Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Anchorage approved three ice-arena contracts. The office that oversees them has one employee.
Anchorage approved three ice-arena contracts — then admitted the office overseeing them has one employee and no finalized policy. Audits had flagged the gap before.

The number that quietly sets the state budget: a barrel of oil
Alaska's budget is a bet on oil — and the state's own forecast is banking on crude leaping to $91 a barrel by summer, so "coming out ahead" rides on a guess, not a high price.

Sullivan and Peltola, fighting over the same salmon
Sullivan introduced a bycatch bill he calls the most sweeping ever; Peltola, who's owned the salmon issue for years, counters with a tougher plan. The science is contested.

New fire near Bettles strains crews
Twelve smokejumpers dropped on a new fire near Bettles — one more blaze stretching Interior crews thin as lightning keeps the dry north lighting up.

Anchorage's library puts Hoopla on a budget with new borrowing limits
Anchorage's library has put Hoopla on a budget: borrowing's been cut in half, and on busy days the app simply runs out of money and closes until morning.

Tom Begich goes after Dunleavy over vocational-training vetoes
Begich is hammering Dunleavy for vetoing job-training money while the state promises a pipeline built by Alaskans — a rare direct shot at the governor from the campaign trail.

Kodiak seiners back Kreiss-Tomkins for governor
A Kodiak seiners' group endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins for governor on a fisheries platform — though "restore balance to the Board of Fish" means very different things to different fishermen.

Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted, but the Starry Fire isn't out
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted as the Starry Fire hits 60% containment. It's not out — crews are still mopping up, and the town is told to stay ready.

Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
You bought one fire was bad? How about two fires!

The Alaska State Museum throws a free 10th-birthday party
The building that holds Alaska's museum, library, and archives turns 10 — and Juneau's invited to the free birthday party Saturday, planetarium and cake included.

Tlingit & Haida Unveils Revitalized Veterans Totem Pole in Juneau
The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes held a ceremony to unveil a revitalized veterans totem pole at Southeast Alaska

Beluga Fire triggers nightly FAA flight restriction near Anchorage
FAA restricted airspace over the Beluga Fire northwest of Anchorage nightly through June 28 to protect firefighting aircraft from the surface to 2,000 feet.

A judge weighs whether Alaska gets two Dan Sullivans
Will the real Dan Sullivan please stand up? We're gonna have a problem here. Y'all act like you never seen two Sullivans before. J's all on the floor, like the "S" walked in and slammed the door.

Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sullivan's sweeping bycatch bill targets trawl salmon catch — a real and raw grievance, even as federal science pins Alaska's river collapses mostly on a warming ocean.

A typo froze Sutton's wild rec area for eight years. Not anymore.
An eight-year-old wording error blocked any rules for Jonesville, Sutton's anything-goes rec area — born of a fatal shooting and bullets hitting homes. Alaska just fixed it.

Two Sitka men face child exploitation charges
A statewide task force arrested two Sitka men within a day of each other on separate child sexual abuse material charges; both are held without bail and presumed innocent.

A fishing trip meant to help troubled teens ended in violence at a Kasilof cabin
Troopers say a teen set a sleeping man on fire at a Kasilof cabin during a treatment-program fishing trip. The man survived; the teen faces felony charges.

A record year for federal research-fraud enforcement — and Alaska's stake in it
Washington recovered a record $6.8B in false-claims cases last year. Alaska's universities run on federal research money, and Begich is on the oversight panel.

Alaska Moves to Keep One of the World's Last Fire Outposts
Alaska wants to keep the McGrath Fire Base — one of the last forward firefighting outposts on Earth, guarding 66 million roadless acres with a crew that's mostly temps.

Alaska's top two Senate candidates both campaigned in Fairbanks on the same day
Alaska's top Senate candidates, Sullivan and Peltola, both worked Fairbanks on June 24 — in a close, nationally watched race where neither can cede the Interior.

A New El Green-Go's Is Coming to East Anchorage
East Anchorage is getting another El Green-Go's — the liquor license has cleared every hurdle, and only a quiet July 21 deadline stands in the way.

An oil spike filled Alaska's budget and hammered its schools — and the new budget sends some back
The oil spike that padded Alaska's budget also jacked up its schools' heating bills — so the budget hands some back. One-time money for a permanent problem.

Anchorage child care fund squeezed by programs moved from alcohol tax
Anchorage's child care fund says two programs loaded onto it are starving its mission. The board wants them moved to the alcohol tax — which is shrinking even faster.

Hunting boats find stranded pair 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue
Two adults stranded 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue were rescued by hunting boats before the formal rescue vessel arrived, both safe by early Wednesday morning.

The EPA's No. 2 told Alaska's resource industry the door is open — for now
The EPA's deputy came to Anchorage to tell the resource industry the feds are clearing the way — and the message from the room was: hurry, before the politics flip.

Anchorage Assembly approves True North deflection contract with APD
Anchorage Assembly approved a contract with True North Recovery to connect people arrested for low-level offenses to treatment instead of jail, funded by opioid settlement money.

Anchorage Assembly unanimously passes veteran-owned business preference ordinance
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed a veteran-owned business preference for city contracts, letting qualifying vets match the lowest bid rather than automatically winning at higher cost.

Anchorage mayor introduces two property tax incentive proposals to spur housing
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance introduced two property tax breaks Tuesday to spur housing development in the city.

Trump Wildlife Pick Wants Fewer ESA Lawsuits — Alaska Is Ground Zero
Trump's wildlife nominee says the Endangered Species Act drowns in lawsuits — and nowhere does that fight bite harder than Alaska, where polar bears and belugas sit atop the oil patch.

Senate panel weighs Mark Cruz nomination to lead Indian Health Service
Senate Indian Affairs Committee held confirmation hearing for Mark Cruz, nominated to lead Indian Health Service. Murkowski signaled early support. Cruz pledged to prioritize tribal consultation and address workforce shortages and $8 billion construction backlog.

U.S. Attorney warns violence against Alaska officers is rising
U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman warned that violence against Alaska officers is rising and often unreported, citing a recent shooting where an officer was struck in the knee.

Alaska judicial watchdog names new director after 37-year tenure ends
Alaska's judicial watchdog has a new director for the first time in 37 years, and the change affects how Alaskans file complaints against judges.

Anchorage Assembly members call on Martinez to resign after APOC ruling
Two Anchorage Assembly members called on George Martinez to resign after an APOC ruling found he willfully used campaign funds for personal benefit and lied under oath.

Alaska Democrats mark Dobbs anniversary, but abortion rights here remain protected
Two Alaska Democrats marked the Dobbs anniversary vowing to protect abortion rights — which the state constitution already has, since 1972. Anniversary politics, on cue.

Starry Fire hits 50% containment as military crews join Alaska firefighters
Starry Fire #234 reached 50% containment Tuesday as military crews from three Alaska bases joined firefighters securing the perimeter, with rain and wind expected to help cool the interior.

Robots are fighting Alaska wildfires near Nenana right now — on their own
Near Nenana, robots are autonomously fighting fire for an $11M prize — tested on tame controlled burns while the real Interior fire season rages a short flight away.

Lightning Lights Up Delta Junction, Then the Rain Comes
Lightning sparked 7,400 strikes and at least 11 fires near Delta Junction Monday, with the Shaw Fire growing nearly 1,900 acres in four hours before Tuesday's rain slowed the spread.

Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
TRASH FIRE, TRASH FIRE!!!

FBI, Troopers Arrest Unalaska Man on Two Child Sex Abuse Counts
Arresting one Unalaska man on child sexual abuse charges took two teams and Coast Guard and FBI aircraft, landing on two Aleutian islands at once.

Betula Fire doubles to 35 acres near Central; Colorado hotshots fly in
The Betula Fire doubled overnight by burning through the dead timber its 2025 predecessor left behind — and crews are racing to pin it before this week's lightning makes more.
