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
alaska.gov ↗Alaska
Inside State of Alaska
Places and topics in this news
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story about State of Alaska? Send a tip
Sunday, Jul 12
Yukon summer chum run tops 900,000 projection, opening subsistence windows across drainage
Summer chum salmon run on the Yukon River is tracking above 900,000 fish, more than double the spring forecast, opening subsistence harvest windows across most of the drainage through late July.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Wasilla's sewer plan is 25 years old — and it's stalling development
Wasilla's sewer master plan hasn't been touched since 1999, and the gap is already slowing new housing — now the city may take $75K in state money to finally update it.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
Mat-Su sockeye opens up — but the kings stay closed
Two Mat-Su sockeye fisheries just opened, with a few early fish already in the inlet — while kings stay closed across the Susitna and beyond, hatchery spots aside.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Yakutat's king run is coming up short, and the closures keep stacking up
Yakutat's Situk River king run is coming in too weak to open, so the state has kept the fishery closed to keeping Chinook three straight weeks — another lean year.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The Tanana opens for chum, but the kings must all go back
A strong chum run opens a Tanana personal-use fishery near Fairbanks July 27 — but every king caught must go back alive, and subsistence fishing there stays closed.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska nudges up what it pays to house low-income seniors
Alaska bumped up what it pays to house low-income seniors by 3.5%, to $113 a day. Trouble is, assisted living here runs about $10,000 a month, and costs are rising faster.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Juneau's dangerous Egan Drive left turn is finally getting a signal
A $12.15M federal grant will finally put a signal at Juneau's Egan-Yandukin intersection, where left-turners cross highway traffic blind and pedestrians can't cross safely.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fewer geese on the Y-K Delta, and a proposal to let hunters take fewer
White-fronted geese are declining on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, so Alaska wants to cut the bag limit from 10 to 6 — in a region where geese are a staple food. Comment by Aug. 5.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Chignik Bay District gets 48-hour window before Chinook plan closes it again Monday
Chignik Bay District opened Saturday for exactly 48 hours of commercial salmon fishing before closing again Monday under a plan designed to protect failing Chinook runs.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks-area burn permits suspended amid high fire danger
Fairbanks, Salcha, and Railbelt burn permits are suspended indefinitely amid high fire danger — no pile burning, lawn burning, or burn barrels until conditions ease.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
One town, six citations: Homer stands out in Bristol Bay
Six people from Homer turned up in a single batch of Bristol Bay fishing citations — more than any other town. Whether that's coincidence or something more isn't yet clear.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Troopers are running an enforcement blitz on Bristol Bay's peak season
Troopers cited four more in Bristol Bay last week — mostly for improperly marked boats, the very violation Fish and Game flagged as a season priority. Part of a bigger crackdown.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Weak kings, strong chum: the Yukon's salmon rules split by the run
On the Yukon this week: kings are weak so restrictions continue, summer chum is strong so openings arrive, and fall chum has slipped enough to close the Lower Yukon early.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks man faces assault charges after early-morning disturbance near Yvonne Avenue
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 30-year-old Fairbanks man on three assault charges, including two counts involving a child, after a domestic-violence call near Yvonne Avenue early Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
New York hiker airlifted after head injury on Reed Lakes trail
NY resident got hurt at Reed Lakes. Be careful Reed Lakes. The rocks can get slippery.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Soldotna man arrested after alleged robbery, assault at smoke shop
A Soldotna man was arrested after shoving a clerk at a smoke shop on Kalifornsky Beach Road and threatening to steal cigarettes Saturday afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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
Saturday, Jul 11
A slowdown on the Seward Highway this week
A 45 mph limit is on between mileposts 14 and 16 on the Seward Highway for roadside cleanup through July 15 — a stretch that's part of the road's crash-prone Safety Corridor.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
For a roadless village, an airport lease is really about the lifeline
For roadless Chefornak, the airport is the only way in or out — so a routine state lease keeping the FAA's weather and navigation gear running matters more than it sounds.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The state made a plea deal, then broke it. A court just said no.
A Point Hope man gets resentenced after a fill-in prosecutor argued for the max instead of honoring his plea deal — the appeals court ruled the state is bound by its own bargains.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A capsize, a night on the bank, and a morning-after airlift
Two boaters capsized on the remote, glacier-fed Killey River and spent the night on the bank — warm, fed, and in cell contact — before troopers flew them out the next day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The state must bridge the language gap before ending parental rights, court says
Alaska's high court says the state must accommodate non-English-speaking parents before terminating their rights — a new protection rooted in the state's 20-plus Native languages.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
King Cove finally gets its road, and the lawsuits are still coming
King Cove's long-fought road to the Cold Bay airport has its final federal permit, with construction due in 30 days. Three lawsuits over the refuge land swap are still pending.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A man is charged with sexually abusing a minor near Soldotna in 2019
A man who once lived near Soldotna is charged with a 2019 sexual abuse of a minor, in a case troopers opened in 2025 after a report of past abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readOliktok Pipeline seeks 160% rate hike on North Slope gas segments
Oliktok Pipeline is seeking to nearly triple gas transportation rates on three North Slope segments, with new rates set to take effect Aug. 1, 2026, pending Regulatory Commission of Alaska approval.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes on wetlands
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes in Southeast — but first it has to fill 4 acres of wetlands, and the state review of that just opened for comment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
In Alaska, the adult takes the ticket for a kid's line
A visiting grandfather got the ticket when his grandson fished closed waters at Crooked Creek — in Alaska, the supervising adult is on the hook, and intent doesn't matter.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Friday, Jul 10
Convicted child abuser killed by troopers after armed standoff near Whittier
A man convicted of child sexual abuse was killed by troopers near Whittier after he armored up and pointed a gun at officers from an anchored boat, days after fleeing sentencing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Big Lake man is charged with assault after a report at a school parking lot
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Big Lake man Thursday after witnesses reported an assault inside a vehicle at Big Lake Elementary School parking lot.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska is about to burn 54,000 acres on purpose, to grow more moose
Alaska plans to deliberately burn 54,000 acres of the Alphabet Hills this month to reset old spruce into the willow and birch moose need — a bet that pays off in 5 to 15 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
The sockeye are running strong on the Kenai, and the state just doubled your limit
Good news for Kenai anglers and dipnetters: strong sockeye runs just pushed the daily limit to six fish on the Kenai, Russian, and Kasilof — with more dipnet room on the Kasilof, too.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Kenai woman is mauled by a bear on her own front deck
A Kenai woman was seriously hurt when a brown bear sow attacked her on her front deck — drawn in, troopers say, by bird feeders in the yard, on a peninsula that's a bear-attack hot spot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A thrown Tall Boy and a few punches: a 3:30 a.m. fight in Healy
A 3:30 a.m. ride in Healy turned into a fight when, troopers say, one man threw a Tall Boy at another, who punched back. Both now face assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Jul 9
Homer man charged after woman reports repeated strangulation
A Homer man faces 15 charges after a woman reported he strangled her three times in one morning, a pattern that anti-violence workers say is among the deadliest forms of domestic abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The offshore fleet that sees Bristol Bay's salmon run coming
200 miles out in the Bering Sea, research boats catch a glimpse of the world's biggest sockeye run a week before it arrives — and that early-warning window is now closing for the season.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Selawik landfill fire smoke poses distinct health risk beyond wildfire haze
A landfill fire near Selawik is sending toxic smoke into the air, posing greater health risks than typical wildfire smoke for elders and children.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A man is taking on Alaska's housing authority alone, and lost round one
A self-represented man sued Alaska's public housing authority under the Fair Housing Act. A judge denied his emergency-relief bid but fast-tracked the case, which continues.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Naknek River sockeye may fall short of forecast
Even in a 45-million-fish Bristol Bay year, the Naknek River is running weak — forcing managers to ration fishing time to protect the spawning run.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay's sockeye run is coming in stronger than forecast
Scientists raised Bristol Bay's sockeye forecast 16% to 48.2 million — a strong run pouring in as the fleet swells, though still below the bay's recent record years.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A busy week on the Kenai brings a run of fishing citations
Four anglers were cited in one morning on the Kenai — three out-of-staters keeping snagged sockeye, and an Anchorage woman dipnetting two days before the season opened.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Wasilla traffic stop surfaces two residents wanted on theft charges
Alaska State Troopers stopped a Wasilla pickup for equipment violations early Wednesday and arrested both occupants on active theft warrants.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read