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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Saturday, Sep 5
Alaska Supreme Court bars Nome from taxing hospital staff housing
The Alaska Supreme Court says Nome cannot tax the building where its hospital houses doctors and nurses, a ruling that reaches every borough in the state.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min readFrom 
Troopers recover stolen property in Wasilla, arrest 24-year-old man
Troopers arrest 24yo man in Wasilla
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Motorcyclist killed on N Post Road in Anchorage; Jeep driver fled scene, police say
A motorcyclist died Friday night on N Post Road in Anchorage after a Jeep hit him; the Jeep's driver fled in another vehicle and police are seeking witnesses.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Coast Guard extends Anchorage firm's contracts $2.2 million through January
Coast Guard added $2.24 million to two uncompeted contracts with Koniag Management Solutions, extending facilities work through January 2027.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Dahlstrom reverses course, will certify Taylor for the November ballot
Division of elections reversed decision and Treg Taylor is back on the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The White House wanted the Denali Commission closed, and it grew instead
The White House proposed closing the Denali Commission. Congress funded it, and the agency ended up administering money many times its own budget.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readFrom 
Friday, Sep 4
Former mayor Harry Brower Jr. files to run against Patkotak for North Slope Borough mayor
Harry Brower Jr. ran the North Slope Borough for seven years and wants it back. He and the incumbent are both from Utqiagvik, in a borough of eight villages.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Bethel's deadline to fix a sewage leak passed two weeks ago
Untreated sewage is leaking onto the ground at a Bethel house. The city's repair deadline passed two weeks ago with no word on whether it was met.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
Missing 11-year-old located safe in Wasilla
Troopers found an 11-year-old Wasilla boy safe Friday afternoon, hours after he went missing on his bicycle.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
One machinegun, 14 grams of cocaine, and a mandatory 30 years
Mason Lanon, 23, of Fairbanks sold an agent a converted machinegun and 14 grams of cocaine. That single count carried a mandatory 30 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska prosecutors must prove a voter knew a registration form was false
Alaska's appeals court held that a first-degree voter-misconduct charge based on a false oath requires proof the voter understood the act was wrong.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage canceled five assessment appeal sessions over the summer
Five Anchorage assessment appeal sessions were canceled over the summer while the backlog stretched toward November. A report ordered in February is overdue.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak names a third person to run the borough when the top two are out
Kodiak Island Borough now has a third person in line to run it. He gets his first turn in December, when everyone above him is at a conference.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
One Democrat, three Republicans, and two months to go
The left consolidated behind Kreiss-Tomkins. The right split three ways. That is the shape of Alaska's governor race with two months to go.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Thursday, Sep 3
Kenai Council on Aging reviews 2026 goals at Sept. 10 work session
Kenai's Council on Aging Commission recommends the city adopt an emergency food plan to keep the senior center stocked for two weeks of meals if operations are disrupted.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly to interview municipal administrator applicant Gerrie Cotter on Sept. 10
Sitka's Assembly will interview Gerrie Cotter for municipal administrator on Sept. 10, the sole remaining candidate after a months-long search that started over at least once.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 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
Suit seeks Alaska Judicial Council records on judge screening
A conservative legal group sued the Alaska Judicial Council for the scoring sheets it has used to rank judicial candidates since 2020.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
Anchorage paid to expand the crime center, then put off the rules
Anchorage funded a $598,998 crime center expansion the same night it postponed the public hearing on rules meant to govern that center.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A court struck down a fishery council's power. Alaska's council has the same one.
A court found a Gulf fishery council's veto unconstitutional — and Alaska's council holds the same power, behind the CDQ program and other fishing regimes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Driver unidentified after crash at Old Murphy Dome Road and Elliot Highway near Fairbanks
Driver unidentified after crash at Old Murphy Dome Road and Elliot Highway near Fairbanks
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's next mayor to earn about $183,000, a 26 percent raise
Anchorage's next mayor will make about $183,000, a 26 percent raise — though it won't take effect until whoever wins the April 2027 election.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
The Permanent Fund wants $215 million to run itself
The Permanent Fund wants $215.4 million to run itself next year, three-quarters of it going to the outside firms that manage the money.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Koch-backed group spent the same for Sullivan as against Peltola in one filing
Outside money keeps landing on Alaska's Senate race. A Koch-funded group spent the same amount for Dan Sullivan as it did against Mary Peltola.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska weighs dropping the required training course for marijuana handlers
Alaska may drop the required training course for marijuana handler permits, swapping a class and test for a background check — saving workers up to $500.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sitka opens early voting Sept. 21 for six seats
Sitka opens early voting Sept. 21 for its Oct. 6 municipal election, with six seats on the ballot and registration closing Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
One donor has supplied two-fifths of what a progressive Alaska fund raised this year
One Anchorage physician has supplied two-fifths of a progressive independent expenditure fund's money this year. Alaska caps no such gift.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Trump says he will campaign in Alaska for Sen. Dan Sullivan
Trump says he is coming to Alaska to campaign for Dan Sullivan. Mary Peltola outpolled Sullivan by more than 13,000 votes in the August primary.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read
Kenai voters will decide on a homeowner tax break worth about $326 a year
Kenai voters decide in November on a homeowner tax exemption worth about $326 a year. It would cost the city roughly $434,000 annually in revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage police force falls hardest on Alaska Native residents
A review found Anchorage police use force disproportionately on Alaska Native residents, more than comparable cities — and likely overstated what they've fixed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min read
Bethel Fire Department recruits nationally for a captain and firefighters
Bethel Fire Department is recruiting a captain and firefighters nationally to fill gaps in its eight-person career staff serving over 6,000 residents.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska wants to change how it measures edible pot strength — and some legal products may not pass
Alaska wants to change how it measures edible pot strength — and the new math could push products legal today over the limit, without the products changing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest two after 4-wheeler pursuit near Wasilla's Sage Road
Alaska State Troopers arrested two people after a four-wheeler fled near Wasilla on Wednesday night, one wanted on an outstanding warrant.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Before you head out this fall, tell someone where you are going
Leave a trip plan before you head out, Tanana Chiefs Conference says. Volunteer crews searching 235,000 square miles need to know where to look.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Wednesday, Sep 2
Alaska raised the age of consent, and school districts have new duties
Alaska raised the age of consent to 18 in July. School districts now must report such conduct to police, notify parents, and file with the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
The Nulato Hills Crew fights fire with hand tools, from five villages
BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises a second $495,000 contract to run a seasonal wildland fire crew through March 2031, drawing firefighters from five Interior villages.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fourteen states weighed in on whether an Alaskan belonged on Alaska's ballot
Fourteen states, the Alaska GOP and a national election law group filed briefs against a Petersburg man's candidacy. Two Alaskans filed for him, on their own.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A decade in, Alaska's marijuana industry is squeezed by taxes as the state rewrites the rules
A decade in, Alaska's marijuana industry is squeezed by taxes and falling prices. Operators owe millions in back taxes as the state rewrites the rules.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
Alaska's smallest fire year since 1995 was also one of its most destructive
Alaska's quietest fire season in 30 years still took 50 homes at Tok, in a fire a climate specialist calls among the most destructive in state history.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Fifty homes destroyed at Tok in Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995
The Mukluk Fire destroyed more than 40 homes at Tok during Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995, making it one of the most destructive fires in state history despite record-low statewide acreage.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
The Permanent Fund earned $8.2 billion and none of it went into protected principal
The Permanent Fund earned $8.2 billion last year and moved none of it into the part of the fund Alaskans cannot spend. That is two years running.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
