Alaska
Anchorage rewrites wildfire protection plan for the first time since 2007
In the face of a changing climate, an updated planning tool will act as Anchorage’s guide to preparing for and living with an increased wildfire risk.
Higher temperatures and longer, drier summers are becoming standard across much of the Lower 48 and in Alaska, said Stephanie Dufek of the Anchorage Fire Department. Over the last two decades, Alaska has experienced several “record setting” fire seasons, with more than 16 million acres burned since 2004, according to data from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Dufek is at the head of the municipality’s recent push to rewrite its community wildfire protection plan, which hasn’t been updated in nearly 20 years. The refresh will help residents stay prepared and make it easier for Anchorage to seek federal grants to reduce its fire risk, she said.
Approximately 82% of Anchorage falls within the wildland-urban interface, a factor that inherently increases the municipality’s wildfire risk. This is a zone in a community where homes and buildings intersperse with adjacent forests and undeveloped land.
“The sooner we can get on board with mitigating the risk to the best of our ability and learning how to be resilient, the better off we’ll be,” said Dufek, a wildland-urban interface project manager for the Anchorage Fire Department.
The plan, a collaborative project, was crafted through partnerships between the municipality and neighboring fire departments, the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection and federal public land managers. The city hosted a town hall on Nov. 12 to kick off the public comment period, which will remain open through the end of the month.
“It’s built on the idea that protecting homes and neighborhoods from wildfire requires everyone, including municipal departments, community councils, state and federal partners and residents like you and me,” Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said during the town hall.
The report acknowledges the “growing complexity” of fire management in Alaska due to the size, frequency and severity of wildfires on the tundra and in its boreal forests.
Firefighting resources in Alaska are also finite. The state Division of Forestry is responsible for protecting more than 130 million acres of land. It can take at least 72 hours for help to arrive from the Lower 48, Dufek said.
As part of the plan, fire managers created a risk chart for Anchorage’s neighborhoods based on factors like the number of dead-end roads, the distance to the nearest fire station and the flammability of existing trees and vegetation. They also considered demographics, such as the percentage of people who may not have a vehicle, Dufek said.
Based on an “extreme” risk rating, some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods are Potter Heights, Glen Alps, Bear Valley, Stuckagain Heights and Eagle River, according to the plan.
The ratings will help the fire department determine the order to perform wildfire mitigation projects, Dufek said. The report recommends a variety of methods fire managers can use to reduce fire hazards around Anchorage.
Some of the methods are similar to those used in a project recently completed along a 3-mile stretch of Campbell Airstrip Road. The wildfire division created a fuel break by thinning the trees along the road and removed debris and vegetation on the forest floor. The access road leads to 200 homes in the Stuckagain Heights neighborhood and acts as an evacuation route.
The plan also encourages clearing near power lines that may become an ignition hazard in the case of a windstorm, the creation of defensible space around homes and permanently funding the Anchorage Fire Department’s new wildfire division.
Alaska
Dozens of vehicle accidents reported, Anchorage after-school activities canceled, as snowfall buries Southcentral Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Up to a foot of snow has fallen in areas across Southcentral as of Tuesday, with more expected into Wednesday morning.
All sports and after-school activities — except high school basketball and hockey activities — were canceled Tuesday for the Anchorage School District. The decision was made to allow crews to clear school parking lots and manage traffic for snow removal, district officials said.
“These efforts are critical to ensuring schools can safely remain open [Wednesday],” ASD said in a statement.
The Anchorage Police Department’s accident count for the past two days shows there have been 55 car accidents since Monday, as of 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. In addition, there have been 86 vehicles in distress reported by the department.
The snowfall — which has brought up to 13 inches along areas of Turnagain Arm and 12 inches in Wasilla — is expected to continue Tuesday, according to latest forecast models. Numerous winter weather alerts are in effect, and inland areas of Southcentral could see winds up to 25 mph, with coastal areas potentially seeing winds over 45 mph.
Some areas of Southcentral could see more than 20 inches of snowfall by Wednesday, with the Anchorage and Eagle River Hillsides, as well as the foothills of the Talkeetna Mountain, among the areas seeing the most snowfall.
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Alaska
Yundt Served: Formal Charges Submitted to Alaska Republican Party, Asks for Party Sanction and Censure of Senator Rob Yundt
On January 3, 2026, Districts 27 and 28 of the Alaska Republican Party received formal charges against Senator Rob Yundt pursuant to Article VII of the Alaska Republican Party Rules.
According to the Alaska Republican Party Rules: “Any candidate or elected official may be sanctioned or censured for any of the following
reasons:
(a) Failure to follow the Party Platform.
(b) Engagement in any activities prohibited by or contrary to these rules or RNC Rules.
(c) Failure to carry out or perform the duties of their office.
(d) Engaging in prohibited discrimination.
(e) Forming a majority caucus in which non-Republicans are at least 1/3 or more of the
coalition.
(f) Engaging in other activities that may be reasonably assessed as bringing dishonor to
the ARP, such as commission of a serious crime.”
Party Rules require the signatures of at least 3 registered Republican constituents for official charges to be filed. The formal charges were signed by registered Republican voters and District N constitutions Jerad McClure, Thomas W. Oels, Janice M. Norman, and Manda Gershon.
Yundt is charged with “failure to adhere and uphold the Alaska Republican Party Platform” and “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles and priorities of the Alaska Republican Party Rules.” The constituents request: “Senator Rob Yundt be provided proper notice of the charges and a full and fair opportunity to respond; and that, upon a finding by the required two-thirds (2/3) vote of the District Committees that the charges are valid, the Committees impose the maximum sanctions authorized under Article VII.”
If the Party finds Yundt guilty of the charges, Yundt may be disciplined with formal censure by the Alaska Republican Party, declaration of ineligibility for Party endorsement, withdrawal of political support, prohibition from participating in certain Party activities, and official and public declaration that Yundt’s conduct and voting record contradict the Party’s values and priorities.
Reasons for the charges are based on Yundt’s active support of House Bill 57, Senate Bill 113, and Senate Bill 92. Constituents who filed the charges argue that HB 57 opposes the Alaska Republican Party Platform by “expanding government surveillance and dramatically increasing education spending;” that SB 113 opposes the Party’s Platform by “impos[ing] new tax burdens on Alaskan consumers and small businesses;” and that SB 92 opposes the Party by “proposing a targeted 9.2% tax on major private-sector energy producer supplying natural gas to Southcentral Alaska.” Although the filed charges state that SB 92 proposes a 9.2% tax, the bill actually proposes a 9.4% tax on income from oil and gas production and transportation.
Many Alaskan conservatives have expressed frustration with Senator Yundt’s legislative decisions. Some, like Marcy Sowers, consider Yundt more like “a tax-loving social justice warrior” than a conservative.
Related
Alaska
Pilot of Alaska flight that lost door plug over Portland sues Boeing, claims company blamed him
The Alaska Airlines captain who piloted the Boeing 737 Max that lost a door plug over Portland two years ago is suing the plane’s manufacturer, alleging that the company has tried to shift blame to him to shield its own negligence.
The $10 million suit — filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tuesday on behalf of captain Brandon Fisher — stems from the dramatic Jan. 5, 2024 mid-air depressurization of Flight 1282, when a door plug in the 26th row flew off six minutes after take off, creating a 2-by-4-foot hole in the plane that forced Fisher and co-pilot Emily Wiprud to perform an emergency landing back at PDX.
None of the 171 passengers or six crew members on board was seriously injured, but some aviation medical experts said that the consequences could have been “catastrophic” had the incident happened at a higher altitude.
Fisher’s lawsuit is the latest in a series filed against Boeing, including dozens from Flight 1282 passengers. It also names Spirit AeroSystems, a subcontractor that worked on the plane.
The lawsuit blames the incident on quality control issues with the door plug. It argues that Boeing caught five misinstalled rivets in the panel, and that Spirit employees painted over the rivets instead of reinstalling them correctly. Boeing inspectors caught the discrepancy again, the complaint alleges, but when employees finally reopened the panel to fix the rivets, they didn’t reattach four bolts that secured the door panel.
The complaint’s allegations that Boeing employees failed to secure the bolts is in line with a National Transportation Safety Board investigation that came to the conclusion that the bolts hadn’t been replaced.
Despite these internal issues, Fisher claims Boeing deliberately shifted blame towards him and his first officer.
Lawyers for Boeing in an earlier lawsuit wrote that the company wasn’t responsible for the incident because the plane had been “improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.”
Fisher’s complaint alleges that the company’s statement was intended to “paint him as the scapegoat for Boeing’s numerous failures.”
“Instead of praising Captain Fisher’s bravery, Boeing inexplicably impugned the reputations of the pilots,” the lawsuit says.
As a result, Fisher has been scrutinized for his role in the incident, the lawsuit alleges, and named in two lawsuits by passengers.
Spokespeople for Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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