anchorage programs (the Turnagian Elementary afterschool program and the Woodland Park child development center) will cease operations on Dec. 24.

alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

‘I’m glad I survived’: Anchorage hiker thanks rescuers after summer bear attack “I do remember laying there being chewed on and trying to play dead,” Victoria Lydle said, recounting the July attack while surrounded by many public safety workers who saved her.

An Anchorage woman who survived a bear mauling this summer says she’s so grateful to the rescuers who scrambled to save her life.

“I don't remember being down, but I do remember laying there being chewed on and trying to play dead,” Victoria Lydle said.

Food Bank of Alaska officials say demand is high this holiday season Officials say Typhoon Halong, the federal government shutdown and SNAP delays have made this holiday season a particularly fraught time for people struggling to stay fed.

Food Bank of Alaska officials say this holiday season is proving especially tough for people struggling to afford groceries.

Earthquake Center amended it to a 6.0.

Haha I literally had just hopped out of the shower when the 2018 quake started.

Seeing a lack of Alaskans posting about the earthquake on my X (Twitter) feed lets me know that site is washed.

That boy strong.

Well… “26 miles SW of Willow”

Alaska Earthquake Center measured a 6.2 magnitude quake near Willow at 8:11 this morning.

Definitely felt that one

Group working to separate Eagle River-Chugiak area from Anchorage gains ground The Eaglexit movement gained momentum this week when it submitted a draft detachment petition to the state boundary commission. “This is definitely the furthest we've gotten,” says the group’s chair.

Advocates for separating the Eagle River-Chugiak area from the Municipality of Anchorage sent a draft detachment petition to the state Local Boundary Commission this week.

“This is definitely the furthest we've gotten,” says Eaglexit's chair.

alaskapublic.org/news/anchora...

Anchorage School Board votes to spare two elementary schools The district had recommended closing Fire Lake and Lake Otis Elementary schools at the end of the school year. The vote was a disappointment to two charter schools that would have moved into the vacated buildings.

The school district had recommended closing Fire Lake and Lake Otis Elementary schools at the end of the school year to address declining state support and lower birth rates in Anchorage. https://akpub.io/3LKO99K