Early voting for municipal elections in the Fairbanks North Star Borough ends this evening at 7 p.m. A high-profile lawsuit challenging a key part of Alaska’s homeschool system moved ahead this week. A Fairbanks jury convicted a North Pole man Wednesday of two counts of murder for the fatal shootings of two men in January 2023. The Alaska Federation of Natives convention is less than three weeks away. Most of the staff running Alaska newspapers in Homer, Kenai-Soldotna and Juneau resigned Monday after the papers’ corporate owner forced revisions to a story due to pressure from a Republican state lawmaker. A Pennsylvania man allegedly used the stolen identities of seven Alaskans in an attempt to steal their Permanent Fund Dividends in 2022. This summer, Congress defunded public broadcasting, but this week, 14 public media stations in Alaska got some good news.

Chelsie Erickson, 33, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of felony tampering with physical evidence and one count of felony leaving the scene of an accident without rendering aid.

The U.S. Senate tried but failed to pass a funding bill Tuesday night, resulting in a government shutdown today. // An investigation is underway on the source of two fake bomb threats that were emailed Tuesday morning to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. // The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center may be able to survive federal budget cuts that have forced many other U.S. climate science centers to close. // A Delta Junction woman accused of trying to cover up a deadly 2023 hit-and-run pleaded guilty Monday to two felonies. // Katmai National Park and Preserve's Fat Bear Week has a new champion — a 1,200-pound bear named Chunk.

Several other colleges and universities across the country received similar threats this morning, including in Delaware, Michigan, Texas and Alabama.

The Fairbanks City Council adopted an ordinance last night to change city code that determines immediate, short-term succession of the mayor. With the federal government’s outsized influence in Alaska, the impacts of a possible government shutdown could be acute here in the 49th state. Researchers at the University of Alaska Anchorage are looking for community problems to solve using artificial intelligence. Many residents in the lower Kuskokwim River community of Akiak are still relying on personal and backup generators to provide power, a week after mechanical issues halted operations at the community’s power plant. The U.S. Interior Department has reversed a Biden administration decision to give Alaska tribes legal jurisdiction over Native allotments.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a $16.7 million dollar grant to begin construction of the first veterans cemetery in the Interior.

Allegory Smith said they want voters to have meaningful options on the ballot.

The Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday that urges Alaska’s congressional delegation to advocate for the release of 42-year-old Atcharee Buntow while her immigration status is worked out.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a $16.7 million dollar grant to begin construction of the first veterans cemetery in the Interior. // A last-minute candidate has filed for the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly seat currently held by Brett Rotermund. // The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly is pushing for the return of a Fairbanks woman being held at an immigration detention center in the Lower 48. // The Alaska LNG Project gained two more agreements this month. The deals are non-binding, but company officials say it shows the project is moving forward.

Dan Bross and Rick Thoman talk about a trend toward later fall first freeze dates.