ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Firefighters and members of the public came together Thursday evening to pay their respects to all of Alaska’s firefighters who gave their lives while protecting their communities.

The Alaska Fallen Firefighters Memorial Committee held the event for the 33rd straight year.

“It’s really nice to see everybody, all the people we’ve met over the years,” said Sitka Fire Department Volunteer Assistant Fire Chief Robert Dennard, who presided over the event.

“It’s nice seeing the individual people just walking off the street that stopped by to see the memorial and show their support.”

Thursday’s memorial ceremony occurred 24 years to the day after 343 firefighters lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and 15 years to the day after the Alaska Fallen Firefighters Memorial was first dedicated in Anchorage.

During the proceedings, a plaque was added to the memorial for Red Dog Mine Fire Chief Bob Chandler, who passed away in the line of duty last November.

“It’s nice that people remember,” said retired Anchorage firefighter Mark Barker, who originally started the event in 1992.

“Because these guys and gals literally gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

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Alaskan bears will duke it out for the title of bulkiest bear around later this month when “Fat Bear Week” kicks off in the state’s Katmai National Park for the 11th year in a row.

The National Park Service’s competition searching for the chunkiest, chubbiest bruin will take place from Sept. 23 to 30, as the beasts stock up and stack up the lbs ahead of hibernation.

The show, which livestreams the dozen Alaskan brown bears vying for the title, doesn’t actually offer a prize to the winning wild animal. Many avid fans, though, sometimes bet on winners.

The showdown is entirely in the hands of people voting online, with windows open all week from noon to 9 p.m.

“From tubby titans to gargantuan gluttons, get ready to cheer for the heftiest bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve’s Brooks River!” park officials wrote in a post on social media.

The participating bears have already started packing on the pounds for hibernation in November. During this period, Alaskan brown bears can reach up to 1,200 pounds, adding around four pounds a day.

However, scientists can only make a rough estimate about the competitors’ weight, since the entire contest is done observationally without interactions with the bears’ diets or environments.

Eight cameras are set up in their habitat, including at the falls with an underwater salmon camera to keep an eye out for fresh meals. Many of the bears gather at the park’s Brooks River, which is teeming with sockeye salmon through the end of October.

Fat Bear Week was started by Mike Fitz, a retired ranger at the sprawling park, in 2014. It was originally held for just one day, but quickly grew to a week and even spawned a cub-oriented spinoff.

The 2024 bracket’s announcement was delayed after a fatal fight broke out between a planned participant and another bear.

Last year’s Fat Bear Week winner was “Grazer 128,” who was also caring for a cub at the time. The hulking bear trounced “32 Chunk.”

The cub competition, Fat Bear Junior, will be held from Sept. 18 to 19.

Microplastics have quietly infiltrated even the most remote corners of Alaska, from urban waterways to the icy peaks of Denali, and a new lab at Alaska Pacific University is determined to find out how and why, reports Anchorage Daily News.

As concerns about water quality continue to grow globally, the APU-based Alaska and Arctic Waterways Analytics Lab is stepping into a vital role, using cutting-edge technology to trace these invisible pollutants.

Its work has far-reaching implications for environmental health, public safety, and the future of Alaska’s clean water sources.

Launched in 2025 with a $5 million grant from NASA, the Alaska and Arctic Waterways Analytics Lab is housed at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. Led by Associate Professor Dee Barker, the lab utilizes advanced technology, including a Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer microscope, to detect and identify microplastics in water samples statewide.

Previously, Barker had used the lab to analyze the presence of microplastics on the slopes of Denali.

“We were surprised, even near the summit, plastics in the remote areas and in the high-traffic areas were almost the same concentration,” said Barker.

To become Alaska’s first accredited microplastics lab, it will follow rigorous standards set by the California Water Resources Control Board.

This development marks a major step forward in environmental science, offering Alaska its first in-state facility dedicated to understanding and eventually reducing microplastic contamination.

Microplastics pose a growing and often invisible threat to human health. These tiny plastic fragments, already detected in Alaskan waterways, can carry toxic chemicals and are small enough to enter the human body through drinking water, food, or even the air.

For many communities, especially those in rural areas that rely on untreated natural water sources, the risks are real and immediate. The APU lab offers an essential service: helping communities understand what’s in their water. The lab enables them to take proactive action and advocate for safer systems.

While the environmental consequences of microplastic pollution are serious, from wildlife ingestion to ecosystem disruption, it’s the human impact, quiet, cumulative, and hard to trace, that makes this work so urgent.

One commenter pointed out just how widespread microplastics are, saying, “It’s on everything. The paper cups, microwave popcorn bags, and all your waterproof clothes.” Another added a note of praise: “Way to go, Dr. Dee! Great work!”

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