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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Wednesday, Oct 7
Legislative committee hires Guidehouse for $650,000 corrections cost study
Lawmakers hired Guidehouse for up to $650,000 to find out what drives Alaska's corrections spending and where the state could save some money.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Port tops Anchorage's draft 2027 list of state and federal requests
Anchorage's 2027 wish list for Juneau and D.C. starts where it always does: the port. Housing near JBER and Cook Inlet gas come close behind.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Anchorage mayor asks Assembly to move Christensen Drive lot to street crews
Mayor LaFrance asked the Anchorage Assembly to move a steep Christensen Drive lot to the Street Maintenance Section to set up utility easements, with a public hearing set for October 20.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Unofficial Kodiak Island Borough election results posted, canvass set for Oct. 14
Kodiak Island Borough posted unofficial election results Oct. 6, with 742 ballots still uncounted and a six-vote gap in the Assembly race before the Oct. 14 canvass.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
State proposes 50-year Anchorage airport lease to Northstar Holdings
Alaska DOT posted two conflicting notices for a 50-year airport lease to Northstar Holdings, listing annual rent as either $30,771 or $44,447 and describing different permitted uses.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly members draft an ordinance to restrict concentrated kratom products
Three Assembly members want concentrated kratom off Anchorage shelves and the tea left alone. Nothing's introduced yet, and the city has no local data.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage opioid overdose calls down 10%, fire department says
Anchorage fire crews are answering about 10% fewer opioid overdose calls this year. The department can't say why yet, and the numbers miss many deaths.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Write-in David Pinquoch leads Whittier council seat E count
Write-in David Pinquoch leads the Whittier City Council seat E race with 53 votes to Heather Brazelton's 23, with 17 ballots still to count Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
Alaska Regional Hospital appeals state denial of its proposed South Anchorage emergency room
Alaska Regional Hospital appealed the state health commissioner's denial of a five-bed South Anchorage emergency department on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
DNR proposes requiring permits for most shooting in the Matanuska Valley Moose Range
DNR wants a permit for most gunfire near Slipper Lake and across the Moose Range, and for burning cars. Hunters are exempt. Comments due Nov. 9.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Mat-Su Assembly writes scenic trail opposition into Rasmuson grant resolution
Mat-Su Assembly added opposition to National Scenic Trail status for the Alaska Long Trail to a $300,000 grant resolution, citing use restrictions and loss of local control.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Soldotna man, 33, dies after being found unresponsive in Sterling garage
A Soldotna man, 33, died and a second adult was hospitalized after both were found unresponsive in a Sterling-area garage Saturday. Foul play isn't suspected.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly approves $511,190 grant to replace police patrol car computers
Anchorage police are getting 80-some new patrol car computers on the federal dime. The Assembly OK'd the $511,190 grant on its consent agenda.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Tuesday, Oct 6
Army sets up new units at JBER and Fort Wainwright to receive soldiers moving to Alaska
The Army now has a welcome crew for soldiers moving to Alaska. The pitch: not just check-in paperwork and cold-weather gear, but how to live with the cold.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage schools list nearly $18 million in urgent repairs ahead of April bond
Anchorage schools have nearly $18 million in urgent repairs, from failing boilers to a Wendler roof that won't hold a shingle. A bond list comes Oct. 20.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Board of Fisheries committee to take up remote testimony and process changes Oct. 21
A Board of Fisheries committee meets Oct. 21 on remote testimony and process recommendations. Its chair has "struggled with" virtual participation.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo 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
New York Times/Siena poll shows Peltola leading Sullivan 50% to 43%
A New York Times/Siena poll has Peltola up 50% to 43% over Sullivan, a 9-point shift since June. The poll skipped ranked choice, and forecasters say toss-up.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Fire crews to burn debris piles on Interior Army training lands through Oct. 31
U.S. Wildland Fire Service and Army Garrison Alaska will burn woody debris piles on Interior training lands from Oct. 6 through Oct. 31, with smoke visible from Fort Wainwright and nearby roads.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kreiss-Tomkins leads governor money race as outside groups raise $3.15 million
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins raised $4.28 million for governor, more than triple the cash on hand of any Republican opponent, as outside groups poured $3.15 million into the race.
by Alaska News1mo ago4 min read
Ethics board finds one line in school district bond video violated city code
The city ethics board says one line in a school district bond video was political activity. It recommended no further action; the bond failed in April.
by Alaska News1mo ago4 min readFrom 
Peltola pledges to finish the Izembek road, a goal Sullivan shares
Peltola pledged to finish the Izembek road and fight Pebble on a Southwest swing. Sullivan backs the road and has been on the record opposing Pebble, though not EPA's action on it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Sitka voters choose a mayor and decide when citizen petitions reach the ballot
Sitka voters choose a mayor and two Assembly members Tuesday, and decide whether to end automatic special elections for citizen petitions, which cost the city $18,250 in May.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan voters decide council races, $25 million bond and library
Ketchikan voters decide four City Council seats, a $25 million electric-utility bond, three Assembly seats, two School Board seats, and whether the borough takes over library operations Tuesday.
by Alaska News1mo ago3 min read
Haines voters choose a mayor and decide five tax and planning measures
Haines voters choose a mayor and decide five measures Tuesday. • Two new taxes proposed: 2% on alcohol and fees on timber and resource exports. • Ballot initiative would reverse 2023 shift to elected Planning Commission seats.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Petersburg voters decide three fiscal propositions and eight local boards
Petersburg voters decide Tuesday on three tax and borrowing measures and eight board races, with polls open 8 am to 8 pm.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
APOC will require a paid-for-by line on every social media ad starting in 2027
Alaska Public Offices Commission will require every social media ad to carry its own paid-for-by label starting in 2027 elections, ending the practice of posting one disclaimer on a homepage.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Election Day across Alaska: Where voters choose local leaders, ballot questions
Alaskans vote Tuesday for local officials and ballot measures across 22 municipalities and regional school districts. • Juneau decides three tax propositions; North Slope Borough has 11 bond measures totaling $1.55 billion. • Polling times and methods vary by community; check your local clerk's office for details.
by Alaska News1mo ago5 min read
Sitka school zone flashers on Edgecumbe and Kashevaroff stay partly down while meters are back-ordered
School zone flashers on two Sitka streets are partly down while the city waits for replacement electrical meters expected in early November.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Who's spending for and against Begich and Hill in Alaska's U.S. House race
Here's who's spending for and against Begich and Hill in Alaska's House race, and who's paying. Club for Growth and Wheel Dog lead their sides.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Anchorage police fly to Shaktoolik as the Kelly Hunt death investigation continues
Anchorage police flew to Shaktoolik to interview people who knew Kelly Hunt, 19, who died of hypothermia. APD is still piecing together her final months.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom 
North Pole council adopts 3% raise with 30-step pay scale
North Pole City Council voted 7-0 to give employees a 3 percent raise and expand the pay scale to 30 steps so senior workers advance instead of dropping back, taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
NRA political fund registers with Alaska campaign regulators
The NRA Political Victory Fund registered with Alaska campaign regulators Monday for the 2026 election, having already endorsed U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
APOC sets Tuesday hearings on four disclosure complaints against statewide candidates
The Alaska Public Offices Commission holds hearings Tuesday on campaign disclosure complaints against three statewide candidates.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to hear proposal capping city department staffing Tuesday
Anchorage departments have topped their budgeted staffing five years running. An Assembly proposal would make them get permission first. Hearing Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to weigh renewing five boards, one idle since 2022
Kodiak's Emergency Services Council, which can declare local disasters, hasn't met since 2022. The Assembly decides Oct. 15 whether to keep it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Monday, Oct 5
Alaska Municipal League opposes proposed census residence rule
Alaska Municipal League opposes a Census Bureau rule that would count residents by days spent in state between January and April, saying it ignores subsistence work and seasonal patterns.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Air Guard helicopter rescues pilot after crash 35 miles north of JBER
A pilot had minor injuries after his single-engine plane crashed north of JBER on Oct. 1. A Guard helicopter crew flew him to an Anchorage hospital.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
North Pole council advances comp time for on-call utility workers
North Pole may give on-call utility workers an hour of comp time per day. Santa Claus co-sponsored it. Mayor Larry Terch cast the only no vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Live Alaska local results: Fairbanks, Kodiak and Wasilla report first totals
Fairbanks Assembly Seat D is separated by 123 votes, Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly by 16 and Kodiak Island Borough Assembly by six.
by Alaska News1mo ago11 min readFrom 
Anchorage judge sentences Mario Jackson to 198 years for 2025 double murder
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Jack R. McKenna sentenced Mario Jackson to 198 years, the maximum possible term, for the October 2025 shooting deaths of two people in Anchorage.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
