Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Alaska's quiet June fire season faces July's heat and lightning
Interior Alaska faces rising wildfire risk this weekend as July thunderstorms arrive over fuels that stayed wet through June's quiet fire season.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
AML resolution calls for protecting bypass mail to remote Alaska communities
Alaska Municipal League urged federal officials to protect bypass mail, which lets remote communities buy cheaper goods through the postal system.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bean Fire burns 80 acres near Native allotments west of Manley Hot Springs
The Bean Fire burned 80 acres near Manley Hot Springs on Sunday, placing several Native allotments within five miles as smokejumpers and seven aircraft worked to contain it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan woman charged with violating DV no-contact order
Ketchikan woman arrested after appearing at a residence she was court-ordered to avoid in an active domestic violence case, held without bail pending arraignment.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on health cost increase for operating engineers
Anchorage Assembly votes July 7 on raising the monthly health cost for operating engineers from $1,945 to $2,118 per employee, effective August 4.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Lightning fire near Pleasant Valley draws smokejumpers, aerial fleet
Smokejumpers and aircraft responded Sunday to the Anaconda Fire near Mile 23 of Chena Hot Springs Road east of Fairbanks, which grew to one acre but posed no immediate threat to nearby structures.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Healy woman held without bail after July 4 domestic violence arrest
A 53-year-old Healy woman is held without bail after assaulting a family member on July 4, with alcohol cited as a factor.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations before rain held Alaska's June burn total low
The Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations in June but rain kept Alaska's burn total to 29,000 acres, the sixth-lowest since 1993, despite 61,000 lightning strikes igniting over 100 wildfires.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Wasilla man on parole clocked at 84 mph on Seward Highway, forces trooper to swerve
A Wasilla man on parole drove 84 mph into oncoming traffic on the Seward Highway on July 4, forcing a state trooper to swerve to avoid a head-on collision.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bystanders protect two toddlers on Kasilof Beach while father lay unconscious in tent
Bystanders on Kasilof Beach called troopers after finding two toddlers unattended while their father lay unconscious in a tent on July 4, testing at more than three times the legal driving limit.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks resident flags Alaska guardian shortage; commission meets July 9
A Fairbanks resident told the Senior Citizens Advisory Commission that Alaska lacks enough legal guardians for seniors, and the commission meets July 9 to discuss other senior issues.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to weigh $3,000 grant for hard-to-adopt shelter animals
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $3,000 grant to train hard-to-adopt shelter animals and reduce euthanasia risk.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska Supreme Court puts Petersburg's Dan Sullivan back on August ballot
Alaska Supreme Court ordered the Division of Elections to place retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on the August 18 primary ballot alongside U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 replaces municipal property taxes on the Alaska LNG project with a new volumetric tax. • Phase 1 revenue splits favor pipeline communities while Phase 2 directs 48 percent to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. • The state expects the project to generate 26 billion dollars over 30 years. • Tax changes expire if construction misses a December 31 2034 deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs retiring 43-year Sullivan Arena ticket surcharge
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on retiring a 43-year-old ticket surcharge at Sullivan Arena, replacing it with a higher revenue deposit from the new operator.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fire contained one mile from Trans-Alaska Pipeline near Livengood
A half-acre wildfire near Livengood stopped Saturday before reaching the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, one mile away, after smokejumpers and aircraft responded the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Siruk Fire reaches 50% containment near Allakaket allotments
The Siruk Fire near Allakaket reached 50% containment Saturday after burning 550 acres, with two Native allotments still at risk if thunderstorm winds breach control lines.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery breaks ground in Salcha
Alaska broke ground on its first state veterans cemetery in Salcha, 30 miles south of Fairbanks, with construction expected to finish by October 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Willow man jailed without bail after threatening campers on Fishhook Road
A Willow man is jailed without bail after state troopers say he drove drunk and threatened campers on Fishhook Road during the July 4th weekend.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Alaska LNG tax bill advances as working draft, disputes unresolved
Alaska lawmakers advanced a working draft of HB 381, the tax framework for Alaska LNG, but disputes over the alternative volumetric tax remain unresolved.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
DOJ reportedly investigating Alaska's two-Sullivans Senate race
National outlets report the FBI and state investigators are examining Alaska's two-Dan-Sullivans race — a probe into a candidacy the state's high court just ruled entirely legal.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Democratic group brings AI-analyzed canvassing to Alaska's Senate race
Democrats are using AI to analyze canvassers' notes and guide outreach in Alaska's Senate race — an approach privacy advocates warn can profile voters without consent.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
High water on Gulkana River forces raft party onto trail, triggers medical rescue
High water forced eight rafters off the Gulkana River on July 3, and one developed chest pains during the hike out, requiring a rescue helicopter to extract him to a hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Two fires hold near Ruby as weekend weather turns risky
Two lightning fires east of Ruby are holding — the Big Fire just 10% contained — but if weekend storms miss, heat and 40 mph winds could change that fast.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man faces 13 felony counts after a gun threat off the Glenn Highway
A man was jailed without bail after a 911 call reported him threatening to kill someone with a gun off the Glenn Highway — and, with no police in Eureka, held far from home.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A NOAA crew cut a tangled humpback free at Endicott Arm
A juvenile humpback got tangled at the mouth of Endicott Arm. A NOAA crew freed it from a small boat with knives on poles — work only 94 people nationwide are cleared to do.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Stalk Steakhouse in Eagle River must pay back taxes to keep its liquor license
An Eagle River steakhouse can't renew its liquor license until it pays the city back taxes — and four Fred Meyer stores are in the same spot. It's how Anchorage collects.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A village on Alaska's biggest lake gets land for a community hub
Kokhanok, a village of about 150 on Alaska's largest lake, is set to gain state land for a community building — handed to the tribe, since the village has no city government.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Wasilla argument ends with a gun pointed at a neighbor
Troopers say a Wasilla man pulled a .45 and pointed it at a neighbor during an argument on Big Dipper Drive. He faces a third-degree assault charge.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
North Slope mayor: 'Nothing about us without us'
The North Slope mayor used a Founders' Day message to demand the region get a real voice in federal and state decisions about its land — a bid for leverage it doesn't formally hold.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A half-acre fire near Golovin tests a new federal firefighting agency
A half-acre lightning fire near Golovin isn't threatening homes or subsistence allotments, and rain may help. Two smokejumpers went in — an early test of a new federal agency.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it
Weeks after proposing a one-time $10,000 payout to end the PFD, candidate Bill Walker is walking it back, now promising a plan that "strengthens" the dividend instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive
Nelson Island residents near Toksook Bay extinguished a lightning-caused tundra fire on June 24 before state crews could arrive, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Holdover fire near Allakaket draws six smokejumpers as Kenai danger stays high
Six smokejumpers reached a holdover fire near Allakaket on June 29 that had smoldered in duff for days before flaring up, while the Kenai Peninsula faces the state's highest fire danger.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
A stop to grab fallen cargo turns serious on the Seward Highway
A man gathering items that fell from his truck on the Seward Highway was struck by a passing vehicle, seriously injuring both him and the driver near Summit Lake.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend
Three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket face a dangerous holiday weekend — 30-40 mph winds and critically low humidity that could drive fast spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground
Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say
Troopers say a Nikiski woman rolled an ATV with a child aboard while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. She faces DUI and child-endangerment charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bethel wants to charge owners who let buildings sit empty and rot
Bethel would charge owners to leave buildings empty, and help demolish burnt-out ones — waiving the cost if the owner rebuilds, or filing a lien if not.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly moved to remove member George Martinez. This first-ever proceeding follows findings of perjury and ethics violations.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read