A smoke plume from the McKinley Fire burning along the Parks Highway seen from the highway on Sunday. Photo by Maureen Clark/Alaska Division of Forestry

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is set to sign House Bill 2001, the Legislature’s attempt to restore about 80% of the governor’s more than $444 million in operating budget vetoes, today. But it remains unknown how many of the governor’s 182 original line-item vetoes he plans to maintain. 

From the time Ethan Troxel, 18, started playing recorders in the first grade, he loved music. That passion led to two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City and a recent performance in Sydney, Australia, all during his high school years.

The ballroom at the Westmark Hotel was transformed into an ink-lover’s paradise Saturday as tattoo artists from across the country plied their trade at the Fairbanks Tattoo Expo.

Heavy rain also curtailed Alaska Railroad service to and from Denali after the failure of a retaining wall supporting railroad tracks in the Healy Canyon north of the park, according to an Alaska Railroad news release Saturday. Both passenger and freight service are closed north of the park until Monday at the earliest. Railroad passengers should expect delays. Motorcoach service will be provided.

HEALY — Blueberry ice cream. Blueberry popcorn. Blueberry cotton candy. Welcome to the Denali Blueberry Festival.

Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Earl Peterson set Downs’ bail Friday morning after a lengthy hearing that included comments from the victim’s brother and arguments from Downs’ attorneys and state prosecutors.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Cowen said most of the heavy rain moved south of Salcha and should continue in that direction, with some showers lingering in the Fairbanks area and tapering off Friday evening.

About 300 visitors to Denali National Park who were stranded west of Polychrome Pass for several hours after an emergency closure of the Denali Park Road on Friday afternoon have all been safely returned to the entrance area.

Nine West Valley High School football players and a team manager presented a petition Thursday afternoon to the office of Karen Gaborik, superintendent of Fairbanks North Star Borough schools, to have all six assistant coaches reinstated.

Linguist Michael E. Krauss, renowned in Alaska for his work with endangered languages, died Sunday, a few days before his 85th birthday.

Just over two weeks after a statewide launch, the official effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy has met its first signature collecting goal. 

“We have to ask ourselves, what do we value in our communities?" Kawasaki asked.

The Fairbanks Cut’s application was rejected by the Marijuana Control Board last month, as there was some contention over the meaning of “freestanding building.”

Steven Harris Downs, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang has denied a request for an emergency order to close an area adjacent to Denali National Park to the taking of wolves by hunting or trapping.

The National Weather Service Fairbanks office has issued a flood watch effective today for the Chena Basin area upstream of Moose Creek Dam — including Fairbanks — which will last until late Wednesday night. This is in addition to the flood watch already issued by NWS for the Denali area, which was effective 6 a.m. this morning and will last until through noon Wednesday.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and University of Alaska officials have reached an agreement that would soften the financial blow the university had expected.

The center specializes in developing and testing energy efficient and cold climate-centered building designs in circumpolar regions around the world. 

The program, which serves more than 11,000 individuals, issues monthly financial assistance to low-income Alaskans over the age of 65.

Berry pickers beware. After receiving multiple reports of fire activity from the public over the past week, the Alaska Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Forestry in Fairbanks is warning the public that the Shovel Creek Fire is still active and can pose a danger to those recreating in the area.

A Fairbanks man has been charged with murder after he reportedly attacked a woman on Friday afternoon, who later died while she was being taken to the hospital.