(Fairbanks, AK) – On January 13, 2026, Martin Hietala, 42, was sentenced to 34 years for the 2018 kidnapping and assault of a woman in a Fairbanks hotel room. On July 15, 2018, Mr. Hietala restrained victim J.B. in a Fairbanks hotel room and repeatedly strangled her, twice to unconsciousness, while he interrogated her about spying […]
(Fairbanks, AK) –On Jan. 9, 2026, Albert Nickoli pled guilty to Assault in the First Degree for allegations stemming from a June 2024 assault on Hillary Evans. On June 11, 2024, Nickoli contacted Ms. Evans at her home in Galena, Alaska, in violation of conditions imposed in another case. He repeatedly assaulted her over an […]
United States Files Disclaimer Confirming Alaska Ownership (Anchorage, AK) – Monday, the United States issued a Quiet Title Act Disclaimer and asked U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason to confirm what the State of Alaska has argued for the last seven years: The North Fork of the Fortymile River is navigable and the submerged lands […]
(Fairbanks, AK) – A Fairbanks jury returned a guilty verdict against 38-year-old Tessa Hillyer, of Fairbanks, for Murder in the Second Degree. Hillyer faces a sentence of between 15 years and 99 years. The jury acquitted Hillyer of the charge of Murder in the First Degree. On May 6, 2025, Hillyer’s stepmom called Alaska State Troopers […]