ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – University of Alaska Anchorage held their commencement for the fall class of 2024 on Saturday.

Over 650 graduate and undergraduate students were recognized at the ceremony, which was held at the Alaska Airlines Center on UAA’s campus. The ceremony recognized students who graduated in the summer or fall of 2024, from each of the University’s five colleges.

“Since UAA is not like a traditional university, we have a lot of older students and students who are coming back for education for the second time,” said student speaker Iqlas Dubed. “I just want to remind the students that education is a lifetime, and you don’t have to conform to anyone else definition of success.”

U.S. Circuit and former Alaska Supreme Court Judge Morgan Christen was the guest commencement speaker for the ceremony.

The University also recognized two honorary degree recipients in the ceremony, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Kyle Hopkins and Alaska author Heather Lende. Both received their honorary doctorates at an earlier ceremony on Wednesday.

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Updated: 1 hour ago Published: 2 hours ago

As we approach the new year, there continues to be significant discussion on natural gas supply for Southcentral Alaska utilities. In 2022, Hilcorp Alaska informed the utilities it will not extend gas contracts beyond their current expiration dates. These dates vary for each utility, with Chugach Electric Association Inc.’s contract with Hilcorp set to expire on March 31, 2028.

Chugach is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, and we are working to diversify our generation mix. The good news for Chugach members is that we currently meet approximately 60% of our gas requirements through our two-thirds working interest ownership in the Beluga River Unit (BRU) gas field. The remaining 40% comes from our contract with Hilcorp, who is the operator and other working interest owner in the field.

We need a bridging fuel supply for the 40% of our natural gas that comes from our Hilcorp contract, and that fuel is imported liquefied natural gas. We are working with other Alaska utilities and companies to identify the best LNG solution and confidential negotiations with potential partners and suppliers are ongoing, with decisions expected soon.

With those efforts underway, Chugach is ready for the new year and the cold weather it will bring. We have the natural gas we need to serve our members, and we stand ready to work with others. You may remember earlier this year, during the January/February cold snap, two of five wells at the Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska (CINGSA) storage facility were down, which reduced gas deliverability to local utilities. Located on the Kenai Peninsula, CINGSA is Alaska’s first and only commercial natural gas storage utility. With two wells restricted, electric utilities were asked to use less natural gas to ensure there was enough available for heating purposes. Because electric utilities have the option to supplement our thermal generation with renewable generation like hydro, solar and wind to generate electricity, we worked together to solve the short-term natural gas deliverability issue.

Additionally, we have been working on other fronts to ensure available natural gas. Chugach has co-invested in 15 new wells at BRU with Hilcorp, and five more wells are planned for 2025. We currently contract for 2.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas storage service with CINGSA and we are evaluating the feasibility of adding up to 20 Bcf of gas storage at the BRU. Efforts are being made to optimize investment in the gas field.

In October, we commissioned a 40-megawatt, two-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), owned 75% by Chugach and 25% by Matanuska Electric Association Inc. The BESS is expected to reduce Chugach’s annual gas use by about 5%. Additionally, the BESS is already proving to be a useful tool by providing contingency reserves, which allows the system to respond instantly to changing grid conditions, increasing reliability and providing greater operational efficiencies.

As the state’s largest electric utility, Chugach’s priority is providing safe, affordable and reliable power to our more than 91,000 members. The future of energy in our state will include more renewable energy, increased storage of natural gas, more battery storage, new gas from the Cook Inlet Basin, imported LNG, and potentially gas from the North Slope. We are considering all options as our focus is both short and long-term energy security. We recognize our obligation to ensure that our members and the communities we serve have reliable power both today and well into the future.

Arthur Miller is CEO of Chugach Electric Association. Mark Wiggin is the chair of Chugach’s board of directors.

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A couple from Alaska skated through a “drowned forest” and it looked mezmerizing, wowing internet users.

Luc Mehl, 46, shared a clip of his wife Hannah skating through the forest, which is partially under water due to an earthquake in 1964. Having frozen over due to cold temperatures, the lake with its trees sticking up out of it made for a unique skating experience for the couple in Palmer, Alaska.

“Ice skating through a drowned forest, also known as a ghost forest, is surreal,” Mehl told Newsweek. “I love the novelty of winding through the trees, which is not an experience I get very often on ice skates.”

The video, which has received 4.7 million views since it was first posted on November 15, shows Hannah seamlessly gliding through the snow-covered trees as Mehl follows along and records, with the sound of cracking ice under their skates delighting viewers.

“The added history—the environmental context—adds another dimension to my enjoyment. These trees were drowned due to the 1964 Alaska Earthquake. I’m not old enough to have experienced that earthquake first time, but a lifetime in Alaska has exposed me to a number of smaller quakes.”

The 1964 Alaska earthquake was the strongest-ever recorded in North America and had a magnitude of 9.2. It led to 131 deaths in the state. Land sank as much as 8 feet as a result.

Tremors lasted around four minutes and much of Alaska’s coastline was submerged and coastal forests were destroyed by sea water.

Mehl told Newsweek: “This area is a swamp during the summer—not as easy or pleasant to visit. It is a real treat to visit in the winter.

“I asked Hannah to zip ahead so that I could film her as she wound through the forest. My attention was torn between tracking Hannah with the camera and keeping myself from colliding with trees. What a blast.”

Mehl’s video received thousands of likes and comments, with many people sharing their amazement at the short clip.

“Wow! That landscape and that sound—surreal,” said @gossia_m3.

Meanwhile, @thejourneydays_ commented: “Wow what a crazy cool looking experience.”

“This is my new bucket list dream. That’s so incredible,” said @r.vixxed.

@Imstraight shared: “I used to ice skate in shallow water when I was a kid in RI, USA. This brings back great memories, thank you.”

@aroundtheworldbyfoot called the clip “mesmerizingly beautiful” while @farmanaly said it was “dreamy.”

Has a dream vacation turned into a nightmare? Whether it’s a missed flight or lost luggage, we want to hear about your travel disasters. Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.