Alaska

Opinion: Why Anchorage Should Eliminate Parking Minimums
With an average of eight parking spots per one car, U.S. cities have a glut of parking. How can valuable urban space be used more effectively?

The Big Divide Between Big and Little Oil on the New Climate-Energy Law
President Joe Biden signed what he called “one of the most significant laws in our history” last Tuesday. The energy provisions in the law that benefit oil and gas extraction exposed different perspectives within the industry on the law.

Coastal Tribes Facing Numerous Existential Threats From Climate Change
From Alaska to Washington, climate change is real, and it’s here now, for indigenous tribes.

Nation's Capital Is #1 COVID Hotspot
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per capita in the District of Columbia are higher than in any state or U.S. territory on New Year's Day. Only Puerto Rico and Louisiana have seen hospitalizations increase faster than D.C. in the last two weeks.

Anchorage Mayor Under Fire for Shutting Down Municipal Water System
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson took it upon himself to shut down the use of fluoride used in the municipality's water treatment system based on claims that water treatment plant employees had been injured on the job.

Alaska Activates Crisis Standards of Care
Daily new COVID cases per capita in Alaska are the nation's highest. The crisis standards enable overwhelmed hospitals to ration care. Gov. Mike Dunleavy recognized the crisis yet saw no need to take steps to reduce coronavirus transmission.

The Pandemic Crisis Is a Hospital Crisis
"Flatten the curve" was one of the first pandemic terms that Americans heard during the first surge. The idea was to reduce coronavirus transmission so as to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. But which curve? Case in point: Idaho.

An Ambitious Revitalization Agenda for Downtown Anchorage
A new mayoral administration in Anchorage has its sights set on a revitalized urban core, but one local researcher has suggestions for how to expand that vision.

Judge Halts Controversial Alaska Drilling project
The 'Willow' project would pump 600 million gallons of oil and emit 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the next 30 years.

The Biden Administration's Ambiguous Position on Drilling in Alaska
The administration's support of a Conoco-Phillips project is at odds with its suspension of Trump-era oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Return to Normal...For the Unvaccinated?
Americans are experiencing their first near-normal holiday weekend, though masks are still required for all traveling at airports and on planes, buses and trains. We take a look back and forward at where the U.S. may be heading in the pandemic.

Vaccination Disparities Between Urban and Rural America
The pandemic has largely been measured by case incidence, down significantly in recent weeks in most states. A new metric, the vaccination rate, may determine where the virus strikes next. The urban-rural divide is a major factor, says the CDC.

Corona Crisis in America: The Metropolitan Area to Watch
The battle to control the coronavirus in the U.S is being led by 50 governors and the D.C. mayor, but ultimately it is at the local level where decisions are often the most consequential. Among large counties, the crisis is most severe in El Paso.

Protections Stripped From Alaska's Tongass National Forest
The Trump administration has, in the past week before the election, achieved one of the largest rollbacks of public land protections of its entire tenure.

Plan to Auction Oil Drilling Rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Finalized
The Trump administration has a new signature achievement, in finalizing a plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Justice Department Challenges Hawaii Quarantine
The U.S. Justice Department has intervened in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs challenging Hawaii's mandatory two-week quarantine for travelers arriving on the island state. The Trump-appointed judge did not react favorably.

States to Train Public Health Armies to Move Beyond Mitigation to Containment
As some governors open nonessential businesses, subjecting workers and customers to potential viral infection, others move beyond social distancing to the next steps, boxing in the coronavirus with testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine.

Anchorage Confronts History of Housing Discrimination
Urban growth in Anchorage was tied to restrictive covenants forbidding the sale of property to minorities.

Alaska Fuel Tax Hike Passes First Key Hurdle
A GOP bill to double the nation's lowest state gas tax was approved by the state Senate on Monday. If approved by the House and signed by Gov. Dunleavy, who is facing a possible recall election, the excise tax would jump to 16 cents-per-gallon.

Anchorage to Consider Change to Transportation Paradigm
The Anchorage Municipal Assembly seeks more focus on pedestrian and transit improvements over traffic reduction in an upcoming 20-year transportation plan.
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