Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska - Juneau
Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director in Juneau.
Feds approve $50m pandemic relief for Alaska’s fishing sector
Applications from fishermen will be accepted during a two-month window that opens March 1 with payments could come as early as June.
State working to close sale of its fast ferries
Trasmapi, a Mediterranean-based catamaran operator, offered about $4.6 million for the Fairweather and Chenega ferries. But that was less than half the $10 million reserve price set by the state.
‘Frustrating’ investigation into fatal 2019 medevac crash ends with no clear answers
A final report released Jan. 28 by the National Transportation Safety Board says there isn’t enough evidence to explain how or why a twin-engine medevac plane plummeted from 2500 feet in just 14 seconds in 2019.
Dunleavy taps real estate executive for fisheries commission
The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission decides who gets commercial fishing permits. Commissioners receive six-figure salaries.
After eight months, still no answers for family of Kodiak man killed on naval base
Why was Jason Vinberg shot to death by a special forces member at the Kodiak naval base on June 30? His family wants to know — and so do federal prosecutors.
Emergency VHF radio channel unreliable across Southeast Alaska, Coast Guard says
A network failure on Monday evening has rendered the Coast Guard’s emergency VHF radio channel unreliable across much of Southeast Alaska.
Ferry postponed by bomb scare in Juneau
The ferry was evacuated early Wednesday after an unticketed Juneau man drove his blue Toyota Tundra pickup on board and allegedly threatened crew members.
Twitter suspends reporter for pointing out Alaska legislator spreading misinformation on vaccines
Twitter said it made a mistake when it temporarily suspended the account of a political blogger who relayed a state legislator's false statements suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccine was harmful.
Regional subsistence councils hamstrung by stalled appointments
A large number of unfilled seats on the councils that manage Alaska's subsistence hunting and fishing has left advocates worried their voices won't be heard and confused about the process of filling those seats.
Prices expected to rise for Alaskans as barge rates increase
Alaska Marine Lines, a subsidiary of global shipping giant Lynden, posted a notice to customers Tuesday saying prices would rise 5% on all its routes.
New ferries will stay tied to the dock under Alaska Marine Highway’s ‘skeletal’ summer schedule proposal
Summer is peak time for the Alaska Marine Highway System, and the proposed five-month summer schedule just came out. Many communities will get only limited service and coastal lawmakers aren’t happy.
State proposes early-season cruise ship inspections to replace Ocean Ranger program
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has twice defunded the Ocean Rangers through line item vetoes over the objections of state lawmakers.
Democrats renew push to restore Roadless Rule in Tongass National Forest
Democrats filed a bill that would reverse the Trump administration’s decision to exempt the nation’s largest national forest from the 2001 rule that restricts road-building and other development.
Spanish firm bids on Alaska’s fast ferries
The state of Alaska is trying to sell its idled fast ferries as it seeks to reduce the size of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s fleet.
Alaska’s first state ferry sinks in Washington windstorm
Alaska’s first state ferry — the Chilkat — broke free of its moorings on Wednesday and sank during a windstorm in Anacortes, Washington.
LISTEN: With ‘A Shape in the Dark,’ Juneau author crafts thoughtful portrait of Alaska’s brown bears
“A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears” is a new book by Juneau writer and wilderness guide Bjorn Dihle. It’s a portrait of brown bears and their complex relationship with humans.
Sealaska Corporation says it’s quitting logging
The move by one of the region’s economic powerhouses is the latest sign of Southeast Alaska’s economic transition away from logging.
Alaska Supreme Court rules in favor of critical Native corp. shareholder
But the court declined to rule on the underlying questions of First Amendment free speech protections for shareholders of Alaska Native Corporations.
In lawsuit, groups ask for ‘Roadless Rule’ protection restored to the Tongass
A coalition of Southeast Alaska tribes, fishermen and environmentalists argue the to exempt the Tongass from the Clinton-era Roadless Rule disregarded overwhelming opposition from Alaskans for the sake of a few hundred timber jobs.
No cruise ships in 2020 gave Glacier Bay whales ‘room to roam’ researchers say
When the coronavirus pandemic erased Alaska’s entire 2020 cruise season, it made the waters in Glacier Bay a lot quieter. Whales moved into some of the areas they'd been avoiding.