Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Juneau weighs a tighter senior property tax break
Juneau may tighten its senior property tax break, cutting the income cutoff from $115K to $49K and capping the biggest awards — though the cap hits only a couple dozen people.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kodiak's nonprofits need more than the borough can give
Kodiak nonprofits asked for far more than the $270K the borough has to give — with the biggest shortfall in the fund that helps keep a homeless shelter open year-round.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
What Fairbanks wants from Juneau — and why it costs more up north
Fairbanks is finalizing its legislative wish list: cheaper piped gas, more school funding, and pensions back — a bill of grievances for a region that pays more for everything.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su weighs a flood emergency and a tax overhaul
The Mat-Su Assembly takes up a Talkeetna flood emergency and a November ballot plan that would swap a new 3% sales tax for a cap on property taxes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A wildfire came within a mile of Kaltag — then crews stopped it
A lightning fire pushed within a mile of Kaltag before smokejumpers and scooper planes held it at 55 acres, with the threat to the village easing.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks-area burn permits suspended amid high fire danger
Fairbanks, Salcha, and Railbelt burn permits are suspended indefinitely amid high fire danger — no pile burning, lawn burning, or burn barrels until conditions ease.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bethel's free bulky-item pickup ends this month
Bethel's one free bulky-item pickup of the year ends in July — last call to haul off the busted four-wheeler before it's your job to get it to the landfill.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks man faces assault charges after early-morning disturbance near Yvonne Avenue
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 30-year-old Fairbanks man on three assault charges, including two counts involving a child, after a domestic-violence call near Yvonne Avenue early Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
New York hiker airlifted after head injury on Reed Lakes trail
NY resident got hurt at Reed Lakes. Be careful Reed Lakes. The rocks can get slippery.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Soldotna man arrested after alleged robbery, assault at smoke shop
A Soldotna man was arrested after shoving a clerk at a smoke shop on Kalifornsky Beach Road and threatening to steal cigarettes Saturday afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A wildfire is burning in protected caribou habitat in the Kanuti refuge
A lightning fire is burning in protected caribou habitat inside the Kanuti refuge near Allakaket. Crews are holding it in place; no communities are threatened.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The state made a plea deal, then broke it. A court just said no.
A Point Hope man gets resentenced after a fill-in prosecutor argued for the max instead of honoring his plea deal — the appeals court ruled the state is bound by its own bargains.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A capsize, a night on the bank, and a morning-after airlift
Two boaters capsized on the remote, glacier-fed Killey River and spent the night on the bank — warm, fed, and in cell contact — before troopers flew them out the next day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Conservative groups back Sullivan, one with a six-figure ad buy
Two conservative groups endorsed Sen. Dan Sullivan, and one — Americans for Prosperity Action — is backing it with a six-figure ad buy in the Senate race.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A man is charged with sexually abusing a minor near Soldotna in 2019
A man who once lived near Soldotna is charged with a 2019 sexual abuse of a minor, in a case troopers opened in 2025 after a report of past abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readThe state must bridge the language gap before ending parental rights, court says
Alaska's high court says the state must accommodate non-English-speaking parents before terminating their rights — a new protection rooted in the state's 20-plus Native languages.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Nutmeg Fire near Wiseman hits 1,000 acres; federal managers let it burn
Lightning-caused Nutmeg Fire near Wiseman has burned roughly 1,000 acres since July 9, and federal managers are letting it burn as part of natural fire ecology.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Peltola posts a record $7 million quarter in the Alaska Senate race
Peltola posted a record $7M quarter in the Alaska Senate race — a real haul, but Sullivan holds more cash on hand, his Q2 number isn't in yet, and outside money will dwarf both.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Allied forces rehearse the next war in the Alaska wilderness
2,100 troops and 75 aircraft from four nations trained over interior Alaska this spring, where Alaska-based airmen rehearsed a new role: flying drones and jamming comms, not just calling strikes.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves kills two, closes corridor Thursday morning
A Ford F150 crossed the median at Glenn Highway S Curves on Thursday morning, killing two drivers and sending a child to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Convicted child abuser killed by troopers after armed standoff near Whittier
A man convicted of child sexual abuse was killed by troopers near Whittier after he armored up and pointed a gun at officers from an anchored boat, days after fleeing sentencing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Big Lake man is charged with assault after a report at a school parking lot
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Big Lake man Thursday after witnesses reported an assault inside a vehicle at Big Lake Elementary School parking lot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska is about to burn 54,000 acres on purpose, to grow more moose
Alaska plans to deliberately burn 54,000 acres of the Alphabet Hills this month to reset old spruce into the willow and birch moose need — a bet that pays off in 5 to 15 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves slows Anchorage commute Thursday
One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the Glenn hwy.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers parachuted into a roadless village to save its solar array
A landfill fire jumped to the tundra and got within 100 yards of Selawik's solar array, so smokejumpers parachuted into the roadless village to save it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Your 911 call now finds you where you are, not where your bill goes
GCI switched on location-based 911 routing — so an emergency call goes to the dispatch center nearest where you actually are, which in Alaska can be hundreds of miles from home.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
A Kenai woman is mauled by a bear on her own front deck
A Kenai woman was seriously hurt when a brown bear sow attacked her on her front deck — drawn in, troopers say, by bird feeders in the yard, on a peninsula that's a bear-attack hot spot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A thrown Tall Boy and a few punches: a 3:30 a.m. fight in Healy
A 3:30 a.m. ride in Healy turned into a fight when, troopers say, one man threw a Tall Boy at another, who punched back. Both now face assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Where thousands of seabirds flew, a Kodiak commissioner counted 30
A Native Kodiak commissioner counted 30 seabirds where thousands once flew, and says the borough's new 20-year plan must reckon with that — and with 7,000 years of Indigenous knowledge.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan's library could lose 40% of its budget — and who picks the books is part of the fight
Ketchikan's library may lose 40% of its funding as the borough and city feud — a money fight tangled up with a quieter one over who controls what's on the shelves.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Homer man charged after woman reports repeated strangulation
A Homer man faces 15 charges after a woman reported he strangled her three times in one morning, a pattern that anti-violence workers say is among the deadliest forms of domestic abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Selawik landfill fire smoke poses distinct health risk beyond wildfire haze
A landfill fire near Selawik is sending toxic smoke into the air, posing greater health risks than typical wildfire smoke for elders and children.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A man is taking on Alaska's housing authority alone, and lost round one
A self-represented man sued Alaska's public housing authority under the Fair Housing Act. A judge denied his emergency-relief bid but fast-tracked the case, which continues.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska's October election is already in motion
Alaska's Oct. 6 municipal election is already gearing up — clerks are in training now, and the deadline that matters most for voters, registration, closes Sept. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wasilla traffic stop surfaces two residents wanted on theft charges
Alaska State Troopers stopped a Wasilla pickup for equipment violations early Wednesday and arrested both occupants on active theft warrants.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Three wildfires close to Native allotments near Huslia and Galena as lightning siege continues
Three lightning fires are burning near Native allotments in western Alaska, with smokejumpers responding as part of a 19-fire surge across the state.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Notakok Fire held at 55 acres one mile from Kaltag as smokejumpers begin to stand down
The 55-acre Notakok Fire one mile from Kaltag entered mop-up operations Wednesday as most smokejumpers stood down and a full fire crew took over, with rain and humidity favoring containment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage man held without bail after CSAM distribution investigation
Anchorage man held without bail on probation violations after Task Force Dawnbreaker investigation into child sexual abuse material distribution; additional charges expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Convicted sex offender flees Palmer courthouse, departs Whittier by sailboat
A convicted child abuser fled the Palmer courthouse Monday. Philip Phillips sailed into Prince William Sound to evade capture.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Alaska National Guard completes 4 rescues over July 4 weekend
Alaska National Guard helicopters rescued four people over the July 4 weekend from remote Interior and Southcentral locations, including two critically ill patients and two stranded hikers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read