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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Monday, Aug 17
The state wants to renew a rent-free landfill lease for 55 years, on land it holds in trust for a village that never became a city
The state wants a 55-year, rent-free renewal of a landfill lease on land it holds in trust for South Naknek, a village that never became a city.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bethel shut off a home's water to stop raw sewage, and the resident turned it back on
Bethel cut off a home's water to stop raw sewage reaching the ground, but the resident turned it back on, and the sewage still has nowhere treated to go.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Alaska's ranked-choice fight returns to the Supreme Court, months before a repeat repeal vote
Alaska's ranked-choice voting returns to the Supreme Court next week, the latest round in a years-long fight, with a repeal already on the November ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
An Iñupiaq firefighter from Noorvik died fighting a Minnesota wildfire, and two states lowered their flags
Leslie R. Washington, a 41-year-old firefighter from Noorvik, died Aug. 11 during a medical emergency while fighting the Bear Trap Fire in Minnesota.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Sitka's sole finalist for city administrator is gone, and the Assembly is starting over
The sole finalist Sitka introduced for city administrator last month is gone, and the Assembly interviews two new candidates Friday, with no explanation given.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Level 3 GO evacuations ordered north of the Alaska Highway as the Mukluk Fire spreads near Tok
A fast-moving wildfire near Tok has forced residents north of the Alaska Highway to evacuate immediately, with winds gusting to 30 mph and critical fire conditions expected through Monday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The Mental Health Trust would give up $3.2M in rent to house a nonprofit serving its beneficiaries
The Alaska Mental Health Trust would give up $3.2M in rent over a decade to house a nonprofit serving its own beneficiaries, at 1% of market rate.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Three Alaska Native groups demand answers on rural election staffing before Tuesday's primary
Three Alaska Native groups are demanding the state account for unfilled rural election-worker jobs and pay overdue per diem before Tuesday's primary, citing past precincts that never opened.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
More from Politics & Government
Alaska's associate counselor license takes effect Friday, though the board's notice says otherwise
Alaska's counseling board still tells graduates the associate license isn't available. The regulations creating it take effect Friday, 13 months late.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Gas tax package still off the Senate floor as the special session nears its limit
Alaska Senate held a technical session Monday with no business and will not meet again until 2 p.m. Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Tatlanika Fire still listed as 3.5 acres but agency reports put it above 31,000
Alaska 511 still lists the Tatlanika Fire at 3.5 acres, but state fire managers reported it at over 31,000 acres on August 13.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage cannabis grower's license hinges on a $12,761 tax bill, with tonight the deadline
An Anchorage cannabis grower could lose its license over a $12,761 tax bill, with tonight the Assembly's last meeting before the deadline to settle up.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Thursday is the last day to file for Bethel city council
Thursday at 4 p.m. is the last chance to file for one of four Bethel city council seats on the Oct. 6 ballot. Voters have until Sept. 6 to register.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Filing closes at 3 p.m. Monday with no publicly known candidate for 12 Kodiak Island Borough seats
Filing closes Monday at 3 p.m. for 16 Kodiak Island Borough seats on the October ballot, but no candidates have publicly filed for 12 of them, including all 10 service area board positions.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, pne of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking part of its top leadership
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, one of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking its top ranks, moving new leaders into its chief operating and financial roles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sunday, Aug 16
Two seats open on Utqiagvik scholarship committee, letters due Sept. 17
Utqiagvik is seeking two volunteers for its scholarship committee, with applications due Sept. 17.
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
Two Anchorage boaters spend a night on Skilak Lake after rough water stops the crossing
Two Anchorage boaters paddled down the Kenai, found Skilak Lake too rough to cross, and spent the night on the beach. Troopers texted them a way out.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
One donor supplied 99 percent of the non-individual money behind Alaska's ranked choice repeal
Aurora Action Network gave $1.83 million to Alaska's ranked-choice repeal campaign, over 99 percent of its non-individual funding, but the group's true funding sources don't appear in public records.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Saint Mary's woman, 42, dies pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point
Tragic accident - a woman from Saint Mary's died Saturday night after being pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point, Troopers said
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A floatplane went down in the heart of Katmai's bear country, and crews got it out before it could foul the salmon
A floatplane went down in Katmai's prime brown bear and salmon country, but crews pulled the wreckage and kept fuel out of the water. No one was hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage races a deadline to build a downtown library before a grant expires
Books are books are books are books; what one sees - where one looks. Construction stories have such hooks, but books in nooks are still just books.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Two days out, AI chatbots, betting markets and polls each name a different Alaska frontrunner
Two days before Alaska's primary, AI chatbots, betting markets and polls each name a different governor frontrunner, a hidden AI signal a tracker surfaces.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Island Borough first-half property taxes due Monday, borough page still says Saturday
Kodiak Island Borough property taxes are due Monday, August 17, not Saturday as the borough's tax page still says. Miss the deadline and you owe a 10 percent penalty plus 1 percent monthly interest.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Palmer man on felony charge over mobile home abandoned on Old Glenn Highway
Alaska State Troopers arrested Palmer resident Aaron Musquiz after an abandoned mobile home damaged the Old Glenn Highway near mile 12, causing about $3,000 in roadway damage.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wildland firefighters find Fairbanks man missing 19 days alive near Old Murphy Dome Road
Wildland firefighters found a 73-year-old Fairbanks man alive on Aug. 12 after he went missing for 19 days near Old Murphy Dome Road, while responding to the McCloud Fire west of the area.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres
Nineteen firefighters are cutting fuel breaks around a Native allotment as the Tatlanika Fire grows to 31,421 acres, with crews now protecting structures on the fire's south end.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Researchers weigh broadening who pays for Anchorage wildfire work.
UA researchers will recommend Anchorage fund wildfire mitigation municipality-wide, not just the at-risk hillsides — but how to charge for it is unsettled.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Mayor LaFrance faces a campaign-finance hearing over her 2024 expenditure reports
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance faces an APOC hearing Wednesday over how her 2024 campaign reported spending. A resident alleges 89 flawed reports.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Aug 15
1,900 Alaskans flagged as 'inactive non-citizen' can still vote Tuesday
About 1,900 Alaska voters remain flagged as inactive non-citizens heading into Tuesday's primary, and the state will not clear those flags before the election.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Coal seam fire northeast of Healy grows to 71 acres with no crew assigned
A coal seam fire near Healy has grown to about 71 acres and can't be fought directly — the seam has burned underground for years, and no crew is assigned.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A pro-Republican group discloses small ad debts for two House candidates, listing the creditor at its treasurer's address
A pro-Republican group's pre-primary filing disclosed $728 in ad debts for two House candidates, listing the creditor at its treasurer's own address.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago2 min read
Dalton corridor suit is not over: groups appeal, and 700,000 acres remain in dispute
Alaska is set to gain Dalton Highway land promised at statehood, but conservation groups fight it on appeal, and tribes warn it strips subsistence rights.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Trump takes aim at Alaska's U.S. Senate Primary Election
Trump waded into Alaska's Senate primary, telling voters which of two similarly named Dan Sullivans to pick — flexing GOP-base clout in a state he carried.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
A Chamber endorsement for Begich, labor's backing for Hill
Nick Begich's campaign says he's won the U.S. Chamber's endorsement, days after Speaker Johnson visited; challenger Bill Hill has the state AFL-CIO's backing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Valdez lost its fight not to be lumped in with Mat-Su. All that's left is an $11,000 bill.
Valdez lost its fight not to be grouped with Mat-Su in one House district. All that's left is an $11,000 cost bill it's appealing to the state Supreme Court.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage tore down the Big Timber, a downtown blight a decade in the making
Anchorage tore down the Big Timber Motel last week, ending a decade-plus saga over a vacant downtown building that drew first responders for years.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom 
Homer man arrested on eight counts in Anchor Point home burglary
James Longero of Homer faces eight counts including burglary and vehicle theft after troopers say he took multiple vehicles and nearly all contents from an Anchor Point home in August.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Judicial council urges no vote on two Kenai judges in November
Alaska Judicial Council recommends voters reject two Kenai judges on November ballot. • Judge Kelly Lawson failed temperament and integrity standards; lacked patience with court staff. • Judge Martin Fallon failed integrity and diligence standards; signed false affidavits about late decisions.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
State says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined
Alaska says Kodiak's landfill violates wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and the borough could face fines for negligently feeding them. A $250,000 fence won't solve it alone.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Alaska attorney general says law seating campaign finance commission is likely unconstitutional
Alaska's acting attorney general says the law requiring the governor to pick campaign finance watchdog members from party lists is likely unconstitutional, a conclusion the state has held since 1980.
by Lucas Brown3mo ago3 min read
