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Alaska House Committee Advances Cryptocurrency Kiosk Regulations After Scam Victims Lose Millions
The Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee voted Wednesday to advance consumer protection legislation requiring licensing, transaction limits, and fraud warnings on cryptocurrency kiosks after scammers stole $26 million from Alaskans in 2024.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
Downtown library to be named for Anchorage's original townsite
Anchorage's Public Naming Commission scheduled a June 10 public hearing on naming a new downtown library the Anchorage Original Townsite Downtown Library, honoring donor Janet Goetz's wishes and the city's historic core.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
House rejects Galena school funding swap after dramatic rescind vote
The Alaska House of Representatives narrowly rejected an amendment to redirect $5 million from a Galena school renovation to Anchorage and Mat-Su projects after a dramatic rescind vote brought the measure back for reconsideration.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAILeaks, mold, cold plague Anchorage apartments after California takeover
Anchorage apartment tenants are experiencing leaks, mold, cold and sewage problems after a California landlord took over their buildings, highlighting concerns about out-of-state property management.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAIAlaska Lawmakers Advance Electronic Pull-Tab Gaming Bill
The House Labor and Commerce Committee passed legislation legalizing electronic pull-tab gaming after debate over market competition, manufacturer caps, and concerns about creating monopolies.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAI
Alaska House panel expands farm tax breaks to flowers, hay
The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee voted Thursday to add peonies, Alaska-grown flowers, and hay production back into the state's farm property tax deferral program while fixing an eligibility gap that excluded S-corporation farms.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
House Finance approves pharmacist prescription bill after rejecting nurse compact
The House Finance Committee advanced a bill expanding pharmacist prescribing authority Thursday after voting down an amendment to add Alaska to a 40-state nurse licensure compact, despite warnings the compact is required for federal healthcare funding.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
Senate panel cuts oil production tax rate from 35% to 17%
The Senate Finance Committee adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 227 that would slash Alaska's oil and gas production tax rate by more than half and eliminate several tax credits and deductions.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAI
House panel hears gas line tax bill with 15-cent volumetric fee
The House Finance Committee heard testimony Thursday on House Bill 381, which would replace traditional property taxes on the Alaska LNG pipeline with a 15-cent per thousand cubic feet volumetric tax, generating an estimated $577 million by 2033 while giving municipalities decision-making authority over gas treatment plants and LNG facilities.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAI
Senate Finance reviews bill to double bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5M
The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony Thursday on legislation to double the maximum bulk fuel loan from $750,000 to $1.5 million and eliminate pooled loan caps, responding to rising fuel costs in rural Alaska.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAI
House panel rejects gaming price caps after industry debate
The House Labor and Commerce Committee voted Thursday to rescind and then reject amendments that would have lowered manufacturer price caps on electronic pull-tabs, following debate over market competition and rural Alaska impacts.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska House passes mental health education bill after emotional debate
The Alaska House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 41 by a 27-13 vote Thursday, requiring the state to develop optional mental health curriculum guidelines for K-12 schools to address Alaska's nation-leading youth suicide rate.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIAutonomous vehicle bill advances despite state warnings on outdated standards
The Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on a bill requiring human safety operators in autonomous vehicles, with the Department of Transportation warning the legislation uses decade-old definitions that could harm innovation and grant competitiveness.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAI
Senate panel advances gas pipeline bill with reduced community payments
The Senate Resources Committee adopted a comprehensive substitute for SB 280 that cuts community impact payments by 75 percent, raises the oil production tax floor, and caps consumer gas prices while protecting Alaskans from cost overruns above $15 billion.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAIHouse panel advances retirement savings program for private workers
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 21, which would create Alaska Work and Save, an automatic IRA program for employees whose employers do not offer retirement plans.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIHouse Finance advances fire station grant program after rejecting rural aid amendments
The House Finance Committee advanced a fire station grant program Friday after rejecting amendments that would have lowered match requirements for small rural communities, highlighting tensions between urban and rural fire safety needs.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
House panel advances bill to expand early intervention for delayed infants
The House Health and Social Services Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 178, which would lower Alaska's developmental delay threshold from 50% to 25% for children ages 0-3 to qualify for intervention services.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAI
Senate panel advances gas pipeline bill with oil tax floor increase
The Alaska Senate Resources Committee advanced a gas pipeline bill Friday that raises the minimum oil production tax from 4% to 6% starting in 2027, a change not tied to pipeline construction.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIOil industry opposes gas pipeline tax bill over bundled oil tax increases
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association testified Friday against Senate Bill 280, arguing that oil tax increases bundled with gas pipeline incentives could undermine investment momentum in Alaska's oil sector.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
House Resources passes agricultural land lease bill unanimously
The House Resources Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 208 on Friday, advancing legislation that would make it easier for farmers to lease state land for agriculture.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage zoning board approves deck variance despite staff concerns
The Anchorage Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals voted 9-0 Friday to allow a deck to remain 3 feet from a property line instead of the required 5 feet, overriding a staff recommendation that found one variance standard only partially met.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAI
House Finance reschedules gas line hearing, shifts to vehicle title bill
The House Finance Committee announced Friday that a scheduled hearing on gas line legislation may be canceled pending a Rules Committee decision, prompting the panel to reorganize its agenda around a vehicle and boat transfer-on-death title bill.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAIAlaska budget fight leaves $40M in senior, disability care hanging
A legislative conference committee must reconcile more than $40 million in disputed funding for senior and disability services before the Alaska Legislature adjourns on May 20, with the House and Senate deeply divided on nearly every line item.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAIAlaska pauses behavioral health grant overhaul after provider pushback
Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health paused planned fiscal year 2027 grant program changes and will extend existing CBHTR Outpatient and Residential programs for two more years after receiving provider feedback about system readiness.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAIAlaska limits disability employment training to 50 care coordinators
Alaska is limiting a free online course on employment services for people with disabilities to the first 50 care coordinators who register, raising questions about workforce training capacity statewide.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAIInupiaq craftsman revives nearly lost qayaq-building tradition
Lou Logan will present on his 18-month project building a traditional Inupiaq qayaq at the Alaska State Museum, working to recover construction techniques that were almost entirely lost due to cultural loss and assimilation.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIHouse panel backs call for federal help relocating storm-destroyed villages
The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee approved a resolution Friday urging federal support for relocating two Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages devastated by Ex-Typhoon Halong, though no federal framework exists for such emergency relocations.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIMount Kupreanof shows signs of magma intrusion 50 miles from Sand Point
Mount Kupreanof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula has been raised to YELLOW alert status after showing signs of magmatic intrusion for the first time in over 10,000 years, with potential impacts to Sand Point 50 miles away.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min readAIAlaska Legislature rejects governor's attorney general nominee
The Alaska Legislature voted 31-29 Thursday to reject Stephen Cox's confirmation as Attorney General, with bipartisan opposition citing his lack of Alaska experience, controversial amicus briefs, and failure to defend Alaska against federal overreach.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago3 min readAIStone Soup Group finale teaches families IEP advocacy for disabled youth
Stone Soup Group hosts its final Transitions Series event on May 30, 2026, teaching families of disabled youth how to advocate at IEP meetings and navigate disability policy in Alaska.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAISitka voters to decide charter change on initiative and referendum power
The Sitka Assembly will consider placing a charter amendment on the October 2026 ballot that would alter the city's initiative and referendum process.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAIAlaska Opens First Mountain Lion Hunting Season in Southeast
Alaska has approved its first mountain lion hunting season in Southeast Alaska, effective August 1, as the species expands north from British Columbia.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAIYukon Chum Salmon Forecast Misses Escapement Goal, Triggers Fishery Closures
Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed Yukon River drainage chum salmon fisheries after the 2026 preseason forecast of 345,600 fish fell below the 500,000 minimum escapement goal, triggering automatic closures under state regulation.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAI52 Alaska districts join safety consortium using federal grant model
Hydaburg City School District is leading 52 Alaska school districts in a safety consortium based on a federal grant program proven on Prince of Wales Island, with participants receiving customized safety handbooks through a working symposium.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAIUnorganized Borough Gains First Seat on Boundary Commission
Senate Bill 63 creates the first Local Boundary Commission seat for Alaska's Unorganized Borough and passed the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAIWasilla Senator's Mother Scammed, Sparks Crypto Kiosk Crackdown
Senator Cathy Tilton's bill to regulate cryptocurrency kiosks passed the Alaska Senate unanimously after her mother was scammed out of thousands of dollars, part of $26 million Alaskans lost to online fraud in 2024.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAIHouse panel advances domestic violence protective order extensions
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Wednesday allowing judges to extend protective orders for domestic violence victims from one year to up to five years, sparing survivors from annual court appearances.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAI
Point Thomson Gas Blowdown Could Cost Alaska 65M Barrels of Condensate
State regulators told lawmakers that switching Point Thomson from gas cycling to blowdown for the proposed gas pipeline would sacrifice roughly 65 million barrels of highly valuable condensate—Alaska's most valuable North Slope resource.
by Alaska News4mo ago5 min readAI
Kodiak artists face Sunday deadline for 26th Crab Fest Art Show
The Kodiak Arts Council and The Frame Shop are accepting submissions until May 17 for the 26th annual Crab Fest Art Show, which will exhibit May 22-24 at the Kodiak Harbormaster building with both physical and virtual components.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAIMcNeil River bear viewing access dispute revealed in survey results
Alaska Department of Fish and Game posted results from a McNeil River stakeholder survey that drew 741 responses, revealing access disputes that will keep operations status quo while the agency reviews feedback on transportation methods and bear viewing access.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAI