Government
RSSAlaska News tracks coverage of Alaska government including state legislature, municipal assemblies, and state agencies addressing public policy and community.
State says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined
Alaska says Kodiak's landfill violates wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and the borough could face fines for negligently feeding them. A $250,000 fence won't solve it alone.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
One owner moves to take full control of a Midtown Anchorage cannabis operation
Yotam Levi is set to take full control of a three-part Midtown Anchorage cannabis business, a grow, a manufacturing site and a store, by buying out partners.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska attorney general says law seating campaign finance commission is likely unconstitutional
Alaska's acting attorney general says the law requiring the governor to pick campaign finance watchdog members from party lists is likely unconstitutional, a conclusion the state has held since 1980.
by Lucas Brown1mo ago3 min read
Anchorage ordinance would put all Assembly license and assessment hearings under one set of rules
An Anchorage ordinance would give residents fighting a license suspension or property assessment one uniform set of hearing rules, in place of scattered ones.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kenai council takes up $75,000 home tax exemption for November ballot
Kenai City Council votes Wednesday on sending a $75,000 home tax exemption to voters in November, following resident concerns about rising property taxes.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A matter the Anchorage Assembly declared closed still draws a request for five minutes
Pastor Leon D. May asked the Anchorage Assembly for five minutes to testify about Assembly Member George Martinez at the Aug. 18 meeting, citing public comment limits at prior sessions.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's assessment appeal surge reaches hearings next week
Anchorage property owners can appeal their 2026 tax assessments at six Board of Equalization hearings Aug. 18 through 21 at City Hall.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's transit agency answered a records request by filming a computer screen
Anchorage's transit agency filled a bus-video records request by filming its own computer screen with a phone — grainy, silent, and flagged by the Ombudsman.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A resident wants Anchorage's Chugach park-access board rewritten to give locals more control
Anchorage's Chugach park-access board would give paying residents a 4-of-7 majority, but one resident wants it tilted even further toward locals.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Kodiak keeps a road-sand storage lease its assembly had said it wanted to end
Kodiak's Service Area No. 1 will keep paying ~$12,600 a year to store road sand on a lease several assembly members had said last fall they wanted ended.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
A Muldoon pot shop divides the Assembly, with a former legislator and the chair for it and a council member against
A Muldoon Road pot shop drew a former legislator and the Assembly chair for it and a council member against, at a hearing carried over to Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Valdez weighs all but ending property tax on homes
Valdez is weighing all but ending property tax on homes — affordable because oil is most of its base, though it may test Alaska's limits on taxing industry.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A missing health certification is holding up the Homestead Lounge's liquor license transfer
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a conditional protest of a liquor license transfer at The Homestead Lounge in Eagle River, held up by a missing health certification.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Downtown Anchorage owners face a $1.15 million yearly bill
779 downtown Anchorage owners would owe a combined $1.15 million this year for snow removal, security, tourism and beautification — $20K-plus to under $300.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Browsing AlaskaJobs as a guest can cost you UI benefits
Browsing AlaskaJobs as a guest instead of registering can cost unemployed Alaskans their UI benefits — you must register within seven days of filing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
New federal rule limits e-scooters and hoverboards in national parks
A new federal rule starting Sept. 11 limits e-scooters, hoverboards and Segways in national parks to designated areas and bars them from wilderness entirely.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The body overseeing the Y-K Delta's only fuel lifeline hasn't been able to meet in a year
Bethel's port commission hasn't had a quorum in a year — leaving the road-less Y-K Delta's fuel lifeline without oversight and a dock warning unaddressed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Ribbon cutting opens Johnny Ellis Rainbow Bridge Park in Anchorage's Fairview
A Fairview park opened Tuesday honoring the late Sen. Johnny Ellis, the Anchorage legislator whose advocacy for LGBTQ+ Alaskans gives its rainbow bridge a name.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy vetoes hunting residency bill and university fee bill
Gov. Dunleavy vetoed a bill tightening hunting residency rules and another requiring the University of Alaska to disclose student fees, leaving both current practices in place.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A closed Seward school would become a city-run community center
The closed Seward Middle School would be leased to the city for $1 a year to become a community center, under a deal the borough Assembly takes up Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from stacking offices, and staff say it's broken
Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from holding more than one local office, but staff say it's broken and would make the borough code contradict itself.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska says some permits now clear in under a week — as the reforms behind that speed draw both praise and alarm
Alaska officials say some permits now clear in under a week — crediting reforms critics warn could auto-approve projects and weaken environmental review.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
The state wants to repeal the process for claiming a religious exemption from a union
The state wants to repeal the process public employees use to claim a religious exemption from a union, though it doesn't say what repeal means for the right.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bethel weighs fixes or demolition for three problem properties
Bethel holds a hearing Sept. 1 on three problem properties it's chased for months — one nearly two years — to decide on fixes or demolition.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
The Legislature let local voters decide school board term lengths — and Mat-Su is first in line
Mat-Su asked the Legislature to let it extend school board terms, and got it: SB 143 becomes law by Aug. 12 unless vetoed, just before a borough vote to use it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
A stopgap pauses a rule that would let appointees veto grants, protecting billions bound for Alaska
A Senate stopgap pauses a rule letting political appointees veto federal grants, keeping billions bound for Alaska under existing rules through Dec. 11.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly meets six finalists for youth representative seat
Assembly Chair Anna Brawley will select one or more youth representatives from six high school finalists to cast non-binding votes on Assembly business from September through April.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly takes first reading Aug. 11 on ordinance replacing taxicab code
Sitka is rewriting its taxi rules for the first time since the '90s — pulling tours, shuttles, limos and pedicabs into one framework with flat zone fares.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere
The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere. And that's the way they want it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Murkowski cosponsors bill to let Coast Guard commandant sign local support deals
Sen. Murkowski cosponsored a bill to let the Coast Guard commandant sign local support agreements faster, potentially speeding up infrastructure deals at Alaska installations like Kodiak and Seward.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Murkowski cosponsors Senate bill to restore Afghan Temporary Protected Status
Sen. Murkowski cosponsored a Senate bill to restore Temporary Protected Status for Afghan nationals, allowing those in Alaska to remain and work legally if Congress approves.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska would give up a land claim so three Native Vietnam veterans can finally get their allotments
Alaska would give up its claim to 480 acres on the Yukon so three Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans can finally get land allotments cut off when Congress ended the program in 1971.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska takes over hazardous waste permitting — the first state to do so in 25 years
Alaska just took over hazardous waste permitting from the EPA — the first state in 25+ years — over tribal and industry objections to the handoff.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kodiak moves to boot Assembly members who don't show up
Kodiak's Assembly may start booting members who miss a quarter of meetings, down from half, tightening the rule on no-shows. One member wants more virtual attendance instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bethel weighs buying road salt before the river freezes
Bethel is weighing $55,000 in road salt before freeze-up — in a town with no highway in or out, once the Kuskokwim freezes, the barges bringing it stop.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska seeks outside attorneys for ethics complaints against top officials
Alaska is hiring private attorneys to investigate ethics complaints against the governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general, with bids due Aug. 24.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage wants to speed up its check on 570 questionable tax exemptions
Anchorage wants to speed up its review of 570 questionable tax exemptions, moving the finish from 2032 to 2030, with about $811,000 a year at stake going forward.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Who controls Chugach access spending: trail advocates or the neighborhoods next door?
Anchorage delayed creating a board to steer Chugach park-access spending, as neighborhoods and trail advocates split over who should control it. The Assembly decides Oct. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly rejects investigation into member Martinez's travel, 5-6
Anchorage Assembly rejected an investigation into Assembly Member George Martinez's travel Tuesday, 5-6, after Vice Chair Daniel Volland switched his vote citing flaws in the accusation.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage salary commission drafts a 26% raise for its next elected mayor
Anchorage's salary commission drafted a resolution to raise the next elected mayor's pay to $183,019, a 26% increase that would take effect only after the 2027 election.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
