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 5
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 replaces municipal property taxes on the Alaska LNG project with a new volumetric tax. • Phase 1 revenue splits favor pipeline communities while Phase 2 directs 48 percent to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. • The state expects the project to generate 26 billion dollars over 30 years. • Tax changes expire if construction misses a December 31 2034 deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs retiring 43-year Sullivan Arena ticket surcharge
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on retiring a 43-year-old ticket surcharge at Sullivan Arena, replacing it with a higher revenue deposit from the new operator.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fire contained one mile from Trans-Alaska Pipeline near Livengood
A half-acre wildfire near Livengood stopped Saturday before reaching the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, one mile away, after smokejumpers and aircraft responded the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Siruk Fire reaches 50% containment near Allakaket allotments
The Siruk Fire near Allakaket reached 50% containment Saturday after burning 550 acres, with two Native allotments still at risk if thunderstorm winds breach control lines.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Saturday, Jul 4
Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery breaks ground in Salcha
Alaska broke ground on its first state veterans cemetery in Salcha, 30 miles south of Fairbanks, with construction expected to finish by October 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Willow man jailed without bail after threatening campers on Fishhook Road
A Willow man is jailed without bail after state troopers say he drove drunk and threatened campers on Fishhook Road during the July 4th weekend.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Alaska LNG tax bill advances as working draft, disputes unresolved
Alaska lawmakers advanced a working draft of HB 381, the tax framework for Alaska LNG, but disputes over the alternative volumetric tax remain unresolved.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago3 min read
DOJ reportedly investigating Alaska's two-Sullivans Senate race
National outlets report the FBI and state investigators are examining Alaska's two-Dan-Sullivans race — a probe into a candidacy the state's high court just ruled entirely legal.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
More from Politics & Government
A Democratic group brings AI-analyzed canvassing to Alaska's Senate race
Democrats are using AI to analyze canvassers' notes and guide outreach in Alaska's Senate race — an approach privacy advocates warn can profile voters without consent.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Two fires hold near Ruby as weekend weather turns risky
Two lightning fires east of Ruby are holding — the Big Fire just 10% contained — but if weekend storms miss, heat and 40 mph winds could change that fast.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
High water on Gulkana River forces raft party onto trail, triggers medical rescue
High water forced eight rafters off the Gulkana River on July 3, and one developed chest pains during the hike out, requiring a rescue helicopter to extract him to a hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man faces 13 felony counts after a gun threat off the Glenn Highway
A man was jailed without bail after a 911 call reported him threatening to kill someone with a gun off the Glenn Highway — and, with no police in Eureka, held far from home.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A NOAA crew cut a tangled humpback free at Endicott Arm
A juvenile humpback got tangled at the mouth of Endicott Arm. A NOAA crew freed it from a small boat with knives on poles — work only 94 people nationwide are cleared to do.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Stalk Steakhouse in Eagle River must pay back taxes to keep its liquor license
An Eagle River steakhouse can't renew its liquor license until it pays the city back taxes — and four Fred Meyer stores are in the same spot. It's how Anchorage collects.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A village on Alaska's biggest lake gets land for a community hub
Kokhanok, a village of about 150 on Alaska's largest lake, is set to gain state land for a community building — handed to the tribe, since the village has no city government.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Wasilla argument ends with a gun pointed at a neighbor
Troopers say a Wasilla man pulled a .45 and pointed it at a neighbor during an argument on Big Dipper Drive. He faces a third-degree assault charge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo 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
North Slope mayor: 'Nothing about us without us'
The North Slope mayor used a Founders' Day message to demand the region get a real voice in federal and state decisions about its land — a bid for leverage it doesn't formally hold.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A half-acre fire near Golovin tests a new federal firefighting agency
A half-acre lightning fire near Golovin isn't threatening homes or subsistence allotments, and rain may help. Two smokejumpers went in — an early test of a new federal agency.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Friday, Jul 3
Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it
Weeks after proposing a one-time $10,000 payout to end the PFD, candidate Bill Walker is walking it back, now promising a plan that "strengthens" the dividend instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive
Nelson Island residents near Toksook Bay extinguished a lightning-caused tundra fire on June 24 before state crews could arrive, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Holdover fire near Allakaket draws six smokejumpers as Kenai danger stays high
Six smokejumpers reached a holdover fire near Allakaket on June 29 that had smoldered in duff for days before flaring up, while the Kenai Peninsula faces the state's highest fire danger.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
A stop to grab fallen cargo turns serious on the Seward Highway
A man gathering items that fell from his truck on the Seward Highway was struck by a passing vehicle, seriously injuring both him and the driver near Summit Lake.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend
Three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket face a dangerous holiday weekend — 30-40 mph winds and critically low humidity that could drive fast spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground
Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say
Troopers say a Nikiski woman rolled an ATV with a child aboard while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. She faces DUI and child-endangerment charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bethel wants to charge owners who let buildings sit empty and rot
Bethel would charge owners to leave buildings empty, and help demolish burnt-out ones — waiving the cost if the owner rebuilds, or filing a lien if not.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly moved to remove member George Martinez. This first-ever proceeding follows findings of perjury and ethics violations.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Drones find stranded Craig hiker on Sunnahae Mountain before midnight
Drones found a 23-year-old hiker safe on Sunnahae Mountain near Craig after he stopped texting his family Thursday night.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Jul 2
Kodiak is shrinking and greying, even as the rest of Alaska grows
Kodiak has lost about 650 residents in five years, roughly 5%, even as Alaska grew. The island is aging: fewer young kids, more residents in their 70s, men leaving 2 to 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Kenai's $9.4M school-cost risk may never actually come due
A gas-tax bill could add up to $9.4 million a year to Kenai's school costs — but the Legislature's analyst says a sunset means none of it would ever be charged.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A death reported as a suicide in Atmautluak turned out to be a shooting, troopers say
An Atmautluak death was reported as a suicide, but the scene looked suspicious to troopers. A man now faces manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Byron Waska, 28.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks homeowners can cut their property taxes — and many who qualify don't
Fairbanks homeowners can knock up to $50,000 off their taxable home value, and seniors and disabled vets much more — but many who qualify never file. Deadline Feb 14.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
The FAA wants to end the 50-year ban on supersonic flight — and Alaska has the sky for it
Supersonic flight over the U.S. has been banned since 1973. The FAA wants to lift it — and few states have more empty sky for boomless supersonic jets than Alaska.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Alaska's high court reversed a decision to end a Native mother's parental rights — over how the state made its case
The Alaska Supreme Court reversed a Native mother's parental-rights termination, finding the state's ICWA cultural testimony too vague to meet the law's high bar.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska appeals court identifies DUI jury instruction tension in Homer case
Alaska's appeals court upheld a Homer man's DUI conviction but flagged a gap in jury instructions that could reshape how DUI cases are tried statewide when defendants claim they drank after driving.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson visits UAF on July 14 to take questions
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the Court's first Black woman and first former public defender — visits UAF on July 14 to take Alaskans' questions.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Interior Alaska's fire season is easing — but watch for the ones still smoldering
Interior Alaska's wildfires are winding down and crews are heading home — but managers are watching for holdovers, lightning strikes that smolder for days before flaring up.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A river dropped just in time to save the cabins near Chicken
The Polly Fire smoldered near Chicken for a week — but the real obstacle was the river. When the Fortymile finally dropped, crews rushed in to wrap the cabins in sprinklers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cook Political Report shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up
A nonpartisan forecaster moved Alaska's Senate race to toss-up — real, independent polling behind it, though the state's Republican lean means "toss-up" isn't the same as an upset.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
When the Coast Guard searches, Sitka's sky can close
A Coast Guard search shut a patch of low airspace over Sitka for two days — a small disruption elsewhere, but real in a roadbound town that flies for a living.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
