The National Park Service (NPS) said in a press release that the glacial lake outburst from Bear Glacier completed significant draining on Nov. 13, nine days after the outburst began. The flooding danger has subsided, but a navigational hazard in Resurrection Bay exists as a result of ice re…

The Seward Community Health Center (SCHC) will be conducting drive-through testing Nov. 24 and Dec. 1-3. Tests will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the entrance to the Community Health Center, 417 First Avenue. The center says cars should line up on First Avenue at the parking lot ent…

The Public Safety Report is compiled from numerous sources, both official and unofficial, including police, fire, and EMS dispatches, press releases, official reports, court documents, interviews, and other sources. 

Following a recent tsunami false alarm, many Sewardites began needlessly evacuating, but those who had signed up for the city’s Nixle service all received a text message to stand down. Though everyone in Seward at the time received the tsunami warning, only those who had opted in to Nixle co…

A bevy of food trucks converged on Seward last week when the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race (GFTR) shot footage for an upcoming episode to be set in Alaska. 

This article has been updated to indicate 44 active cases, not 44 cases in a single day. We apologize for the error.

The City of Seward has closed all City offices to the public. Police and other critical services are still available. The measure is being taken because of the increasing rate of positive tests for the coronavirus according to a notice put out by the City.

On Nov. 4 the City Council met to discuss a City-commissioned study on wages and classifications for City employees. Conducted by staffing consultancy GovHR, the study states it, “establishes internal equity (ranking) among employees across departments within the City of Seward. Second, it a…

Sparks flew at Monday night’s city council meeting when Mayor Christy Terry interrupted acting City Manager Norm Regis over the hiring of a new police chief. With the impending retirement of police chief Tom Clemons, a search for his replacement has begun. The Council discussed the process b…

The National Park Service is advising people to be cautious downstream of Bear Glacier due to flooding caused by the draining of an ice-dammed lake located seven miles above the terminus of Bear Glacier. The service said on Monday that the ice-dammed lake began draining last week based upon …

Statewide elections ended with no changes

The Seward City Council welcomed a new member and two returning members at Monday night’s meeting. Re-elected councilwoman and former Vice Mayor Sue McClure was sworn in alongside the newly elected Liz DeMoss before the council heard from the three contenders vying for the seat left vacant b…

Nestled between the Liberty Theater and the First National Bank of Alaska, the Van Gilder Hotel keeps a silent watch over Adams Street just as it has for over a century. Normally thriving throughout the summer, this year the Van Gilder remained closed as the coronavirus pandemic kept the cru…

The Seward City Council dismissed City Manager Scott Meszaros Monday night. After adjourning to an executive session to discuss Meszaros’s performance, the council voted 5-2 to dismiss Meszaros, effective immediately. The council voted unanimously to provide Meszaros with two weeks of severa…

Shelby Roy sat in the cockpit of her junior dragster, helmeted in pink. The tiring flight down to the Owingsville, Kentucky I-64 Motorplex had been worth it for the 13-year-old Seward native. She had won all five of her previous heats, but one final competitor now stood between Shelby and he…

The Seward City Council is seeking applications from residents of Seward interested in serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission. There is one seat available with a term expiring February 29, 2023. The Planning and Zoning Commission holds regular meetings on the Firest Tuesday of every…

Tsunami sirens rang out across Seward on Monday afternoon, sending many residents inland along evacuation routes in search of high ground. The tsunami warning was issued unnecessarily along many Kenai Peninsula coastal areas after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Sand Point. Though Cit…

The Army Corps of Engineers presented its proposal for improvements to the Lowell Creek flood diversion project in a Seward-Bear Creek Flood Service Area (SBCFSA) Board Meeting Monday night. The main component of the proposal is a planned 18-foot diameter tunnel through Bear Mountain, upstre…

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake 55 miles southeast of Sand Point has not resulted in a tsunami warning for the Seward Area. A warning has been issued for the western peninsula and other locations in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Chain.

Delays on Lowell Point Road can be expected tomorrow between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. as crews will begin to clear dangerous rocks from the mountainside at the site of the recent rockslide. Special workers called scalers have been called in to ascend the cliff face and hang from ropes as they work …

Never again will Mike Warner wear mittens on a hunt. The 53-year-old Seward resident learned the hard way that when struggling under 400 pounds of angry grizzly, something as trivial as an ordinary glove can spell the difference between life and death. 

In the Seward City Council race Sue McClure maintains her seat on council receiving 222 votes. Liz DeMoss will join council having received 175 votes. Sean Corrigan finished third with 144 and Selma Casagranda received 58.

The temporary restraining order against the City of Seward’s demolition efforts at the historic Jesse Lee Home expired at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 30 after the preservation non-profit Friends of Jesse Lee Home (FLJH) failed to post the $536,720.73 bond required to convert the restraining order to an …

Next Wednesday and Thursday the Southcentral Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council (SASRAC) will meet via teleconference to discuss a proposed change in the designation of the Moose Pass community from nonrural to rural. The change in designation could potentially carry the privilege …

The Seward-Bear Creek Flood Service Area board has one seat coming open Oct 6. Anyone interested in applying for the seat may do so on the Borough’s online application portal. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible. The Board would like to fill the seat at the October 13 Assemb…

Captain Dale Butts recently retired after 30 years as a volunteer with the Seward Fire Department (SFD). Over his 30 years he has responded to over 1,000 calls for service to the community said Janis Melvin, administrator for the department. Whether it be a wreck, fire, medical emergency, or…

According to the City of Seward, Lowell Point Road is currently closed and will likely be closed through sometime tomorrow. An exact time of when public works will be able to get the road open again was not available.

Updat: Dayan has been located. 

The Seward Chamber of Commerce is seeking community input for its upcoming Winter Weekends initiative. Though much of the city begins to slow down as winter sets in, the Chamber has begun the early stages of planning year-round weekend events for visitors and residents alike.

On Sept. 19 the newly constructed Gateway Hotel played host to the viewing of a new portrait of Dorothy Urbach by artist Susan Swiderski. The Seward Community Library Association (SCLA) commissioned the painting to honor Urbach, who, in her 93 years, has achieved living legend status as a pa…

Update: Power issues have been resolved. 

A superior court judge has granted a conditional injunction against the City of Seward’s demolition efforts at the site of the historic Jesse Lee Home. Judge Lance Joanis ruled yesterday that the current restraining order against the city be replaced by a preliminary injunction if the non-pr…

A jumper on the Chugach Electric power line to Seward failed at around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, causing power outages throughout the city. Crews were notified, and power was restored at around 5 a.m. via city generators. Senior Power Plant Operator Asa Turner maintained the generators until C…

In 1918, New York artist Rockwell Kent and his nine-year-old son embarked on an adventure to Fox Island that would provide the inspiration for much of Kent’s most celebrated work. An upcoming short film by Alaskan filmmaker Eric Downs and his team at Downstream Films seeks to depict Kent’s a…

The fate of the historic Jesse Lee Home remains uncertain after yesterday’s hearing on a proposed injunction against the City of Seward’s demolition efforts at the site. The non-profit Friends of Jesse Lee Home (FJLH) is seeking to convert the current restraining order to an injunction, allo…

The Seward Chamber of Commerce continues its ongoing $5 Subway gift card giveaway for U.S. Census participants at the Seward Community Library and Museum. To be eligible, participants may bring census confirmation numbers or printed confirmation pages to the library. Additionally, the librar…

On Tuesday Superior Court Judge Lance Joanis granted a hearing on the injunction sought by the Friends of Jesse Lee Home (FJLH) against the City of Seward. The order comes one week after the FJLH raised the $72,000 bond required to extend the restraining order preventing the city from taking…

City Council Seat Available for Appointment – Deadline Friday, Oct. 16, 5 p.m.

The City of Seward has taken delivery of 18 new dumpsters. The city council approved the acquisition on April 13 to replace the dumpsters previously rented from Alaska Waste. Harbormaster Norm Regis said the move away from rented dumpsters promises to save the city thousands over time. 

The Seward Community Library & Museum is excited to announce a new window display all about American artist and author Rockwell Kent’s book “Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska.” Kent’s book celebrates 100 years since its original publication in 1920.

Public Safety Report

On Wednesday the Friends of Jesse Lee Home (FJLH) posted the $72,000 bond necessary to keep their restraining order against the city of Seward. The order prevents the city from taking further action to demolish the remaining structures on the site of the historic Jesse Lee Home, the birthpla…

On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Lance Joanis gave the non-profit Friends of Jesse Lee Home (FJLH) 24 hours to post $72,000 in order to preserve a restraining order preventing demolition of the historic Jesse Lee Home site.

Those wishing to obtain new or temporary water, sewer, or electric service from the City of Seward must make requests for service connections no later than September 25, and must have paid all fees and be ready to receive service by October 16. Work orders and requests received after Septemb…

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved an agreement on Tuesday between the Bear Creek and Lowell Point Volunteer Fire Departments that could significantly reduce response times for firefighters providing aid to their neighboring jurisdiction. Under the terms of the automatic aid agree…

Public Safety Report

On July 7, Seward City Manager Scott Meszaros submitted a resume and letter of interest for the position of Matanuska-Susitna Borough Manager. The submission came 14 months after Meszaros first assumed his city manager post in Seward.