Alaska Congresswoman's Husband Dies in Plane Crash

Mary Peltola—Alaska's sole representative in the US House of Representatives—lost her husband early Wednesday following a plane crash, her office said in a statement posted to X. It described Eugene Peltola, the former regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Alaska, as "one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything. He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family. And family was most important to him. He was completely devoted to his parents, kids, siblings, extended family, and friends—and he simply adored Mary. We are heartbroken for the family's loss."

The Anchorage Daily News reports that details are scant, but it notes the sole aviation fatality in Alaska on Wednesday that is recorded in an FAA database involves a crash that took place near the village of St. Mary's in the western part of the state. An NTSB rep said a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub carrying a pilot and a hunter had gone to a "remote location" some 65 miles from St. Mary's. "The plane took off to go back and crashed while leaving," she said. NTSB investigators will inspect the scene on Thursday. (More Mary Peltola stories.)