www.alaskabookmarks.com - What's up in Alaska? News and interesting links from The Last Frontier

Dan + Shay celebrate lasting love with the single “Marry You Again”

Dan + Shay – comprised of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney – have released “Marry You Again,” a heartfelt new single that continues the rollout for their upcoming sixth studio album, Young, due Aug. 21 via Warner Records Nashville. The romantic track follows previously released songs “Young” and “Say So,” offering another preview of what the Grammy-winning pair have described as their most personal project to date.The song arrives after Smyers and Mooney spent recent weeks surprising fans

Tim McGraw sets fall 2026 engagement on Las Vegas strip

Tim McGraw has announced a highly anticipated return to the Las Vegas Strip for an extended engagement in the fall of 2026. The upcoming series of performances follows his previous critically acclaimed, sold-out residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.The multi-Grammy Award winner will present a high-energy production showcasing three decades of chart-topping hits. During his prior brief engagement in Las Vegas, McGraw captivated audiences alongside elite professional rodeo athletes. While

Hollywood Vampires to release Montreux Festival Performance as new live album

Hollywood Vampires will revisit one of the band’s most acclaimed concert performances with the release of At Montreux Jazz Festival, a new live album capturing its 2018 appearance at Switzerland’s famed Montreux Jazz Festival.The collection, featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen, is scheduled for digital release on Aug. 7, followed by CD and vinyl editions on Oct. 16 through earMUSIC. The announcement marks the group’s first new release since 2023 a

Collective Soul’s “Touch and Go’ set for global release release on July 31

Collective Soul is transitioning its latest studio effort into a widespread commercial release. Originally distributed as an exclusive vinyl offering for Record Store Day on April 18, the band’s 13th studio album, “Touch and Go,” is slated for a broader rollout across retail and streaming channels this summer, with a physical compact disc edition arriving at major outlets on July 31. Previously, the album could only be obtained on 180-gram colored vinyl at participating brick-a

New Taylor Swift display opens at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame introduced a new installment centered on Taylor Swift, expanding its collection of memorabilia from the pop star. The showcase at the Cleveland museum offers visitors an up-close look at items from one of the singer-songwriter’s prominent recent projects.Located on the fifth floor of the facility, the artifact collection is integrated into the ongoing “Legends of Rock” exhibit. The curation centers on the music vide for “The Fate of Ophelia,” a production w

See the video for AJ McLean and Ty Dolla $ign’s new collab, ‘Flowers’

Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean has partnered with Ty Dolla $ign for a new collaborative single titled “Flowers,” marking a fresh collaboration that blends pop and R&B influences.Released via Johnny Wright Entertainment, the single was produced by Rob Grimaldi. The track’s songwriting credits feature a collaborative lineup including McLean, Ty Griffin Jr. (Ty Dolla $ign), Grimaldi, Ben Samama, and Nikki Flores.The track serves as a centerpiece for McLean’s latest solo era, featu

2026 Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby

Enter Info & Upload Photo for a Chance to WIN Prizesvar gform;gform||(document.addEventListener("gform_main_scripts_loaded",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,initializeOnLoaded:function(o){gform.domLoaded&&gform.scriptsLoaded?o():!gform.domLoaded&&gform.scriptsLoaded?window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",o):document.addEventListener("gform_main_scripts_loaded",o)},hooks:{act

Alaska removes thousands from state’s active voter list, erroneously flagging some citizens

Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answers questions from reporters on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)The state of Alaska has removed an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 Alaskans from the state’s active voter list, claiming they may be noncitizens.The removals leave those residents able to vote only if they provide extra identity information, and removal puts them on track to be purged from the state’s voter roll altogether.Only U.S.

Hilcorp says it 'contributes' $1 billion in taxes and royalties

Hilcorp opposes the proposal that owner Texas billionaire Jeff Hildebrand be forced to start paying an oil tax that has always applied to ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil.The proposal is “punitive” and aimed at Hilcorp and Hildebrand, according to one of Hildebrand’s Alaska executives. The state failed to amend the law when Hildebrand bought BP’s major Alaska holdings in 2019.There is nothing surprising and little that is new in this seven-page plea to keep the Hilcorp loophole in place.The missive

The testing desert: How closing UAA’s testing center isolates Alaskans

A student exits the University of Alaska Anchorage consortium library on Sept. 6, 2024. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)I didn’t learn about the permanent closure of the University of Alaska Anchorage Testing Center through a campus press release or a community town hall. I learned about it on a quiet summer afternoon while taking my 14-year-old son to sit for an exam for college credit. Watching a teenager step up, take initiative and unlock his potential early is an incredible feeling—a v

US House and Senate split on ending Trump’s war in Iran, as gas prices rise

Soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 22, 2026, carry Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, who died July 18, 2026, from injuries suffered during an enemy attack on July 17, 2026, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. (Photo by Jason Minto/U.S. Air Force)WASHINGTON — One day after President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members killed as a result of the Iran conflict, the two chambers of Congress were at odds over whether to rein in the

Alaska elections division director defends disqualifying U.S. Senate candidate

House Judiciary committee chair Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, and committee members Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks and Rep. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, listen to Carol Beecher, director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answer questions about the division's decision to disqualify a U.S. Senate candidate at a hearing on July 22, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Johansen for Rep. Gray's office)Members of the House Judiciary and State Affairs committees questioned Alaska Division of Elections director Car

As vote on Blanche for attorney general nears, ex-DOJ staffers warn against confirmation

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, walks by reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — Former career Department of Justice officials and a survivor of abuse by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sounded the alarm Wednesday on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s fitness to lead the Department of Justice, one day ahead of a scheduled committee vote to advance his nomination to the full Senate.The narrow committee divide, razo

Talachulitna Float | The Jig Life: Episode 12

Marcus and The Jig Life team kick off this episode at Shulin Lake Resort, sitting down with owners Jason and Valerie HeadLee before Marcus heads out on the adventure of a lifetime: a five-day, 50-mile float down Talachulitna Creek. The action starts early, with Marcus hooking into Dolly Varden char before the float even gets underway.This episode dives into what sets a float trip apart from lodge-based fishing. Covering more water means more fishing opportunity and more unpredictability, and for

For Yukon River residents, salmon shortages have health consequences

Migrating summer chum and chinook salmon swim on July 7, 2007, below the U.S. Bureau of Land Managment's fish weir on the Tozitna River, Alaska. The Tozitna is a tributory of the Yukon River. (Photo by Jason Post/U.S. Bureau of Land Management)When 26-year-old Tirzah Bryant was a kid, she knew how to watch the cottonwood trees along the Yukon River for the sign that it was time to fish for salmon.“We know that the fish are coming when the cotton’s flying from the cottonwood,” she said. But run c

Quick and easy treats make a sweet reward

There are endless possibilities of fillings for homemade pop tarts

Retired teacher completes 50th anniversary ascent of Graduation Peak near Seldovia

Hal Neace, 80, completed the climb alongside his children and grandchildren

Half marathoners tackle new course in 2026 Kachemak Bay Mountain Classic

26 out of 30 participants completed the 13.1-mile course with around 2,900 feet of elevation gain

Brick by Brick: Kenai’s Russian Kiln — Part 1

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A number of people (Dorothy Gray, Marion Nelson and Danielle Stamm, for example) have assisted me in gathering information for this article, but I want to single out one individual for special acknowledgement. Without the Russian-language translations and summaries provided by Katherine Arndt, the bibliographer and curator of rare books at the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, I would have been without at least two-thirds of my material.

Homer Pet of the Week: Hunter

Hunter is a 13-year-old male looking for his furever home