People enjoy the sand dune at Kincaid Park on a summer day. The active dune is composed of gravel and silt that was deposited when glaciers retreated over 10,000 years ago. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
We are reviving Curious Alaska, a popular feature launched by the Anchorage Daily News in 2021.
The idea is simple: You have questions. Our reporters find answers. We share them with readers.
Maybe you’re curious about a landmark (like the Parks Highway Igloo, pictured below), or a tradition, a news event or a public figure from the past. Maybe you have a practical question about everyday life in Alaska.
Igloo City, located on the Parks Highway at the northern edge of the Mat-Su Borough, for years was an unfinished project of Leon Smith, who envisioned it to be a hotel and resort. Photographed in 2021. (Marc Lester / ADN archive)
On our initial run, we tackled more than 30 topics that readers inquired about.
Some examples of reader questions we’ve looked into so far include why we don’t have a Trader Joe’s here, whether there are snakes in Alaska, why sand dunes exist in Kincaid Park and the story behind cattle herds on remote islands in the state.
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No topic is too offbeat for you to pitch. We’ll choose a question at a time and try our best to answer it. Send in yours using the form below. (Having trouble seeing the form? Try here.)
By Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protectionon
DFFP received reports of smoke near Mt. Joaquin at 8:00 PM Saturday. A DFFP helicopter responded and located the Joaquin Fire (#238) burning in black spruce and tundra roughly 31.5 miles southwest of McGrath.
Due to a nearby native allotment, additional aerial resources were ordered. The fire is currently 30 acres and has six smokejumpers, one air attack, and two single-engine water scoopers. No structures are threatened.
This map shows the location of the Joaquin Fire (#238). Click on the image to download the PDF file.
‹ Go Evacuation for Anderson due to wildland fire
Two new wildfires reported Saturday evening north of Anderson ›
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DFFP)
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Tags: 2026 Alaska Fire Season, Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, DFFP Coastal Region, Joaquin Fire, Southwest Alaska
The crowd reacts to a performance at the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN)
Anchorage is commemorating Juneteenth with dancing, music and celebrations of Black excellence and culture this weekend.
The citywide Juneteenth celebration also includes opportunities for education, community gathering and reflection, and features vendors and guest speakers. The event kicked off Friday and continues from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the Delaney Park Strip.
A dancer performs during the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN) A young drummer performs during the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN) Tragil Wade, an entrepreneur, author and inspirational speaker, takes the stage at the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN)
Tragil Wade, an entrepreneur, author and inspirational speaker who is the big sister of former NBA great Dwyane Wade, was Friday’s special guest.
Saturday’s festivities, spotlighting the theme “Community and Culture,” kicked off with a freedom rally and parade. Saturday also features a youth segment, hip-hop dancing, community line dancing, multiple DJs and a performance from Soul Society.
“Faith and Family” is the theme for Sunday’s festivities. There will be a special Father’s Day opening at 1 p.m., a praise cardio session on the grass and an HBCU gospel segment. The afternoon will close with a community praise dance.
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Juneteenth commemorates the day that the last slaves in the Confederacy were informed of their freedom following the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865. Long celebrated by Black Americans, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. In 2023, the Anchorage Assembly made Juneteenth an official city holiday, and in 2024, the Alaska Legislature passed a bill to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday.
Members of the crowd cheer during a performance at the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN) A young drummer focuses during a performance at the Juneteenth Citywide Celebration at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Chris Bieri / ADN)
A pilot was killed in a plane crash in mountainous terrain near Cordova, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.
The agency was notified of the overdue Piper Pacer around 8 p.m. Thursday, troopers said in an online post. The pilot was believed to be the sole person on board the aircraft, which was thought to be flying between Yakutat and Fairbanks, troopers said.
Aircraft from the Alaska Air National Guard and Alaska Wildlife Troopers started searching for the plane, and a Guard helicopter crew found the overdue Piper Pacer around 4 p.m. Friday where it had crashed near Kanak Island, about 40 miles southeast of Cordova, troopers said.
The pilot, whom troopers did not identify, was found dead in the crashed plane, troopers said. His body was take to the State Medical Examiner Office in Anchorage for autopsy and positive identification, according to troopers.
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Troopers said the pilot’s next of kin and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified.
. Click on the image to download the PDF file.
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This map shows the location of the Joaquin Fire (#238). Click on the image to download the PDF file.
