Alaska

Alaska baseball exhibit launches state’s participation in America250

Published

5 months ago

September 23, 2025

Alaska baseball exhibit launches state’s participation in America250

The St. Paul baseball team, pictured Sept. 21, 1921. (Alaska State Library image)

Next year, cities and states across the nation will be honoring the American semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Each of the 50 states will have unique roles in the celebration and Alaska has already established a theme for its participation in America250: baseball.

State historian Katherine J. Ringsmuth and the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology have developed a traveling baseball exhibit, showcasing a uniquely Alaskan stitch in the American tapestry.

“Alaska’s Fields of Dreams: Baseball in America’s Far North” features nine panels — each representing an inning — that explore Alaska’s role in the national pastime.

From the Knock Down and Skin ‘Em club of St. Paul Island to the game’s expansion north to Nome and the formation of the Alaska Baseball League, the exhibit covers more than 150 years of baseball in Alaska.

“Alaska’s Fields of Dreams: Baseball in America’s Far North” is a traveling exhibit that for America250Alaska, which is part of the American semiquincentennial celebration. (Chris Bieri / ADN)

Late last year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Administrative Order 357, designating the Alaska Historical Commission as the state agency to coordinate with the national America250 organization and plan and coordinate events.

That put Ringsmuth and the commission, which is headed by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, into action to develop Alaska’s involvement.

And while some states will highlight their roles during early eras of America, Alaska has a relatively short history as part of the U.S. as the 49th state admitted. But as Alaska developed as an American territory even before statehood, baseball was a connection to the U.S.

“What we’re seeing by the 1910s, 1920s with the establishment of places like Anchorage, you see these places turning into real American towns,” Ringsmuth said. “And baseball is part of that agent that’s carrying those values.”

Alaska’s history with baseball is diverse both geographically and in the makeup of its participants.

The exhibit documents the history of Alaska Native baseball and details games in Goodnews Bay in Western Alaska and in Nome, where miners used burlap bags as bases to play on the tundra. It also covers Alaska women who play the game, the arrival of Negro League’s great Satchel Paige in Alaska in 1965, and Midnight Sun games.

The theme for Alaska’s involvement in the America250 is “History for Tomorrow,” and Ringsmuth said that look to the future is a nod at younger populations.

“I thought, let’s do something that makes our young people filled with optimism and (shows) that they can dream for tomorrow, and this can be the promise of tomorrow,” she said. “And I thought sports was a fantastic way to do that.”

The exhibit was shown at a number of places throughout the state over the summer. On Wednesday, the display will be at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub as part of the AK Sports Shorts storytelling event.

One of the seven speakers is Olga Zacharof of St. Paul, who will talk about the Knock Down and Skin ‘Em club, considered Alaska’s first baseball team.

Ringsmuth and Lorraine Henry with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources will also be on hand to talk to attendees about America250-Alaska during the intermission.

The event starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Healthy Futures Game Changer program, which “provides small grants to youth from low income families to remove barriers to participation in sports and recreation such as equipment, fees, and transportation costs,” according to its website.

A baseball team from Fairbanks plays against Nenana in June 1917. (Stephen Foster Collection via UAF collection)

Ringsmuth said the exhibit is a device to get people to learn about the history of baseball in Alaska and an entry into other America250-Alaska events and activities.

The state has big plans for the Week of Dreams — a weeklong tribute to the nation’s pastime culminating on July 4, 2026.

Plans for the week include youth games, legacy softball and Indigenous baseball games and celebrating the addition of Growden Memorial Ballpark in Fairbanks to the National Register of Historic Places.

It will also highlight the Knock Down and Skin ‘Em club, which was founded in 1868.

With the help of Anchorage coach and former pro player Jamar Hill, Ringsmuth connected with the Major League Baseball commissioner’s office, and the event will bring up former MLB players who are also ABL alumni for the Week of Dreams events.

Even active MLB players like Aaron Judge, who was a former star for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, could be involved via remote methods.

“Our office is talking about doing a story map we can (post) online,” Ringsmuth said. “You know, call us and we’ll record you. What’s your story of playing in Alaska? What’s your favorite memory?”

“We can still engage the players who are going to be a bit busy next summer.”

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Alaska

Over $150K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

Published

21 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Over 0K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – An Alaska drug task force seized roughly $162,000 worth of controlled substances during an operation in Juneau Thursday, according to the Juneau Police Department.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, investigators with the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) approached 50-year-old Juneau resident Jermiah Pond in the Nugget Mall parking lot while he was sitting in his car, according to JPD.

A probation search of the car revealed a container holding about 7.3 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, as well as about 1.21 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for fentanyl.

As part of the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at Pond’s residence, during which they found about 46.63 gross grams of ketamine, 293.56 gross grams of fentanyl, 25.84 gross grams of methamphetamine and 25.5 gross grams of MDMA.

In all, it amounted to just less than a pound of drugs worth $162,500.

Investigators also seized $102,640 in cash and multiple recreational vehicles believed to be associated with the investigation.

Pond was lodged on charges of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, five counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a substance and an outstanding felony probation warrant.

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Alaska

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

SAND POINT, Alaska (KTUU) – A teenage boy who was last seen Monday when the canoe he was in tipped over has been found by a dive team in a lake near Sand Point, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Alaska’s News Source confirmed with the person, who is close to the search efforts, that the dive team found 15-year-old Kaipo Kaminanga deceased Thursday in Red Cove Lake, located a short drive from the town of Sand Point on the Aleutian Island chain.

Kaminanga was last seen canoeing with three other friends on Monday when the boat tipped over.

A search and rescue operation ensued shortly after.

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team posted on Facebook Thursday night that they were able to “locate and recover” Kaminanga at around 5 p.m. Thursday.

“We are glad we could bring closure to his family, friends and community,” the post said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more details become available.

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Alaska

Opinion: Homework for Alaska: Sales tax or income tax?

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Opinion: Homework for Alaska: Sales tax or income tax?

iStock / Getty Images

This is a tax tutorial for gubernatorial candidates, for legislators who will report to work next year and for the Alaska public.

Think of it as homework, with more than eight months to complete the assignment that is not due until the November election. The homework is intended to inform, not settle the debate over a state sales tax or state income tax — or neither, which is the preferred option for many Alaskans.

But for those Alaskans willing to consider a tax as a personal responsibility to help fund schools, roads, public safety, child care, state troopers, prisons, foster care and everything else necessary for healthy and productive lives, someday they will need to decide on a state income tax or a state sales tax after they accept the checkbook reality that oil and Permanent Fund earnings are not enough.

This homework assignment is intended to get people thinking with facts, not emotions. Electing the right candidates will be the first test.

Alaskans have until the next election because nothing will change this year. It will take a new political alignment led by a reality-based governor to organize support in the Legislature and among the public.

But next year, maybe, with the right elected leadership, Alaskans can debate a state sales tax or personal income tax. Plus, of course, corporate taxes and oil production taxes, but those are for another school day.

One of the biggest arguments in favor of a state sales tax is that visitors would pay it. Yes, they would, but not as much as many Alaskans think.

Air travel is exempt from sales taxes. So are cruise ship tickets. That’s federal law, which means much of what tourists spend on their Alaska vacation is beyond the reach of a state sales tax.

Cutting further into potential revenues, state and federal law exempts flightseeing tours from sales tax, which is a particularly costly exemption when you think about how much visitors spend on airplane and helicopter tours.

That leaves sales tax supporters collecting from tourists on T-shirts, gifts for grandchildren, artwork, postcards, hotels, Airbnb, car rentals and restaurant meals. Still a substantial take for taxes, but far short of total tourism spending.

An argument against a state sales tax is that more than 100 cities and boroughs already depend on local sales taxes to pay for schools and other public services. Try to imagine what a state tax piled on top of a local tax would do to kill shopping in Homer, already at 7.85%, or Kodiak, Wrangell and Cordova, all at 7%, and all the other municipalities.

Supporters of an income tax say it would share the responsibility burden with nonresidents who earn income in Alaska and then return home to spend their money.

Almost one in four workers in Alaska in 2024 were nonresidents, as reported by the state Department of Labor in January. That doesn’t include federal employees, active-duty military or self-employed people.

Nonresidents earned roughly $3.8 billion, or about 17% of every dollar covered in the report.

However, many of those nonresident workers are lower-wage and seasonal, employed in the seafood processing and tourism industries, unlikely to pay much in income taxes. But a tax could be structured so that they pay something, which is fair.

Meanwhile, higher-wage workers in oil and gas, mining, construction and airlines (freight and passenger service) would pay taxes on their income earned in Alaska, which also is fair.

It comes down to what would direct more of the tax burden to nonresidents: a tax on income or on visitor spending. Wages or wasabi-crusted salmon dinners.

Larry Persily is a longtime Alaska journalist, with breaks for federal, state and municipal public policy work in Alaska and Washington, D.C. He lives in Anchorage and is publisher of the Wrangell Sentinel weekly newspaper.

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