Alaska state government's executive branch, headed by the Governor and 15 cabinet departments. Oversees education, public safety, transportation, health, commerce, and natural resource management for the 49th state.
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
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Friday, Jul 17
Alaska Supreme Court affirms termination of Native mother's parental rights over domestic violence
Alaska Supreme Court upheld termination of an Alaska Native mother's parental rights, ruling that four years of case-plan work did not address the domestic violence that endangered her disabled son.

Unimak Island caribou hunt RC205 opens August 1 with three-animal limit
Unimak Island caribou hunt RC205 opens August 1 with three-animal limit per hunter, permits required and available now at King Salmon ADF&G office or online.

Alaska DNR moves to fix erroneous land conveyance near Tok; comment deadline August 18
Alaska DNR will return 39.50 acres near Tok to federal trust for an Alaska Native allotment holder Emma Northway, with public comments due August 18.

Federal and state cuts erase Alaska private-sector job gains in June
Federal and state government cuts eliminated 1,900 jobs in June, nearly wiping out 1,000 private-sector gains and leaving Alaska with fewer jobs than a year ago.

Alaska ballot measure to restore campaign contribution limits heads to August 18 primary
Alaska voters will decide August 18 whether to restore campaign contribution limits for state and local races, but voter registration closes July 19.

Thursday, Jul 16
Fairbanks riverwalk gap closure gets commission review next week
Fairbanks commission reviews Phase III of Chena Riverwalk on July 22, a trail segment to close a gap near Pioneer Park, after city council opposed the current design as too expensive.

Anchorage operator seeks renewal of four marijuana licenses across two sites
Anchorage operator Eun Lee seeks renewal of four marijuana licenses at two sites; the city's protest window closes July 25 and 26.

Parks Highway closed at MP 274 near Clear Space Force Station
A disabled semi-truck closed the Parks Highway at Milepost 274 near Clear Space Force Station through Friday, blocking the main route between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Alaska school meal reimbursements rise 3.5% for 2026-27 school year
Alaska school districts will receive $6.98 per free lunch starting July 1, a 24-cent increase tied to food inflation.

DNR proposes lower easement fees for long utility corridors; comment deadline Aug. 17
DNR is cutting easement fees for long utility corridors on state land, dropping to 10 cents per linear foot after 100 miles. Comments due August 17.

Comment deadline looms on basecamp permit near Denali Highway milepost 86.5
Public comment deadline is July 27 on a five-year commercial basecamp permit for big game guiding and trapping near Denali Highway milepost 86.5.

DNR moves to lease four acres near Valdez to adventure tourism operator Black Ops Valdez
DNR is leasing four acres near Valdez to Black Ops Valdez for heli-skiing and backcountry tours, but the deal faces a competitive bidding process if the public objects during the comment period.

Alaska Senate passes HB 381 oil and gas tax bill 11-8, with dissenters signaling more work ahead
Alaska Senate passed HB 381, the main bill enabling AK LNG, 11-8 Thursday, but dissenters flagged unresolved questions about a new income tax on oil and gas pass-through entities.

Alaska Peninsula Bering Sea drainages: non-residents banned from keeping king salmon starting July 18
Non-resident anglers cannot keep king salmon in Bering Sea drainages starting July 18, while Alaska residents get a one-per-day limit.

Cyclospora cases nationally up sixfold; Alaska Department of Health urges produce washing
Cyclospora cases nationwide have jumped sixfold since May, and Alaska has recorded five cases this year; the CDC urges thorough washing of fresh produce under running water.

Alaska lawmakers order audit of Board of Fisheries process
Alaska lawmakers voted unanimously to audit the Board of Fisheries' process after the Attorney General overturned five regulations citing ethics violations.

Coming up
State Bond Committee Meeting
Telephonic meeting, call-in (907) 202-7104, Conference ID: 633 711 677#
Meeting
Alaska LNG Project Right-of-Way Lease Conversion - In-Person Public Hearing
Hearing
Public Comment Deadline: State Underground Storage Rights Claim
Public notice
Local Government Protest Deadline: Eden Growth Group LLC Marijuana License Renewal
Public notice
Effective: Alaska; Wildlife, Harvest, and Access
Public notice
About State of Alaska
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
alaska.gov ↗Alaska
The State of Alaska is the executive branch of Alaska state government, headed by the Governor and organized into cabinet departments. Those departments oversee education, public safety, transportation, health, commerce and natural resource management across the state.
State agencies issue permits, leases and land decisions, regulate liquor licenses and utilities, plan highway projects and rank school construction requests. Its stories return to public comment on state proposals, from roundabouts and gravel sites to water rights and the statewide transportation plan, and to the work of the Alaska State Troopers.
Boards and authorities attached to the state, such as the Board of Fisheries, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, make many of its decisions. The state also runs statewide elections and works with tribal organizations on village public safety.
More from State of Alaska
Snowpack flooding scatters Minto Flats pike, forcing anglers to adapt
Snowpack flooding at Minto Flats has scattered northern pike across wider habitat, forcing anglers to switch tactics and try alternative Interior lakes like Cushman and Little Harding.

Tanana kings closed all season; chum fishing back open after run surges
Alaska closed all king salmon fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 30 due to a weak forecast, but reopened chum fishing on July 8 after the summer run exceeded expectations.

Alaska LNG tax bill advances to floor on split conference committee votes
Alaska's Legislature advanced a revised LNG tax bill that replaces municipal property taxes with a state volumetric tax, redirecting an estimated $500 million in annual local revenue by 2033.

Conference draft keeps oil-and-gas pass-through tax, delays it to 2029
A House-Senate conference committee draft of HB 381 keeps a proposed income tax on oil-and-gas pass-through entities but delays collections to 2029.

Copper River stays closed to commercial fishing as Chinook run tracks weak
Copper River commercial salmon fishing stays closed through at least Saturday as Chinook counts track weak, though subsistence fishers get a 12-hour window Thursday morning.

Yukon Chinook count at Eagle stands at 1,633, a third of average; ADF&G launches telemetry study
Yukon Chinook salmon are running at one-third of normal, forcing subsistence closures, and ADF&G is tagging fish to find out why.

DNR proposes mandatory back-fees for unauthorized use of state land
DNR is making back-fees mandatory for unauthorized installations on state land, eliminating discretion to waive them and creating potential costs for utilities and pipeline operators.

Chugach Electric proposes 3.5% rate hike to cover $11.2 million shortfall
Chugach Electric seeks a 3.5% rate increase to cover an $11.2 million shortfall, adding about $4.55 to typical monthly bills, with a decision expected by November 2026.

Anchorage's Assembly weighs censure — or removal — of George Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on two paths for George Martinez after a state ethics order — censure and close it, or launch removal proceedings. It's never done either in 50 years.

Two Illinois men cited for unlicensed crewmember violations in Naknek-Kvichak Bay
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited two Illinois men for employing unlicensed crew members during Bristol Bay salmon fishing on July 12, when new Board of Fisheries regulations took effect.

Wednesday, Jul 15
A tiny Alaska post office runs out of a cabin, and the state wants to keep it
Skwentna's post office runs out of a private cabin at a fly-in airport, and the state just moved to renew the lease keeping it open.

Fairbanks man wanted on kidnapping, assault charges caught after foot chase
Alaska State Troopers caught Fairbanks man Kyle Curtin after a monthlong search and foot chase Wednesday, ending a manhunt for kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

He overturned his termination but still lost his daughter
An Alaska dad proved the state wrongly terminated his rights — but still lost his daughter for good, because he missed a one-year deadline to challenge her adoption.

Alaska's educator apprenticeship program wins permanent federal approval
Alaska keeps recruiting teachers who leave. A newly permanent apprenticeship flips that — training locals to become certified teachers without leaving home. It's grown from 5 to 96 in 18 months.

A free Palmer class to turn beginners into bird hunters
Free Fish and Game class in Palmer turns bird-hunting beginners into hunters in a day — guns, ammo, and dogs included. Season's already open.

Kodiak conservation district seeks permit to spray glyphosate in Buskin watershed
Plant plant go away come get another day. Or, you don't have to.

Akiachak man faces 7 felony charges in Bethel sexual abuse case
Alaska State Troopers arrested Akiachak man Lewis Lomack, 47, on seven felony charges tied to sexual abuse of a minor, and believe more victims exist. He is presumed innocent.

Alaska's worst-ever syphilis outbreak is now reaching newborns
Alaska is in its worst syphilis outbreak ever, up twentyfold since 2016 — and it's now reaching babies. A record 14 newborns were born with it in 2025, though it's preventable with prenatal testing.

Weak fall run closes Yukon River chum fishing July 22
A weak fall chum run that may fall short of U.S.-Canada treaty minimums is closing Yukon River chum fishing — sport and subsistence — from July 22 through year's end.

Chitina dipnet fishery opens full 168 hours July 20–26 as salmon surplus builds
The Chitina dipnet fishery opens for a full week starting July 20 as salmon counts finally hit targets. King salmon remain off-limits.

Strong sockeye at China Poot, but clammers now need a permit before heading out
Alright! So China poot this weekend, who's in??!

Kodiak rockfish rules now cap single-species harvest, push anglers to deeper water
Kodiak sport anglers now face species-specific rockfish caps through year-end, limiting black rockfish to two per day, pushing them to fish deeper water as stocks decline from charter pressure.

Fish Creek sport fishery closes today; dipnet opening possible if counts hold
Fish Creek sport fishery closes today, but Alaska residents could dipnet sockeye starting late July if ADF&G counts exceed 35,000 salmon in coming days.

Two teenagers die in head-on dirt bike collision on Prince of Wales Island
Two teenagers, Greyer Schwegel, 18, and Paul Lingley IV, 17, died in a head-on dirt bike collision on the Hollis Highway on Prince of Wales Island Tuesday evening.
