Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Mat-Su sets aside Zero Lake Road land for a future shooting range
Mat-Su set aside land for a shooting range over a year of neighbor objections. One cabin owner's structure sits about 1,000 feet downrange.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago1 min read
Dahlstrom will not certify Treg Taylor's nomination for governor
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom will not certify Treg Taylor's nomination for governor, after APOC found his financial disclosure was not timely.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Anchorage tax appeal hearings continue into September, past the board's stated season
Anchorage property owners appealing their 2026 assessments face a backlog that could stretch to mid-November, with the Board of Equalization handling a record 1,953 appeals.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Anchorage's rewritten emergency plan adds six annexes, voids all earlier versions
Mayor LaFrance signed a rewritten emergency operations plan that replaces all earlier versions and meets national standards. The Assembly reviews it Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Free one-hour EMS session Sept. 2 on Alaska's new fingerprint rules
Alaska EMS clinicians must switch to fingerprint background checks starting Sept. 20 under a new multistate compact, with the state briefing providers on Sept. 2.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
An Anchorage firm maintains nine Florida federal buildings on a $25 million GSA deal
An Anchorage contractor won a $23,553 federal contract to fix a rusted floor and fire alarm at a Jacksonville courthouse, part of a nationwide backlog of $8.3 billion in delinquent repairs.
by Alaska News4w ago1 min read
AlaskaCare retiree town halls went from twelve a year to four. The last of 2026 is Oct. 15.
AlaskaCare retiree town hall calls drop from monthly to four times a year starting in 2026, with the next call Oct. 15.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Alaska has drawn $15.7 billion in federal money this year
Alaska drew $15.72 billion in federal awards through August, ranking 45th among states and territories, with about $21,000 per resident so far this fiscal year.
by Melinda Communities.News4w ago1 min read
Circle man arrested on first-degree murder charge in shotgun death
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Circle man on a first-degree murder charge after a fatal shotgun shooting at a residence Friday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4w ago1 min read
Man shot and killed in East Anchorage, the third death investigation there since July
A man was shot and killed late Saturday in East Anchorage, the third death investigation in the area since July. Police say no one is being sought.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Sitka man to be paid $419,840 to put boats under Coast Guard helicopters
A Sitka man will collect $419,840 to park boats under Coast Guard helicopters so crews can practice hoisting people off the water. Only one company bid.
by Melinda Communities.News4w ago1 min read
Marijuana board chair's own store violation goes before the board they chair Sept. 2
Marijuana board chair Bailey Stuart faces a violation notice on their own retail store at the meeting they chair Wednesday, raising questions about whether they will step aside.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
A grower denied renewal in June is still listed as active, owing $664,440
An Anchorage marijuana grower owes $664,440 in unpaid excise taxes and still appears active on state records months after the Marijuana Control Board denied its license renewal in December.
by Alaska Newsadded 4w ago2 min read
Trooper fires at armed man outside his Wasilla home after false report
A trooper fired at an armed man outside a Wasilla home Sunday after responding to a false 911 assault report, striking no one. The caller was intoxicated and had not been assaulted.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Unalaska keeps awarding more grant money than its formula produces
Unalaska's grant program keeps awarding more than its funding formula produces. The council eased the audit rules and left the formula alone.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4w ago2 min read
Begich endorses Wilson for governor, calls on other Republicans to drop out
Rep. Nick Begich endorsed Bernadette Wilson for governor and asked the other Republicans to drop out. Dave Bronson had already said he is staying.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Auditors found no central list of Anchorage's state agreements
Anchorage has taken on $17.2 million in state work over five years without a central list of the agreements, its internal auditors found.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs $470,000 no-bid sale of Government Hill lot
Anchorage would sell Chugach a Government Hill lot for $470,000 without taking bids, about $49,000 under what a broker valued it at in June.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage fills a watershed commission seat before its sunset date
Mayor LaFrance appointed wetland delineator Kara Dunham to Anchorage's Watershed Commission, with Assembly confirmation set for Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote Tuesday on $6.7 million wastewater bleach contract with lone bidder
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $6.7 million bleach contract with the only bidder, raising the price from $7.96 to $9.96 per gallon for wastewater disinfection.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4w ago2 min read
Mental Health Trust weighs a below-market lease for a youth treatment provider
The Mental Health Trust may lease an Anchorage office to a youth behavioral health nonprofit for $3,266 a year, against market rent near $327,000.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4w ago2 min read
Bear mauls dog walker in Haines, animal not located
A bear attacked a dog walker in Haines early Saturday, striking from behind, but the animal remains unfound despite search efforts by troopers and police.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Jai Mahtani is running for the Ketchikan council seat he resigned after a state settlement
Jai Mahtani quit the Ketchikan council two weeks after settling a state case over jewelry sold as Alaskan. He filed on the last day to win the seat back.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage weighs a fiscal summit as property taxes carry the city
In 1982 the state covered 42 percent of Anchorage's operating costs. By 2024 it covered half a percent, and property taxes carried most of the rest.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage homeowners wanted every big assessment rechecked. They got a narrower fix
Anchorage homeowners who saw assessments jump as much as 40% asked for a do-over. Three Assembly members proposed one. The Assembly passed something smaller.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Sutton man, 19, on DUI charge after car hits tree
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 19-year-old Sutton man on a DUI charge after his vehicle hit a tree and overturned on E Jonesville Mine Road early Saturday morning.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage wants $202,468 back from the owner of the Big Timber Motel it demolished
Anchorage spent $202,468 tearing down the Big Timber Motel after 14 years of code violations. Now it is trying to get the money back from the owner.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
State note says AMCO wrongly made Metlakatla gather a liquor petition
State regulators made Metlakatla gather a public-support petition it did not need, an error staff blamed on a database and left noted in the file.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Wasilla golf course seeks state license to serve beer and wine on the course
Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Wasilla wants to pour beer and wine across its grounds, range and deck. The state alcohol board takes it up Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Tom Begich withdraws his campaign and endorses Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Tom announced he's withdrawing from the race for Governor and endorses JKT.
by Cale Green1mo ago3 min read
Anchorage wetlands commission faces Oct. 14 sunset unless Assembly reauthorizes it
Anchorage's wetlands commission disappears Oct. 14 unless the Assembly votes to keep it, just as its own recommended wetlands plan update moves forward.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kenai council to hear public testimony Sept. 2 on $75,000 home tax exemption ballot question
Kenai City Council hears public testimony Sept. 2 on a ballot measure that would exempt the first $75,000 of assessed home value from city property tax, effective Jan. 1, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Four signatures clear a liquor store at a remote Alaska fishing lodge
A remote fly-in fishing lodge off Prince of Wales Island wants a guest-only liquor store, and its public approval came from the four people who live nearby.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs surveillance rules 11 months after buying the system
Anchorage approved an $11.8 million surveillance system in 2025 and wrote no rules for it. The Assembly takes up those rules Tuesday, eleven months later.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
Alaska Supreme Court upholds rule requiring rent on expired oil leases during appeals
The Alaska Supreme Court upheld a rule requiring oil companies to keep paying rent on expired leases while appealing, ending five North Slope leases.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Alaska court: guardian, not child's lawyer, waives therapy privilege
Alaska Supreme Court ruled a child's guardian can waive therapy confidentiality in state custody cases, letting a tribe access a 10-year-old's psychiatric records over his lawyer's objection.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court upholds termination of Valdez mother's parental rights
Alaska Supreme Court upheld termination of a Valdez mother's parental rights after she failed to complete reunification steps and missed most visits over two and a half years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
A Nome jury convicted a 78-year-old man on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor
A Nome jury convicted Isaac Ozenna Sr., 78, on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor involving nine children abused in Nome between 1984 and 2014.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly set to waive protest on six marijuana license renewals
Anchorage Assembly will waive objections to six marijuana license renewals for four businesses, clearing the way for state approval by September and October deadlines.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly designates Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day
Anchorage Assembly designated Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day, marking the anniversary of the 2011 repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read