Alaska Dispatch News
The polar bear and the bird scientist: George Divoky’s 50-year vigil

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- The polar bear and the bird scientist: George Divoky’s 50-year vigil
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Ornithologist George Divoky has spent 50 years studying birds on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean. Now 78 years old, he contemplates the end of his study.
Read the full story on adn.com:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2024/10/06/the-polar-bear-and-the-bird-scientist-george-divokys-50-year-arctic-vigil/

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- U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and Nick Begich debate at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association candidate forum
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, and her Republican challenger Nick Begich appeared at a candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association during their annual conference on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

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- Sen. Lisa Murkowski on partisanship and presidential choices. ‘Maybe I don’t vote for either one’
- Date posted
- 11 months ago
- Description
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski weighed the choices in the upcoming presidential election during an Anchorage news conference last week.
“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t vote for either one,” Murkowski told Alaska reporters Thursday. “I haven’t decided that. I don’t like the policies of one and I don’t like the character of the other.”
Murkowski, a Republican, also described a climate of partisanship in Washington that she says limits conversations and the exchange of ideas.
“We’ve lost sight of the best part of who we are,” she said.
https://www.adn.com/politics/2024/04/08/video-sen-lisa-murkowski-on-partisan-divisions-and-presidential-choices-maybe-i-dont-vote-for-either-one/

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- Alaska DOT tests robotic dog for use in airport wildlife mitigation
- Date posted
- 11 months ago
- Description
- Alaska Department of Transportation is testing a robotic dog for future use in wildlife mitigation at Fairbanks International Airport. DOT program manager Ryan Marlow demonstrates the Boston Dynamics robot works in Anchorage on March 26, 2024. (Marc Lester / ADN)

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- Alaska students protest for school funding
- Date posted
- 11 months ago
- Description
- Students in Anchorage, Eagle River and Juneau protest Alaska's failure to pass a statewide education funding bill on April 4, 2024. (Bill Roth, Sean Maguire and Marc Lester / ADN)

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- Life aboard a factory trawler fishing for pollock in the Bering Sea
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Anchorage Daily News visual journalist Loren Holmes and reporter Hal Bernton were aboard the factory trawler Northern Hawk in August as it fished for pollock in the Bering Sea off Alaska.
Read more on adn.com:
A struggle to dodge salmon in pursuit of a massive pollock bounty
At fishery council meeting, tribal groups and pollock industry at odds over how to limit trawl bycatch of chum salmon
How a Kuskokwim-region activist from Baltimore helped Western Alaska villages claim a share of Bering Sea pollock riches

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- Áak’w Rock music festival in Juneau
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Áak’w Rock, Alaska's biggest Indigenous music festival, held its first full in-person festival in Juneau on Sept. 21-23, 2023, featuring three days of music across three venues with more than 25 artists performing. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

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- Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson Full Interview July 24, 2023
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson Full Interview July 24, 2023

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- Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson on homelessness - July 24, 2023
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson on homelessness - July 24, 2023

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- The story of a song: Anchorage’s Bethlehem Shalom on what inspired her latest, ‘Owe Me Money’
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Personal turmoil has long inspired Bethlehem Shalom to write music. For years, the Anchorage musician’s voice, production knowledge and pop sensibilities have allowed her to vent her otherwise bottled-up feelings of unease.
That’s still true. But lately, Shalom is stirring a new ingredient into her songwriting recipe: fun.
Weeks before her single “Owe Me Money” was released to streaming platforms, the 24-year-old artist and clothing designer talked about what’s inspiring her evolution.
“I wanted to have a fun, positive vibe to the song, something you can dance to,” Shalom said.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/arts/music/2023/05/04/the-story-of-a-song-anchorages-bethlehem-shalom-on-what-inspired-her-latest-owe-me-money/

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- Iditarod 2023 ceremonial start: Racers ramp up and fans party
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Iditarod 2023 kicked off with a ceremonial run through Anchorage and a party for the fans on March 4, 2023. Hear from some of the 33 mushers before the 1,000-mile race gets underway. (Marc Lester / ADN)

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- Anchorage Assembly presses Mayor Bronson to address controversies that have engulfed City Hall.
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The Anchorage Assembly met Tuesday night, Feb. 7, 2023, and authorized attorneys to begin litigation against Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Assembly chair.
The Assembly is calling for the mayor to publicly release its reports on its hiring of former Health Department Director Joe Gerace, who fabricated and exaggerated details on his resume.
The meeting was marked by unusual and sharp exchanges between Assembly members and Bronson, as they pressed him to turn over the documents and to publicly address allegations and controversies that have engulfed City Hall.

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- Boom and Bust in the Bering Sea: The Fate of Crab and Sockeye Salmon in a Warming World
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- As the world warms, the Bering Sea tells a story of boom and bust. The sockeye salmon runs of Bristol Bay are to be marveled. More than 78.3 million sockeye surged home last summer, filling nets and spawning grounds. The spectacular display came as Alaska salmon runs of chum and chinook once again imploded.
Meanwhile, Bering Sea crab populations have crashed. The snow crab harvest—for the first time ever—has been canceled, and the king crab season was shut down for the second year in a row.
Join Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News photojournalist Loren Holmes, and a panel of experts in a discussion of some of the effects of a warming climate on one of the planet’s most productive marine ecosystems.
Meet the panelists:
Robert Foy, director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which has studied the impacts of marine heat waves in the Bering Sea.
Robin Samuelsen, salmon fisherman and a chief on th...

- Title
- Boom and Bust in the Bering Sea: The Fate of Crab and Sockeye Salmon in a Warming World
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- As the world warms, the Bering Sea tells a story of boom and bust. The sockeye salmon runs of Bristol Bay are to be marveled. More than 78.3 million sockeye surged home last summer, filling nets and spawning grounds. The spectacular display came as Alaska salmon runs of chum and chinook once again imploded.
Meanwhile, Bering Sea crab populations have crashed. The snow crab harvest—for the first time ever—has been canceled, and the king crab season was shut down for the second year in a row.
Join Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News photojournalist Loren Holmes, and a panel of experts in a discussion of some of the effects of a warming climate on one of the planet’s most productive marine ecosystems.
Meet the panelists:
Robert Foy, director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which has studied the impacts of marine heat waves in the Bering Sea.
Robin Samuelsen, salmon fisherman and a chief on th...

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- Anchorage Daily News Live Stream
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description

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- Alaska governor candidate forum: October 11, 2022
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R), who is running for re-election, was joined on stage by former governor Bill Walker (I), former state representative Les Gara (D), and former Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce (R) for a governor candidate forum hosted by the Resource Development Council at the Egan Convention Center on October 11, 2022.

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- Alaska U.S. House candidate forum: October 10, 2022
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- U.S. House candidates Chris Bye (L) and Nick Begich III (R) were joined via Zoom by Rep. Mary Peltola (D) at a forum hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce on October 10, 2022 at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center. Sarah Palin (R) was invited but did not attend, instead sending a short video message.

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- Alaska U.S. Senate candidate forum: October 10, 2022
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- U.S. Senate candidates Kelly Tshibaka (R) and Pat Chesbro (D), took the stage along with incumbent senator Lisa Murkowski (R), at a candidate forum hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage on October 10, 2022.

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- Alaska governor candidate forum: Sept. 1, 2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, who is running for re-election, was joined on stage by former governor Bill Walker and former state representative Les Gara for a governor candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage on September 1, 2022.

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- Alaska U.S. Senate candidate forum: Sept. 1, 2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- U.S. Senate candidates Pat Chesbro (D), and Kelly Tshibaka (R) took the stage along with incumbent senator Lisa Murkowski (R), at a candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage on September 1, 2022.

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- Mary Peltola wins Alaska special election for U.S. House
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Democrat Mary Peltola is the apparent winner of Alaska’s special U.S. House race and is set to become the first Alaska Native in Congress, after votes were tabulated on Aug. 31, 2022, in the state’s first ranked choice election. Peltola, a former state lawmaker from Bethel, topped Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin after ballots were tallied and votes for third-place GOP candidate Nick Begich III were redistributed to his supporters’ second choices. Find more coverage at Anchorage Daily News: https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/08/31/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-special-us-house-election-will-be-first-alaska-native-elected-to-congress/

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- Alaska U.S. House candidate forum: Aug. 31, 2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A little over an hour before election results showed Democrat Mary Peltola winning Alaska's special U.S. House election, Peltola, Republican Sarah Palin, Republican Nick Begich III and Libertarian Chris Bye took the stage at a candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage on Aug. 31, 2022.
More: https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/08/31/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-special-us-house-election-will-be-first-alaska-native-elected-to-congress/

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- Bristol Bay sockeye salmon are thriving as oceans warm, and it's not clear why
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Salmon across the world have struggled as oceans warm due to climate change. But in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the world’s biggest sockeye run keeps breaking records. Meet the fishermen who benefit from the warmer climate, and the scientists who are trying to answer the question on everyone’s mind: How long can it last?
Full coverage: https://on.adn.com/3pMS2wC
This video was produced by the Anchorage Daily News' Loren Holmes as part of a collaboration with The Seattle Times, with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines reporting initiative.

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- Nalukataq's biggest cake honors whaling crews in Utqiagvik
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Delores Burnell celebrated whaling crews of Utqiagvik by making a cake from three cases of cake mix and ten gallons of homemade frosting. (Marc Lester / ADN)

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- Blanket Toss at 2022 Nalukataq in Utqiagvik, Alaska
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Participants soar during the blanket toss portion of Utqiagvik's Nalukataq celebration on June 24 and 27, 2022. Nalukataq is the traditional day during which a successful bowhead whale hunt is shared during a community feast. The day also includes blanket toss and dancing. Read more at https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2022/07/01/the-spirit-of-the-whale-utqiagvik-celebrates-nalukataq-with-feast-and-dancing/
(Video by Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News)

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- Alaska U.S. House candidate forum: June 27, 2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- June 27, 2022 - Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make it Monday Forum" with U.S. House candidates Mary Peltola, Sarah Palin, and Nick Begich III.

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- Alaska U.S. House candidate forum: May 12, 2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Candidates in the U.S. House special primary election participate in a debate hosted by the Alaska Chamber, Alaska Miners Association, Alaska Oil & Gas Association, Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Associated General Contractors of Alaska, and Resource Development Council for Alaska, on Thursday morning, May 12, 2022 at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. From left: Nick Begich, John Coghill, Christopher Constant, Al Gross, Jeff Lowenfels, Sarah Palin, Mary Peltola, Josh Revak, and Tara Sweeney.

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- 2022 Iditarod Champion Brent Sass Full Interview
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- 2022 Iditarod champion Brent Sass talks about his race with reporters in Nome.

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- How does ranked-choice voting in Alaska work?
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Alaska has a new ranked-choice election system starting in 2022. We teamed up with KTOO Public Media to explain how it works. Here's what Alaskans can expect when voting this year.

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- Hot mic at Anchorage community council meeting
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Two members of Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration attended a community council meeting this week over Zoom to talk about COVID-19 testing and other issues — and ended up sharing more than they intended.
The two inadvertently left their microphone on during the meeting while speaking to each other. At one point, Bronson’s director of legislative affairs said he thought someone they had been talking with “needed a little slapping around.” Portia Erickson, the mayor’s director of community engagement, and Terrence Shanigan, director of legislative affairs, inadvertently conversed over a Rogers Park Community Council meeting held on Zoom.
Read the full story: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2022/01/12/hot-mic-at-anchorage-community-council-zoom-meeting-broadcasts-bronson-official-saying-someone-needed-a-little-slapping-around/

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- Candidates for governor, Bill Walker and Les Gara, debate at Alaska Municipal League
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Former Gov. Bill Walker and former State Rep. Les Gara participated in a candidate forum put on by the Alaska Municipal League on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Walker, an independent, and Gara, a democrat, are running for Alaska governor, along with current Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was invited but did not attend.

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- Nome survivor now faces ultramarathon challenges, hoping to inspire others
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Originally published Oct. 11, 2019: Carol Seppilu, an ultramarathon runner from Nome, Alaska, attempts the Leadville Trail 100 mile race in Colorado in 2019. Seppilu survived a suicide attempt 20 years ago and now breathes with a tracheostomy. She hopes her running will inspire others. “I know there are a lot of people who are thinking about giving up like I was when I was a 16-year-old kid,” Seppilu said. “I hope that they’ll be able to see how lucky they are to be here.” Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2019/10/11/given-a-second-chance-at-life-nome-woman-runs-her-way-to-health-and-happiness/

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- Lower Yukon residents describe a salmon disaster
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Low chum salmon returns have meant no commercial or subsistence fishing on the Lower Yukon River this summer. Emmonak residents describe the impact of a situation they’ve never faced before. Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2021/09/04/weve-never-seen-this-before-salmon-collapse-sends-alaskans-on-lower-yukon-scrambling-for-scarce-alternatives/

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- 2020 Ballot Measure 2: A Debate on Proposed Changes to Alaska's Election System
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- In the November 2020 general election, Alaskans will vote on Ballot Measure 2, which would change Alaska’s election laws to end partisan primaries, introduce ranked-choice voting and expand disclosure requirements for campaign contributions.
In this debate hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Seawolf Debate Team, the UAA Votes project, UAA Student Life & Leadership and the Anchorage Daily News, arguments for and against the ballot measure will be presented. Moderating is Steve Johnson, the director of the Seawolf Debate program.
Scott Kendall, chair of Yes on 2 for Better Elections, and former state Sen. Lesil McGuire represented the ballot measure’s proponents. Brett Huber of Defend Alaska Elections - Vote No on 2 and Leighan Gonzales of the Protect Our Elections - No on 2 campaign represented the ballot measure’s opponents.

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- 2020 Ballot Measure 1: A Debate on Alaska's Oil Tax Structure
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- In the November 2020 general election, Alaskans will vote on Ballot Measure 1, a citizen-led effort to increase oil production taxes on the state’s biggest oil companies.
In this debate hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Seawolf Debate Team, the UAA Votes project, UAA Student Life & Leadership and the Anchorage Daily News, arguments for and against the ballot measure will be presented. Moderating is Steve Johnson, the director of the Seawolf Debate program.
Arguing for the ballot measure are Robin Brena, Chair of Vote Yes for Alaska's Fair Share, and Senator Bill Wielechowski. Arguing against the ballot measure are Roger Marks, former Petroleum Economist for the Alaska Department of Revenue, and Tom Walsh of Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska.

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- Iditarod 2020 gets underway in Anchorage, Alaska
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Thousands lined Anchorage streets and trails to celebrate 57 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race mushers and dog teams on Saturday, March 7, 2019. Hear from several mushers and check out the scene. (Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News)

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- Anchorage Daily News
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Anchorage Daily News Live

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- Anchorage Daily News
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Anchorage Daily News Live

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- Life in Russian Mission, Alaska in 360 VR
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Part of a special report: A first-of-its-kind investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found more than 70 Alaska communities — places with some of the highest rates of sexual assault in the U.S. — have no local police protection. This is what life is like in one village with no cop.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/lawless/2019/10/24/the-last-police-officer/

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- Tour the northwest Alaska village of Kiana, Alaska in 360 VR.
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Part of a special report: A first-of-its-kind investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found more than 70 Alaska communities — places with some of the highest rates of sexual assault in the U.S. — have no local police protection.
Read the story:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/lawless/2019/05/16/lawless-one-in-three-alaska-villages-have-no-local-police/
Tour the northwest Alaska village of Kiana, Alaska in 360 VR.

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- HAARP opens its doors to the public, but some minds prove hard to change
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- HAARP has an image problem that's proving hard to shake. Short for High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, HAARP has been the subject of conspiracy theories ever since the U.S. military started building it in the early 1990s.
HAARP has a number of scientific instruments on its campus, but the one that continues to capture the imagination of conspiracy theorists is the Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI), the world's most powerful high-frequency radio transmitter.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2018/08/26/haarp-opens-its-doors-to-the-public-but-some-minds-prove-hard-to-change/

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- 360-degree video: Brent Sass wins the 2019 Yukon Quest
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Drag to explore the scene as dog musher Brent Sass arrives in Fairbanks to win the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Feb. 11, 2019. (Marc Lester / ADN)

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- 360 Video: Musher Allen Moore passes Eagle Summit during the 2019 Yukon Quest
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- A 360-view as Musher Allen Moore passes Eagle Summit during the 2019 Yukon Quest. (Marc Lester / ADN)

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- 6 people live in this 1-room shelter. Step inside the rural Alaska housing crisis
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The percentage of homes that are overcrowded in Northwest Alaska is 12 times the national average. In this interactive video, take a snowmachine ride with Alfred Coffin Sr. and step inside the one-room shelter where his family of six has lived for years. ... Find the full story here: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2018/12/10/6-people-lived-for-years-inside-this-1-room-tent-why-villagers-say-overcrowding-is-a-crisis/

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- Roaches in Alaska? See why tenants are suing this Anchorage hotel
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Nine current and former tenants of the Mush Inn Motel in Anchorage have filed a lawsuit against the owners, claiming they weren't told of a bedbug and roach infestation when they moved in. The hotel denies the claims. Read the full story here: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/11/15/defendants-are-slumlords-tenants-sue-anchorage-hotel-over-rodents-roaches-bed-bugs/
(Kyle Hopkins / ADN)

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- Iditarod 2018 Restart in Willow
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Mushers drive their dog teams past crowds gathered at the Iditarod Restart on Willow Lake and make their way to the Susitna River on Sunday, March 4, 2018.

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- Live Alaska gubernatorial debate
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Alaska gubernatorial candidates from left, Mike Dunleavy, Mark Begich, Billy Toien and Gov. Bill Walker debate during the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make it Monday" forum at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018.

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- This is what Alaska’s largest motorcycle gathering looks like
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Over 1,200 motorcycles descended on downtown Anchorage on Saturday for the annual Gathering at the Bike Blessing, a season-kickoff organized by the biker advocacy group A.B.A.T.E. "We've been doing this for 15 years, and this year is our largest turnout yet," said organizer Dave Monroe, who also estimated the crowd size at over 2,500.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2018/05/05/this-is-what-alaskas-largest-motorcycle-gathering-looks-like/

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- Mirror Lake 7th-grader wins Doodle 4 Google’s Alaska contest
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- It may seem like a mere doodle to some people, but for Mirror Lake seventh-grader Jazzie Trotter, it's a winner. "Ever since I was a little kid, I loved drawing and I loved art," said Trotter, standing on the stage in her middle school multipurpose room.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/education/2018/05/03/mirror-lake-7th-grader-wins-doodle-4-googles-alaska-contest/

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- ‘Between a rock and a hard place’: Volunteers clear out longtime Anchorage homeless camp
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- A group of volunteers spent a gray Saturday morning on the eastern fringe of downtown Anchorage clearing out a longtime homeless camp. Now, the people who lived there need to find somewhere else to go.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/04/28/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-volunteers-clear-out-longtime-anchorage-homeless-camp/