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Week of May 11
Alaska opens second round of rural health webinars for $272M program
Alaska is hosting webinars May 13 through 15 to plan how to spend $272 million in federal rural health funding, the second-highest amount awarded to any state.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min readHome care worker pay mandate divides Alaska lawmakers over rural access
House Bill 96 would require home care agencies to spend 80 percent of Medicaid rates on worker pay over four years. • Rural providers warn the mandate could cut service access; worker advocates say it protects caregivers bearing travel costs. • Lawmakers divided as Alaska's elderly population is projected to surge 500 percent in 25 to 30 years.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska House Passes Required Local Contribution Cap for Schools
Alaska House voted 24-16 to cap annual growth in required local school funding at 2%, shifting roughly $29 million in education costs from municipalities to the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Alaska House rejects optional school district healthcare pooling plan
Alaska House rejected a plan that would have let school districts join the state healthcare program, turning down potential savings of $31 million to $42 million annually for major districts.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Week of May 4
Alaska Native Women Face Trafficking Risks Across Rural and Urban Areas
Alaska Native women and girls face heightened trafficking and abuse risks across rural and urban areas. • A 2026 federal report found Alaska's foster care system failed to assess Native children in state custody for sex trafficking. • Rural villages lack law enforcement, shelters, and victim services, making communities vulnerable to exploitation.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom Alaska House Finance Rejects Cemetery, School, Energy Amendments
Alaska House Finance rejected five capital budget amendments Friday, citing limited revenue. • Denied $850,000 for Eagle River cemetery and full funding for Galena school renovations. • Also rejected Arctic Winter Games support, West Susitna road authority, and $5 million hydroelectric study.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska LNG Tax Bill Stalls as Lawmakers Demand Project Cost Data
Alaska lawmakers lack confidential cost data to set taxes on the proposed Alaska LNG project with only days left in the session.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Interior transfers 1.4 million acres in Dalton corridor to Alaska
Interior transferred 1.4 million acres along the Dalton Corridor to Alaska, completing 96% of the state's statehood land entitlement, though some Alaska Native tribes have sued over the selections.
by Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago2 min readMore from Interior
House Panel Advances $40M Community Impact Fund for Gas Pipeline
House Resources Committee voted 7-2 to increase a community impact fund for Alaska LNG pipeline municipalities to $40 million, over the project developer's objection that it exceeds economic modeling.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Aurora Borealis Lights Up Kodiak and Interior Alaska Skies
Aurora borealis lit up Kodiak and Interior Alaska skies on April 18, visible for hours under clear conditions during the ongoing solar maximum.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom Vivid Northern Lights Draw Fairbanks Viewers to Night Sky
Vivid green auroras lit up Fairbanks and North Pole skies on April 19, matching forecasts and marking part of a solar cycle expected to bring frequent displays for another one to two years.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readFrom 
Senate Finance forwards Anchorage attorney to State Assessment Review Board
Senate Finance Committee advanced Anchorage attorney Jana Welsheen's nomination to the State Assessment Review Board to a joint legislative session for confirmation.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Smoke from Boundary Fire Settles Over Tanana, Residents Report Health Impacts
Heavy smoke from the Boundary Fire settled over Tanana on May 4, forcing residents indoors and disrupting fishing and woodcutting as elders reported breathing difficulties.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate panel proposes doubling Dalton Highway surcharge in gas line bill
Senate committee doubled the Dalton Highway maintenance surcharge to 30 cents per barrel in the gas pipeline bill, but questioned whether $1 billion in tax cuts justify the cost to Alaska.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel hears tax proposal for Alaska LNG project
House panel heard a proposal to cut Alaska LNG's property tax burden from $750 million yearly by 2033 to about $200 million through a volumetric tax on gas volume.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska residential schools seek doubled stipends to cover rising costs
Senate Bill 257 would double state funding for Alaska residential schools to cover rising costs. The bill aims to fix a funding gap that has remained stagnant since 2014.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
About Interior
Interior Alaska is the region centered on Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley, spanning the land between the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range. It includes the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, North Pole, Delta Junction, Healy and Nenana, along with villages such as Fort Yukon, Manley Hot Springs and Lake Minchumina.
Its continental climate brings extreme temperature swings and winter storms, and the Parks, Steese, Elliott, Dalton and Tok Cutoff highways cross summits where winter weather makes driving difficult. The region is also seismically active, and earthquakes there are felt across the road system.
Rural villages rely on small utilities, federally subsidized air service and Tanana Chiefs Conference, the regional tribal organization, for services such as water, planning and grant writing. Golden Valley supplies electricity to the region, and federal land managers set trail and subsistence rules for areas such as the White Mountains, the Steese and Gates of the Arctic.
More from Interior
House panel advances Alaska Native language task force bill
House panel advanced a bill to create a task force reviewing Alaska Native language preservation, with lawmakers calling the state's language situation a crisis.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Flash flood inundates Anderson home as water rises over 6 feet overnight
Flash flood swept through Anderson overnight May 3-4, raising water more than 6 feet and inundating at least one home in the remote Interior village of about 250 people.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAnchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
Anchorage School District approved closing three elementary schools and cutting over 500 staff positions to address a $90 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Week of Apr 27
Senate adds $156M to capital budget, prioritizes deferred maintenance
Alaska Senate added $156 million to the capital budget for deferred maintenance at schools, universities, and state facilities after oil prices rose beyond the governor's projections.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Fairbanks Borough mails 2026 property assessment notices
Fairbanks Borough mailed 2026 property assessment notices in late January, and values may have risen even if your home hasn't changed, based on neighborhood sales and market conditions.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min read
House panel ties Alaska gas line tax breaks to Fairbanks spur line
House panel tied tax breaks for Alaska's LNG project to building a spur line delivering affordable gas to Fairbanks and military bases, shifting the debate over who pays for Interior access.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Veterans sentencing bill advances despite concerns over court authority
House Bill 299 would let judges override prosecutors to place veterans in misdemeanor treatment courts, but prosecutors and court officials warned of separation of powers litigation.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Housing agency buys 600+ acres statewide to spur development
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation bought 600+ acres statewide with $12.5 million to spur single-family housing development, with developer proposals due in June and construction expected summer 2027.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska's Right-to-Repair Bill Navigates National Debate on Consumer Access
Alaska House committee advanced a right-to-repair bill requiring manufacturers to provide repair parts and documentation, pushing the effective date to 2029.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Fairbanks father's testimony drives push for faster body cam release
The House State Affairs Committee advanced a bill requiring police to release body camera footage within 30 days of serious incidents.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Senate panel advances 10 health board nominees to full Legislature
Alaska Senate committee advanced 10 health board nominees to the full Legislature for confirmation, including reappointments to nursing, pharmacy, and optometry boards.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Residential Schools Seek Doubled Funding Tied to Base Allocation
Alaska's seven residential boarding schools want legislation to double their per-student funding to $25,700 and tie future increases to the base student allocation.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Denali Borough mayor opposes state control of pipeline tax payments
Denali Borough's mayor opposes SB 280's requirement that pipeline tax payments flow through the legislature, urging direct payments to municipalities before construction starts in 2026.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Energy consultant: Alaska LNG tax bill could cut delivered cost by 20 cents
A tax overhaul for Alaska LNG could cut delivered gas costs to Asia by 20 cents per unit, an energy consultant told lawmakers, but the Senate is pushing for higher taxes that could change the math.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Universities Report 73% Jump in Teacher Pipeline Enrollment
University of Alaska teacher pipeline enrollment jumped 73 percent, with the university awarding over $1 million in scholarships to 109 candidates as the state works to fill 324 teacher vacancies.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
How to challenge your property assessment in Fairbanks North Star Borough
Fairbanks North Star Borough property owners have 30 days from their January assessment notice to appeal the assessed value, with unresolved disputes decided by a public Board of Equalization hearing.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
House Judiciary advances bill extending confidentiality to tribal advocates
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to grant tribal victim advocates the same legal confidentiality protections as other state programs.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska LNG Tax Bill Walks Tightrope Between Project Viability and Local Needs
House committee approved a three-part tax on Alaska LNG with a six-year break, but Senate wants rates up to 55 cents per thousand cubic feet. • The bill requires community benefit agreements and revenue sharing with municipalities, but lacks enforcement details. • North Slope and Kenai Peninsula boroughs could take equity stakes instead of tax payments, a structure unlike other major LNG projects.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House Finance considers multi-year school funding averaging bill
House Bill 261 would let Alaska school districts know enrollment by July 1 instead of October, using three-year averaging to give them budget certainty and time to hire teachers earlier.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Galena School District Shows Early Learning Drives Math, Reading Gains
Galena School District's early learning programs show students performing above national math and reading norms, but most programs depend on grants that may not be sustainable long-term.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Week of Apr 20
House Finance advances bill extending professional licensing board
House Finance advanced a bill extending Alaska's professional licensing board and adding registered interior designers, after revising language that prompted a gubernatorial veto last year.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House panel hears Fairbanks road service area reform proposal
House panel heard a bill to let second-class boroughs reshape road service areas without two concurrent elections, a process that has failed 60 percent of the time.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Energy Survey Shows Strong Support for Renewables, Mixed Views on Nuclear
Survey shows 70% of Alaskans support renewable energy and natural gas pipelines, but backing drops if costs rise or state investment is needed. • Rural Alaska faces energy crisis. Fairbanks burned 250,000 gallons of diesel daily last winter when natural gas power became unavailable. • Nuclear awareness grew from 25% to 40% between 2023 and 2025, with support rising as residents learned about microreactors.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
3-Year-Old Dies After Falling Through Ice in Goodnews Bay
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday after falling through thin ice on the Goodnews River in Goodnews Bay, a remote village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta about 400 miles west of Anchorage.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
