The federal government of the United States: the three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) and the agencies, commissions, and departments that report into them.
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Doug Burgum
“This administration has done more to save, protect and expand coal in our country than any administration perhaps ever.”President Trump Makes an Announcement on Beautiful, Clean Coal · Jun 4, 2026
Speaker B
“You cannot go straight to community care as a veteran. That's just false. You can't just— I can't tomorrow just decide to go to community care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 and 2028 advance appropriations requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs. · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“more than $8 billion of the $10.9 billion increase for healthcare services in FY '27 is for community care. The difference is even more significant in the department's FY28 advance request, with the VA asking for a $17 billion increase in community care and near stagnant levels for direct care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 and 2028 advance appropriations requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs. · May 20, 2026
A new cruise terminal could rise in a humpback whale feeding ground near Juneau
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on proposed incidental harassment authorizations that would allow Turnagain Marine Construction to disturb 10 species of marine mammals while driving 465 pilings on Douglas Island for a new cruise terminal. Comments are due 30 days after the June 29 Federal Register publication.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska opens 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours
Nine wildfires entered investigation status across Alaska between Friday and Saturday, with a tenth discovered days earlier on June 22. Ignitions stretch from the lower Kuskokwim to the central Brooks Range foothills; acreage and containment data are not yet available from DNR or AICC.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A federal rule could stick Alaskans with abandoned-well cleanup costs
The BLM proposed cutting minimum oil and gas cleanup bonds on federal leases, reversing a 2024 increase. Watchdogs warn the rollback could leave taxpayers with cleanup costs.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
ADF&G opens comment on three federal fishery disaster spend plans
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is taking public comment and holding statewide listening sessions to shape how federal disaster relief funds get distributed across three fishery failures. Who gets money depends on who shows up.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A plane flipped at Knik-Goose Bay, but everyone walked away uninjured
A small aircraft flipped after a hard landing at Knik Goose Bay airport Wednesday night; all occupants walked away uninjured, but recovery required a helicopter and wing disassembly before the plane could be trailered out.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
A quiet change to how Alaska's bird seasons get set
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving migratory bird season rulemaking from annual to every three years — a change felt sharply in Alaska's subsistence hunt.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
On Admiralty Island, undoing the clearcuts at Cube Cove
A Forest Service closure at Cube Cove on Admiralty Island covers an aquatic restoration project removing logging-era culverts and bridges to restore salmon habitat.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Weekend rain could push Interior Alaska rivers to a rare high
NWS Fairbanks issued a hydrologic outlook Thursday flagging a multi-day rain event starting Saturday evening that could raise rivers across Interior Alaska at a 1-in-5 to 1-in-10 year return interval, affecting the Chena Basin, White Mountains, and Denali corridor.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Storm-hit Alaska businesses have until July 22 to seek recovery loans
Small businesses and private nonprofits across 13 western, southwestern, and northern Alaska regions have until July 22 to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans tied to the October 2025 storms and Typhoon Halong remnants, with loans up to $2 million available even without physical property damage.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min readAI
Sullivan and Peltola, fighting over the same salmon
Sen. Dan Sullivan's new bycatch bill and challenger Mary Peltola's fisheries plan put trawling and salmon bycatch at the center of Alaska's 2026 U.S. Senate race.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump's farm package, and what it actually means for Alaska
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal agencies to accelerate agricultural innovations, and separately called on Congress to pass $11 billion in supplemental relief for specialty crop and livestock producers hurt by Biden-era regulations.
by Alaska News2mo ago3 min readAI
Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
A new 67-acre wildfire ignited Tuesday near the same location where the June 4 Kopshesut Fire originated west of Ambler, raising dual smoke hazards if it reaches the village landfill; a tribal fire crew arrived Thursday as rain holds off until Sunday.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Beluga Fire triggers nightly FAA flight restriction near Anchorage
The FAA issued a temporary flight restriction over the Beluga Fire area, 44 nautical miles northwest of Anchorage, running nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. through Sunday, June 28, to protect firefighting aircraft operations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Foreign-visitor park fee survives a House vote, with stakes for Alaska
A U.S. House committee kept a $100 surcharge on foreign visitors to popular national parks, a fee with real stakes for Alaska's tourism-dependent gateway communities.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sen. Sullivan introduced a sweeping trawl bycatch bill amid Western Alaska salmon collapses — though NOAA science attributes the river declines mainly to ocean warming.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
New EU rules could jam up Alaska fish headed to Europe this summer
After July 10 the EU accepts only its new, detailed catch certificate for U.S. seafood. NOAA expects no extension — a risk for Alaska pollock and salmon exports.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A renewed federal fund to fix public lands could land hardest in Alaska
A U.S. House committee advanced the Great American Outdoors Act 250, renewing a public-lands repair fund — with outsized stakes for Alaska's federal parks and forests.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A record year for federal research-fraud enforcement — and Alaska's stake in it
University of Alaska draws $184.6M in federal research money as the False Claims Act hits record recoveries; Rep. Nick Begich sits on the House panel probing research fraud.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska's top two Senate candidates both campaigned in Fairbanks on the same day
Sen. Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola both campaigned in Fairbanks on June 24, underscoring the city's stakes in a close, nationally watched 2026 Alaska Senate race.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Strangers on the Water Free a Tangled Humpback
A juvenile humpback whale was freed from crab-pot lines near Endicott Arm after mariners spotted it and tracked its position for NOAA responders to cut it loose.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
The EPA's No. 2 told Alaska's resource industry the door is open — for now
EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi told Alaska's Resource Development Council the agency is rolling back climate and oil-and-gas rules to speed resource development.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump Wildlife Pick Wants Fewer ESA Lawsuits — Alaska Is Ground Zero
Kevin Lilly, nominated to lead Fish and Wildlife, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that Endangered Species Act consultations have been weaponized by litigation rather than focused on recovery — a stance with direct consequences for Alaska mining and infrastructure permits.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Senate panel weighs Mark Cruz nomination to lead Indian Health Service
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a confirmation hearing Wednesday for Mark Cruz, a Klamath Tribes citizen nominated as the 12th IHS Director, with Chair Murkowski signaling early support and pressing Alaska-specific priorities including sanitation, self-governance, and contract support costs.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Starry Fire hits 50% containment as military crews join Alaska firefighters
The Starry Fire reached 50% containment Tuesday as about two dozen active-duty Airmen from Eielson Air Force Base, Clear Space Force Station, and JBER worked alongside state hotshot crews. Crews secured a 5-foot buffer inside the fire's edge and found no heat 150 feet outside the perimeter.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A housing bill aimed straight at rural Alaska just cleared the U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate voted 85-5 on Sunday to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, with both Alaska senators voting yes on a bill that targets rural housing repair, tribal infrastructure, and Alaska's Section 8 waitlist.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
NWS warns Susitna Valley gravel bars may flood by Wednesday
The National Weather Service Anchorage issued a high-confidence hydrologic outlook Tuesday projecting 1 to 2 inches of rain across the Susitna Valley, with the Skwentna and Yentna rivers expected to crest Wednesday into Thursday and gravel bar campsites at risk of inundation.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A Plan to Reopen Rural Alaska's Armories — On Paper
Sen. Dan Sullivan's Alaska National Guard Rural Community Revival Act passed the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday as part of the FY 2027 NDAA, directing the Pentagon to plan the reopening of rural armories shuttered in the 1990s — with direct stakes for Western Alaska Native communities.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Pebble Mine's challenge to EPA reaches an Anchorage court Thursday.
A federal judge in Anchorage is set to hear oral arguments June 25 in Northern Dynasty Minerals' challenge to the EPA's 2023 Clean Water Act determination blocking key discharges associated with the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay watershed.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Supreme Court narrows damages path in prison religious-rights cases
Supreme Court ruling in Landor v. Louisiana narrows prisoner religious damages claims, with echoes from Alaska's 2019 Hall v. Alaska DOC Goose Creek settlement
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Supreme Court tax-sale ruling puts spotlight on Alaska foreclosure proceeds
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling establishes that just compensation in tax-foreclosure sales is based on the auction price, not fair-market value. The decision has direct implications for Alaska's statutory process and Anchorage's June 24 tax-foreclosed property auction.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
A Record Alaska Defense Bill Clears Its First Hurdle
A Senate committee advanced a defense bill authorizing about $2.6 billion for Alaska military construction, led by a JBER overhaul — but it must still clear the full Senate and House.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Katmai bear cams return as Brooks River season begins
Katmai National Park and Preserve's brown bear livestream cameras are scheduled to go live June 23, opening the summer season of public viewing at Brooks Falls and along the Brooks River ahead of Fat Bear Week.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Federal regulators renew HEX authorization for Cook Inlet marine-mammal harassment
NOAA Fisheries has renewed HEX Operating LLC's incidental harassment authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for natural gas activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska, effective September 13, 2026 through September 12, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Federal rule renames Alaska subsistence bird-harvest region as Ahtna Territory
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a 2026 rule renaming the Upper Copper River subsistence bird-harvest region as the Ahtna Territory and aligning seasonal harvest dates across Game Management Units 11, 12, and 13.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
All 4 crew rescued after Coast Guard Jayhawk crashes near Sitka
All four crew members aboard a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk were rescued Monday after the helicopter crashed near Sitka, the Coast Guard confirmed in an updated press release.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Federal managers close Yukon, Innoko gillnets to protect Chinook and chum
Federal subsistence managers have closed all gillnets in Yukon Fishing District 3 and the Innoko River drainage through early July 2026 to protect Chinook and summer chum salmon runs, while allowing selective gear for other species.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Klehini River flows elevated near Klukwan as snowmelt continues in Chilkat Valley
NWS Juneau issued a Special Weather Statement Monday for Haines Borough and Klukwan after the Klehini River hit 86.9 feet and flow rates topped 6,000 KCFS. The statement runs until 8 PM, but high-elevation snowpack will keep flows elevated beyond it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
NOAA says dead fin whale brought to Seward showed trauma consistent with vessel strike
NOAA Fisheries reported that a dead fin whale found on a cruise ship's bow in Seward showed blunt-force trauma consistent with a vessel strike, with a law-enforcement investigation ongoing and final cause of death pending further testing.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min readAI
Alaska's candidate withdrawal deadline is June 27. After Saturday, the August 18 primary ballot is largely set
Alaska's June 27 withdrawal deadline matters: in the top-four primary, a split Republican field could win fewer of the four slots than its support warrants.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crashed on Harbor Mountain above Sitka
A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk crashed on Harbor Mountain above Sitka Monday morning. Harbor Mountain Road is closed and the cause is under investigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI