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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Thursday, Aug 20
Alaska's main power grid is getting its first mandatory cybersecurity rules, but not for years
Alaska's main power grid is finally getting mandatory cybersecurity rules, but none takes effect until 2027 at the earliest, phasing in slowly through 2029.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Peltola's first general election ad, out a day after the primary, runs against her own party.
The day after advancing from the primary, Peltola's campaign announced a TV ad about breaking with Democrats, citing her low party loyalty as a credential.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska joins a national EMS system, but local ambulance service won't change
Alaska is joining a national EMS agreement that lets medics work across state lines. For most people, the reassuring part: your local ambulance won't change.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wasilla staff float options to broaden the city sales tax, no vote yet
Wasilla staff are floating ways to widen the city sales tax, from renters to nonprofits to charitable gaming. It's a report Monday, not a vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wednesday, Aug 19
Anchorage will pay to steer people toward treatment instead of jail, using opioid-settlement money
Anchorage's Assembly voted 11-0 to pay True North Recovery about $398,000 to steer people toward treatment instead of jail, using opioid-settlement money.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska primary: who advanced and what passed, in unofficial results
Peltola and Sullivan head to November, Begich leads the House field, four of 17 governor tickets advance, and donation caps passed with 71%
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks correctional officer charged with sexually assaulting inmate in transport van
A correctional officer is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in his custody inside a state transport van in 2024, a case that surfaced only this year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Caterpillar dealer wants to fill nearly 20 acres of south Anchorage wetlands to build a new store
A Caterpillar dealer wants to fill nearly 20 acres of south Anchorage wetlands for a store, proposing no mitigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
Trump names Kyle Reardon to the Alaska judgeship vacant since 2024
Trump named Kyle Reardon to Alaska's federal judgeship, empty two years. In a 2025 bar poll, three-quarters of respondents couldn't say if he was qualified.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Hiker flown off Sigugu Shaa mountain near Hoonah after seizure
A hiker had a seizure on a mountain near Hoonah, and a team of volunteers and medics stabilized them and got them off the mountain and to a hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Troopers investigate suspected drugs found at Fairbanks Correctional Center
Alaska State Troopers are investigating suspected drugs found at Fairbanks Correctional Center on August 18, with the substance sent to the crime lab for testing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A second person has been hurt in an Anchorage otter attack in three weeks
A second Anchorage resident in three weeks has been hurt by a river otter, and Fish and Game is telling paddleboarders and dog walkers to carry bear spray.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Tok evacuation order still stands after phone alert expired Tuesday
The phone alert telling parts of Tok to evacuate expired Tuesday and was not reissued. The order still stands, and the fire has crossed Red Fox Drive.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska may let unlicensed eye-clinic staff do routine eye care, with no set training standard
Alaska may let unlicensed eye-clinic staff do routine eye care with no set training standard — an idea that drew patient-safety objections as the law passed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Tuesday, Aug 18
Juneau's harbor fund is near its lowest point ever, and charter boats may be asked to help fill the gap
Juneau's harbor fund is near its lowest ever after the city cut $450,000 a year, and the port may charge charter boats more per passenger to fill the gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The Anchorage School Board pledges no more closures next year, but one member says the last three were never explained
The Anchorage School Board pledged no closures next year as an olive branch to a grieving community, though one member says the last three went unexplained.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 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
Sealaska endorses Peltola for U.S. Senate
Sealaska endorsed Peltola for U.S. Senate, but the association of the 12 Alaska Native regional corporations' leaders backed her opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A Bethel man will serve 60 years for sexually abusing a child left in his care
A Bethel man, Matt Atcherian, 27, will serve 60 years in prison for sexually abusing a child under 13 who had been left in his care.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage jury finds man guilty but mentally ill in 2015 stabbing of his parents
A jury found Martin Victor IV guilty but mentally ill in the 2015 stabbing of both his parents. He cannot be paroled until treatment is complete.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
An Anchorage man will serve 30 years for sexually abusing children he babysat
An Anchorage man will serve 30 years in prison for sexually abusing multiple children under 13 whom he babysat, and must register as a sex offender for life.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
First Election Day Tapes from two statistically significant Anchorage precincts put Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich ahead of the field
All of our analysis these were the precinct that most closely aligned with statewide results, so Alaska news went out to get that information. This is not the statewide results.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fish and Game plans to cut about 50 of its own rules by year's end
Alaska Fish and Game plans to cut about 50 of its own regulations under a Dunleavy order that supporters call streamlining and critics call gutting oversight.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Troopers investigate death of Homer woman, 37, who collapsed in Anchor Point
Erin Kitchen, 37, of Homer died Monday night in Anchor Point after collapsing. The State Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Judge asked to rule by Aug. 31 on whether King Cove road work can begin
A judge has been asked to rule by Aug. 31 on whether King Cove road work can start. The state says construction will not begin before Sept. 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage man arrested on 18 perjury and sex offender registry counts
An Anchorage man, Ronnie Wieber, 52, is held without bail on 18 counts alleging he failed to register as a sex offender and lied on his registration forms.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Troopers fly three stranded hikers out of Hatcher Pass
Alaska Wildlife Troopers helicoptered three hikers out of Hatcher Pass on Monday after high water and weather blocked their exit, the third rescue in the area this summer.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A federal civil rights body is examining whether Alaska's ranked choice voting makes it harder for some to vote
A federal civil rights body is examining whether ranked choice voting hurts some Alaska voters, with briefings starting Aug. 26 as repeal returns to the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
About 20 homes damaged in the Mukluk Fire at Tok, some belonging to the firefighters
About 20 homes have burned in the Mukluk Fire at Tok, some belonging to the firefighters working it. The fire hit 5,533 acres Tuesday afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaskans vote today in a primary narrowing the governor, Senate and House races
Alaskans vote today in a primary narrowing crowded races for governor, Senate and House to four each — 17 governor tickets, two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Interior wind event hits highways as the Mukluk Fire burns near Tok
The winds that drove the Mukluk Fire near Tok hit Interior highways too, with gusts to 75 mph at Isabel Pass and a warning about the Tatlanika fire.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Judge vacates Izembek land exchange for King Cove road
A federal judge vacated the land exchange behind the King Cove road through the Izembek refuge, reopening one of Alaska's longest fights on primary day.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to mark Women's Equality Day tonight
For the first time, the Alaska House is majority woman, with 21 of 40 seats, a milestone an Anchorage resolution marks tonight on Women's Equality Day.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Most political money reported before Alaska's primary is aimed at a November ballot measure
The big independent-spending reports before Alaska's primary are mostly not about Tuesday. Most of the money is for November's ranked-choice repeal fight.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bethel wants a Louisiana firm to audit local businesses for unpaid sales tax, without bidding
Bethel wants a Louisiana firm to audit local businesses for unpaid sales tax, with no bidding. The $19,999 cap covers only part of the work.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Emmonak man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of Anita Hootch
Christopher Horn, 38, of Emmonak, was arrested and charged with murder in the stabbing death of Anita Hootch, 37, found dead at an abandoned steam house on August 14.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Fire activity slows eastbound Alaska Highway traffic near Tok
A wildfire is affecting eastbound traffic on the Alaska Highway near Tok Tuesday morning. The road is open, with minor delays and emergency vehicles expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Man taken to hospital after stabbing at Boniface Parkway and Debarr Road
A stabbing in East Anchorage sent an adult man to the hospital with upper-body trauma Sunday, Aug. 16
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Juneau Assembly votes 6-3 to sell old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million
Juneau voted to sell its old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage for $1.5 million — for a planned $40 million Northwest Coast art-glass building downtown.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A progressive firm's Alaska poll: two-thirds worry about the basics, and a simulated Senate race favors Peltola
A progressive firm's Alaska poll finds two-thirds of voters worried about affording the basics, and a modeled Senate race favoring Peltola over Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Downtown Anchorage owners face $1.15 million in assessments for services the city doesn't cover
Downtown Anchorage property owners will pay about $1.15 million this year for their own snow removal, cleaning and security. Objections are heard Sept. 15.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
