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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Saturday, Jun 13
Smokejumpers stop half-acre fire across Yukon River from Circle
Six smokejumpers stopped a half-acre wildfire burning across the Yukon River from Circle on June 12, using hose lines and coordinating water drops to protect the nearby community.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ambler landfill fire burns Native allotment, raises toxic smoke fears
A landfill fire that started June 4 in Ambler has burned nearly 1,500 acres including a Native allotment, with smoke from burning trash posing health risks to elders, children, and people with heart or lung conditions.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Delta Junction faces back-to-back Red Flag days with 55 mph gusts
Delta Junction faces Red Flag Warnings Saturday and Sunday with 55 mph gusts, 20 percent humidity, and dry grass ready to burn. Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection urges residents to skip burning this weekend.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska logs 13 new wildfire investigations in 72 hours
Alaska fire agencies opened 13 wildfire investigations in three days as a Red Flag Warning and burn permit suspensions took effect across Interior Alaska due to strong winds, low humidity, and dry fuels.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage raises veteran bid preference cap to $50,000
Anchorage Assembly approved a new veteran-owned business bid preference capped at $50,000 and simplified local bidder preferences, effective July 1, 2026.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Senator Sullivan threatens legal action over namesake challenger
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan is threatening legal action against Republican challenger Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, claiming the shared name is designed to confuse voters in Alaska's top-four primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom Coast Guard to station three icebreakers in Kodiak, Seward
The Coast Guard will station two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak and one in Seward once infrastructure is built, adding a fourth icebreaker to Alaska's fleet with first delivery expected in 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Friday, Jun 12
Tok suspends burn permits ahead of Chickenstock festival
Trying to enjoy chickenstock, and yes, that is a real thing, well, you better pre-burn your barrels. Cause that is no longer A-OK at this wholesome event.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
More from Politics & Government
Both cranes on Cordova's Drive Down Dock are out of service at the height of Copper River salmon season
Bad timing for fishing season as Cordova Drive down dock crane is not up to snuff
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska, with two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak by 2028 and a third in Seward, following $3.5 billion in federal funding.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Petersburg fire training center relocation could cost $800,000-plus
Petersburg fire department must move its training facility from the airport by December 31, with relocation costs exceeding $800,000 and no confirmed funding source yet identified.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Petersburg police, fire face staffing crisis with 5 open positions
Petersburg police have three dispatcher and two patrol officer vacancies while fire and EMS rely on volunteers with limited actual response capacity, complicating plans to expand services to Thomas Bay.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage to issue $55.2M in bonds for roads, parks, fire equipment
Anchorage will issue $55.2 million in general obligation bonds in July for roads, parks, fire equipment, and transit, with annual debt service of $4.0 million paid by property taxpayers.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Kreiss-Tomkins tries to make up ground, launches six-figure ad buy in governor's race
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a former Sitka legislator, launched a six-figure ad campaign across Meta, YouTube, and radio for Alaska's 2026 governor's race, focusing on schools, fisheries, and cost of living.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Where Alaska's fire morels may pop next
Oh, Mushroom hunters / Information they kept close / Now for all to know
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Homer Council picks partial HERC demolition over full cleanup
Homer City Council voted May 26 to demolish the smaller HERC 2 building at the city-owned Education and Recreation Complex but skip cleanup of the larger former high school building, using $126,917 already set aside for the demolition.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo 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
Thursday, Jun 11
Latvian climber faces mounting medical bills after Denali fall
A Latvian climber critically injured in a May 28 Denali fall that killed three teammates faces mounting medical bills as his insurance nears its limit. His family launched a fundraising campaign for months of treatment in Anchorage.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
APOC fines George Martinez after campaign-paid flight to Florida
Oh goodness... I guess campaign finance laws were made for a reason.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska by 2028, with two in Kodiak, one in Seward, and a fourth location to be named, funded by $3.5 billion in federal legislation.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
SBA 8(a) proposal leaves Native corporation carveout intact
Big changes to 8(a). But not in the ways that matter in Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Dunleavy was at Trump's signing reopening 500,000 square miles of Western Pacific to commercial fishing
The Alaska angle is about Antiquities Act precedent, not fishing grounds
by Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Yenlo Fire crews defend cabin, equipment as 53-acre blaze nears Skwentna
Firefighters defended a cabin and equipment as the 53-acre Yenlo Fire near Skwentna reached 90 percent containment Wednesday, with crews demobilizing by Friday.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska elections director moves to disqualify Senate challenger
Alaska's elections director ruled Thursday that Republican Senate challenger Dan J. Sullivan is ineligible to run in the August primary, citing unspecified complaints about his eligibility.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Anchorage police to train 10 officers in mental-health crisis response
Anchorage police will train up to ten officers and dispatchers in mental health crisis response this fall using a $50,000 state grant and $1,100 in city matching funds.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom 
Anchorage appropriates $2.5M in federal transit grants for bus fleet
Anchorage Assembly approved $6.6 million in federal and local funding on June 9 to replace aging buses, expand paratransit service, and maintain the People Mover fleet.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom 
Federal judge blocks removal of petitioner from Alaska in Alebw case
Federal judge to ICE: you can keep him detained, but he stays in Alaska — and yes, we noticed you tried to put him on a plane.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate race shifts to toss-up as Peltola challenges Sullivan
A nonpartisan forecaster moved Alaska's 2026 Senate race to toss-up, citing Democrat Mary Peltola's strong 2024 House showing and Republican Dan Sullivan's weak profile, though Alaska remains solidly Republican.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Wednesday, Jun 10
Alaska judicial watchdog names new director after 37 years
Michael Schwaiger becomes executive director of Alaska's judicial ethics watchdog on June 15, ending Marla Greenstein's 37-year tenure leading the agency that investigates complaints about judges.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Cordova Harbor Commission sends harbor-mouth tideland sale back for engineering review
Cordova Harbor Commission blocked a proposal to sell tidelands for a dock near the small boat harbor entrance, citing navigation hazards from constriction at the mouth where 727 vessels operate in strong currents.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
The Coast Guard will homeport two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak and one in Seward starting in 2028, funded by $3.5 billion in the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Crystal Ball shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up as Peltola leads eight polls
University of Virginia's Crystal Ball rated Alaska's 2026 Senate race a toss-up, shifting from lean Republican after Democrat Mary Peltola entered against incumbent Dan Sullivan. • Peltola's campaign says she leads in eight consecutive polls and unveiled a wages-focused tax proposal. • Republican super PACs committed $21 million to oppose her.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Smokejumpers, hotshots battle 52-acre Yenlo Fire near Talkeetna
A 52-acre wildfire north of Skwentna grew overnight from 10 acres, drawing smokejumpers and hotshot crews to protect remote cabins in the upper Susitna Valley while aerial tankers slow the human-caused fire.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
House Finance advances Alaska LNG tax bill, curtailing North Slope's power to negotiate
House Finance advanced Alaska LNG tax bill Wednesday: 13 cents, no side deals, double the impact fund to $80m
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Trump's announced $64 billion DHS funding would touch Alaska Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction — but the underlying bill isn't in primary federal records
Trump announced $64 billion in DHS funding that would affect Alaska's Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction, but the bill he cited does not yet appear in public federal records.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage advances 5% bid preference for veteran-owned firms
Anchorage Assembly advanced an ordinance giving veteran-owned businesses a five percent preference on city contracts capped at $50,000, affecting a city where veterans make up 13 percent of the adult population.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July
Assembly kicks can down the road on Public Safety Commission vote
by Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery
After land transfer from HLB, people are dying to get in there.
by Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks spur line language added to Alaska LNG tax bill
Fairbanks North Star Borough secured a requirement for a gas spur line in the state LNG tax bill. Developers must build the spur to access tax breaks. Costs will spread across Railbelt users to keep rates affordable for 3500 local customers.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
