Alaska superintendents, principals and school officials delivered sobering testimony to lawmakers at the Alaska State Capitol last week. They painted a picture of schools struggling to continue to support teachers and students amid budget shortfalls, cuts to programs, teacher shortages, rising costs and increased facility maintenance needs. Lisa Parady, director of the Alaska Council of […]
President Donald Trump’s administration listed fewer vulnerable species for protection than any other presidential administration since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Trump’s first term added 22 species to the 1,700-species list. So far in his second term, zero new species have made the list. That’s according to […]
The Alaska Senate last week advanced a bill that would allow for the anonymous surrendering of infants in so-called infant safety devices. The boxes are located on the exteriors of buildings. They are climate controlled and monitored by video. When the device is opened, a 911 request is automatically made. Alaskans have been able to […]
In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice began sending letters to state governments demanding copies of statewide voter registration lists. The request was unprecedented: It demanded not only publicly available voter data, such as names and addresses, but also sensitive information, including driver’s license and Social Security numbers. That data is considered highly sensitive […]
Metals mining has a prominent place in Alaska history. Today, it remains a prominent economic driver in the state. Over the past decade, the metals mining sector has made up 3% to 4% of Alaska’s gross domestic product, and those mined metals rival Alaska seafood as top exports from the state, according to a state […]
A juvenile gray whale that swam 20 miles up a river in Washington state has been found dead. A marine mammal research group suspects hunger drove the whale to new hunting grounds. The whale was …
At the Alaska Beacon, we’re constantly trying to figure out where we should put our attention. There’s always more news than there are people to report it. Every Thursday, the Alaska Legislature publishes its committee schedule for the coming week. Public notices alert us to meetings and events. The governor’s office occasionally lets us know […]
Fishers in Southeast Alaska will be allowed to harvest 205,300 Chinook salmon this year, returning to a normal total after last year’s ultra-low harvest limit. The Southeast Alaska Chinook harvest total, set in accordance with the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty, was announced this week by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Last year’s Southeast […]
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S. has lost its hard-won measles elimination status. The CDC […]
A pod of orcas that had not been recorded in Seattle before is delighting whale watchers with several visits just off downtown. Shari Tarantino of the Washington-based Orca Conservancy said the pod …
The Alaska House Finance Committee on Wednesday advanced a draft operating budget with a roughly $3,800 Permanent Fund dividend. For a decade, the annual PFD check has been part of the Legislature’s annual budget-making process. A $3,800 PFD would follow a formula from a 1982 statute. Lawmakers on a budget panel adopted the full, statutory […]
The headquarters of the U.S. Forest Service will move from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday, a move the agency described as a “common-sense approach to improve mission delivery.” Noting that the lands, partners and operational challenges it serves are overwhelmingly in the West, the agency said in […]
The Alaska House on Wednesday advanced a bill to establish cooperatives for salmon setnetters, which would allow commingling of fish. Since territorial days, multiple permitholders, often from the same family, have stored and delivered their salmon together. But the language of state statute and regulation suggests that individual permitholders need to store and deliver their […]
When dignitaries visit Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s home state in the summer, their hosts often take them fishing for salmon. But what does Dunleavy do as a visiting dignitary himself, traveling on official business to far-flung locales such as the United Arab Emirates? Alaskans now have a glimpse of the red-carpet treatment afforded to their […]
University of Alaska staff announced a vote to form a union on Wednesday. The union would represent 2,300 permanent staff across the three universities and a dozen community campuses. Staff voted to form the union Coalition of Alaska University Staff for Equity, or CAUSE, which would be part of the national United Auto Workers union, […]
Alaska is about to see $22 billion invested in energy production and storage over the next five years. That’s real money, real opportunity and something we shouldn’t take for granted. What we do with that investment matters far beyond Alaska. When you have a diverse energy grid, it’s harder to disrupt and less vulnerable to […]
The Alaska Senate on Wednesday advanced a constitutional amendment that would establish a dedicated fund for public education. If passed, lawmakers could design a new source of state revenue to go toward the fund that would be used specifically for schools. The resolution states that the Legislature could only appropriate money from the fund for […]
The 2026 Cama’i Dance Festival was about preserving traditions and reawakening them, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and beyond. During this year’s festival, recently formed dance groups from the Norton Sound communities of Stebbins and St. Michael performed for the second time ever outside of their communities. Group co-organizer Suzzuk Huntington summed up the feeling. “Such […]
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, shared a message of tempered optimism and hope for the opportunities before Alaskans at her annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, yet called for collaboration to address a wide range of challenges and uncertainty under the Trump administration. “Alaska has big needs that demand strong leadership. We’ve got […]
