That 'big beautiful bill' has a not-so-beautiful impact on Alaska

To the editor: Congress has passed the “one big beautiful bill” also known as HR 1. If HR 1 is accepted by the Senate, then many of us in Alaska will feel the burn and bite very quickly. The range to be considered part of the middle class in Alaska is …

Alaska Legislature votes to limit high interest rates and fees for payday loan lenders

On the 120th and last day of Alaska’s annual legislative session, the state House passed a bill that would curb high interest rates and fees for payday loans of $25,000 or less.  The Senate passed Senate Bill 35 in late April, and the House passed the bill …

Wish You Were Here: Dog-sledding in Alaska, a ‘trip of a lifetime’ through Egypt

Looking to escape? Here are two recent trips local readers took to see the Northern Lights in Alaska and explore ancient tombs in Egypt. Check them out, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/. …

Opinion: Budget cuts are threatening Alaska’s national parks — and a key segment of our economy

Visitors gather in Denali National Park and Preserve to watch a couple of grizzly bears along the Teklanika River in May 2016. (Bob Hallinen / ADN archive) Like many other Alaskans, I love our national parks. Their beauty, wildlife and opportunities …

The Road to Patagonia review – an epic journey from Alaska to the Andes

Assembled from 16 years of footage, Matty Hannon’s feature debut embraces the possibility of the open road with full-hearted passion. His diaristic film documents his travels with the centrepiece being an astonishing journey from Alaska to Patagonia – …

What growing up in Alaska taught Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn

ASLC Admits Premature Harbor Seal Patient from Kenai, Alaska

Seward, Alaska (May 26, 2025) – The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) admitted a premature harbor seal pup to the Wildlife Response Program on May 8, 2025. The male harbor seal was found on a remote beach in Kenai, Alaska, and it was evident that no mother was …

Three dozen Interior soccer players earn Mid Alaska All-Conference honors

When the prep soccer regular season ended on Saturday, 35 Fairbanks-area players were named to the Mid Alaska All-Conference teams and an additional three earned their school’s good sport awards. Tiahna Guzman, senior centerback, North Pole (MAC Player of …

Michael Tavoliero: Taking back Alaska means moving from managed dependency to freedom

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO Over the past decade, Alaska has become a sobering case study in the systematic digression from freedom to entitlement, where government agencies, originally built to serve and protect, have transformed into sprawling bureaucracies of …

Motorcycle Awareness Month ends with stolen motorcycle, hijacked Jeep, a trail of chaos on Alaska’s Seward Highway

What began as a routine REDDI report quickly unraveled into a high-octane crime spree Saturday night, leaving wreckage and injury in its wake along the scenic but infamous stretch of the Seward Highway on Memorial Day weekend. At approximately 7:58 pm. on …