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Soldotna fisherman files for governor on food-security platform
Soldotna commercial fisherman Hank Kroll filed to run for Alaska governor as a Republican. • He proposes acquiring 28 million federal acres and tying Permanent Fund Dividend payments to land transfers to boost food production. • Alaska imports 90 to 95 percent of its food from outside the state.

Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand seeks retention
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand, appointed in 2022, is seeking voter retention in November 2026 after handling criminal, family, and probate cases across the First Judicial District.

Former Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson files for Alaska governor
Former Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson filed Friday to run for Alaska governor as a Republican, pledging aggressive resource development and lower energy costs.

Darren Morgan Deacon files for Alaska State Senate District S
Darren Morgan Deacon, a former tribal chief from Kalskag, filed as a Republican for Alaska State Senate District S on a platform of full Permanent Fund dividends and subsistence rights protection.

Nonpartisan files for Anchorage state Senate seat
Nicholas Danger, a 70-year-old health and safety manager, filed as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska State Senate District G, running on budget cuts, full Permanent Fund dividends, and moving the state capital to Willow.

Fairbanks wealth manager files for lieutenant governor
Josh Church, a Fairbanks wealth manager and Marine Corps veteran, filed Thursday to run for lieutenant governor in 2026 as a Republican.

Mat-Su removes gravel permit barrier in Knik-Fairview
The Mat-Su Assembly voted 6-1 to remove comprehensive plans as a binding standard for gravel permits, replacing it with a requirement that planners give plans due consideration but are not bound by them.

Anchorage man dies in ATV crash near Knik River
Brandon Ilutsik, 42, of Anchorage died Friday after his ATV crashed on a trail near the Knik River, Alaska State Troopers reported.

North Slope approves $3 million police camera contract
North Slope Borough Assembly approved a $3 million five-year contract with Axon Enterprise to upgrade police worn body cameras and tasers.

Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs
Anchorage schools will reassign nurses from schools with fewer medical needs to cover schools with students requiring tube feedings or diabetes management, responding to a shortage that left some schools without staff.

ASD claims state funding bill comes too late
Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.

Mt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students

Three years after Typhoon Merbok, Alaska's rebuild continues
Can we build it, yes we can!

Man escapes Fairbanks facility; troopers seek public help
A man has escaped and they want him back

Alaskans' debt falls to lowest level in a decade
Alaska adults carried an average of $68,900 in household debt in 2024, down roughly $1,900 from 2023 and the lowest level in a decade, though Alaskans still owe about $7,300 more per person than the national average.

State library, archives, and museum mark ten years in shared Juneau building
Alaska's State Library, Archives, and Museum building in Juneau marks ten years since opening in 2016 with a free family fair on June 27.

Alaska clarifies Medicaid psychotherapy billing rules for master's-level clinicians
Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health clarified that master's-level clinicians pursuing licensure can bill Medicaid for psychotherapy under supervision, letting clinics deploy new therapists immediately.

ConocoPhillips is widening the last gravel road before Willow's modules hit ice
The Willow project takes another step forward

Chase filing sets up Kotzebue, North Slope rematch in House District 40
A rematch up north between the sitting House Representative from HD40 and the Mayor of Kotzebue

Alaska Judicial Council seeks Kotzebue Superior Court applicants
Kotzebue needs a judge. those can be very hard to find.

Alaska's draft 2026-2030 maternal and child health plan is open for comment — these are the seven priorities under review
Babies are important, tell Alaska in which ways

Anchor River, Deep Creek closed through mid-July as king salmon returns fall short
Alaska closed Anchor River and Deep Creek to all fishing through July 15 due to weak king salmon returns on the Lower Kenai Peninsula, with gear restrictions continuing through July 31.

Kodiak king salmon bag limit cut to one fish as Karluk runs collapse
Alaska cut Kodiak king salmon bag limit to one fish per day and closed west side salt waters through June after only 93 kings returned to Karluk River in 2025, far below recovery targets.

Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.
South Anchorage comes out to vote. Holland and Boyle have until November to make their case.

Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left

Mat-Su Planning Commission advances multifamily design standards rewrite
Mat-Su Planning Commission approved a resolution Monday to rewrite multifamily design standards, with a public hearing set for June 15 before the proposal goes to the borough assembly.

ENSTAR says it locked in a price for Alaska LNG
ENSTAR locked in $16 per thousand cubic feet for North Slope pipeline gas, undercutting LNG imports at $20 to $23 but raising costs 48% above current Cook Inlet supply before adding $4.50 to $6 in distribution and storage charges.

Open South Midtown seat draws three candidates after Josephson opts not to seek reelection.
House District 13 in South Midtown Anchorage has three candidates after Rep. Andy Josephson declined reelection: Democrat Lisa Keller, Democrat Felix Rivera, and Republican Sarah Short, in a district where the last race was decided by 477 votes.

Vance-Johnson rematch gives southern Kenai Peninsula a cleaner House race
Rep. Sarah Vance faces a rematch against nonpartisan Brent Johnson in House District 6 on the southern Kenai Peninsula after a third Republican candidate split the vote in 2024.

Twenty-two-vote House race becomes open-seat fight in North Anchorage
David Nelson is OUT. It's former lawmaker Cliff Groh v Dan Sager.

Stapp draws same-party challenge in East Fairbanks House district
Republican Rep. Will Stapp faces a same-party challenge from Seth Church in House District 32, which covers East Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright and Badger. Stapp won the seat in 2024 with 67 percent of the vote.

Costello-Wells rematch puts Southwest Anchorage House seat back in play
Rep. Mia Costello, a Republican, faces a rematch against Democrat Denny Wells in Southwest Anchorage House District 15 after beating him by 529 votes in 2024.

Ketchikan House race pits utility incumbent against borough assembly challenger
Ketchikan has a race on its hand with a last minute filing

Underwood-Eastman rematch gives Wasilla voters another House District 27 choice
Rep. Jubilee Underwood and former Rep. David Eastman, both Wasilla Republicans, are set for a rematch in House District 27 after Underwood defeated him by 196 votes in 2024.

Senate Finance hears $18 billion revenue trade-off for Alaska LNG tax break
Senate Finance heard the proposed Alaska LNG tax break would cut state and municipal revenues by $18 billion over 30 years, but the estimate rests on construction costs that may range from $45 billion to $90 billion.

Kodiak Lands Committee directs staff to study housing development at youth baseball field
Kodiak Island Borough Lands Committee directed staff to study converting the 16-acre Killarney Hills youth baseball field into at least 30 residential lots to address housing shortages.

Tanana Chiefs Conference names cancer center for Andy and Barbara Jimmy
Tanana Chiefs Conference named its Fairbanks cancer center for Andy and Barbara Jimmy, honoring the former Minto chief and his wife for decades of leadership and advocacy in Alaska Native health.

Canoe capsizes on Tolsona Lake; rescue raft overturns; all reach island safely
A canoe capsized on Tolsona Lake near Glennallen on May 29, a rescue raft overturned, but all occupants wearing life jackets reached an island safely and were picked up by troopers and fire crews with no injuries reported.

Trump order on off-road vehicle rules could reshape Alaska federal-land access fights
Trump rescinded executive orders requiring federal agencies to minimize off-road vehicle damage to wildlife and soils, potentially reshaping access rules on Alaska's 60 percent federally owned lands.

Labor department hosts Fairbanks skills event Wednesday
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development hosts a skills and employment event Wednesday, June 3, in Fairbanks through its Job Center Network.
