Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Anchorage Assembly to mark Women's Equality Day tonight
For the first time, the Alaska House is majority woman, with 21 of 40 seats, a milestone an Anchorage resolution marks tonight on Women's Equality Day.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Most political money reported before Alaska's primary is aimed at a November ballot measure
The big independent-spending reports before Alaska's primary are mostly not about Tuesday. Most of the money is for November's ranked-choice repeal fight.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Interior wind event hits highways as the Mukluk Fire burns near Tok
The winds that drove the Mukluk Fire near Tok hit Interior highways too, with gusts to 75 mph at Isabel Pass and a warning about the Tatlanika fire.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Troopers fly three stranded hikers out of Hatcher Pass
Alaska Wildlife Troopers helicoptered three hikers out of Hatcher Pass on Monday after high water and weather blocked their exit, the third rescue in the area this summer.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Bethel wants a Louisiana firm to audit local businesses for unpaid sales tax, without bidding
Bethel wants a Louisiana firm to audit local businesses for unpaid sales tax, with no bidding. The $19,999 cap covers only part of the work.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Emmonak man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of Anita Hootch
Christopher Horn, 38, of Emmonak, was arrested and charged with murder in the stabbing death of Anita Hootch, 37, found dead at an abandoned steam house on August 14.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Fire activity slows eastbound Alaska Highway traffic near Tok
A wildfire is affecting eastbound traffic on the Alaska Highway near Tok Tuesday morning. The road is open, with minor delays and emergency vehicles expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Juneau Assembly votes 6-3 to sell old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million
Juneau voted to sell its old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage for $1.5 million — for a planned $40 million Northwest Coast art-glass building downtown.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A progressive firm's Alaska poll: two-thirds worry about the basics, and a simulated Senate race favors Peltola
A progressive firm's Alaska poll finds two-thirds of voters worried about affording the basics, and a modeled Senate race favoring Peltola over Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Downtown Anchorage owners face $1.15 million in assessments for services the city doesn't cover
Downtown Anchorage property owners will pay about $1.15 million this year for their own snow removal, cleaning and security. Objections are heard Sept. 15.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The state wants to renew a rent-free landfill lease for 55 years, on land it holds in trust for a village that never became a city
The state wants a 55-year, rent-free renewal of a landfill lease on land it holds in trust for South Naknek, a village that never became a city.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska's ranked-choice fight returns to the Supreme Court, months before a repeat repeal vote
Alaska's ranked-choice voting returns to the Supreme Court next week, the latest round in a years-long fight, with a repeal already on the November ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
An Iñupiaq firefighter from Noorvik died fighting a Minnesota wildfire, and two states lowered their flags
Leslie R. Washington, a 41-year-old firefighter from Noorvik, died Aug. 11 during a medical emergency while fighting the Bear Trap Fire in Minnesota.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Man taken to hospital after stabbing at Boniface Parkway and Debarr Road
A stabbing in East Anchorage sent an adult man to the hospital with upper-body trauma Sunday, Aug. 16
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Sitka's sole finalist for city administrator is gone, and the Assembly is starting over
The sole finalist Sitka introduced for city administrator last month is gone, and the Assembly interviews two new candidates Friday, with no explanation given.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Level 3 GO evacuations ordered north of the Alaska Highway as the Mukluk Fire spreads near Tok
A fast-moving wildfire near Tok has forced residents north of the Alaska Highway to evacuate immediately, with winds gusting to 30 mph and critical fire conditions expected through Monday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
The Mental Health Trust would give up $3.2M in rent to house a nonprofit serving its beneficiaries
The Alaska Mental Health Trust would give up $3.2M in rent over a decade to house a nonprofit serving its own beneficiaries, at 1% of market rate.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Three Alaska Native groups demand answers on rural election staffing before Tuesday's primary
Three Alaska Native groups are demanding the state account for unfilled rural election-worker jobs and pay overdue per diem before Tuesday's primary, citing past precincts that never opened.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Alaska's associate counselor license takes effect Friday, though the board's notice says otherwise
Alaska's counseling board still tells graduates the associate license isn't available. The regulations creating it take effect Friday, 13 months late.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Gas tax package still off the Senate floor as the special session nears its limit
Alaska Senate held a technical session Monday with no business and will not meet again until 2 p.m. Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Tatlanika Fire still listed as 3.5 acres but agency reports put it above 31,000
Alaska 511 still lists the Tatlanika Fire at 3.5 acres, but state fire managers reported it at over 31,000 acres on August 13.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage cannabis grower's license hinges on a $12,761 tax bill, with tonight the deadline
An Anchorage cannabis grower could lose its license over a $12,761 tax bill, with tonight the Assembly's last meeting before the deadline to settle up.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Thursday is the last day to file for Bethel city council
Thursday at 4 p.m. is the last chance to file for one of four Bethel city council seats on the Oct. 6 ballot. Voters have until Sept. 6 to register.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Filing closes at 3 p.m. Monday with no publicly known candidate for 12 Kodiak Island Borough seats
Filing closes Monday at 3 p.m. for 16 Kodiak Island Borough seats on the October ballot, but no candidates have publicly filed for 12 of them, including all 10 service area board positions.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, pne of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking part of its top leadership
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, one of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking its top ranks, moving new leaders into its chief operating and financial roles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bethel shut off a home's water to stop raw sewage, and the resident turned it back on
Bethel cut off a home's water to stop raw sewage reaching the ground, but the resident turned it back on, and the sewage still has nowhere treated to go.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Two seats open on Utqiagvik scholarship committee, letters due Sept. 17
Utqiagvik is seeking two volunteers for its scholarship committee, with applications due Sept. 17.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Two Anchorage boaters spend a night on Skilak Lake after rough water stops the crossing
Two Anchorage boaters paddled down the Kenai, found Skilak Lake too rough to cross, and spent the night on the beach. Troopers texted them a way out.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
One donor supplied 99 percent of the non-individual money behind Alaska's ranked choice repeal
Aurora Action Network gave $1.83 million to Alaska's ranked-choice repeal campaign, over 99 percent of its non-individual funding, but the group's true funding sources don't appear in public records.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Saint Mary's woman, 42, dies pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point
Tragic accident - a woman from Saint Mary's died Saturday night after being pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point, Troopers said
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A floatplane went down in the heart of Katmai's bear country, and crews got it out before it could foul the salmon
A floatplane went down in Katmai's prime brown bear and salmon country, but crews pulled the wreckage and kept fuel out of the water. No one was hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage races a deadline to build a downtown library before a grant expires
Books are books are books are books; what one sees - where one looks. Construction stories have such hooks, but books in nooks are still just books.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Two days out, AI chatbots, betting markets and polls each name a different Alaska frontrunner
Two days before Alaska's primary, AI chatbots, betting markets and polls each name a different governor frontrunner, a hidden AI signal a tracker surfaces.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage tore down the Big Timber, a downtown blight a decade in the making
Anchorage tore down the Big Timber Motel last week, ending a decade-plus saga over a vacant downtown building that drew first responders for years.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Palmer man on felony charge over mobile home abandoned on Old Glenn Highway
Alaska State Troopers arrested Palmer resident Aaron Musquiz after an abandoned mobile home damaged the Old Glenn Highway near mile 12, causing about $3,000 in roadway damage.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Wildland firefighters find Fairbanks man missing 19 days alive near Old Murphy Dome Road
Wildland firefighters found a 73-year-old Fairbanks man alive on Aug. 12 after he went missing for 19 days near Old Murphy Dome Road, while responding to the McCloud Fire west of the area.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres
Nineteen firefighters are cutting fuel breaks around a Native allotment as the Tatlanika Fire grows to 31,421 acres, with crews now protecting structures on the fire's south end.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Researchers weigh broadening who pays for Anchorage wildfire work.
UA researchers will recommend Anchorage fund wildfire mitigation municipality-wide, not just the at-risk hillsides — but how to charge for it is unsettled.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Mayor LaFrance faces a campaign-finance hearing over her 2024 expenditure reports
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance faces an APOC hearing Wednesday over how her 2024 campaign reported spending. A resident alleges 89 flawed reports.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
1,900 Alaskans flagged as 'inactive non-citizen' can still vote Tuesday
About 1,900 Alaska voters remain flagged as inactive non-citizens heading into Tuesday's primary, and the state will not clear those flags before the election.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read