“The risk is real… There is no safe reason to approach the water during this event. This is not a normal event, even though it reoccurs.” - Ken Murphy, a safety officer with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, on the safety risks of the glacial outburst flood in Juneau.
Glenfarne CEO Brendan Duval speaks on May 21, 2026, at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage, while Gov. Mike Dunleavy listens. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
By Yereth Rosen
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday introduced a new natural gas pipeline bill that he characterized as a compromise between conflicting philosophies on oil and gas taxes that he wants lawmakers to pass during the ongoing special session.
Glacial lake outburst flooding begins on the Mendenhall River below the Mendenhall Glacier on Aug 11, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
By Corinne Smith
Alaska’s capital city has issued an evacuation advisory for the densely-populated Mendenhall Valley area on Wednesday as glacial outburst flooding begins.
Officials and the public are closely watching the Mendenhall Glacier, where climate-change driven melting results in water filling an ice-dammed lake called Suicide Basin each year. That lake eventually bursts and billions of gallons of water are released down the Mendenhall River, threatening suburban neighborhoods nearby.
Mailers from Fair Deal Alaska, a PAC that is spending to promote U.S. Senate candidate Carol Hafner over former congresswoman Mary Peltola, are showing up in Alaskans’ mailboxes in August 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
By Joedy McCreary, Open Secrets
In the days leading up to Alaska’s primary election, two super PACs have poured nearly $2 million into the U.S. Senate race.
The twist: Alaska’s unusual election format is likely to negate the spending campaigns’ efforts to tear support away from the front-runners.
By Alix Soliman, Clarise Larson and Corinne Smith
As the Mendenhall River swells with glacial outburst floodwater, hundreds of people living in the suburban valley below spent Tuesday night and Wednesday preparing to evacuate or hunker down. The National Weather Service predicts the flood will crest Thursday.
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