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.
Inside Politics & Government
Places and organizations in this news
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story about Politics & Government? Send a tip
Sunday, Aug 9
A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive, her dog by her side
A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive five miles off a trail, her dog beside her the whole time, having chased off a bear at one point.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Fairbanks blood-draw arrest raises a question about the evidence-tampering charge
A Fairbanks driver fought a court-ordered blood draw and was charged with evidence tampering — but a 2000 Alaska Supreme Court ruling raises a real question about whether that charge holds.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Father and daughter rescued by boat from Kenai River island at mile 73
A father and daughter stranded on a Kenai River island at mile 73 on July 27 when rising water cut off their return were rescued by boat the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Aug 8
Kodiak will homeport the Coast Guard's first Arctic Security Cutters
Kodiak will homeport the Coast Guard's first two Arctic Security Cutters, part of a multibillion-dollar Arctic buildup, with a third headed to Seward.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A proposed cap would limit how high Mat-Su can set its property tax rate
A proposed ordinance would cap Mat-Su's areawide property tax rate at 7 mills, or $700 a year per $100,000 of value, capping what future assemblies could set.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Legislature let local voters decide school board term lengths — and Mat-Su is first in line
Mat-Su asked the Legislature to let it extend school board terms, and got it: SB 143 becomes law by Aug. 12 unless vetoed, just before a borough vote to use it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
A stopgap pauses a rule that would let appointees veto grants, protecting billions bound for Alaska
A Senate stopgap pauses a rule letting political appointees veto federal grants, keeping billions bound for Alaska under existing rules through Dec. 11.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Fewer than one in twenty Palmer voters turned out, the city's own packet shows
Fewer than one in twenty Palmer voters turned out in either phase of a municipal election, the city's own packet shows, though the figures are preliminary.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
A state filing ties $1.5 million from Musk to Alaska's ranked-choice voting repeal
A state filing ties $1.5 million from Elon Musk to Alaska's ranked-choice voting repeal, back on the ballot after losing by 743 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A viral claim about a Zuckerberg yacht and a Coast Guard call remains unverified
An unverified viral claim says a Zuckerberg-linked yacht ignored a Coast Guard call for a stranded Southeast skiff. The Coast Guard hasn't confirmed any of it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Peltola's energy platform draws fire from both sides in the race
Mary Peltola rolled out an energy platform in her Senate race against Dan Sullivan, drawing rebuttals from his campaign and from Alaska environmental groups.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Senate failed to advance a national voter photo-ID bill — and Alaska's ID rules are looser than most
The Senate fell short on a federal voter photo-ID bill Saturday, both Alaska senators for it — in a state where a hunting license still lets you vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bethel man arrested for DUI near Cooper Landing after a REDDI report
A driver reported swerving into oncoming traffic near Cooper Landing was arrested on a DUI charge Friday night, flagged through the state's REDDI line.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Friday, Aug 7
Kodiak is projected to lose about 1,200 residents by 2045 as young adults leave
Kodiak is projected to lose about 1,200 people by 2045, shrinking every census since 2000 as young adults leave — numbers one business owner called "scary."
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak moves to bump standby pay for police as staffing runs tight
Kodiak would raise police standby pay from two hours to three, citing tight staffing and heavy reliance on officers staying on call. The council votes Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaskans already on heating aid don't have to reapply for a new $10 million round
Alaskans already enrolled in federal heating assistance will automatically get a share of a new $10 million round in September, no reapplication needed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo 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
Senate passes Russia sanctions bill 86-11; Murkowski and Sullivan vote yes
Senate passes Russia sanctions bill 86-11 with Murkowski and Sullivan voting yes, clearing the way for tariffs up to 500% on Russian goods and targeting energy sales to China and India.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A murder conviction is reversed because a suspect's question about a lawyer wasn't enough for police to stop
Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that police must stop and ask for clarification when a suspect hints at wanting a lawyer, a stronger protection than federal law requires.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Soldotna man arrested nearly two months after report he exposed himself to two minors
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 23-year-old Soldotna man Thursday, nearly two months after a report that he exposed himself to two minors.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Big Lake man arrested on seven sexual assault counts in Wasilla case
A 62-year-old Big Lake man was arrested Thursday on seven sexual assault counts stemming from a case first reported in May 2025, more than a year before the grand jury indictment.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
When a custody case is filed in both tribal and state court, whoever filed first wins, Alaska Supreme Court rules
Filed in both tribal and state court, a custody case goes to whoever filed first, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled — here decided by an eleven-day gap.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court shields Nome hospital's staff housing from tax
The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Nome can't tax a Norton Sound Health building housing doctors and nurses, calling the staff housing vital to the hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court says legislative immunity shields ethics committee from Reinbold suit
Alaska Supreme Court ruled legislative immunity shields the ethics committee from lawsuits over disciplining legislators, ending former Sen. Lora Reinbold's four-year fight for a public hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly meets six finalists for youth representative seat
Assembly Chair Anna Brawley will select one or more youth representatives from six high school finalists to cast non-binding votes on Assembly business from September through April.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka Assembly takes first reading Aug. 11 on ordinance replacing taxicab code
Sitka is rewriting its taxi rules for the first time since the '90s — pulling tours, shuttles, limos and pedicabs into one framework with flat zone fares.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere
The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere. And that's the way they want it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sullivan files resolution to overturn EPA decision on California at-berth ship emissions
Sullivan filed a resolution to block California's at-berth ship emissions rule — one that could limit the state's power to set tougher emissions rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Murkowski cosponsors bill to let Coast Guard commandant sign local support deals
Sen. Murkowski cosponsored a bill to let the Coast Guard commandant sign local support agreements faster, potentially speeding up infrastructure deals at Alaska installations like Kodiak and Seward.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Murkowski cosponsors Senate bill to restore Afghan Temporary Protected Status
Sen. Murkowski cosponsored a Senate bill to restore Temporary Protected Status for Afghan nationals, allowing those in Alaska to remain and work legally if Congress approves.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska would give up a land claim so three Native Vietnam veterans can finally get their allotments
Alaska would give up its claim to 480 acres on the Yukon so three Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans can finally get land allotments cut off when Congress ended the program in 1971.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Murkowski says she will vote against Blanche for attorney general
Sen. Lisa Murkowski will vote against Todd Blanche for attorney general, citing politicization of the Justice Department and concerns about a nearly 2 billion dollar fund.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bethel's mayor files to run for her city council seat again
Bethel Mayor Rose "Sugar" Henderson filed a letter of intent to run for re-election to her city council seat in the Oct. 6 election.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska takes over hazardous waste permitting — the first state to do so in 25 years
Alaska just took over hazardous waste permitting from the EPA — the first state in 25+ years — over tribal and industry objections to the handoff.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska's Senate race is on pace to shatter spending records — before a primary that decides nothing
Both certain to advance, Sullivan and Peltola are already spending at a record pace — because Alaska's seat could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Hughes $25 billion pitch: connect Alaska's railroad to Canada, and Nome to the Interior
Candidate Shelley Hughes wants to link Alaska's railroad to Canada and reach Nome — a roughly $25 billion pitch with no identified funding source.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A retiring Arctic judge's cases are in limbo, with no one scheduling hearings
A retiring Arctic judge's caseload has been moved to an unassigned docket with no one scheduling hearings, and the court hasn't said how the region's cases proceed.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Pollock fleet holds an Anchorage job fair days before a bycatch-shaped election
Days before the final vote, the Bering Sea pollock fleet holds an Anchorage job fair — as salmon bycatch, and a new mandatory chum cap, roil the 2026 campaign.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling
A fuel break cleared in 2019-20 helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling — a case of wildfire prep paying off, with no injuries and no homes lost.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Troopers charge Glennallen woman after Richardson Highway drug stop
Alaska State Troopers charged Amanda Craig of Glennallen with drug possession after seizing cocaine from her vehicle during a Richardson Highway stop on July 17.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Aug 6
Kodiak moves to boot Assembly members who don't show up
Kodiak's Assembly may start booting members who miss a quarter of meetings, down from half, tightening the rule on no-shows. One member wants more virtual attendance instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
