Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against confirming Kash Patel as President Trump's FBI director; a conversation about the Alaska Permanent Fund's risky investing in Alaska-based companies; and at least nine U.S. Forest Service employees in Petersburg lost their jobs, which could impact the local economy.

Federal workers in Juneau are dealing with layoffs; Anchorage parents could be held legally liable if their child brings a deadly weapon to school; and a bill that would boost state funding for public schools took a step forward on Wednesday.

Alaska Marine Highway officials say they're struggling with staffing for the ferry system; state lawmakers are considering a new student loan repayment program; and Petersburg held a town hall last week to talk about the future of tourism in Alaska's Little Norway.

Nearly 250 people gathered outside Petersburg's courthouse yesterday to show support for recently fired federal employees; a look at a bill that would return public-sector workers to a defined benefit pension system; and the Petersburg Borough Assembly will hear an annual report from the police department at tonight's meeting.

Petersburg's high school basketball teams played in Haines over the weekend; Alaska's Board of Fisheries rejected a proposal that would've closed a bay near Sitka to commercial herring fishing; and Ketchikan's school board approved combining its three elementary schools by grade level.

Wrangell's new water treatment plant is almost done; a yearly test of Alaska's tsunami warning system has been cancelled; and Petersburg Borough officials say it'll be tough to get the local funding that the school district says it needs.

A new report in Haines highlights parts of the borough that might be prone to landslides; three people arrested on felony drug charges were arraigned in Wrangell; and a team of researchers in Alaska have banded together to investigate a famous Alaska shipwreck.

Hatchery production of chum and pink salmon will continue as usual this year in Southeast; the man suspected of providing the drugs that lead to deaths in Skagway is now facing federal charges; and Petersburg's high school basketball teams had their final home games of the season last weekend.