Politics & Government
RSSPolitics & Government in Alaska is the activity of state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, ethics and campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and municipal and borough council decisions across Alaska communities.
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Frame from "Anchorage Assembly: HHAND Commission Monthly Meeting November 2026" · Photo source
Commenter tells Anchorage homelessness commission an officer mistreats campers
A frequent public commenter named Jamie told Anchorage's Housing, Homeless and Neighborhood Development Commission on Nov. 4 that a police officer mistreats people living outside during camp clearings.
He said that during a clearing about two weeks earlier, the officer gave a man in a tent 15 minutes to grab his things and leave, and the man lost all his belongings. He said that in another encounter the officer picked out a man to be searched and grabbed him inappropriately during a pat-down. Jamie said this was the fourth or fifth such incident he had heard about or seen.
He said he told Police Chief Sean Case four to five months ago that the officer should be pulled from that duty and kept away from marginalized or vulnerable people, and that he raised it with Case again recently.
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Absentee Ballot Receipt Deadline, Mailed Within the U.S., for November 3 General Election
Peltola tells supporters the count will take weeks in a race she leads by 626 votes
Mary Peltola told election night supporters "we are winning our state back." Early Wednesday she led Dan Sullivan by 626 votes, with weeks of counting left.
Absentee Ballot Receipt Deadline, Mailed Within the U.S., for November 3 General Election
Alaska's mail ballots will not need barcodes after a Supreme Court denial
Alaskans mailing a ballot in November will not need a barcode on the envelope. The Supreme Court left the rule blocked, and the state never took a side.
Last day for Anchorage Assembly to protest Crazy Horse Gentleman's Club license #720
Anchorage Assembly may hold the Crazy Horse's liquor renewal until fire officials sign off
The Assembly may hold up the Crazy Horse's liquor renewal until the fire department signs off on the Gambell Street club, in a building dating to 1955.
North Slope Borough Mayor Community Report
North Slope Borough mayor to give community report in Point Hope on Friday
North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak gives Point Hope its community report Friday, the last of the borough's village visits this year, after a delay.
Aurora Energy Services Water Right Application LAS 36045 - Public Comment Deadline
Fairbanks company seeks right to pump up to 10 million gallons a year from a well
A Fairbanks company wants the right to pump up to nearly 10 million gallons a year from a well, for dust control and industrial use. Comments are due Nov. 13.
Latest
Today
Auditors say marijuana tax debt grew to $5.5 million as board oversight fell
Alaska marijuana growers owed $5.5 million in back taxes, auditors found. Since 2024 the board has checked only at renewal, and renewals are underway.
by Walter AlaskaNews1h ago3 min readFrom 
Kodiak ordinance would make tax-exempt landowners report private users to assessor
Kodiak Assembly takes up an ordinance Nov. 19 making tax-exempt landowners report private users of their land to the assessor yearly.
by Walter AlaskaNews5h ago2 min read
Juneau ordinance would restore sales tax break on agents' commissions for goods
Juneau Assembly members want to undo a sales tax repeal on agents' commissions to help local artists. The tax took effect Oct. 1, so reversal means just one quarter was taxed.
by Walter AlaskaNews7h ago2 min read
Illinois man, 24, arrested on DUI and weapons charges after Fairbanks rollover
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 24-year-old Illinois man on DUI and weapons charges after a single-vehicle rollover in Fairbanks Thursday evening. He was booked into Fairbanks Correctional Center.
by Maggie AlaskaNews9h ago1 min read
Ketchikan Gateway Borough caps Homestead snow plowing contract at $25,000
Ketchikan Gateway Borough signed a $25,000 contract with Magnum Enterprises to plow Homestead Service Area roads this winter.
by Walter AlaskaNews9h ago2 min read
School leaders urge Alaska education task force to raise funding and restore pensions
School leaders told the legislature's education funding task force to raise per student funding, restore teacher pensions, and fund building repairs separately. • Districts report 311 first day teacher vacancies and $2.4 billion in deferred maintenance statewide. • Public comment runs through Dec. 8, with a final task force report due Jan. 19.
by Walter AlaskaNews10h ago2 min read
Yesterday
Three apply for the Homer City Council seat Shelly Erickson left to become mayor
Shelly Erickson's move to mayor leaves a Homer council seat open. Three applicants interview Monday, and the council could fill it that night.
by Walter AlaskaNews11h ago2 min read
State crews will pull and toss leftover campaign signs along Fairbanks-area highways
The election was Nov. 3. Some campaign signs are still standing along Fairbanks-area highways. State crews will now pull them and throw them out.
by Walter AlaskaNews12h ago2 min read
More from Politics & Government
New Nov. 12 results put Kreiss-Tomkins just over 50% in Alaska governor's race
New results released Thursday, Nov. 12, put Kreiss-Tomkins over 50% for governor by 125 votes out of 252,140. Peltola's Senate lead grew to 5,800.
by Alaska News12h ago2 min read
Cordova council members back 10% facility fee for youth nonprofits, down from 25%
Cordova's Little League and swim team would pay 10% of city rental rates, not the proposed 25%. The police chief offered $13,000 he'd double-budgeted to help.
by Walter AlaskaNews13h ago2 min read
Cordova council approves no-bid contract to replace Public Safety Building boiler
Cordova is skipping the usual bidding to replace the boiler that serves its jail, police and dispatch. A new one could take 16 weeks to arrive.
by Walter AlaskaNews13h ago2 min read
Kodiak father asks borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month
A Kodiak father whose son died by suicide asked the borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month. One member said it broke his heart.
by Walter AlaskaNews14h ago2 min read
Kodiak residents split over code change that could seat assembly winner Jeremy Williamson
Kodiak residents split over rewriting code to seat election winner Jeremy Williamson, blocked by a borough contract conflict. His window to resolve it ends Saturday, or the seat could be vacated.
by Walter AlaskaNews14h ago2 min read
Anchorage plans to use landfill gas to evaporate the liquid that seeps from its trash
Anchorage wants to burn gas from its rotting trash to evaporate the liquid that seeps out of it. The Assembly is asked to pay $98,010 for design advice.
by Walter AlaskaNews15h ago3 min read
Federal money committed to Alaska hit a seven-year high of $19.7 billion
Washington committed $19.7 billion to Alaska last fiscal year, the most in at least seven years. A 22% drop this fall is mostly November not reported yet.
by Walter AlaskaNews15h ago2 min read
Fort Wainwright is extending free Wi-Fi to all of its permanent party barracks
Fort Wainwright is rolling free Wi-Fi out to all its permanent party barracks. In 2020, internet in a barracks room could run as much as $175 a month.
by Melinda Communities.News16h ago2 min read
About Politics & Government
Politics and government in Alaska takes in state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and decisions by municipal assemblies and borough and city councils.
Recurring questions include how campaigns are funded and who pays for outside spending and political messages, which candidates qualify for the ballot, and how state agencies write and repeal regulations. Local governments such as the Anchorage Assembly and the Ketchikan assembly weigh spending on roads, water systems and police programs.
The subject reaches across the Legislature, state agencies and municipal governments. Advisory boards and councils that take public comment on matters such as state parks and disability policy are part of it as well.
More from Politics & Government
Anchorage Assembly members push back on draft social media rules
Read literally, draft rules would bar Anchorage Assembly members from touting their records on campaign pages. Members balked. The attorney: "Not the intent."
by Walter AlaskaNews17h ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly chair readies a plan to replace Zac Johnson if his ticket wins
The Anchorage Assembly is penciling in a December meeting to replace Zac Johnson in case he becomes lieutenant governor. The count so far leans his way.
by Walter AlaskaNews18h ago3 min read
Mat-Su residents and officials honor veterans at Wasilla memorial wall on Veterans Day
Mat-Su residents and officials gathered at the Wasilla Veterans Wall Memorial at 11:11 am Wednesday for Veterans Day. Gov. Mike Dunleavy proclaimed the day Veterans and Remembrance Day in Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews19h ago2 min read
Aging commission hears Ketchikan seniors Monday on next state senior plan
Alaska Commission on Aging hears from Ketchikan seniors Monday to help shape the state's next four year senior services plan.
by Walter AlaskaNews21h ago2 min read
Ketchikan's Loring Service Area Board weighs dock grants with $60,625 on hand
Engineers priced fixes for Loring's dock at $2.3 million to $63.5 million. The service area has about $60,600. Its board talks grants again Wednesday.
by Melinda Communities.News23h ago1 min read
Lyman Hoffman marks 40 years in the Legislature by citing rural Alaska's costs
Lyman Hoffman, leaving after 40 years in the Legislature, used an award speech to talk about $12 milk and $20 heating fuel in the rural Alaska he represents.
by Walter AlaskaNews23h ago3 min read
Anchorage marijuana retailer seeks repeal of ad warning rule the state is already reviewing
An Anchorage pot retailer petitioned to repeal the state's five mandatory health warnings in marijuana ads, calling it unequal to alcohol rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews22m ago2 min readFrom 
Denali Borough certifies election after questions about its voter rolls
Denali Borough certified its election after a former assembly member said the borough has hundreds more registered voters than residents who could vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Fifteen Alaska tribal recipients get about $4.4 million for crime victim services
DOJ sent about $4.4 million to 15 Alaska tribal governments for crime victim services through 2031. Alaska got $29.2 million of a $90.1 million national pot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3h ago2 min readFrom 
White House lists Alaska among five states with new VA health record sites
Alaska's VA switched to a new health record system in October. Nearly all prescription records moved over. Some mental health referrals didn't, the VA says.
by Alaska News1d ago2 min read
Alaska runs new PERS disability law by hand as a vendor quotes $790,000 to reprogram
Alaska is processing its new PERS disability law by hand after vendor Sagitec quoted $790,000 and a 10-week delay to reprogram the system.
by Walter AlaskaNews7h ago2 min readFrom 
Speeding stop in Wasilla leads to felony DUI and gun charges, troopers say
A Knik-Goose Bay Road speeding stop turned into felony DUI and gun charges, troopers say: revoked license, no proof of insurance, two prior DUIs, three guns.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min read
Northwest Arctic schools finish $1 million ahead as auditors flag bookkeeping
The Northwest Arctic school district planned to dip into savings last year and instead added $1 million, a draft audit says. Its bookkeeping got flagged.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Wednesday, Nov 11
Liquor regulators weigh restarting underage stings after Prince of Wales check
Alaska hasn't run regular underage alcohol stings in about a decade. When investigators tried one on Prince of Wales Island, 3 of 4 businesses failed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Juneau charter boats would pay more than triple per passenger under harbor fee hike
Juneau's whale-watching and charter boats would pay more than triple per passenger by 2030. The Assembly can block it Monday; the city manager says don't.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Nov. 11 results trim Peltola's Senate lead to 3,975 as Mat-Su ballots come in
New Alaska results posted Wednesday, Nov. 11, were mostly Mat-Su absentee ballots, so Sullivan gained a little. Peltola still leads the Senate race by 3,975.
by Alaska News1d ago2 min read
Judge rules Alaska needn't show Peltola's campaign rejected absentee ballots mid-count
A judge ruled Alaska needn't tell Peltola's campaign which absentee ballots are being rejected mid-count. The timing "could simply not be worse," he wrote.
by Alaska News1d ago2 min read
Alaska proposes letting state agencies stop work on records requests after 15 hours
The state proposed letting its agencies quit a records request after 15 hours or 250 records. Also: no AI-submitted requests, and Alaskans could go first.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago3 min read
Trump exempts federal fire retardant drops from water pollution rules for a year
Trump waived water pollution rules on federal fire retardant drops for a year. A judge said they need a permit. Years later, there still isn't one.
by Maggie AlaskaNews17h ago3 min read
Mayor seeks $1.5 million from APD's technology levy without naming what it would buy
The mayor wants up to $1.5M more from APD's tech tax fund for unnamed "technology implementation and maintenance," nearly word for word last year's ask.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Valdez asks residents what they want in a $50 million high school renovation
Valdez wants resident input on its $50 million high school renovation before a Nov. 17 design preview.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Screeners find suspected cocaine in a coffee container bound for Selawik, troopers say
Anchorage airport screeners opened a coffee container in a Selawik man's checked bag and found suspected cocaine, troopers say. He was arrested at the gate.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min read
Remains of an unidentified WWII airman leave a Sitka grave for a lab that may name him
A Pentagon team recovered an unidentified WWII airman's remains from a Sitka grave, and Alaska Airlines flew them to an Omaha lab that may finally name him.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Analysis: Begich would still beat Hill in a final round
Backup choices so far would give Begich about 52.5% in a final round. Hill leads the early and absentee vote, and about 40,000 ballots are uncounted.
by Alaska News1d ago4 min read
