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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Wednesday, Aug 12
Ben Le, missing since a hike at Port Armstrong on Aug. 10, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff
A hiker missing near Port Armstrong since Monday is being searched by crews that added a thermal drone team Wednesday morning after ground and aerial searches found no sign of him.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Burn permits suspended in Fairbanks, Delta and Tok areas
Alaska banned burning across the Fairbanks, Tok and Delta areas as the Interior dries out and high winds approach, with the Tatlanika Fire smoking the region.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The body overseeing the Y-K Delta's only fuel lifeline hasn't been able to meet in a year
Bethel's port commission hasn't had a quorum in a year — leaving the road-less Y-K Delta's fuel lifeline without oversight and a dock warning unaddressed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Kenai Assembly will fill the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday
The Kenai Assembly will appoint someone to the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday from three applicants — voters decide who finishes the term in November.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A closed Seward school would become a city-run community center
The closed Seward Middle School would be leased to the city for $1 a year to become a community center, under a deal the borough Assembly takes up Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska's EMS compact takes effect Sept. 20, but isn't usable yet
Alaska's EMS compact takes legal effect Sept. 20, but out-of-state paramedics and EMTs still can't work under it yet — the office says wait to pay fees.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers
Interior Alaska is in its warmest stretch of summer, upper 70s to low 80s, with smoke from the Tatlanika Fire — though the advisory has expired and air eased.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage is studying a new wildfire tax on every property owner as the federal money runs out
Anchorage is studying a new citywide wildfire tax — about $40 a year on an average home — as the federal grant funding its mitigation work expires in 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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Tuesday, Aug 11
Ribbon cutting opens Johnny Ellis Rainbow Bridge Park in Anchorage's Fairview
A Fairview park opened Tuesday honoring the late Sen. Johnny Ellis, the Anchorage legislator whose advocacy for LGBTQ+ Alaskans gives its rainbow bridge a name.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sullivan voted against every Iran war powers resolution this year — a record now drawing outside money before the primary
Sullivan voted against all 13 Iran war powers resolutions this year — a common GOP vote, now drawing outside money for and against him before the primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Unalakleet man on child sexual abuse and burglary charges
Troopers arrested a 22-year-old Unalakleet man Monday on charges of child sexual abuse and burglary after residents found an unclothed minor in their home July 25. Bail is set at $200,000.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readJedidia Atchak, 40, has been missing from Chevak since Aug. 7, and no new search has been announced
An adult male reported missing in Chevak on Aug. 7 remains missing after search efforts by local teams and rescue crews paused on Aug. 11, with Alaska State Troopers continuing to follow leads.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy vetoes hunting residency bill and university fee bill
Gov. Dunleavy vetoed a bill tightening hunting residency rules and another requiring the University of Alaska to disclose student fees, leaving both current practices in place.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sullivan joins a national fight to strip California of its power to set tougher emissions rules
Sullivan has joined a national push to strip California of its power to set tougher emissions rules — a fight reaching 17 states, and one courts may decide.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in
An 18-year-old visiting student was airlifted off Resurrection Pass 14 miles from the trailhead after an allergic reaction left him unable to breathe. A military crew flew him to Anchorage.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Stebbins man on four assault charges after he fled a domestic violence call with a firearm and surrendered following a standoff on a bluff.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo 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
Monday, Aug 10
Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from stacking offices, and staff say it's broken
Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from holding more than one local office, but staff say it's broken and would make the borough code contradict itself.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks borough moves to study rural emergency coverage it flagged in 2018
A 2018 borough plan flagged spotty rural emergency coverage around Fairbanks. Seven years on, the borough is finally moving to study a fix — one that could redraw who covers whom.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A hemp-ban delay divides Alaska's senators in the funding bill
A stopgap funding bill delays a federal ban on delta-8 and other intoxicating hemp — which Alaska already outlawed — and its senators split on the delay.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Scammers are posing as the PFD to phish Alaskans, and the state says don't bite
Scammers are posing as the PFD Division by fake email and text to phish Alaskans. The state says don't reply, don't click, and verify with a number you know.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder, their first Anchorage show since 2016
The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder this weekend — their first Anchorage show since 2016 — with free thrills, big crowds and days of jet noise.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska says some permits now clear in under a week — as the reforms behind that speed draw both praise and alarm
Alaska officials say some permits now clear in under a week — crediting reforms critics warn could auto-approve projects and weaken environmental review.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge
A pilot survived a crash that flipped his plane upside down in the trees of the Kenai refuge Sunday, then texted 911 himself to say he wasn't seriously hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate Majority says gasline tax break waits on Glenfarne financial numbers
Alaska's Senate majority won't lock in the gasline tax break without firm cost numbers — now on Glenfarne and Dunleavy, as estimates range from $45B to $70B.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read
The state wants to repeal the process for claiming a religious exemption from a union
The state wants to repeal the process public employees use to claim a religious exemption from a union, though it doesn't say what repeal means for the right.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Interior Native Vote pushes turnout for the Aug. 18 primary
Interior Native Vote is working to boost Native turnout for Alaska's Aug. 18 primary — a Fairbanks mixer drew 200-plus — as early voting opens.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's Women's Commission is building a survey to ask women what matters most
Anchorage's Women's Commission is building a survey to ask women citywide what issues it should tackle, partly to measure unreported abuse.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage pushes for an emergency boat launch on Turnagain Arm after a drowning
After a drowning where rescuers had no way to launch a boat, Anchorage is pushing for federal money to build an emergency water-access point on Turnagain Arm.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read
Sunday, Aug 9
Driver escapes uninjured after vehicle overturns and burns on Steese Highway in Fox
Burning vehicle, scary when you're the one in it. Pretty wild when you're a person coming across it and you're not at risk of being burned.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Heavy military flying returns over Anchorage as Red Flag-Alaska war games resume
Multinational war games return over Anchorage through Aug. 28 — expect concentrated jet noise on flying days. The last drew 2,100 troops and 75 aircraft.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A hiker was carried off a Hatcher Pass trail, the second rescue there this summer
An incapacitated hiker was carried off a Hatcher Pass trail Thursday by four agencies — the second rescue on the same demanding route this summer.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Palmer man arrested on DUI, refusal and 2021 warrant after Palmer-Wasilla Highway report
State Troopers arrested a Palmer man on DUI and refusal charges after a swerving report on Palmer-Wasilla Highway, and also served a 2021 warrant for DUI and weapons misconduct.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly weights resolution would back JBER buildout as base housing nears full
Anchorage weighs committing to planning for a military buildup of up to 1,050 personnel, on a base whose family housing is already 98% full.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
UAF will lead a project to mine critical minerals out of old mine waste
UAF will lead a federally funded project to recover critical minerals from old mine tailings, starting at $15 million and possibly growing to $160 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bethel weighs fixes or demolition for three problem properties
Bethel holds a hearing Sept. 1 on three problem properties it's chased for months — one nearly two years — to decide on fixes or demolition.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak posts a 7% sales tax. Businesses effectively pay less than 3%
Kodiak advertises a 7% sales tax, but so much is exempt that businesses effectively pay under 3%, and the shrinking taxable base can't keep up with city costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska's senators split as Senate confirms Blanche 50-49
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general 50-49 Saturday, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski voting no and Sen. Dan Sullivan voting yes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Big Lake man charged with 21 theft counts after Mat-Su traffic stop
Big Lake man Jonathan Meeks faces 25 criminal counts after troopers found stolen credit cards, IDs, checks and prescription drugs in his impounded vehicle.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Crews deploy to protect Native allotment near Tatlanika Fire
A remote Alaska fire left to burn has grown nearly 30-fold to 28,168 acres and now threatens a single Native allotment, drawing 14 firefighters to protect it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Wasilla woman charged in storage-unit burglary that netted stolen firearms
A Wasilla woman faces 14 counts in a December storage-unit burglary that took multiple firearms, troopers say — with an accomplice still at large.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
