Must Read Alaska

Must Read Alaska delivers news covering the people, politics, policies, culture, and events in Alaska. The publication is overseen by Suzanne Downing, who arrived in Alaska in 1969 and has made it her home ever since.

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Trump Administration releases proposal to unleash 82% of Alaska’s Petroleum Reserve for drilling

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

The US Department of the Interior today unveiled a draft proposal that would reopen the vast majority of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) to oil and gas development, in a significant move aimed at boosting domestic energy production. The draft environmental analysis, released for public review and comment, recommends the selection of a new alternative based on the Trump administration’s 2020 Integrated Activity Plan.
Video: As Anchorage begins to abate vagrant encampments, the squatters set protest fires

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

Squatters who have taken over Davis Park and the nearby snow dump in Anchorage had weeks of warning that the park was being taken back over by the city, and encampments would be abated. On the day that abatement started, Tuesday, the vagrants began torching it, with multiple fires, in protest. Anchorage Fire Department said there are “multiple fires through the Davis Park Area. Stay clear of Mountain View Drive while your firefighters continue to work.
Burial grounds or industrial bear-attracting compost dump? Haines cemetery faces eco-NGO takeover

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

A nonprofit group’s push to take over a a portion of Haines’ only community cemetery has ignited public backlash and raised questions about land use priorities, land deeds, ethics, and the sanctity of burial grounds in one of Alaska’s oldest towns.
Affordable Juneau Coalition secures signatures for ballot initiatives aimed at reducing cost of living

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

The Affordable Juneau Coalition has successfully gathered the required number of signatures to advance three citizen-led initiatives intended to curb Assembly spending and improve affordability in Alaska’s capital city. The initiatives are:Property Tax Cap: This measure would amend the city charter to set a cap of nine mills on the property tax rate. The current charter allows for a cap of 12 mills. The goal is to prevent future tax hikes and maintain the current property tax level.
Video: Cruise ship lines snap, vessel breaks free of dock as freak wind hits Juneau on Monday

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

A sudden squall that moved through Juneau and Upper Lynn Canal on Monday afternoon was so severe that a cruise ship broke free of its lines and drifted before the crew got the engines started and stabilized the ship. Visitors on the tram to the top of Mount Roberts found their cars swaying in the storm that passed through quickly. The Celebrity Edge was tied up to the AJ dock, when the lines snapped.
US flag in Sitka flown again in 'distress' position at federal property

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

In Sitka at the local US Forest Service office, the US flag was flown in the upside-down “distress” position on Monday, in violation of the US Flag Code. The building, on Halibut Point Road, houses administrative offices of the Tongass National Forest and the Sitka Ranger District. That Forest Service office isn’t the first federal office to do so. In February, upside-down flags were posted all over Sitka at federal sites, and at City Hall and the airpot.
Breaking: Trump warns Iran to evacuate Tehran -- now!

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

President Donald Trump issued a dramatic warning on social media Monday afternoon, calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran, as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies. The statement, made during his attendance at the G7 Summit in Canada, punctuated the crisis surrounding the region’s nuclear tensions, as Iran, a terror-exporting country, seeks to develop nuclear weapons. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign.
Shakeup in Juneau media: Sean Maguire departs ADN, Mark Sabbatini leaves Empire, launches new outlet

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

Alaska’s capital city is seeing a shift in its local journalism landscape as two well-known reporters head in new directions — one stepping away from the newsroom for a break, and the other forging a new path amid a shrinking local press corps. Sean Maguire, a veteran Capitol reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, has announced his departure from the paper, where he has spent the past eight years covering legislative issues and politics from Juneau.
Ninth Circuit to hear legal battle over Trump-or-Newsom control of California National Guard

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

A federal appeals court will hear arguments Tuesday in a politically charged legal battle over whether President Donald Trump can retain control over the California National Guard. A federal judge in Northern California recently ordered Trump to return authority to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Oral arguments are scheduled for noon in San Francisco.
Murkowski takes her high anxiety theme to New York Times: 'It's dangerous for us in the legislative branch.'

1 week ago | mustreadalaska.com | Suzanne Downing

In an hour-long interview with The New York Times Magazine, published on June 14, a fearful-sounding Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska reflected on her decades-long career, her bleak view of the Republican Party, and the challenges facing Alaska. “I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real,” she said, rephrasing comments she made earlier this year.