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, Nov 11
Kodiak asks again for state harbor money from a program that got nothing this year
Kodiak's main harbor is worn out, and the state grant program it applied to got nothing this year. Thursday, the City Council votes on urging full funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago4 min read
Troopers jail Fairbanks man on arson charge after device thrown through home window
Troopers jailed a Fairbanks man, 40, after a firebomb was thrown through a home window early Wednesday. He faces first degree arson and other charges as the investigation continues.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Alaska liquor board weighs renewing one of three approved alcohol server courses
Alaska's liquor board is set to decide Tuesday whether TIPS stays one of three courses servers can take to pour legally. A state reviewer OK'd it, after fixes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Alaska liquor board weighs cutting $1,250 fee for carriers that deliver alcohol
Alaska's liquor board may cut the $1,250 fee airlines and freight haulers pay to deliver alcohol. A state review floated $250 to help small air freight companies.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Homer finds five missed ballots between dividers, and one is still unaccounted for
Homer found five ballot envelopes between sorting dividers and added eight ballots to its count. One is still unaccounted for. No result changed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Anchorage woman who used 170 stolen identities gets five years in federal prison
An Anchorage woman who used more than 170 stolen identities to grab pandemic rent relief and forge checks was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
High oil prices put Port of Alaska, school repairs on track for $26 million in state money
High oil prices are on track to unlock $26 million for the Port of Alaska, school repairs, campuses and court security. Oil would need to crater to stop it.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Sitka asks state not to renew Little Tokyo's liquor license at its old address
Little Tokyo moved in with its sister restaurant in 2020, the owner's accountant says. The liquor license didn't. Sitka wants the state to deny its renewal.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readFrom 
More from Politics & Government
Anchorage police graduate a third big class as APD works to refill its ranks
APD graduated 22 more recruits Tuesday, its third class of 20-plus in a year. From 2021 into 2024, more officers left each year than it hired.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Tuesday, Nov 10
Anchorage Assembly to weigh mandatory penalties for public intoxication and petitions for candidates
Anchorage's Assembly takes up mandatory penalties for repeat public intoxication, signatures to run for office and a mixed-use condo tax break Nov. 17.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Analysis: Kreiss-Tomkins is on pace to win the governor race without ranked choices
Kreiss-Tomkins is 621 votes short of winning outright. If it does go to ranked choices, the count so far gives him about 56% against Wilson.
by Alaska News2d ago3 min read
House passes a 3.6% VA disability pay raise, and the Senate still has to act
The House passed a bill to give veterans, including about 25,000 Alaskans, a 3.6% bump in VA disability pay Dec. 1. The Senate still has to sign off.
by Alaska News2d ago2 min read
Analysis: Peltola would narrowly win a ranked-choice final round on the count, so far
On the ballots counted so far, backup choices would give Peltola about 50.7% in a final round. Sullivan would need about 54% of what's left.
by Alaska News2d ago4 min read
Wasilla police shoot and wound man who pointed gun at officers, investigators say
Wasilla police shot and wounded a man Tuesday after he fled and pointed a gun at officers. He faces charges once cleared, and the state will review the shooting.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Army Corps seeks a team to build an estimated $1.8 billion JBER weapons complex
Army Corps is seeking a builder for a $1.8 billion weapons complex at JBER, done by 2032. The 16 new facilities must run before the old complex shuts down, with zero downtime.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago2 min read
Kodiak council members back interim manager Putney for permanent job ahead of Thursday vote
Five of six Kodiak council members back interim manager Tim Putney for the permanent job, skipping 27 other applicants. The council votes Thursday on a draft deal paying $200,000 a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d 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
Peltola's Senate lead grows to 4,250 as Alaska counts more ballots
Alaska added about 24,600 ballots Tuesday. Peltola's Senate lead grew to 4,250, and Kreiss-Tomkins sits 621 votes short of a majority so far.
by Alaska News2d ago3 min read
Whittier harbormaster withholds acceptance of new floats over concrete damage
Whittier's new harbor floats are shedding bits of concrete, and the harbormaster hasn't signed off. He doesn't want the state asking for $4.6 million back.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Two Cordova planning commissioners finish their service, leaving two seats open
Sarah Trumblee and Sean Den Adel sat their last Cordova Planning Commission meeting Tuesday. The city is seeking applicants to fill their seats.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Late food aid applications drive Alaska's costly SNAP error rate, official says
Alaska's SNAP error rate could cost up to $49 million a year, and the state's director blames late applications for most of it. Below 6% costs nothing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
State asks judge to keep absentee ballot review lists from Peltola campaign
The state told a judge the ballot lists Peltola's campaign wants don't exist as records yet and are private. Sullivan's campaign backed the state.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Judge dismisses claims against co-workers in suit against NMS Nana Management Services, for now
A judge tossed, for now, a worker's claims against three ex-co-workers in his suit against NMS Nana Management Services. His case against the company goes on.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Hawaii man gets 121 months for trying to smuggle meth, fentanyl to Alaska
A Big Island man hid meth, fentanyl and heroin in socks inside his work boots, tried to take them back from TSA and ran. He got just over 10 years.
by Alaska News2d ago2 min read
Mat-Su School Board race and term-length vote too close to call before certification
A Mat-Su School Board seat is 83 votes apart and longer School Board terms lead by 245, with up to 5,973 ballots left to count before Nov. 17 certification.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Alaska Air Guard squadron that watches the state's skies gets a new name
The Guard squadron that tracked the 2023 surveillance balloon and guided fighters to Russian and Chinese bombers is now a battle management control squadron.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Officers find suspected drugs on inmates at Fairbanks Correctional Center
Fairbanks jail officers found inmates with white powder, crystals, Suboxone and marijuana concentrates Tuesday, at least the fourth drug case there this year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
LaFrance asks Assembly to confirm Leslie Vines for another Women's Commission term
LaFrance wants Leslie Vines on Anchorage's Women's Commission for three more years. Her attendance record shows two unexcused absences this year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
LaFrance reappoints Jennifer Griffis to Anchorage's library board
Mayor LaFrance wants to keep Jennifer Griffis, a policy consultant with a library science degree, on Anchorage's library board. The Assembly votes Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Senate Judiciary Committee votes 16-6 to advance Kyle Reardon for Alaska federal bench
Alaska's federal court could have a full bench for the first time since 2021 if the Senate confirms Kyle Reardon. A panel backed him 16-6, four Democrats in.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to take up Transgender Day of Remembrance resolution Nov. 17
The Anchorage Assembly takes up a resolution Nov. 17 recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance. Nine members and the mayor sponsor it. Last year's passed 9-3.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to consider awareness month for families of homicide victims
The Anchorage Assembly will consider recognizing a month for families of homicide victims. Its Anchorage homicide figures don't match the state's crime report.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Troopers seek tips after moose found near Palmer with only its antlers taken
Someone took only the antlers from a moose near the Matanuska River in Palmer and covered the rest with brush. Wildlife Troopers want to know who.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Judicial conduct commission to announce discipline recommendation for former Nome judge Nov. 17
Alaska's judicial conduct commission will say Nov. 17 what discipline it recommends for ex-Nome Judge Romano DiBenedetto in a Facebook and phone case.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Kotlik man charged with first-degree assault after alleged knife attack
Troopers charged a Kotlik man with first-degree assault after they say he cut a friend repeatedly with a knife early Monday. The friend was medevaced to Bethel.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Ketchikan boy dies after collapsing Monday; state medical examiner requests autopsy
A Ketchikan boy collapsed and stopped breathing Monday morning and died at a local hospital despite CPR, troopers said. An autopsy is planned.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Trump's pick for EPA air chief says he'll work to speed decisions on state pollution plans
EPA air nominee Justin Schwab pledged faster action on state air plans and refinery exemptions. EPA approves Alaska's plans, including Fairbanks's fine particle plan, due by Dec. 31, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Seward homeowners who live in town would get two property tax breaks under final budget
Seward's final budget would cut property taxes and add a break for people's own homes, backed by a 6% summer sales tax. Nothing assured for renters.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago3 min readFrom 
Bethel police, tribal court and clinic hosted a two-day suicide prevention training
Bethel police, ONC's tribal court and Bethel Family Clinic hosted a two-day suicide prevention training for local organizations, led by NAMI New Hampshire.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Federal judge throws out most of a defamation lawsuit, including a racketeering claim
A federal judge tossed most of Holly Sheldon-Lee's lawsuit against two people she says defamed her, racketeering claim included. Each was one sentence long.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Dunleavy proclaims Women Veterans Day, citing more than 10,000 women veterans in Alaska
Dunleavy marked Women Veterans Day on Monday, honoring the more than 10,000 women veterans who live in Alaska and WAC leader Mary Louise Rasmuson.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min read
