Politics & Government

Mat-Su's 2027 asks include school debt money, Talkeetna flood help and a stalled railroad

Mat-Su's 2027 wish list: school debt payments from the state, $20 million to protect Talkeetna from the Susitna and $300 million for a stalled railroad.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Coast Guard icebreaker that watched Chinese ships in the Arctic stops in Juneau

The Coast Guard's former oil-industry icebreaker stopped in Juneau near the end of a 134-day deployment, some of it spent watching Chinese research ships.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago3 min read

Juneau Airport Board to weigh selling old Hertz building and keeping the proceeds

Juneau Airport Board meets Thursday to weigh recommending a sale of the old Hertz wash bay building, with the airport keeping sale proceeds and ground lease revenue.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Seward plan for no city sales tax in winter, 6% in summer gets its first public hearing

Seward's proposed budget would let summer carry winter: no city sales tax October through March, 6% April through September. First hearing was Monday.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago3 min read

Follows: Seward council members question proposed property tax cut, float exemptions instead

Fairbanks mayor seeks $200,000 in borough savings for 2028 Arctic Winter Games

Fairbanks hosts the Arctic Winter Games again in 2028, and the borough mayor wants $200,000 in savings to help raise the more than $6 million it'll take.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Wasilla council will let Seat F applicants interview by video, with phone as backup

Wasilla council voted 4-1 to let Seat F applicants interview by video or phone instead of in person. The change follows one applicant saying he'd be out of state for the Nov. 30 interview meeting.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

State seeks a shipyard to build a 96-foot wildlife trooper vessel for Southeast

The state wants a shipyard to build a 96-foot wildlife trooper vessel for Southeast. It says the last one was made with "dramatically inferior materials."

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Man pleads guilty in child sexual abuse case, admits abusing seven children

A 49-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday and admitted sexually abusing seven children in Fairbanks and Anchorage. The state says he'll get 35 years to serve.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

North Slope school budget would use more savings than its draft audit shows

North Slope's school board is set to vote Wednesday on a budget that would use $7.7 million in savings. Its draft audit showed $5.6 million left in June.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Peltola's Senate lead grows as Alaska counts nearly 5,000 more ballots

Alaska added about 5,000 ballots to its count Monday. Peltola's Senate lead grew, Begich's House lead shrank and the ranked-choice repeal fell further behind.

by Alaska News3d ago3 min read

Waiver holding off SNAP's work time limit outside Anchorage now runs to October 2027

The waiver keeping SNAP's work time limit off outside Anchorage now runs through Oct. 31, 2027, a year past the date the state listed in September.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Kodiak ordinance would narrow borough contract ban for mayor and Assembly members

Kodiak Assembly members propose narrowing the mayor and Assembly contract ban to professional services only. It follows a dispute over seating Jeremy Williamson, whose company holds borough contracts.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Cordova moves Wednesday trash pickup to Thursday for Veterans Day

Cordova shifts Wednesday trash pickup to Thursday, Nov. 12, and closes City Hall Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. Regular bagging and can limit rules still apply.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min read

Senate votes 73-25 to advance federal permitting overhaul

The Senate voted 73-25 to advance the bipartisan permitting deal, with Murkowski and Sullivan voting yes. It sets review deadlines and limits project lawsuits.

by Alaska News3d ago2 min read

Driver kills pedestrian at Airport Heights Drive and Debarr Road in Anchorage, flees

A driver hit and killed a pedestrian at Airport Heights Drive and Debarr Road early Monday and drove away. Police haven't described the vehicle or driver.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Driver in a Parks Highway ditch near Cantwell had a .251 breath test, troopers say

Troopers say a driver who ended up in a Parks Highway ditch near Cantwell on Sunday night blew a .251, more than three times Alaska's legal limit.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min read

Sullivan campaign asks to join Peltola's ballot-records suit before Tuesday hearing

Sullivan's campaign moved to join Peltola's lawsuit over absentee-ballot records, a day before a judge hears her emergency request. The motion isn't public yet.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

EPA drafts rules on whether used work gloves count as hazardous waste

Are the leather gloves worn all day on Alaska's oil fields hazardous waste once they're tossed? EPA has drafted rules on that, its regional chief said.

by Bill AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Weather makes state's last block grant workshop Zoom-only; applications still due Dec. 4

Bad weather in Anchorage made the state's last block grant workshop online-only. Towns still have until Dec. 4 to apply for up to $850,000 each.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readFrom Nov 3

Alaska's unfunded pension debt fell about $1.2 billion last year, draft statements show

Alaska's two big pension plans earned about 14% last year, nearly twice what they count on, and their unfunded debt shrank by about $1.2 billion.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readFrom Oct 12

Fairbanks mayor's 2027 budget comes with a warning that revenue isn't keeping up

Fairbanks' mayor proposed a 2027 budget with a small surplus and no debt, and warned that property owners can't keep carrying the city alone.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

South Tongass fire chief Steve Rydeen to retire Dec. 1, weeks after his station reopened

South Tongass Fire Chief Steve Rydeen retires Dec. 1, weeks after crews moved back into the station that burned in 2024. Wednesday's board meeting is his last.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

Kenai Peninsula voters back school board term limits that won't bite until 2032

Kenai Peninsula voters backed school board term limits with about 89% of the vote. The Assembly certifies Tuesday, and the limit won't bite until 2032.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago1 min readFrom Nov 3

Medicare will cut its base pay rate for doctors about 2% in 2027, deeper than proposed

Medicare will cut its base pay rate for doctors about 2% next year, deeper than first proposed, in a state where many Medicare patients struggle to find care.

by Alaska News4d ago2 min read

Medicare's drug price negotiation program moves from guidance into federal regulation

Medicare's drug price haggling moves from agency guidance into federal regulation. Starting in 2029, Medicare can target up to 20 drugs a year.

by Alaska News4d ago1 min read

Trump says he's holding off on striking Iran's bridges and power plants

Trump says he could blow up Iran's bridges and power plants now but won't, betting on blockades. His 301% inflation figure is over triple Iran's own.

by Alaska News4d ago3 min read

Analysis: Ranked-choice repeal trails, with less crossover voting than in 2024

The repeal trails by about 7,600 votes so far. About 1 in 8 Sullivan-first ballots voted "No", to keep ranked choice, and 1 in 12 Peltola-first ballots "Yes" to scrap it.

by Alaska News4d ago5 min read

Analysis: Most Alaska ballots so far went one of two ways at the top of the ticket

Most Alaska ballots counted so far went one of two ways at the top of the ticket. Those ranking Sullivan Jr. first split, and bullet voting varied by race.

by Alaska News4d ago4 min read

Alaska Supreme Court will weigh state search warrants for Metlakatla tribal property

A Ketchikan judge ruled state courts can't issue search warrants for Metlakatla tribal property. The Alaska Supreme Court hears the state's challenge Jan. 6.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago4 min read

Trump's new chief of staff has called Alaska's second Dan Sullivan an election 'attack'

Trump's new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, has called the second Dan Sullivan's candidacy an attack on election integrity. The race is still uncalled.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago4 min read

Alaska psychology board proposes dropping its state law and ethics exam for new licensees

Alaska's psychology board wants to drop its state law and ethics exam for license applicants, calling it a barrier to licensure. Comments are due Dec. 10.

by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read

Troopers arrest Chugiak 16-year-old after 122 mph pursuit in Wasilla

Troopers say a 16-year-old Chugiak driver raced another car on Knik Goose Bay Road, then fled at up to 122 mph before being stopped. No injuries were reported.

by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read

Kotzebue and Nome draw two applicants each for their empty superior court seats

Kotzebue and Nome each drew two applicants for their empty superior court seats, and the council can't nominate fewer than two. Statewide, 16 attorneys applied.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago3 min readFrom Oct 30

Homer councilmember wants to put the city's health insurance broker back on a flat fee

Homer's health insurance broker earns more when the city's premiums go up. A councilmember wants to go back to the flat fee the city paid until 2021.

by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago3 min read

Outgoing Homer mayor proposes a new rule for how much money the city keeps in reserve

Homer's outgoing mayor wants the city to save three months of spending, not four months of revenue. She's bringing it the night her successor is sworn in.

by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read

Follows: Homer mayor proposes changing the rules for how the city writes its budget

Valdez schools superintendent warns health insurance could rise 40% in April

Valdez schools' health insurance could jump as much as 40% in April, the superintendent warned, adding about $1.5 million if claims stay high.

by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read

Juneau must replace the software behind its payroll and billing by 2030

Juneau has to replace the software behind its payroll and billing before support for its current system ends in 2030. No price tag as of July.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readFrom Jul 8

Anchorage Assembly chair would cut crime victim grants to shift pre-K to alcohol tax

Anchorage's Assembly chair wants to move half of pre-K back onto the alcohol tax, paying for it by cutting crime victim grants. Vote is Nov. 17.

by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago3 min read

Anchorage man gets 60 years for 2023 murder of John Martin III near Dimond credit union

Ryan Dummler got 60 years for murdering John Martin III, who was asleep outside a credit union when Dummler walked up. Ten minutes later, he reported for work.

by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read

Homer canvass board takes up 1,000-plus ballots with a council race 75 votes apart

Homer's canvass board took up more than 1,000 absentee and other ballots Friday, nearly matching Election Day turnout. One council race is just 75 votes apart.

by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read