The search for a new manager to lead Juneau International Airport has entered a pivotal phase, with Andres Delgado, the airport’s current operations and maintenance superintendent, now standing as the sole active applicant for the position.
The vacancy was created earlier this year following the retirement of longtime Airport Manager Patty Wahto. The Airport Board engaged ADK Executive Recruitment to lead the national search and began screening candidates in coordination with the Hiring Committee. After an initial round of interviews, two finalists were invited to Juneau for an in-person process held June 11–13. However, neither candidate was selected to fill the role.
Delgado, a well-known figure within the airport’s leadership structure, submitted his application shortly before the finalist interviews but was not considered at the time due to timing. When the original search failed to yield a hire, the board decided to interview Delgado on July 21.
At present, he remains the only active applicant for the position.
With Interim Airport Manager Dave Palmer scheduled to step down later this month, the Airport Board is now evaluating next steps. During its Aug. 7 meeting, the board is expected to discuss three potential options in executive session:
Appoint Andres Delgado as the new Airport Manager. While a formal appointment is not expected at the Aug. 7 meeting, the board may choose to authorize the Human Resources and Risk Management director to explore the terms of a conditional offer to Delgado, pending full board approval.
Reengage ADK Executive Recruitment to reach out to additional candidates who previously expressed interest but did not complete the screening process. This would allow for a renewed round of interviews and potentially reopen the finalist phase.
Repost the position and accept new applications. ADK has offered to conduct a second round of recruitment for a reduced fee of $4,000 — down from the original $6,000 — or the board could opt to manage the posting through the City and Borough of Juneau’s internal recruitment process.
Should the board decide to pursue additional recruitment, or if Delgado declines an offer, the board would also need to appoint a new interim airport manager, as Palmer has indicated he will not remain in the role beyond his original term.
The Airport Board is expected to provide direction on the next steps at the Aug. 7 meeting.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued his tour through Alaska Wednesday with Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Kennedy visited the federally funded Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center in Fairbanks, meeting with tribal leaders and touring the Native healthcare facility. He was joined by Alaska’s US Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
Outside the building and along the road, tensions rose as dueling groups gathered. Protesters who are anti-Kennedy shouted “Vaccines save lives!” in opposition to he health secretary’s cancellation of funding for research promoting the controversial mRNA vaccines, which have been linked to cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart), particularly in male teens.
One man was detained by officers after making a move toward Kennedy that appeared aggressive. The man had been yelling about genocide in Palestine.
Meanwhile, pro-Trump demonstrators waved American and Trump flags. One Trump supporter, an older woman with a service dog, returned to her car to find a window smashed out.
A window in a vehicle belonging to a Trump rally participant was smashed.
Anti-Trump protesters seen near the car of a Trump supporter that had the window smashed just before the incident in Fairbanks.
A handful of protesters were on hand to protest the arrival of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Alaska senators.
This scene mirrored Kennedy’s stop in Anchorage on Tuesday, where similar liberal protesters greeted him.
Pro-Trump rally was also part of the day in Fairbanks.
Following the Fairbanks clinic visit, Kennedy, Sullivan, and Murkowski took questions from the press. Kennedy said the trip was focused on listening to tribal health leaders and understanding the challenges of healthcare delivery in remote communities.
A small private aircraft has crashed near Willow, seriously injuring the pilot, who is believed to be Ramey Smyth, the well-known Iditarod Sled Dog racer.
The aircraft, an Aeronca 7AC Champion with tail number N84726, went down under unknown circumstances on or near a runway in the Willow area. The crash occurred during an unspecified phase of flight, and no other individuals were aboard, according to initial reports. The plane is registered to Smyth.
Smyth survived the crash but sustained injuries that included broken bones. No fatalities or other injuries were reported.
In his late 40s, Smyth was born and raised in Alaska and is the son of Iditarod mushers Bud Smyth, who raced in the first Iditarod and the late Lolly Medley who raced in the second Iditarod.
Smyth lives in Willow with his wife and family. He has raced the Iditarod 27 times placing in the top 10 a dozen times. He won the Kuskokwim 300 in 1995 and has raced in, and won, many other events throughout the state.
Smyth has said he began mushing “as soon as I could walk” and won the Jr. Iditarod twice before his first Iditarod in 1994.
He is a full time log home builder and owns and operates Smyth Logwork and Construction in Willow.
The extent of damage to the aircraft remains unknown. The National Transportation and Safety Board will likely open an investigation.
On Saturday, the Alaska Legislature met in special session and overrode two of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes. The first and most important of these was upholding the unaffordable, unsustainable increase in the foundation formula for public education next year: 45 votes to override were needed and 45 was what the majority caucuses got.
Analysis of the vote showed every single democrat voted for the unsustainable increase in public education funding. Every single Republican that chose to caucus with them also voted to override.
The 21-member House majority caucus(2 Republicans – Chuck Kopp and Louise Stutes) managed to pick up 7 additional Republicans for the override vote. These included Jeremy Bynum, Julie Coulombe, Bill Elam, David Nelson, Justin Ruffridge, Dan Saddler, and Will Stapp.
In the Senate, the 14-member Majority coalition(5 Republicans – Jesse Bjorkman, Cathy Giessel, Kelly Merrick, Bert Stedman, Gary Stevens) managed to pick up three additional Republicans for the override vote. These included Mike Cronk, James Kaufman and Rob Yundt.
Any single member of the newly formed Republican Override Caucus of 10 votes against the override and it fails to pass.
None of the members of the Republican Override Caucus demanded any accountability from public education for the additional money. Not a single one.
None of them demanded improvements from what is currently the 49th best performing school system in the entire nation. Not a single one.
All of them agreed to shovel more money into a failing system.
Congratulations, guys. You must be very proud.
If it were up to me, I would target all 10 of these putative Republicans for removal from office in the next election (2026 for all House members and few senators, 2028 for the rest). I would do the same thing for the seven Republicans that crossed over to caucus with democrats, handing them legislative power on a silver platter.
Finally, I would target every single democrat possible.
There are opportunities in 2026. First of these are openings in House District 5 (Louise Stutes, who is going to run to replace Gary Stevens (Senate District C). Much easier to pick up an open seat than to bounce an incumbent.
It is not all bad news, as legislative politics on the political left have scoped down to two related issues. The first is destruction of the Permanent Fund dividend. Second, is the growth of the foundation formula. Make that large enough, and there is no way it will ever be rolled back, gobbling up every penny of the PFD to pay for it now and in the future, not unlike like JB Pritzker at a pizza bar. A return to defined benefit pension retirements for government union members is the same idea. If they lock the new spending in, the PFD is gone forever.
Other legislatures in the Lower 48, particularly those in red states, are doing amazing, creative things for their citizens. Not here in Alaska, where the only two ideas are how to destroy the PFD and lock in additional spending to benefit public employee unions.
Oh joy.
Other than that, Alaska Democrats are much the same as Democrats in the Lower 48 — out of airspeed and ideas. You would think the rank-and-file union members with children would want something other for their kids than the current garbage masquerading as public education. Perhaps not, but I am forever hopeful.
Somewhere along the line, we are going to have to get off the dime in this state and our Legislature needs to do something other than figure out how to destroy the PFD.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the political world has changed for Alaska. Resource development is back. ANWR, NPR-A, Cook Inlet are all going to be drilling and producing. Offshore in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea may not be far behind. Pebble is going to be dug. We may see a natural gas pipeline. The growth of fish farming internationally will continue to grind commfish into so much economic dust. Finally, the Trump administration is coming for the Homeless Industrial Complex so lovingly constructed here in Anchorage over the last decade.
We ought to be in position to take advantage of those changes and start growing the economy of this state rather than participating in increasingly bitter fights over a static to shrinking pie.
The combined Majority Caucuses in both the House and the Senate and the newly formed Republican Override Caucus have told us who and what they are.
It is up to us to listen to them, believe them, and do something about it. Should be a fun ride.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
Santos has reached a critical milestone in its Pikka Phase 1 project on Alaska’s North Slope with the safe delivery of major processing modules to Oliktok Point, signaling measurable progress toward first oil production, which is anticipated in 2026.
The modules arrived in late July by barge after a complex and coordinated logistics effort that began at Canada’s Hay River Marine Terminal (see map). From there, the cargo traveled 1,086 miles along the Mackenzie River system to the Arctic community of Tuktoyaktuk, before completing the final 380-mile leg across the Beaufort Sea to Alaska.
Transit route of processing modules by barge from Hay River Marine Terminal to Oliktok, Alaska.
Additional processing modules are still en route from the Pacific Northwest and were expected to arrive soon. Meanwhile, a seawater treatment plant fabricated in Indonesia, was also towed to the site. Once all components are in place, they will be installed, integrated, and commissioned with existing infrastructure to support oil production.
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher credited the company’s logistics and engineering teams for advancing the project on an accelerated timeline.
“Our highly capable team that delivered early completion of the pipeline in just two winter seasons, followed by a successful river-lift of key processing modules, has created the opportunity for early startup and production from Pikka,” Gallagher said.
Now nearly 90% complete, Pikka Phase 1 is currently drilling its 21st well. The project, located in the Nanushuk formation, is one of the most significant conventional oil discoveries in the US in three decades, with an estimated 400 million barrels of recoverable oil and a planned daily output of up to 80,000 barrels. That would be an over 20% increase in product to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, stemming the decline that has occurred over the past decades.
If you thought the trails and greenbelts around Anchorage were becoming overwhelmed with vagrant homesteaders, welcome to downtown Anchorage, where the views are breathtaking — if you can overlook the human sprawl and excrement on the sidewalks.
Once a hub of commerce and entertainment, the city’s core now resembles a set from a post-apocalyptic docuseries, complete with tents, tarps, and territorial disputes over electrical outlets — all under the overflowing flower baskets provided by the city.
In this exclusive photo series — part of our summer coverage of the new-normal under Mayor Suzanne LaFrance — we take you on a 12-hour tour of a downtown where flower baskets and vagrancy are the key features. But relief may be on the horizon, if you consider 24 government-built sheds to be constructed at Elmore Road and Tudor Road a solution. The question isn’t whether those sheds will be ready. It’s whether the downtown population is willing to trade prime park real estate for a “Crampground” compound far from their favorite haunts.
An encampment is popping up again at Town Square Park after the city cleaned it up.
Bird’s eye view of Town Square Park encampment on Tuesday evening, Aug. 5, as squatters settle in for the night. Borealis Broadband camera screenshot.
Municipal worker picks up litter from Town Square Park before 8 am on Aug. 6, 2025.
Brand new hat, brand new sleeping bag, brand new tent, and a snug spot on the Delaney Park Strip in downtown Anchorage on the evening of Aug. 5, 2025. Our previous coverage has featured similar brand-new tents, likely provided by non-profits with government funds.
Along the Historic City Hall property on 4th Ave. before 8 am on Aug. 6, 2025.
Sleeping it off at 5th Ave. and E Street on Wednesday morning, Aug. 6, 2025.
Watch where you step. Human waste is everywhere in downtown Anchorage. Wednesday morning, Aug. 6, 2025.
Wednesday morning, Aug. 6, 2025 in downtown Anchorage.
Our other coverage of Anchorage vagrancy includes what is happening in the greenbelts:
US Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s standing with Alaska voters has taken a serious hit, according to a new poll conducted by Alaska Survey Research from July 29 to August 1.
As she toys with the idea of running for governor, the poll shows a dramatic downturn in her favorability ratings, especially among moderate and progressive voters, once key components of her support base.
Murkowski’s overall favorable rating now stands at 33%, down 13 percentage points from April. Her unfavorable rating has risen to 60%, up 15 points over the same period. This marks a net favorability swing of negative 28 points, a steep decline in just four months.
Breakdown by Political Affiliation
Moderates: Murkowski’s net favorability among moderate voters dropped from +28 in April to +2, a 26-point fall.
Progressives: The decline was even more pronounced among progressives, where her net favorability plummeted from +54 to -21, a 75-point drop.
Conservatives: Her ratings among conservatives remain largely unchanged at -64, reflecting a long-standing dissatisfaction.
The erosion of support from progressives and moderates raises questions about Murkowski’s political future. Once seen as a centrist who could navigate Alaska’s unique political terrain, she now finds herself isolated from both the left and the right. At age 68, she has two years left in her Senate term. She will be 70 during her next campaign for Senate, but if she decides to run for governor, she’d be 70 during her first year of office. Either way, it’s a big decision.
Much of the recent liberal discontent may stem from Murkowski’s support of the Big Beautiful Bill, a federal package she voted for earlier this summer. While the bill included major infrastructure investments and energy provisions favorable to Alaska, it has drawn sharp criticism from her leftist base voters for what they view as concessions to industry and compromises on climate and social safety net funding.
These latest numbers may complicate that path to governor. With progressives now turning against her and no gains among conservatives, she appears to be politically adrift.
The senior senator has lost support from the very voters who once buoyed her through multiple election cycles, including her write-in campaign against Joe Miller and her campaign being behind the rigging of Alaska elections with ranked-choice voting, so she would not have to face a Republican primary. As political chatter grows around a possible gubernatorial bid, this data suggests that if Murkowski intends to mount any campaign, she’s in a world of hurt with the voters.
The Anchorage School District’s Office of Emergency Management announced it will begin a pilot program this winter that introduces portable metal detectors at select schools.
The initiative is the District’s effort to proactively address growing concerns over campus security. Officials emphasized that the use of the detectors is not intended as a disciplinary tool, but rather a preventative safety measure.
“This is a proactive approach to enhancing school safety,” the District stated in its announcement. “It is not a disciplinary measure, but one that supports the overall safety of our students and staff.”
During the pilot phase, three portable metal detector units will be deployed. Following the initial rollout, ASD plans to rotate the detectors across its campuses. The rotation will be conducted on a random basis, though officials noted that deployments may also occur in response to credible safety threats.
The metal detectors will not be permanent fixtures at any school. Instead, the District is opting for a mobile strategy that can adapt to varying safety needs across the school system.
Further details on how schools will be selected for the pilot and what procedures will be in place for screenings are expected to be shared with families before the rollout begins.
The FBI’s Anchorage Field Office is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Esthepen Delossantos Pebenito, a fugitive wanted in connection with a 2019 methamphetamine distribution case in Anchorage.
Pebenito, who also goes by the names “Pepe” and “Stephen Pebenito,” was charged in federal court and a warrant for his arrest was issued on July 22, 2021, by the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. He is wanted for the distribution of controlled substances and has remained at large for more than four years.
According to authorities, Pebenito has known ties to Anchorage, as well as to locations in Hawaii, California, Nevada, and the Philippines. He is described as approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, with black hair and tattoos on his abdomen and back.
The FBI warns that Pebenito should be considered armed and dangerous, and an escape risk.
The search for Pebenito is part of the FBI’s broader “Summer Heat” initiative, a national effort aimed at reducing violent crime during the summer months. The strategy involves intensified collaboration with state and local partners, the execution of federal warrants, and the targeting of violent offenders and gangs across the country.
Anyone with information about Pebenito’s whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
A wanted poster for Pebenito can be viewed at FBI.gov.
