Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Alaska Supreme Court rules: Officers Must Stop at Unclear Lawyer Requests
Alaska Supreme Court ruled police must stop questioning suspects who make unclear lawyer requests, even after Miranda waivers, reversing a Kodiak murder conviction.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago4 min read
Troopers arrest Wasilla motorcyclist on DUI and refusal charges after Palmer-Fishhook crash
A Wasilla man was arrested on DUI and refusal charges after a motorcycle crash on North Palmer-Fishhook Road late Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
The Coast Guard is repairing a fire-damaged barracks at Kodiak
Repairs begin Tuesday on a fire-damaged 1940s barracks at Coast Guard Base Kodiak. Nothing in the record says when the fire happened or who was displaced.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min read
Bethel shut off the water at a house leaking sewage and it came back on
Bethel shut off the water at a house leaking sewage. The resident turned it back on the next day, and the repair deadline has now passed too.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Injured hiker flown off Deer Mountain in Ketchikan
A 26-year-old hiker was flown off Deer Mountain near Ketchikan on Saturday after becoming unable to walk, the second rescue on that trail in months.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Alaska draft rule would end in-house marijuana testing by growers, manufacturers and stores
Alaska's marijuana regulator is drafting a rule to ban in-house testing by growers and manufacturers, forcing all products to third-party labs instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Fish and Wildlife bought its ninth no-bid track loader for $248,954
Fish and Wildlife has bought nine track loaders without competitive bids since August. The ninth cost $248,954, more than any of the first eight.
by Alaska News3w ago1 min read
Kodiak's Assembly can't agree on how often to meet remotely
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly members can't agree on how many meetings a year they may attend remotely, the last open question in a rules rewrite.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
The money gap in Alaska's ranked choice fight is growing
The campaign to keep ranked choice voting spent $1.37 million in one period. The campaign to repeal it has $89,673 and owes more than that.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
The White House wanted the Denali Commission closed, and it grew instead
The White House proposed closing the Denali Commission. Congress funded it, and the agency ended up administering money many times its own budget.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Federal money will put naloxone and first aid training on remote Alaska fishing boats
A nurse whose son died of an overdose at sea started mailing naloxone to fishing boats. Federal money will now expand it across remote Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
A small wildfire was reported near Wrangell on Friday night
A small wildfire was reported near Sandy Beach outside Wrangell on Friday. The state has not said whether it is contained or threatens any homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Kodiak district asks school board to weigh closing East Elementary in 2027
Kodiak may close East Elementary in 2027. Five weeks before proposing that, the district asked the state for $5.75 million to renovate the building.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court bars Nome from taxing hospital staff housing
The Alaska Supreme Court says Nome cannot tax the building where its hospital houses doctors and nurses, a ruling that reaches every borough in the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago4 min read
Troopers recover stolen property in Wasilla, arrest 24-year-old man
Troopers arrest 24yo man in Wasilla
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Motorcyclist killed on N Post Road in Anchorage; Jeep driver fled scene, police say
A motorcyclist died Friday night on N Post Road in Anchorage after a Jeep hit him; the Jeep's driver fled in another vehicle and police are seeking witnesses.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Coast Guard extends Anchorage firm's contracts $2.2 million through January
Coast Guard added $2.24 million to two uncompeted contracts with Koniag Management Solutions, extending facilities work through January 2027.
by Alaska News3w ago1 min read
Dahlstrom reverses course, will certify Taylor for the November ballot
Division of elections reversed decision and Treg Taylor is back on the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Bethel's deadline to fix a sewage leak passed two weeks ago
Untreated sewage is leaking onto the ground at a Bethel house. The city's repair deadline passed two weeks ago with no word on whether it was met.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Missing 11-year-old located safe in Wasilla
Troopers found an 11-year-old Wasilla boy safe Friday afternoon, hours after he went missing on his bicycle.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
One machinegun, 14 grams of cocaine, and a mandatory 30 years
Mason Lanon, 23, of Fairbanks sold an agent a converted machinegun and 14 grams of cocaine. That single count carried a mandatory 30 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska prosecutors must prove a voter knew a registration form was false
Alaska's appeals court held that a first-degree voter-misconduct charge based on a false oath requires proof the voter understood the act was wrong.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Anchorage canceled five assessment appeal sessions over the summer
Five Anchorage assessment appeal sessions were canceled over the summer while the backlog stretched toward November. A report ordered in February is overdue.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Kodiak names a third person to run the borough when the top two are out
Kodiak Island Borough now has a third person in line to run it. He gets his first turn in December, when everyone above him is at a conference.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
One Democrat, three Republicans, and two months to go
The left consolidated behind Kreiss-Tomkins. The right split three ways. That is the shape of Alaska's governor race with two months to go.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Kenai Council on Aging reviews 2026 goals at Sept. 10 work session
Kenai's Council on Aging Commission recommends the city adopt an emergency food plan to keep the senior center stocked for two weeks of meals if operations are disrupted.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly to interview municipal administrator applicant Gerrie Cotter on Sept. 10
Sitka's Assembly will interview Gerrie Cotter for municipal administrator on Sept. 10, the sole remaining candidate after a months-long search that started over at least once.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Suit seeks Alaska Judicial Council records on judge screening
A conservative legal group sued the Alaska Judicial Council for the scoring sheets it has used to rank judicial candidates since 2020.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago3 min read
Former mayor Harry Brower Jr. files to run against Patkotak for North Slope Borough mayor
Harry Brower Jr. ran the North Slope Borough for seven years and wants it back. He and the incumbent are both from Utqiagvik, in a borough of eight villages.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago1 min read
Anchorage paid to expand the crime center, then put off the rules
Anchorage funded a $598,998 crime center expansion the same night it postponed the public hearing on rules meant to govern that center.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
A court struck down a fishery council's power. Alaska's council has the same one.
A court found a Gulf fishery council's veto unconstitutional — and Alaska's council holds the same power, behind the CDQ program and other fishing regimes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
A Koch-backed group spent the same for Sullivan as against Peltola in one filing
Outside money keeps landing on Alaska's Senate race. A Koch-funded group spent the same amount for Dan Sullivan as it did against Mary Peltola.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Alaska weighs dropping the required training course for marijuana handlers
Alaska may drop the required training course for marijuana handler permits, swapping a class and test for a background check — saving workers up to $500.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Sitka opens early voting Sept. 21 for six seats
Sitka opens early voting Sept. 21 for its Oct. 6 municipal election, with six seats on the ballot and registration closing Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
One donor has supplied two-fifths of what a progressive Alaska fund raised this year
One Anchorage physician has supplied two-fifths of a progressive independent expenditure fund's money this year. Alaska caps no such gift.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Trump says he will campaign in Alaska for Sen. Dan Sullivan
Trump says he is coming to Alaska to campaign for Dan Sullivan. Mary Peltola outpolled Sullivan by more than 13,000 votes in the August primary.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min read
Kenai voters will decide on a homeowner tax break worth about $326 a year
Kenai voters decide in November on a homeowner tax exemption worth about $326 a year. It would cost the city roughly $434,000 annually in revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Anchorage police force falls hardest on Alaska Native residents
A review found Anchorage police use force disproportionately on Alaska Native residents, more than comparable cities — and likely overstated what they've fixed.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago4 min read
Bethel Fire Department recruits nationally for a captain and firefighters
Bethel Fire Department is recruiting a captain and firefighters nationally to fill gaps in its eight-person career staff serving over 6,000 residents.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
The Permanent Fund wants $215 million to run itself
The Permanent Fund wants $215.4 million to run itself next year, three-quarters of it going to the outside firms that manage the money.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read