Alaska

This Week in Alaska History: Oct. 13-19

Published

5 months ago

October 16, 2025

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – This week marks several significant anniversaries in Alaska history, from the founding of a university to the territory’s purchase from Russia.

On Oct. 13, 1960 — Alaska Methodist University held its first classes on the Anchorage campus. The school, now known as Alaska Pacific University, was founded by Peter Gordon Gould, the first Alaska Native minister in the United Methodist Church.

Gould, originally from Unga, an island in the Aleutians just east of Cold Bay, attended college in Syracuse, New York, but wanted Alaskans to have a place to study closer to home. The university now partners with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and remains affiliated with the Methodist Church.

Oct. 14, 1865 — This date marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sydney Laurence, one of Alaska’s most famous artists. Born in Brooklyn in 1865, Laurence was already established before arriving in Alaska.

He studied and exhibited in New York before marrying another artist and moving to England, where he showed his work in London and Paris. In 1904, he moved to Alaska, initially working as a prospector before returning to art. By 1920, he had become one of the territory’s most prominent artists, known for his stark pastels.

Oct. 14, 1879 — Naturalist and conservationist John Muir visited Glacier Bay with Tlingit guides. According to the National Park Service, Muir believed Yosemite Valley had been carved by glaciers, so he came to Alaska to study the rivers of ice.

Muir, often called the “father of the National Park Service,” was a fierce advocate for wilderness preservation.

Oct. 15, 2000 — A Northwest Airlines 747 cargo plane taking off from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport experienced mechanical problems. The crew heard a thump, then another, and felt substantial vibration.

The pilot aborted takeoff and tried to stop, but the aircraft ended up off the runway about 500 feet from the tarmac in a cleared area. Two tires were shredded and destroyed, with eight other tires going flat. The plane sustained minor damage.

Oct. 16, 1972 — This day marked the beginning of the search for Alaska’s U.S. Rep. Nick Begich Sr., whose disappearance remains a mystery. His grandson, Rep. Nick Begich III, was born after his grandfather’s disappearance and now serves in the U.S. House.

Oct. 18, 1867 — Commemorating the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States. On that date in 1867, the United States took possession of the territory at New Archangel, now known as Sitka. Today, the day is known as “Alaska Day.”

The Russians had wanted to sell the land to the U.S. much earlier in 1859, but negotiations were stalled due to the brewing Civil War. Secretary of State William Seward agreed to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million.

Skeptics called it “Seward’s Folly” until the territory became the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush and subsequent gold rushes.

Alaska Day is observed on Oct. 17 this year.

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Alaska

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

Published

2 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to rule in favor of the Republican National Committee that all ballots must be received on Election Day to be counted.

In a case argued Monday, the RNC challenges a Mississipi law that allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to arrive up to five days later.

Alaska accepts postmarked ballots that arrive up to 10 days after Election Day – 15 days if mailed from overseas. And, for Alaska, the implications of the Supreme Court ruling could extend beyond mailed ballots.

The RNC case could be consequential for the midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. While people of both parties vote by mail, more permissive rules for it are perceived to help Democrats, especially since President Trump rails against the practice.

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that counting ballots that arrive late violates the federal law that sets the Tuesday following the first Monday of November as Election Day for the whole country.

“All ballots have to be received and the ballot box has to close on Election Day,” he said.

In Alaska’s last general election, more than 50,000 ballots arrived by mail. The Division of Elections couldn’t immediately say how many of those arrived in the 10 days after Election Day but it appears to be many thousand.

Sometimes, even Alaska ballots cast in person on Election Day aren’t received the same day. The village of Atqasuk , on the North Slope, tried to phone in its 2024 election results but couldn’t get through to the Division of Elections. The mailed ballots arrived nine days later.

Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox cited the Atqasuk episode in a friend-of-court brief he filed in the Mississippi case.

“Alaska asks this Court to consider how its rule here will apply in all States—including Alaska, where ‘receiving’ a ballot isn’t always as simple as walking to a precinct or driving a few hours to pick up a ballot box,” he wrote.

Pat Redmond, co-president of the Alaska League of Women Voters, said Alaska has a secure process for mailed ballots. She believes the current deadline is fair and allows remote places necessary time to deliver their ballots.

“Not every place has electronic transmission,” said Redmond, who has also served as an election worker. If all ballots have to be in on Election Day “then those people, their ballots don’t count, and that’s disenfranchising people.”

Attorney Scott Stewart, defending Mississippi’s ballot deadline, told the justices that it’s wrong for the Trump administration to suggest that late-arriving ballots are subject to fraud.

“Obviously, they’ve sounded the anti-fraud theme,” Stewart said. “They haven’t cited a single example of fraud from post-Election Day ballot receipts.”

Late-counted ballots have swung several statewide contests in Alaska.

•The 2020 ballot measure creating Alaska’s ranked choice voting system and open primaries was losing on election night but ultimately won.

•Post-Election Day counts gave Sen. Lisa Murkowski the lead over challenger Kelly Tshibaka in 2022, and Murkowski’s lead grew further after second- and third-choice votes were tallied.

•In 2024, a measure to repeal ranked choice voting was ahead on election night but narrowly lost in later counts.

Late-counted ballots typically include an unknown number of ballots that arrived before Election Day, too. Still, despite no evidence of wrongdoing, supporters of the losing campaign have sometimes alleged fraud.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the Mississippi case this summer. An attorney for the Republican National Committee told the justices a June ruling would allow states to change their ballot rules in time for the November election.

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Alaska

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

Published

14 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (InvestigateTV) — Staff at the Alaska Zoo performed a root canal on one of its polar bears after the bear broke a canine tooth.

Kova, 4, shares an enclosure with another polar bear named Cranbeary. The two have toys, treats and a large pool where Kova likes to take her morning swim.

Curator Sam Lavin noticed something was wrong when Kova’s behavior changed.

“Kova is a very interactive and busy bear and she just seemed kind of off. She was pawing at her mouth a little bit,” Lavin said.

Lavin suspected a tooth issue and asked Kova to open her mouth for a closer look.

“We could see that she had broken one of her canines and there’s any number of ways she could have done that,” Lavin said.

An X-ray confirmed the diagnosis. Zoo staff consulted with a veterinary specialist outside Alaska, sent the X-rays and received advice on how to proceed.

“We went with a local doctor to do the work,” Lavin said.

An endodontist who normally operates on humans was part of the large team that performed the root canal on the fully sedated 450-pound bear.

“Everybody knew ahead of time what their role was and what to do and where to be and it was so well planned out and everybody worked so well together,” Lavin said.

The procedure went smoothly.

“She feels so much better,” Lavin said.

The zoo said Kova quickly recovered and is back with her playmate Cranbeary.