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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Sunday, Jul 19
Konedsin Minnkohwin Fire burns within Kanuti refuge near Allakaket
Lightning sparked a 200-acre fire in Kanuti refuge near Allakaket, with firefighters protecting cabins and fish camps instead of suppressing the main blaze.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Jul 18
Copper River dip netters stranded on sandbar near Chitina, self-rescue before troopers arrive
Dip netters stranded on a Copper River sandbar near Chitina self-rescued Friday before troopers arrived.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Savoonga's voting barriers surface in Senate election-integrity debate
Sen. Murkowski cited Savoonga's $1,000 travel costs to register in person under the proposed SAVE America Act. • U.S. Department of Justice found Alaska violated disability-access voting rules in 2024. • Absentee ballot application deadline for 2026 Primary is August 8.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Air Force seeks contractor to install communications gear at remote Shemya outpost
Alaska contractors have until July 24 to bid on installing communications gear at Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, valued at $25,000 to $100,000.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Bayside fire chief wants new career position but warns against a rushed hire
Bayside Fire Chief Scott Ellis says a new career firefighter position is needed but warned the borough board against rushing the hire to avoid splitting the mixed career and volunteer staff.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Friday, Jul 17
Fairbanks water scoopers were on practice flight, not a new fire
Four water scoopers flew a practice mission over Fairbanks on Friday to keep pilots sharp, not to fight a new fire.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Hillside neighborhood demands expedited chipping days as municipal contracting stalls
Hillside residents demand the Municipality speed up brush chipping before fire season peaks, citing stalled contracting and uncleared piles in the wildland-urban interface.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairview grant dispute heads to Assembly with two members urging no vote
Two Assembly members urge rejection of a $750,000 federal grant for a behavioral health center in Fairview, citing a 2018 city policy against concentrating social services there.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
More from Politics & Government
Peltola puts numbers on rural fuel crisis: $21 a gallon in Noatak, $15 coming for St. Mary's
Senate candidate Mary Peltola cited fuel prices of $21 a gallon in Noatak and $14 to $15 expected in St. Mary's, calling for Congress to investigate price gouging.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Four candidates interview for Kodiak Island Borough Assembly vacancy
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly interviewed four candidates Thursday to fill a vacant Assembly seat and must appoint someone by June 25.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly studies removal process it has never used
Anchorage Assembly reviewed removal and censure procedures Friday that have never been used in the 30 years they have existed, with Chair Anna Brawley stressing the session was procedural only.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Peltola reports $16 million raised, accuses Sullivan of taking $400K from trawling industry
Peltola raised $16 million from 131,000 donors, averaging under $50 per gift. • She accused Sullivan of taking $400,000 from the trawling industry. • Peltola frames the race around salmon protection for subsistence communities.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Shishmaref man charged with running moonshine still in dry community
A Shishmaref man faces five felony counts for operating a moonshine still and selling alcohol in the dry community, with potential exposure of 25 years in prison if convicted.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Matt Schultz suspends U.S. House campaign, backs Bill Hill
Matt Schultz suspended his U.S. House campaign Friday and endorsed Bill Hill to focus on defeating Nick Begich in August.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sullivan ad misleads on Peltola's military vote, fact-checkers find, as Senate race tightens
FactCheck.org found Sullivan's ads misleadingly claim Peltola opposed military pay raises, though she voted for the final defense bill with a 5.2% raise. The Senate race is now a toss-up.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks cold case cracked after suspect called in his own tip
A Michigan man arrested in July 2026 is charged with killing a Fairbanks man whose remains were found in a barrel off the Steese Highway in May 2025, over 30 years after he vanished in 1993.
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
Alaska Supreme Court: parent who stays active guardian keeps custody when disabled adult child lives in assisted care
Alaska Supreme Court ruled a parent who actively serves as guardian keeps custody of a disabled adult child in assisted care, even if the child lives elsewhere.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Supreme Court rules Sleep Clinic owes back taxes, not a small business
Alaska Supreme Court ruled the Sleep Clinic owes back taxes for 2016 through 2018 because it performs health services, not a qualifying small business.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Three U.S. hunters convicted in both countries after poaching Dall sheep through Wrangell-St. Elias
Three U.S. hunters convicted in both countries for poaching Dall sheep in Yukon and smuggling them through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, ending a four-year investigation.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks rally targets data centers as Air Force pursues Eielson lease
Air Force is exploring AI data center leases at Eielson while a community group rallies Saturday against 15 proposed statewide data centers over power grid and revenue concerns.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court affirms termination of Native mother's parental rights over domestic violence
Alaska Supreme Court upheld termination of an Alaska Native mother's parental rights, ruling that four years of case-plan work did not address the domestic violence that endangered her disabled son.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Sitka names sole finalist for municipal administrator, schedules public receptions
Sitka named Jenny Alber as sole finalist for municipal administrator and scheduled two public receptions July 26 and 27 before the Assembly votes on hiring.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sitka police tag 27 vehicles in abandoned-car crackdown since May
Sitka police have tagged 27 abandoned vehicles since May, removing 15 and giving owners up to 60 days to move or fix them before the city disposes of the car at their expense.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Borough advances marijuana excise tax to public hearing on 4-1 vote
Kodiak Borough Assembly voted 4-1 to advance a 3% marijuana excise tax to public hearing, though a dispensary owner warned the tax targets the wrong product and lacks clear definitions.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly appoints Mark Vizcocho to vacant seat
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly appointed Mark Vizcocho to fill a vacant seat Thursday, choosing him from four applicants in a two-round ballot that required a majority of all seven members.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska DNR moves to fix erroneous land conveyance near Tok; comment deadline August 18
Alaska DNR will return 39.50 acres near Tok to federal trust for an Alaska Native allotment holder Emma Northway, with public comments due August 18.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Outside PACs pour $2.5M into Alaska federal races ahead of August primary
Outside groups have spent $2.5 million on Alaska's federal races ahead of the August 18 primary, with most of that money targeting Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate bid.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Federal and state cuts erase Alaska private-sector job gains in June
Federal and state government cuts eliminated 1,900 jobs in June, nearly wiping out 1,000 private-sector gains and leaving Alaska with fewer jobs than a year ago.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska ballot measure to restore campaign contribution limits heads to August 18 primary
Alaska voters will decide August 18 whether to restore campaign contribution limits for state and local races, but voter registration closes July 19.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Thursday, Jul 16
Anchorage tax-exempt property audit won't finish until 2031 or 2032 under current staffing
Anchorage will not finish auditing 570 flagged tax-exempt properties until 2031 or 2032 without more staff, though the work could recover roughly $811,000 in annual tax revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
DNR proposes lower easement fees for long utility corridors; comment deadline Aug. 17
DNR is cutting easement fees for long utility corridors on state land, dropping to 10 cents per linear foot after 100 miles. Comments due August 17.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Comment deadline looms on basecamp permit near Denali Highway milepost 86.5
Public comment deadline is July 27 on a five-year commercial basecamp permit for big game guiding and trapping near Denali Highway milepost 86.5.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate passes HB 381 oil and gas tax bill 11-8, with dissenters signaling more work ahead
Alaska Senate passed HB 381, the main bill enabling AK LNG, 11-8 Thursday, but dissenters flagged unresolved questions about a new income tax on oil and gas pass-through entities.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Borough holds public hearing on Ouzinkie tsunami shelter rezone
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly held a public hearing July 16 on rezoning an Ouzinkie parcel to house the community's tsunami shelter and tribal offices.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
North Slope Borough to seek $300K for second underwater rescue drone after Nuvuk response exposed gaps
North Slope Borough mayor seeks $300,000 for a second underwater rescue drone after a recent response left a volunteer behind due to equipment weight limits.
by Lucas Brown3mo ago2 min read
Alaska lawmakers order audit of Board of Fisheries process
Alaska lawmakers voted unanimously to audit the Board of Fisheries' process after the Attorney General overturned five regulations citing ethics violations.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska legislative auditor resigns after 34 years, replacement process underway
Alaska's legislative auditor Chris Curtis is resigning after 34 years, effective Aug. 30. The Legislature is hiring her replacement through a process that aims to seat a new auditor by August.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to hear third version of public safety commission ordinance July 21
Anchorage Assembly will hear a third version of a public safety commission ordinance July 21, restoring an advisory forum vacant since January 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage police and fire overtime budgets built on 2010 math, OMB says
Anchorage police and fire overtime budgets are running millions over approved limits because the city has not updated the math since roughly 2010, OMB told the Assembly on Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Space Force nominee warns China's counter-space buildup is moving at 'breathtakingly fast' pace
A Space Force nominee told senators China is building anti-satellite weapons at alarming speed, justifying a proposed $71.1 billion budget that would nearly double the service's spending.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
