Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Apr 20
House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders
A House bill would let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 by reclassifying them as first responders with police and firefighter benefits.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Psychologist who lost son to fentanyl urges Alaska lawmakers to support prevention
A psychologist whose son died from fentanyl poisoning urged Alaska lawmakers to fund education and demand reduction, citing 339 overdose deaths statewide in 2024.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House Finance sets amendment deadline for police, firefighter disability bill
House Finance set an April 23 amendment deadline for a bill raising disability pay for injured police and firefighters from 40 percent to 75 percent of salary.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Senate panel hears data center safeguards, tribal education bill
Senate panel heard testimony on a bill requiring data centers to cover their own infrastructure costs and protect Alaska ratepayers from fuel supply risks and rate increases.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Alaska lawmakers hear testimony on four ballot initiatives
Alaska lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on three November ballot initiatives covering citizenship voting requirements, campaign finance limits, and ranked choice voting repeal, with no votes taken.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House Resources Committee debates LNG equity stakes, rejects wildlife refuge amendments
Alaska House Resources Committee heard testimony on state equity stakes in the Alaska LNG project and rejected five wildlife refuge bill amendments on 5-4 party-line votes Friday.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago7 min read
Wild ice skating grows from isolated hobby to organized Alaska community
Wild ice skating has grown from solo hobby to organized Alaska community with nearly 12,700 members, drawing international media attention and spawning winter tours and equipment manufacturing.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House committee hears bill to eliminate tax discounts
Alaska House committee heard a bill to eliminate five obsolete tax discounts and deductions that would raise nearly $500,000 annually for the state.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
More from Anchorage
Senate Education Committee advances teacher loan repayment pilot program
Senate Education Committee advanced a bill offering teachers in high-need subjects up to $5,000 yearly for three years to repay student loans, targeting Alaska's teacher shortage.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate passes capital budget focused on school maintenance
Alaska Senate passed a capital budget prioritizing school maintenance over new construction, targeting roughly 15 projects from a $401 million statewide list.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate Finance hears bill expanding civil rights protections to nonprofits
A bill heard Monday would grant 44,000 nonprofit workers state discrimination protections. It closes a gap for those outside Anchorage and Juneau.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel hears refuse utility rate reform bill
A Senate panel heard a bill that would let trash haulers use faster rate-setting procedures, cutting delays from three years to months and reducing the large rate increases customers now face.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska judicial conduct commission to hold rare probable cause hearing this spring
Alaska's judicial conduct commission will hold a rare public hearing this spring to decide whether misconduct charges against an unnamed judge should advance to formal proceedings.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readSenate Panel Advances Nine Board Nominees After Confirmation Hearings
Alaska Senate committee advanced nine board nominees for confirmation, after hearings on rural healthcare access, pharmacist scope of practice, and COVID-era business practices.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Senate panel approves $485 million Department of Revenue budget
Senate Finance Subcommittee approved a $485.1 million Department of Revenue budget for fiscal year 2027, rejecting a proposal to consolidate Permanent Fund Corporation spending into a single account.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Senate Resources advances three bills on agriculture, evacuations, invasive species
Senate Resources advanced three bills Friday: one speeds up agricultural land leases for farmers, one standardizes evacuation color codes statewide, and one creates an invasive species council to coordinate control efforts. • All three passed without objection.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Coming up
Alaska Black Business Holiday Expo
Alaska Native Heritage Center, 8800 Heritage Center Drive, Anchorage, AK 99504
Community event
Second Saturday Art Exhibit
Exhibition
Legally Blonde, JR: The Musical
Performance
JCC Bunco and Potluck
Community event
Awakening of Winter 7 – Dude, Where's the Snow?!
Community event
About Anchorage
Anchorage (Dgheyay Kaq') is the largest city in Alaska, set in Southcentral Alaska between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet. The Municipality of Anchorage takes in neighborhoods and communities from downtown, Midtown and Spenard to Eagle River and Girdwood.
The Anchorage Assembly passes ordinances, approves municipal contracts and reviews liquor license renewals, and the mayor appoints members of city boards and commissions. Local questions return to housing density and building in earthquake hazard zones, police funding and surveillance rules, parks and public facilities, and the condition and staffing of its schools.
Anchorage holds the Port of Alaska and sits beside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, so military needs such as helicopter landing sites come before city government. It shares Southcentral Alaska with the Mat-Su Valley, the Kenai Peninsula and the other communities around Cook Inlet.
More from Anchorage
House Judiciary adopts committee substitute for infant safety device bill
House Judiciary advanced a bill to let hospitals and fire stations install anonymous infant safety boxes, after two infants died abandoned in Anchorage since 2013.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House Resources advances Vogler nomination to Regulatory Commission
House Resources Committee advanced Julie Vogler's nomination to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to the full legislature for confirmation.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska lawmakers urge federal reclassification of 911 dispatchers
Alaska lawmakers are urging Congress to reclassify 911 dispatchers as first responders to give them access to federal training, grants, and mental health resources.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readSenate panel advances Lambertson to Police Standards Council despite questions
The Senate Judiciary Committee forwarded Veronica Lambertson's appointment to the Alaska Police Standards Council to a joint session for confirmation, after Senator Tobin raised questions about whether she meets statutory requirements for the seat.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
State regulators extend review periods for Railbelt utility tariffs
Alaska regulators extended review timelines for rate changes from Chugach Electric and Enstar Natural Gas serving Southcentral Alaska.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHouse panel advances seafood industry data-sharing bill
House committee advanced a bill allowing the University of Alaska and state labor department to share seafood industry data for research.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Airlines Pilots Raise Concerns Over Hawaiian Merger Integration
Alaska Airlines pilots worry the Hawaiian merger will delay their access to widebody aircraft, as seniority list integration begins following Hawaiian's flight code retirement on April 22.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readRural Alaska Electricity Costs Run Three to Five Times Urban Rates
Rural Alaskans pay three to five times more for electricity than urban residents because remote villages rely on expensive diesel microgrids, despite state renewable energy plans.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Assembly rejects resolution seeking larger Basher Trailhead parking lot
Anchorage Assembly rejected a resolution to expand Basher Trailhead parking from 45 to 60 spaces, voting 5-6 over whether it should override the administration's design work.
by Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago3 min read
Week of Apr 13
Two Skiers Rescued After Avalanche Near Turnagain Pass
Two skiers were rescued by helicopter Thursday after an avalanche at Falls Creek Trail near Turnagain Pass, with both sustaining injuries requiring hospital transport.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAssembly Approves Study of Wildfire Service Area for High-Risk Zones
Anchorage Assembly voted to study creating a wildfire service area funded by property taxes on high-risk zones to pay for dedicated fire protection where development meets wildland.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Overhauls School Construction Funding to Help Rural Districts Compete
Alaska is changing school construction funding to prioritize building safety over age. The new rules start for fiscal year 2028.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago4 min readAlaska House Approves $2M for Talkeetna Trooper Post Using ANWR Funds
Alaska House approved $2 million from Arctic refuge revenues to restore a trooper post in Talkeetna, citing a 113-mile law enforcement gap and fentanyl trafficking on the Parks Highway.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min readWeek of Apr 6
House Finance passes Mount Edgecombe funding bill, advances mail theft measure
House Finance passed a revised bill to fund Mount Edgecombe High School through rural education funds, and advanced a measure making mail theft a Class C felony with up to five years in prison.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate panel considers tougher penalties for fatal hit-and-run crashes
Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a bill that would increase prison time for fatal hit-and-run crashes, citing 15 fatal hit-and-runs in Anchorage in 2024.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readAlaska House committee advances bill to expand early intervention eligibility
A House bill would lower Alaska's early intervention eligibility threshold to match federal standards, potentially saving $34.9 million annually in special education costs.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate considers tougher penalties for hit-and-run deaths
Alaska Senate committee heard testimony on a bill making fleeing a fatal accident a Class A felony with 7 to 11 years prison time, instead of treating it the same as injury hit-and-runs.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readWeek of Mar 30
House Education Committee Advances Bill to Boost Residential School Funding
House Education Committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill to raise funding for Alaska's nine residential schools for the first time since 2015, adding $2.3 million annually to cover inflation.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate Panel Questions DNR Commissioner Nominee on Gas Development
Senate committee pressed DNR nominee John Crowther on Cook Inlet gas supply and oil royalty disputes as he seeks confirmation to lead Alaska's resource department.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate Committee Advances Bill to Raise Alaska's Age of Consent Amid Sexual Violence Crisis
Alaska Senate advances bill to raise age of consent from 16 to 18, addressing the state's crisis of sexual violence against young people.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Faces Russian Seafood Ban, Spending Limits, and Healthcare Access Bills
House advanced bills to keep Russian seafood out of U.S. markets, require a supermajority vote for large state savings withdrawals, and expand rural healthcare access through telehealth reimbursement and physician assistant authority. • Representative Stutes recognized Juneau advocate Katie Boats for a decade of work on sexual assault law reform.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read
