Alaskans who sued the state last year over long wait times for food assistance are asking a federal judge to order the state to speed up processing; a farm near Kodiak is planning to test the feasibility of growing three kinds of kelp; a looks at what people can expect during Petersburg's Little Norway Festival this week.

The Alaska Legislature shot down one of Gov. Mike Dunleavy's nominees to the state Board of Education this week; Alaska officials announce the launch of a campaign aimed at combating fentanyl; late last month, the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned the Anacapa. The cutter was stationed in Petersburg for more than three decades.

Goldmines in Canada near the border of British Columbia can negatively impact fisheries downstream in Alaska. A report from a nonprofit says some operate like a Ponzi scheme; The FBI arrested a cruise ship employee in Juneau after he allegedly stabbed people with scissors aboard the Norwegian Encore; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, will now include more low-mercury fish.

GCI customers in Bethel and across the state have been complaining of interruptions in phone services; a look at how the sale of Peter Pan's seafood processing plant in King Cove will affect this year's salmon season in the region; Petersburg residents marched downtown Sunday in observance of Alaska's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate are racing to craft a bill that would allow homeschool programs in Alaska to continue; Petersburg High School students got a taste of reality at a financial fair on Friday; a commentary about teacher salaries and education funding from Rachel Kandoll.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man in Keku Straight near Kuiu Island earlier this week; a ruling that declared two laws key to Alaska's homeschool system unconstitutional will be put on hold through the end of July; the Petersburg School District is preparing for possible measles cases in the face of ongoing outbreaks in the Lower 48.

The Alaska Senate passed its version of the state's operating budget yesterday; groups in Petersburg have different views when it comes to how much Narcan helps with opioid overdoses; Senate lawmakers are pushing for a return to a pension-style retirement system for state and local government workers.

A proposed management plan for Crystal Lake Hatchery king salmon will be considered by the Alaska Board of Fisheries next year; the U.S. Forest Service is seeking 10,000 handmade ornaments from Alaska to decorate the capital's christmas tree, which will be from the Tongass National Forest; opioid overdose deaths are up in Alaska.

The Sea Lion docked in Petersburg on Saturday, marking the beginning of cruise ship season; the Alaska House passed a bill last week that would standardize the property assessment process in the state; last month a whale biologist spotted a juvenile bowhead whale in Sitka Sound.

The Petersburg School District has joined a group that is planning to sue the state for failure to properly fund education; a ban on social media accounts for children under 14 passed the House on Friday; Ketchikan students are rehearsing a play adapted from a traditional Tsimshian origin story.