Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

870 POSTS 0 COMMENTS
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
several women in a board room

State task force begins drafting recommendations to address Alaska’s child care crisis

The task force is focused on three main topics for recommendations: licensing providers, background checks and the shrinking child care workforce.
the Anchorage PFD office

This year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend is $1,312

The Alaska Department of Revenue announced the amount in a statement Thursday afternoon.
A building on a corner. The side reads "CITY HALL."

Anchorage’s costs for outside counsel rise amid city attorney shortage

Mayor Dave Bronson said the city is struggling to hire attorneys because of competition from the state and private sector.
a man in a suit with a red tie speaks at a podium

Anchorage mayor names permanent CFO and announces OMB director’s departure

Mayor Dave Bronson has named Alden Thern as the city’s chief fiscal officer and says Courtney Petersen will leave her job as OMB director next month.
a large gray warehouse

Amazon’s first Alaska sorting facility to open by 2024

An Amazon spokeswoman described the Anchorage facility as a “last stop before packages arrive at customers' doorsteps.”
fire vehicles at a burned home

1 person dead in Midtown Anchorage fourplex fire

Officials say the apartment did not have working smoke alarms, an unfortunate trend for most of Anchorage’s eight fatal fires this year.

Anchorage’s winter shelter plan will rely on hotels, nonprofits and churches this year

The Anchorage Assembly voted Tuesday to put more than $6 million toward the winter shelter plan.

Anchorage Assembly activates its subpoena powers to get information on controversial election challenge

It's a rare move, and allows the Assembly chair to compel witness testimony and the release of documents, plus pursue possible legal action to get records.
A man in a blue suit walks up to the podium.

President Biden commemorates anniversary of 9/11 attacks at memorial in Anchorage

President Joe Biden stopped at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on his way back from the G20 summit in India and a diplomatic visit to Vietnam.
A man with a hat and glasses stands outside of a building.

Hamilton star says cast is feeling ‘so much love’ from Anchorage audience

"I mean, who doesn't want to play Hamilton, right?" said Pierre Jean Gonzalez.
a woman speaks into a microphone behind a podium

Anchorage Mayor Bronson sued by former city manager for wrongful termination

Amy Demboski's sprawling 24-page lawsuit includes numerous allegations against the mayor and high-level city staff.
A birch tree is splintered where it is snapped in half at the base.

Strong winds in Anchorage lead to power outages and downed trees

As of 5 p.m., the highest recorded gust in the Anchorage area was around 70 mph near Potter Marsh.
A woman speaking at a round table

HUD Secretary Fudge meets with rural and urban Alaskans to discuss housing struggles

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, who accompanied Secretary Marcia Fudge on her visit, underscored that Alaska is different from much of the country.
a man in a suit speaks at a podium

President Biden will visit JBER on Sept. 11 for memorial ceremony

“The president will travel from Hanoi to Alaska to participate in a memorial ceremony with members of the military and their families,” said the White House Press secretary.

Business leaders say Alaska’s child care crisis is hurting employers and economy

“This is a problem that is impacting their bottom line," said Kati Capozzi, president of the Alaska Chamber.
A satellite image of some streets

Assembly rejects putting millions of dollars toward East Anchorage homeless shelter

The proposal from Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration called for more than $11 million in funding to complete the partially-constructed shelter in East Anchorage.

Anchorage ombudsman recommends firing city IT director for role in election challenge

Ombudsman Darrel Hess also says he believes there may have been a violation of state election law.
two people pose for a photo

Alaska’s child care crisis is hitting foster families especially hard

Foster parents often get little notice before they receive a child, and they don't have time to sit on child care waitlists for months.

So far, most of Anchorage’s police technology tax levy has gone to upgrading dispatch service

While most of the attention on the 2021 tax was focused on body cameras, most of the money is going elsewhere.