Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
A board steering Anchorage's biggest project met nine times. The public heard about one.
A board advising Anchorage's $2.7B port rebuild met nine times and told the public about one — voting on design questions with almost no public notice.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
TPS holders in Alaska: check your work permit — don't assume it was extended
TPS holders in Alaska should check their work permit expiration date and not assume it was extended — automatic extensions have been cut, and an expired card can cost a job.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Green card seekers in Alaska face a wider benefits review starting Sept. 18
A federal rule effective Sept. 18 broadens the public charge review for green card applicants in Alaska; advocates warn families may drop Medicaid or food aid out of fear.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska stands up a new office to coordinate military affairs
Alaska has a new office to coordinate military affairs and chase federal defense money. Its cost and staffing weren't disclosed Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska takes over hazardous waste rules, with enforcement in question
Alaska just took over hazardous waste regulation from the feds — the first state in 25 years. The open question: can it enforce the rules in remote Alaska?
by Lucas Brown2mo ago1 min read
Judge declines to block 1.4 million-acre Alaska land transfer
A judge won't freeze Alaska's claim to 1.4 million acres of federal land, pushing the state past 96 percent of its 1959 statehood entitlement. The lawsuit lives on.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage clarifies what a records request keeps, and for how long
Anchorage is spelling out what a public records request keeps, logs, request and records, and setting the clock at two years. Short enough to notice, if a request ever gets contested.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A federal tax break for K-12 teachers may finally reach Alaska's preschool teachers
A federal bill would give Alaska's underpaid preschool and daycare teachers the same supply tax break K-12 teachers get. Both Alaska senators backed it.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A GOP power player is fighting Rep. Stutes over her leftover campaign cash
GOP fixture Randy Ruedrich is going after Rep. Louise Stutes over her leftover campaign cash, and state regulators weigh the case Monday — including a possible settlement.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
New perks for Anchorage firefighters and Teamsters head to the Assembly
Anchorage firefighters and Teamsters would gain parental leave and easier holiday pay under two contract deals. The Assembly's "no significant economic effects" is doing some work.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs new police SUVs and an off-market firehouse sale
The Anchorage Assembly weighs two property calls Aug. 4: $1.88M for 27 new police SUVs, and a no-bid sale of an old Government Hill firehouse to its current tenant.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
The water rights Alaska Natives can't claim
Murkowski chairs Wednesday's hearing on five tribal water settlements, none in Alaska. ANCSA extinguished the rights that make such deals possible for Alaska Natives.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The Sullivan who won his case lands on the ballot with no party
Daniel J. Sullivan filed as a Republican and won his fight to stay on the Senate ballot. His reward: he appears with no party label, while the incumbent gets "Republican, incumbent."
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sterling residents want to tax themselves for recreation
Sterling residents want to tax themselves for recreation. On Aug. 4 the borough sets the date for a public meeting where they can back or fight the plan.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kenai assembly weighs putting school board term limits to voters
Kenai's assembly weighs term limits for school board members — but can't impose them alone, so a yes vote just puts the question to borough voters. Hearing Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage let $11.8 million skip the books it promised to check
Anchorage could have policed $11.8 million in off-the-books spending starting in early 2024. It waited nearly two years, and none of it showed on the public tracker.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
A tiny fire near Koyuk has smoldered under investigation for a month
A quarter-acre fire 51 miles northeast of Koyuk has been under investigation for over a month, with no cause identified and no threat to homes or subsistence areas reported.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
A North Pole dirt bike crash follows a fatal Fairbanks motorcycle wreck
A North Pole dirt bike rider walked away with minor injuries — the interior's second two-wheeled crash this month, after a Fairbanks motorcyclist was killed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
K9 Jack retires at 5 after four years on Interior village patrols
K9 Jack is retiring at 5, early for a police dog, after four years and a long list of seizures across 39 Interior villages. A younger nose has the beat now.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
A 20-acre parcel near Homer is headed to public hands — but for what?
Twenty acres near Homer could be sold to a public or charitable group with no auction — though the state's notice doesn't say who wants it or why. Comment by Aug. 31.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Retiring judge's Arctic caseload lands in an unassigned court queue
A retiring Arctic judge's entire caseload but eight cases now sits in an unassigned queue, with no new judge named and no word on hearing dates across three hub communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Woman killed, two juveniles critically hurt in crash at Northern Lights and UAA Drive
A woman died and two juveniles were critically injured in a crash at East Northern Lights Boulevard and UAA Drive in Anchorage early Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Motorcyclist dies after Parks Highway collision in Meadow Lakes
A motorcyclist died Monday night after colliding with a van on the Parks Highway at South Potter Road in Meadow Lakes, according to Alaska State Troopers.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak weighs a 3% marijuana tax, and a dispensary owner cries foul
Kodiak may tax marijuana 3% for a community well-being fund — but a dispensary owner says pot keeps getting singled out as the island's sin of choice.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Reentry seeks borough funds as nonprofit grant requests outstrip budget
A volunteer-run Kodiak reentry group that helps people leave incarceration for treatment is asking the borough for rent money — in a year when the grant fund is badly oversubscribed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska labor splits in the Senate race as AFL-CIO back Peltola and building trades back Sullivan
Alaska's AFL-CIO backed Peltola — no shock there — but three building-trades unions went for Sullivan, splitting labor in a toss-up Senate race.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Every Juneau ballot seat drew a candidate as filing closed
Filing closed for Juneau's Oct. 6 election, and all five seats — three Assembly, two school board — drew candidates. The certified ballot posts soon.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Juneau Assembly pulls a $16M school bond from the fall ballot
Juneau yanked a $16M school bond off the fall ballot — part timing blunder, part cold feet over shaky revenue. Dissenters say it will only cost more later.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A veteran was barred from Juneau's July 4th parade over an anti-war sign
A Juneau veteran was pulled from the July 4th parade over a sign reading "Wars: immoral, illegal." He's asking the Assembly whether a public-street event can bar a viewpoint.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Palmer sentencing marks another case from Alaska's cybertip pipeline
A Palmer man will register as a sex offender for life after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse material — one of a run of Alaska cybertip cases.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Pro and Anti Ranked choice campaigns trade billionaire accusations at hearing
Alaska's ranked choice camps each say the other runs on billionaire money, at a hearing on a measure that would repeal the rules for tracing where that money starts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
State tells Alaska communities: check for unclaimed assistance payments
The state says some Alaska communities have unclaimed Community Assistance payments waiting — and FY27 awards start landing July 29. Paperwork required.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Securus asks to raise a surcharge on Alaska prison calls
Securus wants to nudge up a surcharge on calls from Alaska prisons. The steeper per-minute increase people remember came from a different, earlier filing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Ballot Measure 3 turns on a single word
Ballot Measure 3 would add "only" to Alaska's voter law. Sponsors call it a gap worth closing before a court does it for them; opponents call it a doubt nobody needed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska State Archives wins $220,146 to index statehood records
The state archives has $220,146 to make its statehood records findable. That buys a guide and some audiovisual scanning, not a digitized archive.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The sleeper on Alaska's August primary ballot: money, turnout and Measure 1
Alaska campaign donations currently have one limit: your imagination. Ballot Measure 1 would add a second — $2,000. Voters decide at the Aug. 18 primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Troopers issue Silver Alert for 73-year-old missing near Fairbanks
Troopers issued a Silver Alert for Rodney Rutherford, 73, last seen on Murphy Dome Road near Fairbanks Friday night. Call 907-451-5100 with information.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Fairbanks woman for DUI near Healy after multiple REDDI calls
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Fairbanks woman on a DUI charge after multiple REDDI calls reported dangerous driving on the Parks Highway near Healy on July 26.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate opens fourth special session with technical session, adjourns to Friday
Alaska Senate opened its fourth special session Monday to tackle natural gas taxation but took no action, adjourning until Friday - signaling the bill may be unable to advance.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Why the fight over the Strait of Hormuz shows up in Alaska's budget
The fight over the Strait of Hormuz sets the price of oil — and Alaska's budget moves with it. Talks continue; tanker owners still don't know who pays.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read