Alaska Land Sales: The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is taking sealed bids for the 2026 State Land Auction (Offering #498), covering 152 parcels statewide, with bids due Sept. 30 and apparent high bidders announced Oct. 21; buyers can bid on up to two parcels, and unsold tracts may roll into over-the-counter sales starting Nov. 18, with in-house financing available for qualified purchasers. Alaska LNG Politics: Alaska lawmakers and Gov. Mike Dunleavy are back in a second special session after failing to agree on a multibillion-dollar property tax break for the proposed North Slope gas pipeline, setting up a conference committee to try to bridge House and Senate versions. Statehouse Pushback: Dunleavy extended his record-high veto pace by vetoing nine bills, while lawmakers overrode two vetoes tied to pharmacists’ authority and the state board for engineers and architects. Fisheries Relief: NOAA announced $124 million in fisheries disaster aid, including $75.2 million for Alaska’s Bering Sea snow crab fishery and $18.5 million for the Chignik salmon fishery, plus funding for other Alaska salmon fisheries. Communications Tower Fight (Petersburg): The Petersburg borough assembly reversed course and approved the sale of a borough parcel for a wireless communications tower to Tidal Network after earlier rejection sparked resident concerns about impacts and alternatives. Crypto in Anchorage: Anchorage Digital launched a tokenized deposit platform aimed at bringing banks onchain, while Clear Street reported its first Bitcoin Depositary Receipt trades through a traditional prime brokerage platform. AT&T Service Change: AT&T asked the FCC to end operator-dialed long-distance service for Alaska customers by July 31, citing very low call volume. Nova Minerals Exploration: Nova Minerals, now redomiciled to the U.S., began 2026 drilling at its Estelle gold and critical minerals project in Alaska, including antimony and gold work at the Stibium and RPM areas. Coast Guard Incident: A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crash in Sitka injured all four crew members, with recovery operations underway.