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
Monday, Jun 22
Ugashik posts above-average sockeye harvest as Bristol Bay ramps up
Ugashik District has harvested 79,000 sockeye salmon as of June 22, running ahead of the typical pace for this date as Bristol Bay's season picks up.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska's candidate withdrawal deadline is June 27. After Saturday, the August 18 primary ballot is largely set
Alaska's crowded 2026 governor race faces a June 27 withdrawal deadline. With 18 tickets filed and only four primary slots available, a divided Republican field could cost the right general-election slots even if conservative voters remain numerous.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Hilcorp wants five years to drive across North Slope subsistence land
A company wants 5 years to drive industrial rigs across North Slope tundra people hunt on. The real fight is who sets the rules, and when.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Lowers Its Flags for Susan Sullivan
Alaska honors Susan Sullivan — who at 28 became the youngest woman ever elected to its Legislature and helped lay the groundwork for the Permanent Fund that still pays every resident.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Homer's co-op is opening the door to community solar — with a fee and a six-month wait
Homer's electric co-op wants to let members share community solar — for an upfront fee, monthly charges, and a six-month wait after it's even approved. Baby steps.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Two Things Worth Watching at the Marijuana Board
Alaska's marijuana board meets in Fairbanks, where a license sale comes with baggage and growers renew their gripe that untaxed hemp THC is eating their lunch.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Point Thomson is the remote gas field Alaska's pipeline dream depends on
You know Prudhoe Bay. You probably don't know Point Thomson — the remote, pricey field Alaska's whole pipeline dream quietly leans on. And it's stirring.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Juneau Power Bills Could Jump 20 Percent This Summer
Juneau's only electric utility wants to raise bills about 20 percent — and thanks to "refundable" interim rates, you start paying the higher price before anyone decides it's fair.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Smokejumpers were called to a fire near a Kuskokwim homestead — then couldn't jump
A fire near a Kuskokwim homestead hit 50 acres, so Alaska scrambled its smokejumpers — who found the terrain too dangerous to jump. Back to plan B.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Kotzebue's backup runway is closing for construction, starting at night
In a roadless region the airport is the road. Kotzebue's bad-weather backup runway is closing for construction — nights first, then around the clock.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A June 30 Deadline Decides Who Eats Free at School
A June 30 deadline quietly decides which Alaska schools feed every kid for free next year — miss it and the cafeteria math gets a lot less kind.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Hoonah Corporation Quietly Builds a Cruise Empire
Huna Totem Corporation, the Alaska Native village corporation for Hoonah, is expanding its cruise business by adding its own vessels to a fleet that already operates ports across Southeast Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Scammers Are Posing as Alaska's Liquor Regulators
Scammers are mailing fake invoices dressed up as Alaska liquor regulators — but the giveaway is easy: the real ones only ever email from @alaska.gov.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Lab tests found alcohol in O.P.M.S. kratom drinks, and unlicensed Alaska stores are being told to stop selling them
State lab tests found O.P.M.S. kratom drinks contain enough alcohol to be regulated like beer, and unlicensed retailers across Alaska are being told to stop selling them.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
$2.2 million in federal trail money will fund 15 Alaska projects
Alaska handed trail money to its highway department, rebranded it ATLAS, and split $2.2M across 15 projects, from a new snow groomer to an Iditarod bridge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Matanuska Electric wants members to go renewable without a rooftop, but it hasn't said what it costs
Matanuska Electric wants you to go renewable without the rooftop. What it'll cost, and whether non-subscribers help pay, is the part nobody's said yet.
by Alaska News4mo 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
Starry Fire forces Anderson evacuations; 75 personnel battle 688-acre blaze
The Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations Saturday and burned 688 acres 80 miles south of Fairbanks; 75 personnel are holding lines to push it toward the river.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
This Juneau utility filing won't change your bill, but the rate case behind it could
Alaska Electric Light & Power filed some "housekeeping" for Juneau bills. Boring, sure, but don't confuse it with the separate case where it actually wants more money.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The $16 Gas Promise Comes With Fine Print
The gas line's headline $16 price is firm — until you notice it's quoted in the wrong unit, climbs with inflation before any gas arrives, and gets policed by a commission missing half its top staff.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Sunday, Jun 21
Alaska's legal cannabis growers say tax-free synthetic THC is sinking them
Alaska's legal weed growers pay the nation's highest pot tax, then get undercut by tax-free THC from the mailbox. They'd like a word.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
What the Senate Changed in the Gas-Line Deal
The Senate's gas-line rewrite caps your gas price, leashes the state's pipeline agency, and lets the boroughs pocket most of the tax money for decades before the state takes its cut.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
New Medicaid work-reporting rule puts Alaska's paperwork system in the middle of health coverage
Alaska must implement a federal Medicaid work-reporting rule by January 2027, requiring most adults 19 to 64 to prove 80 hours monthly of work or qualifying activity.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Federal SNAP changes could put Alaska food aid and state budget under new pressure
Federal rules will expand work requirements for Alaska SNAP recipients and tie state costs to payment errors, potentially costing Alaska $42 million to $53 million annually starting in late 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska's liquor-license office is buried — and says it's worse than the numbers show
Alaska's liquor-license office has a 59-deep backlog, a 1,200-renewal pile, and a memo basically saying it's worse than that. Cheers.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
AIDEA authorized $190 million for ANWR — backed by Kaktovik, the residents
AIDEA put $190M behind ANWR seismic and lease bidding. Kaktovik — the only community inside the refuge — strongly supported it.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anderson residents ordered to evacuate as Star Fire hits 100 acres
Anderson residents evacuated Saturday as the Star Fire burned 100 acres south of town, with two smaller fires igniting nearby under a Red Flag Warning through Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Two separate Wasilla shootings Saturday — one suspect was a felon with three warrants
State Troopers arrested Christian Schaffer, 25, after a shooting in Wasilla early Saturday; he was a convicted felon with three active warrants found with a 9mm handgun and faces felony assault and weapons charges. • In a separate incident, Michael Melland, 46, was arrested after his brother was shot in the head; Melland faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Jun 20
Alaska DFFP battles 4 wildfires across Interior, Southcentral, Southwest
Twin Bear Fire near Fairbanks drew 23 firefighters and helitack crews to a lightning-caused blaze in black spruce with cabins nearby. • Joaquin Fire southwest of McGrath and Vanderpool Fire east of McGrath prompted aerial response due to native allotment and private property. • Matanuska Fire on Glenn Highway was contained within two hours at under half an acre. • Red Flag Warning through Sunday evening cited 30 percent humidity and 40 mph wind gusts near thunderstorms across Central Interior.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks man arrested for DUI after crash injures three passengers
A 20-year-old Fairbanks man was arrested for DUI after a crash near Steese Highway injured three passengers early Saturday, with a breath test showing more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Girdwood pot shop, Bird Creek grow op seek Anchorage license renewals
Two marijuana licenses in Girdwood and Bird Creek are up for renewal, with Anchorage having until early July to formally object.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Pilot killed in Piper Pacer crash 40 miles southeast of Cordova
A pilot flying solo between Yakutat and Fairbanks was found dead Friday after an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter located the crashed Piper Pacer near Kanak Island, about 40 miles southeast of Cordova.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Silver Bay applies for a dock right in front of competitor Snug Harbor
Silver Bay is putting a dock right in front of Snug Harbor's waterfront on the Kasilof. Competition is the substance.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Friday, Jun 19
Senate passes gas-line bill; Dunleavy immediately calls lawmakers back to rewrite it
Special session concludes without passage of a gasline bill, and now the question is if this is an end to negotiations or if they'll continue tomorrow. The Governor thinks they're close.
by Cale Green4mo ago3 min read
Tidal energy permit application opens in Isanotski Strait near False Pass
Tidal energy permit in Isanotski Strait. Small ask. Alaska has the biggest U.S. tidal resource, and Cook Inlet gas is running down.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Five wildfires under investigation overnight in southcentral Alaska
Five wildfires broke out overnight in southcentral Alaska's Susitna basin as a Red Flag Warning takes effect Saturday, with burn permits suspended statewide.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
NOAA Fisheries declined to list Gulf of Alaska Chinook under the ESA
NOAA decided Gulf of Alaska Chinook don't qualify for ESA listing — even as Chinook closures pile up across Alaska systems.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Kasilof River guide cited for fishing in prohibited People's Hole
A fishing guide was cited for fishing at People's Hole on the Kasilof River, where guides are prohibited but their clients are allowed.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
A new Mat-Su road would cross the ground its drinking water comes from
The Mat-Su drinks only groundwater — and keeps building over it. A new road would cross two drinking-water zones near a creek with a known PFAS problem.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Red Flag Warnings blanket Mat-Su and Susitna Valley for solstice weekend
National Weather Service issued Red Flag Warnings for Mat-Su and Susitna Valley through early Saturday due to lightning risk, dry fuels, and humidity as low as 25 percent. Burn permits are suspended across Delta, Tok, and Mat-Su areas.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Thursday, Jun 18
Juneau moves to extend its seawalk to the farthest cruise dock
Juneau's spent 20 years building a waterfront path it still can't finish. Now it wants the stretch to the far cruise dock. Mind the gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read