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State of Alaska

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.

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Saturday, Jul 4

A Wasilla argument ends with a gun pointed at a neighbor

Troopers say a Wasilla man pulled a .45 and pointed it at a neighbor during an argument on Big Dipper Drive. He faces a third-degree assault charge.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A Wasilla argument ends with a gun pointed at a neighbor

Friday, Jul 3

Where Alaska's gas-line tax deal stands, and what's still stuck

Lawmakers have a working Alaska LNG tax deal — a $16 ratepayer price cap, a required Fairbanks spur line, and two unresolved fights over legality and Kenai's school costs.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Where Alaska's gas-line tax deal stands, and what's still stuck

Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law

Alaska raised its maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470, the first increase since 2009, and will adjust it annually going forward.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law

Council sends Kodiak Tanner crab closure to second initial review with preliminary preferred alternative

North Pacific Fishery Management Council advanced Tanner crab protection measures to a second review, selecting non-pelagic trawl restrictions while keeping closure options open for further analysis.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago4 min read
Cover image for article: Council sends Kodiak Tanner crab closure to second initial review with preliminary preferred alternative

Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it

Weeks after proposing a one-time $10,000 payout to end the PFD, candidate Bill Walker is walking it back, now promising a plan that "strengthens" the dividend instead.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it

Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive

Nelson Island residents near Toksook Bay extinguished a lightning-caused tundra fire on June 24 before state crews could arrive, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection reported.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Nelson Island, Southwest Alaska
Cover image for article: Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive

A fisherman feared lost, as Bristol Bay's run shows strain

A crew member is feared dead after going overboard near Egegik Bay, as record-low sockeye counts force fishery closures and troopers cite fishermen across Bristol Bay.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A fisherman feared lost, as Bristol Bay's run shows strain

A stop to grab fallen cargo turns serious on the Seward Highway

A man gathering items that fell from his truck on the Seward Highway was struck by a passing vehicle, seriously injuring both him and the driver near Summit Lake.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Seward Highway near Summit Lake, Alaska
Cover image for article: A stop to grab fallen cargo turns serious on the Seward Highway

One lane closed on the Alaska Highway at the Johnson River Bridge, through Sunday

One westbound lane of the Alaska Highway is closed at the Johnson River Bridge, about 42 miles south of Delta Junction, through Sunday evening. Expect single-lane traffic control.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Highway near Delta Junction, Alaska
Cover image for article: One lane closed on the Alaska Highway at the Johnson River Bridge, through Sunday

Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend

Three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket face a dangerous holiday weekend — 30-40 mph winds and critically low humidity that could drive fast spread.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Interior Alaska
Cover image for article: Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend

Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground

Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Kelly Lake, Alaska
Cover image for article: Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground

Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say

Troopers say a Nikiski woman rolled an ATV with a child aboard while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. She faces DUI and child-endangerment charges.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say

Buried under the Kenai refuge: seismic data on a stranded Cook Inlet gas find is about to go public

As Southcentral eyes a gas shortage, old seismic data on Shadura — an undeveloped Cook Inlet gas find near Nikiski, stuck under the Kenai refuge — is set to go public.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cook Inlet, Alaska
Cover image for article: Buried under the Kenai refuge: seismic data on a stranded Cook Inlet gas find is about to go public

Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez

The Anchorage Assembly moved to remove member George Martinez. This first-ever proceeding follows findings of perjury and ethics violations.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez

Drones find stranded Craig hiker on Sunnahae Mountain before midnight

Drones found a 23-year-old hiker safe on Sunnahae Mountain near Craig after he stopped texting his family Thursday night.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Drones find stranded Craig hiker on Sunnahae Mountain before midnight

An Alaska village will own its solar power — and sell it back to the utility

A state grant puts village-owned solar and batteries in Allakaket, letting it sell power to its utility instead of buying diesel. A second grant expands a hydro project.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: An Alaska village will own its solar power — and sell it back to the utility

About State of Alaska

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

Thursday, Jul 2

A new power line is proposed through a historic Delta park

A utility wants to run a new power line through Big Delta State Historical Park to reach a nearby boat launch — open for public comment through July 31.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A new power line is proposed through a historic Delta park

The public can't sit in as the Railbelt reworks your power costs

The body redrawing how Railbelt transmission costs get split is meeting behind closed doors this week — legal under its own bylaws, though the binding decisions still face public review.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
Southcentral Alaska
Cover image for article: The public can't sit in as the Railbelt reworks your power costs

A death reported as a suicide in Atmautluak turned out to be a shooting, troopers say

An Atmautluak death was reported as a suicide, but the scene looked suspicious to troopers. A man now faces manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Byron Waska, 28.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A death reported as a suicide in Atmautluak turned out to be a shooting, troopers say

Wildlife Troopers cited a Bellingham fisherman for allegedly fishing in Bristol Bay

A Washington fisherman was cited for allegedly fishing across a closed boundary in Bristol Bay — the invisible lines that keep the world's biggest sockeye run from being overfished.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Egegik District, Bristol Bay, Alaska
Cover image for article: Wildlife Troopers cited a Bellingham fisherman for allegedly fishing in Bristol Bay

A washout severs a Delta Junction road — again

A washout closed Cummings Road in Delta Junction, cutting off a stretch residents partly maintain themselves — the kind of weather hit Interior roads keep taking.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A washout severs a Delta Junction road — again

Alaska's high court reversed a decision to end a Native mother's parental rights — over how the state made its case

The Alaska Supreme Court reversed a Native mother's parental-rights termination, finding the state's ICWA cultural testimony too vague to meet the law's high bar.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's high court reversed a decision to end a Native mother's parental rights — over how the state made its case

Alaska appeals court identifies DUI jury instruction tension in Homer case

Alaska's appeals court upheld a Homer man's DUI conviction but flagged a gap in jury instructions that could reshape how DUI cases are tried statewide when defendants claim they drank after driving.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska appeals court identifies DUI jury instruction tension in Homer case

Job and training help for western Alaska's storm-displaced residents

Months after last October's storms displaced western Alaska residents, the state has gathered job and training help for them, part of a still-growing recovery effort.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Job and training help for western Alaska's storm-displaced residents

Weak Copper River runs bring king closures and a Chitina dipnet shutdown

Copper River salmon are running weak, so kings are now off-limits in Upper Copper sport fishing from July 6, and the Chitina dipnet closes July 6–12.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Weak Copper River runs bring king closures and a Chitina dipnet shutdown

A Ketchikan-area geoduck farm wins a 20-year lease renewal

Geoducks are giant, long-necked clams that can live past 100 and sell for a fortune. A Ketchikan-area farm that grows them just locked in 20 more years.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A Ketchikan-area geoduck farm wins a 20-year lease renewal

Kipnuk is being pieced back together, one boardwalk at a time

Alaska closes its federal disaster recovery updates as Typhoon Halong rebuilding continues in Kipnuk, with over 12,000 feet of boardwalk restored but federal funding delays still slowing the work.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Kipnuk is being pieced back together, one boardwalk at a time

A landslide has closed the Dalton Highway, the main road to the North Slope

A rain-triggered landslide closed the Dalton Highway north of Coldfoot on Monday — blocking the main road to the North Slope and the freight bound for the oil fields.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Dalton Highway, Central Brooks Range, Alaska
Cover image for article: A landslide has closed the Dalton Highway, the main road to the North Slope

Fishing Prince of Wales for kings? The nonresident limit just dropped.

Nonresident king limits on Prince of Wales tightened July 1. Two ADF&G documents disagree — the annual cap may be as low as one fish — so confirm the number before you keep one.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Fishing Prince of Wales for kings? The nonresident limit just dropped.

Alaska's abuse-reporting system is down July 10–11; use the paper form

Alaska's system for reporting abuse or neglect of seniors and people with disabilities is down July 10–11. You can still report on paper — download the form first.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's abuse-reporting system is down July 10–11; use the paper form

One place near Anchorage where you can still keep a king

ings are closed across the Mat-Su and Northern Cook Inlet — except Eklutna Tailrace, a stocked fishery where you can still take one home while the wild runs stay shut.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: One place near Anchorage where you can still keep a king

Juneau man Oscar Griffin found dead after two-day search

Oscar Griffin, a Juneau man missing since Monday, was found dead Thursday by SEADOGS volunteer searchers — the morning after fireworks paused the K-9 search.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Juneau man Oscar Griffin found dead after two-day search

After decades, King Cove's road may finally be coming

Decades of fighting for a road to Cold Bay's all-weather airport — a lifeline in emergencies. Now $18 million in construction money puts it closer than ever.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: After decades, King Cove's road may finally be coming

Lingcod is open outside Seward but closed inside Resurrection Bay

Lingcod season is open outside Seward, where fishing should be hot — but inside Resurrection Bay you can't even cast for one. And bring 'em back whole.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Cover image for article: Lingcod is open outside Seward but closed inside Resurrection Bay

Alaska's kings are down almost everywhere — here's the picture

From the Yukon to Kodiak to Prince William Sound, Alaska is closing or tightening king salmon fishing nearly statewide — a slow-motion decline now measured in decades, not seasons.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's kings are down almost everywhere — here's the picture

Alaska's development bank meets behind closed doors on the Arctic Refuge, a mining road, and a port

Alaska's state investment bank meets privately July 8 on its biggest bets — Arctic Refuge oil, the Ambler mining road, Port MacKenzie — with public money on the line.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska's development bank meets behind closed doors on the Arctic Refuge, a mining road, and a port

The road rebuild behind Spenard's makeover

Anchorage is planning to rebuild Chugach Way — the road running through the heart of Spenard's revival, where old strip clubs and gas stations are becoming new housing.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The road rebuild behind Spenard's makeover

ConocoPhillips is finding new oil in the Kuparuk field, in rock decades of drilling missed

The Kuparuk field has fallen 80% since its 1992 peak, but ConocoPhillips is reviving it by tapping Coyote and other reservoirs that older drilling technology overlooked.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Kuparuk River Unit, North Slope, Alaska
Cover image for article: ConocoPhillips is finding new oil in the Kuparuk field, in rock decades of drilling missed

Anchorage hunters can zero rifles at free sight-in day July 8

Alaska Fish and Game hosts a free rifle sight-in day July 8 at Rabbit Creek Shooting Park, 4 to 8 p.m., with a gunsmith and chronograph on site.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage hunters can zero rifles at free sight-in day July 8

Passenger injures Trooper during Cooper Landing traffic stop

A passenger kicked an Alaska State Trooper on the Sterling Highway near Cooper Landing on Wednesday evening while resisting placement in a patrol vehicle during a sobriety stop.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Passenger injures Trooper during Cooper Landing traffic stop