Politics & Government
RSSAlaska News covers state and local politics and government, including elections, ethics investigations, legislative action, and municipal decisions.
Nome cuts school funding by $500K, forcing layoffs and larger classes
Nome Common Council cut school funding by $500,000 to $2.7 million for fiscal 2027, forcing the district to eliminate positions including teachers, counselors, and a school psychologist while class sizes grow.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Energy Authority lifts ban on consecutive chair terms
Alaska Energy Authority board voted January 31 to allow its chair and vice chair to serve consecutive terms, removing a two-year rotation rule to maintain leadership continuity during a $206.5 million Cook Inlet submarine cable project.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Troopers investigate domestic assault in Napakiak under attempted murder classification
Alaska State Troopers are investigating a domestic assault in Napakiak as attempted murder after a woman reported being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Saturday evening.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Federal appeals court clears Alaska to release NPR-A drilling data
A federal appeals court ruled Alaska can release ConocoPhillips exploration well data from the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska after the state's confidentiality period expires, rejecting the company's claim that federal law blocked disclosure.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Judge allows state to resume helicopter bear kills during lawsuit
Judge Adolf Zeman denied a request to stop Alaska's helicopter bear control program across 40,000 square miles of southwest Alaska, allowing the state to resume spring killings while a lawsuit challenging the program's legality continues in court.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest three for DUI across Alaska
Seward man fled troopers at 100 mph on Seward Highway, charged with felony eluding and DUI. • Fairbanks driver arrested after REDDI hotline report of drunk driving on Richardson Highway. • Soldotna man stopped for equipment violation, refused breath test, blood drawn by warrant.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Palmer Courthouse finally gets funding for long-needed expansion
Palmer courthouse is getting a $4.95 million expansion with three new courtrooms after five years of the heaviest caseloads in Alaska, with construction to start by August 2026.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Challenger named Dan Sullivan files for U.S. Senate race against incumbent Dan Sullivan
There are now two Dan Sullivans in the race. That’s gonna be confusing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska water systems face July deadlines to claim PFAS settlement funds or lose right to sue
Alaska water systems must complete PFAS testing by July 1 and submit settlement claims by July 31, 2026, or lose access to approximately $14 billion in nationwide funds and forfeit the right to sue 3M and DuPont.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court clarifies active-efforts standard in Jace B. ICWA case
Alaska Supreme Court ruled in Jace B. case that state caseworkers must meet a higher active-efforts standard under federal Indian Child Welfare Act when confirming a newborn's tribal status before any move to terminate parental rights.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
F-15 aborts takeoff at Eielson during Red Flag exercise
An F-15 aborted takeoff at Eielson Air Force Base on May 29 during Red Flag-Alaska exercises with no injuries or community threat, and an investigation is underway.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su Assembly creates musher-led kennel board after 25 dogs died
Mat-Su Assembly created a musher-led advisory board Tuesday to review kennel standards after 25 sled dogs died at a Willow property this spring, with recommendations due by mid-December.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
AIDEA board approves $11 million dividend to state general fund
AIDEA board approved an $11 million dividend to the state general fund for fiscal year 2025, down $6 million from the prior year as the authority declared 42 percent of statutory net income instead of the maximum 50 percent.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
North Slope, Kenai mayors negotiate gas line property tax as House Finance delays bill deadline
North Slope Borough Mayor Patkotak and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Micciche negotiated property tax terms for the Alaska LNG project as the House Finance Committee delayed its amendment deadline to allow talks to continue.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago4 min read
Anchorage veteran preference could exclude recent Afghanistan, Iraq vets
Anchorage Assembly is split on a veteran business preference for city contracts, with disagreement over whether to limit it to veterans discharged in the past five years and whether to require honorable discharge status.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Lesil McGuire filing adds ranked-choice Republican voice to crowded Alaska governor race
Former state Sen. Lesil McGuire filed to run for governor Friday, joining a crowded 2026 race shaped by Alaska's open primary and ranked choice voting system that she defended in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Borough advances FY27 budget with 8.91 mill rate to hearing
Kodiak Borough Assembly voted unanimously Wednesday to hold the property tax rate at 8.91 mills, a decision that keeps the rate flat but will result in higher tax bills for most homeowners as assessed property values increase.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ADF&G warns moose attacks peak as calving season continues through June
Alaska Department of Fish and Game warns moose attacks peak through June as cows defend newborn calves, injuring more Alaskans annually than bears do.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly continues public safety commission hearing to June 9 after criticism of advisory-only powers
Anchorage Assembly postponed a vote on a proposed Public Safety Commission to June 9 after community members criticized it for lacking investigative power, subpoena authority, and ability to discipline officers.
by Cale Greenadded 4mo ago1 min read
Senate Finance Committee: how do you analyze a $46.2 billion pipeline without the numbers?
Alaska Senate Finance Committee halted action on SB 2001 until the state gets the developer's actual cost data and gas sales contracts instead of relying on a model built on guesses.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Alaska certifies first two behavioral health clinics under federal demonstration program
Alaska certified its first two behavioral health clinics under a federal program guaranteeing Medicaid funding for 24-hour crisis services and mental health treatment.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly recognizes Gun Violence Awareness Day after contentious debate over statistics
Anchorage Assembly voted 9-3 to recognize June 5-7 as Gun Violence Awareness Weekend, rejecting an attempt to remove language about gun deaths and economic costs from the resolution.
by Cale Greenadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska House examines $4 billion LNG equity option, Fairbanks spur-line tax break
Alaska House Finance Committee examined a plan letting the state buy 5 to 25 percent equity stakes in Alaska LNG for up to $4 billion total, while conditioning a tax break for the pipeline on building a 30-mile spur line to Fairbanks.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Walker filing, running-mate picks turn Alaska governor race toward June deadline
Former Gov. Bill Walker filed to run for Alaska governor Thursday, four days before the June 1 deadline, reshaping a race where three other candidates also announced running mates this week.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Alaska residents applying for a green card will, in most cases, now have to leave the country to complete the process.
Most Alaska green card applicants must now complete the process at a U.S. consulate abroad instead of in-country, a federal policy shift announced May 22 that will require travel, longer separations, and higher costs for families and employers.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska districts must submit fiscal 2027 plans by May 15. Many don't yet know what the state will give them.
Alaska school districts must submit improvement plans and budgets by May 15 while facing massive shortfalls and uncertain state funding, with Kenai Peninsula weighing four school closures and Anchorage facing a $90 million gap.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min readUnalaska Council advances FY27 budget, certifies tax roll
Unalaska City Council advanced its fiscal year 2027 budget ordinance and certified the 2026 property tax roll at its May 26 meeting, though final vote outcomes were not confirmed in available materials.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min readDNR lifts moratorium on Nushagak Bay shore fishery lease applications
Alaska lifted a three year moratorium on commercial salmon fishing leases along Nushagak Bay's east shore, reopening applications from June 1 to October 15 each year.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Begich selects Julia Hnilicka as running mate in Alaska governor's race
Begich picks Hnilicka as running mate.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage School District to receive $37 million from state education funding increase
Alaska Legislature approved a $144 million education funding increase, sending $37 million to Anchorage schools to help cover budget shortfalls from inflation and rising costs, plus a 4 percent annual cap on required local contributions.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage secures $25M for Port of Alaska in state capital budget
Anchorage won $25 million in state funding for Port of Alaska, with $15 million guaranteed and $10 million conditional on oil prices staying above $80 per barrel through mid-2026.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su Assembly passes resolution affirming residents' right to use leaf blowers
Mat-Su Assembly says 'blow away' in direct contrast to the Anchorage Municipalities position on leaf blowers
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan Gateway Borough opens candidate filing for October election
Ketchikan Gateway Borough opens filing for Assembly, Mayor, and School Board. • Candidates need 10 voter signatures and a financial disclosure form.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
State identifies man, officers in fatal Utqiagvik police shooting
Police in Utqiaġvik shot and killed 46-year-old Gordon Killbear Jr. on May 23 after he emerged from a barricaded room with a knife during a domestic violence call.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Pedestrian dies after being struck by two vans on Glenn Highway near Boniface
A pedestrian died Tuesday morning after being struck by two vans on the Glenn Highway near Boniface Parkway, according to an Anchorage Police Department statement.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Teen dies after vehicle goes into lake near Pasagshak
A 17-year-old boy died Monday after his vehicle went into Lake Rose Tead near Pasagshak on Kodiak Island. He was trapped under the vehicle in water and mud when troopers arrived.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Three killed in Seward Highway crash near Mile 80
Three people died Monday afternoon in a collision between a motorcycle and a Subaru on the Seward Highway near Mile 80 in Anchorage. Police ask witnesses or anyone with dash camera footage to contact investigator Casey Johnson.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage resident takes Assembly removal case to U.S. Supreme Court
Anchorage resident Dustin Darden asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block his removal from an Assembly meeting after he used public comment time to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and discuss his Christian faith instead of the streetlight ordinance being debated.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min readKenai River king salmon fishery closed through mid-August 2026
Kenai River king salmon fishing closed May 1 through August 15, 2026 under emergency order. Third consecutive year of full closure due to conservation concerns. Other species fishing allowed with single-hook lures only. Nearby Kasilof River open to limited hatchery king salmon fishing.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Auto-IRA Bill Lets Workers Save PFD for Retirement
Alaska passed auto-IRA bill letting workers save Permanent Fund Dividend checks for retirement. • Program auto-enrolls private workers with paycheck deductions, costs employers nothing. • Targets half of Alaska workers without employer retirement plans. • Addresses senior poverty as Social Security falls short of Alaska living costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read