Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media

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Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska. @ZachHughesAK About Zachariah

Anchorage Spice ordinance takes aim at dealers, distributors

The revised law elevates offenses to misdemeanors, giving police the ability to build larger cases addressing supply and distribution. Listen now:

Assembly acts on Spice, speeding and screens

The Anchorage Assembly passed a measure giving law enforcement more options combating the synthetic drug spice, as well as updating the municipal fine schedule and modifying the penalty for texting while driving.

Drugs and money on fill up Assembly agenda in Anchorage

The Anchorage Assembly meets Tuesday evening to weigh in on a wide range of issues, tentatively casting votes on everything from speeding tickets to Spice.

Proposal could close nearly 60 rural schools

What impacts might the closing of rural schools have on the state? Influential members of the Legislature have started talking about possibly raising the state’s minimum number of students it takes to keep qualify for state education funding. Currently, that number is ten students. Advocates say that with the state facing a dire revenues shortfall, the state needs to reconsider how it pays for education. Critics say the change could close more than sixty schools in small communities, disproportionately hurting rural Alaskans for the sake of short-term savings. Listen now: 

FBI tests nuclear bomb drill at Port of Anchorage

The Federal Bureau of Investigation wrapped up a two-day assessment of how to respond to a nuclear bomb discovered at the Port of Anchorage. Download Audio

Wild Eyes: Florian Schulz points his lens at the Arctic

An exhibit at the Anchorage Museum is showcasing wild works made with exceptionally radical methods.

Spice takes toll on Anchorage’s emergency responders

With calls for help and emergency transports staying frustratingly high, the drug is exacting a toll not just on users, but paramedics and firefighters, as well.

Photographer emphasizes a dynamic Arctic

Florian Schulz's ambitious shots of polar bears and bowhead whales lend arresting aesthetics to a message of conservation.

Anchorage mayor wants to plug budget gap with better speeding tickets

The minor fiscal move fits within a more contentious conversation about public safety staffing.

Anchorage officials call spice crisis ‘unsustainable’

A meeting of the city's public safety committee was dominated by personnel discussing the toll its taking on their staff, resources, and budgets.

Leaked memo shows Morris misled Juneau, Kenai newspaper readers

A Georgia-based media group with several papers and magazines in Alaska misled readers with a controversial editorial that local editors were told to republish with improper attribution. Download Audio

Mayor intros new measure to combat wave of Anchorage spice emergencies

One of the problems trying to enforce existing rules is that "spice" refers to a wide umbrella of drugs containing a number of different synthetic substances. Download Audio

JBER on lockdown; Report of shooter untrue

The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was put on lockdown this afternoon as security responded to a report of a suspicious person with a firearm near the hospital.

APD chief Mew turns the baton to incomer Tolley

This week, former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Chris Tolley took over from Chief Mark Mew, who had been with the city in various positions for since 1983,

Assembly votes for changes to residential construction and design

After months of examination and discussion, the Assembly passed a measure that could change the DNA of housing and neighborhoods across Anchorage.

After pause, city software boondoggle comes back on line

After a two-month "pause," Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has announced the city will continue working to implement the costly and contentious SAP software program. Download Audio

Assembly hears testimony on Title 21, tax cap proposals

The Anchorage Assembly is preparing for public testimony on two controversial measures at its Tuesday meeting.

At the Anchorage Museum, Van Gogh gets a digital makeover

A new exhibit at the Anchorage Museum is using light and sound to help patrons experience familiar art work in a new way. It's part of the museum's experiment with technology, and different ways of engaging visitors. Download Audio

Anchorage advances purchase plan for Conoco gas leases

As state officials ready for a special session, Anchorage is moving one step closer to expanding ownership over nearby gas fields in upper Cook Inlet. Download Audio

Looking for love: Newspaper diversifies revenue stream with dating website

A new dating website with a familiar parent company familiar is an attempt at diversifying revenues, shedding light on the unconventional ways media groups are trying to find money to pay for the news. Download Audio