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This March 16, 2022, drone photo provided by Alyeska Pipeline Co. shows snow covering 62-foot tall and acre-wide oil tanks at the Valdez Marine Terminal in Valdez, Alaska. Workers at the endpoint of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline are using saws to cut up large blocks of hard-packed snow on top of the oil storage tanks so they can shove the chunks off the tanks, some of which have damaged infrastructure after more than 4 feet of snow fell in Valdez in a month. (Alyeska Pipeline Service Company via AP)

Crews remove snow from damaged Alaska pipeline oil tanks

More than 4 feet of snow fell in the community of Valdez between mid-February and mid-March

This March 16, 2022, drone photo provided by Alyeska Pipeline Co. shows snow covering 62-foot tall and acre-wide oil tanks at the Valdez Marine Terminal in Valdez, Alaska. Workers at the endpoint of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline are using saws to cut up large blocks of hard-packed snow on top of the oil storage tanks so they can shove the chunks off the tanks, some of which have damaged infrastructure after more than 4 feet of snow fell in Valdez in a month. (Alyeska Pipeline Service Company via AP)
In this Sept. 16, 2015 file photo, Elvi Gray-Jackson, of Anchorage, Alaska, speaks at the White House complex in Washington as part of former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. Gray-Jackson, a Democrat, announced Friday, March 25, 2022, that she is ending her run for U.S. Senate in Alaska and instead will seek reelection to the state Senate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Democrat Gray-Jackson ends US Senate run in Alaska

Gray-Jackson had been the only Democrat so far to file with the state Division of Elections to run for the seat

In this Sept. 16, 2015 file photo, Elvi Gray-Jackson, of Anchorage, Alaska, speaks at the White House complex in Washington as part of former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. Gray-Jackson, a Democrat, announced Friday, March 25, 2022, that she is ending her run for U.S. Senate in Alaska and instead will seek reelection to the state Senate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Two snowmachine-triggered snow slabs are seen below the weather station of Seattle Ridge in Turnagain Pass on Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Chris Flowers and the Chugach Avalanche Center)

Turnagain avalanche danger high this weekend

Summit Lake, Snug Harbor and Cooper Landing areas are in optimal avalanche condition this weekend

Two snowmachine-triggered snow slabs are seen below the weather station of Seattle Ridge in Turnagain Pass on Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Chris Flowers and the Chugach Avalanche Center)
COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

Small uptick in COVID cases; hospitalizations still down

There were 559 news cases in Alaska sequenced Wednesday and Thursday

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
Screenshot / Alaska Redistricting Board A map from the Alaska Redistricting Board shows proposed House Districts in Anchorage, two of which were the subject of a lawsuit against the board for their being paired together in a single senate seat.The Alaska Supreme Court Ruled Friday the board acted unconstitutionally in one of its Senate district pairings.

Alaska Supreme Court says redistricting board acted unconstitutionally

A tight timeline.

Screenshot / Alaska Redistricting Board A map from the Alaska Redistricting Board shows proposed House Districts in Anchorage, two of which were the subject of a lawsuit against the board for their being paired together in a single senate seat.The Alaska Supreme Court Ruled Friday the board acted unconstitutionally in one of its Senate district pairings.
Jesse Bjorkman speaks at a borough work session on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Bjorkman announces bid for state Senate

Tuckerman Babcock and incumbent Sen. Peter Micciche have also filed to run for the seat

Jesse Bjorkman speaks at a borough work session on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Riley Dyche, a musher from Fairbanks, Alaska, takes his sled dogs through a snowstorm in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, March 5, 2022, during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. A fierce winter storm in the last stretch of this year’s Iditarod that ultimately forced six mushers to scratch the same day now has cost three other mushers for sheltering their dogs instead of leaving them outside in the harsh conditions. Dyche; Mille Porsild, of Denmark; and Michelle Phillips, of Canada, were penalized for taking dogs inside shelter cabins to ride out the storm, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday, March 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Iditarod punishes 3 mushers for sheltering dogs in windstorm

Race marshal Mark Nordman, said the indoor rest for the dogs amounted to a competitive advantage

Riley Dyche, a musher from Fairbanks, Alaska, takes his sled dogs through a snowstorm in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, March 5, 2022, during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. A fierce winter storm in the last stretch of this year’s Iditarod that ultimately forced six mushers to scratch the same day now has cost three other mushers for sheltering their dogs instead of leaving them outside in the harsh conditions. Dyche; Mille Porsild, of Denmark; and Michelle Phillips, of Canada, were penalized for taking dogs inside shelter cabins to ride out the storm, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday, March 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Screenshot A map from the Bureau of Land Management shows lands that may be available for selection by Alaska Native veterans from the Vietnam War-era. Veterans have been waiting a long time to be able to select lands, and some have expressed frustration at the length of the process.

Land selection process for Alaska Native veterans moves ahead, but slowly

Still a long time coming.

Screenshot A map from the Bureau of Land Management shows lands that may be available for selection by Alaska Native veterans from the Vietnam War-era. Veterans have been waiting a long time to be able to select lands, and some have expressed frustration at the length of the process.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management Agent Dakota Truitt presents information about the borough’s new timber sale and reforestation project at the Donald E. Gilman Kenai River Center on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Penisula Clarion)

Borough takes next steps to combat spruce bark beetle outbreak

Borough land management is crafting legislation to outline a forest management plan, timber sale

Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management Agent Dakota Truitt presents information about the borough’s new timber sale and reforestation project at the Donald E. Gilman Kenai River Center on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Penisula Clarion)
Don Young talks during a visit to the Empire offices in June of 2021. Memorials for Alaska’s longtime at-large congressman are planned for Washington and Anchorage. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Public memorials set for late-US Rep Don Young next week

On Saturday, April 2, a memorial is scheduled to be held at Anchorage Baptist Temple, in Anchorage

Don Young talks during a visit to the Empire offices in June of 2021. Memorials for Alaska’s longtime at-large congressman are planned for Washington and Anchorage. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Gary Lee Williams.

Former Homer mayor, Homer News owner dies

Gary Williams served as mayor during transitional times of 1970s.

Gary Lee Williams.
This Feb. 16, 2022, photo shows a plume of smoke being emitted into the air from a power plant in Fairbanks, Alaska, which has some of the worst polluted winter air in the United States. Over seven weeks this winter, nearly 50 scientists from the continental U.S. and Europe descended on Fairbanks to study the sources of air pollution. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Alaska air pollution holds clues for other Arctic climates

The Fairbanks North Star Borough routinely exceeds limits set by the EPA for particle pollution

This Feb. 16, 2022, photo shows a plume of smoke being emitted into the air from a power plant in Fairbanks, Alaska, which has some of the worst polluted winter air in the United States. Over seven weeks this winter, nearly 50 scientists from the continental U.S. and Europe descended on Fairbanks to study the sources of air pollution. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Joe Rizzo, Triumvirate Theatre executive director, testifies at the Kenai City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna offers financial support for summer Triumvirate production

The Soldotna City Council approved the use of some federal relief funds for the summer show

Joe Rizzo, Triumvirate Theatre executive director, testifies at the Kenai City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna City Council member Justin Ruffridge speaks at the city council meeting on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. Ruffridge, who also owns Soldotna Professional Pharmacy and has helped spearhead multiple COVID-19 response efforts on the central Kenai Peninsula, said it was important to acknowledge the repeal of mask recommendations for “celebration’s sake.” (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna fully repeals masking recommendations for city buildings

The city has changed its guidelines multiple times over the course of the pandemic

Soldotna City Council member Justin Ruffridge speaks at the city council meeting on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. Ruffridge, who also owns Soldotna Professional Pharmacy and has helped spearhead multiple COVID-19 response efforts on the central Kenai Peninsula, said it was important to acknowledge the repeal of mask recommendations for “celebration’s sake.” (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 13 miles north of Mount Iliamna on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Alaska. (Screenshot/The Alaska Earthquake Center)

4.7 magnitude earthquake strikes north of Iliamna

Mount Iliamna is an active volcano on the west side of Cook Inlet

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 13 miles north of Mount Iliamna on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Alaska. (Screenshot/The Alaska Earthquake Center)
Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire The deadline for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which comes from the fund managed by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, is coming up fast, landing on March 31.

Deadline approaching to apply for PFD

This year’s payout is still being decided.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire The deadline for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which comes from the fund managed by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, is coming up fast, landing on March 31.
A would-be voter considers the candidates on a sample ballot released by the state of Alaska in March 2021. The Alaska Division of Elections has announced the dates for the special elections to select a replacement for Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who died recently. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)

Filing opens for election to fill US House seat

Filing deadline is April 1.

A would-be voter considers the candidates on a sample ballot released by the state of Alaska in March 2021. The Alaska Division of Elections has announced the dates for the special elections to select a replacement for Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who died recently. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)
Fencing marks the boundaries of a planned dog park in Kenai near Daubenspeck Park on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai describes ‘path to completion’ for dog park

Kenai City Manager Paul Ostrander described needed work in a council memo

Fencing marks the boundaries of a planned dog park in Kenai near Daubenspeck Park on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge trails in Soldotna, Alaska, are still covered with snow on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Refuge trails emerge from winter

It’s officially the end of the groomed winter trail season

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge trails in Soldotna, Alaska, are still covered with snow on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Ice juts out from Skilak Lake on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Waiting on spring

While the spring season officially began on Sunday, it’s unclear if Alaska is quite ready to transition out of winter

Ice juts out from Skilak Lake on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)