The head of the Alaska Division of Elections will not share legal advice that led to the state’s decision to send an extended voter list to the U.S. Department of Justice. Director Carol Beecher told state senators Wednesday that she will not waive attorney-client privilege as state lawmakers examine last year’s decision to give the […]
The Alaska Supreme Court is considering whether to advance a lawsuit that claims the Alaska Constitution conflicts with a state law that directs construction of a trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. On Wednesday, the court’s justices — minus Chief Justice Susan Carney, who is recovering from surgery — heard oral arguments from plaintiffs who believe any […]
Three Southeast Alaska fishers have been charged with deliberately sinking their vessels and creating marine obstructions, the U.S. Attorney’s office for Alaska said. The three cases, concerning events in Sitka Sound, Sitka Harbor and Thomas Bay near Petersburg, are unrelated, said Reagan Zimmerman-Hartzheim, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office. The defendants are John Fisher […]
Last August, the Beacon published a story under the headline “Is Alaska’s foster care system failing children? A federal trial underway now could decide.” My answer is: Yes, Alaska’s foster care system is failing children – horrendously. But the current lawsuit won’t fix it. Last month, frustrated lawmakers bemoaned the failure of the Office of […]
For years, politically conservative members of the Alaska Legislature have attempted to restrict state-paid abortion care via language in the annual state budget. That maneuver and similar actions could be ruled unconstitutional by the Alaska Supreme Court, which on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that may determine the limits of the Alaska Constitution’s […]
Alaska lawmakers introduced new legislation in the House of Representatives that would raise the state’s per student funding for schools. They say it is critical to help school districts struggling with rising costs and ballooning deficits. The House Education Committee introduced House Bill 374 on Wednesday. It would raise the state’s per student funding, known […]
The University of Alaska president appointed Cheryl Siemers to the permanent role as University of Alaska Anchorage chancellor, following ten months serving as interim chancellor, the university announced on Wednesday. UA President Pat Pitney appointed Siemers to the interim role last May after former Alaska governor Sean Parnell retired, and then extended her tenure in […]
The first in a series of newly mandated oil and gas lease sales for federal waters of Alaska’s Cook Inlet received no bids, agency officials said on Wednesday. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees oil and gas leasing in federal offshore territory, made the announcement on its website. The federal sale is […]
The potential for a tunnel link between Revillagigedo and Gravina Islands increased on Monday when The Boring Company announced that a proposal from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough was among the 16 finalists in the firm’s Tunnel Vision...
There was something special seeing Rose Fraker play in high school. A tenacity for defense, scoring and being a coach on the floor, distributing the ball across basketball courts that stretched from Southeast Conference play to every corner of the...
I wish I’d kept a journal of all the lessons I learned over my years working with Rich Mauer, the longtime Anchorage Daily News reporter and editor. Rich died at 76 this past week. For much of the time I knew him, though, it seemed like he could outlast all of us. As my editor […]
Fewer Alaska babies are being born and more Alaskans are dying, causing the state’s natural population increase margin to shrink substantially over the past decade, according to state demographers. Alaska is far from alone in this population change, according to the analysis, described in an article published in Alaska Economic Trends, the state Department of […]
Just as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 drove oil prices higher — over $100 a barrel for several months — so too are the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Iran’s counterattacks, sending prices upward. Higher oil prices mean more money for the Alaska state treasury. After the annual draw on Permanent Fund […]
A “Deadliest Catch” deckhand has died after he was reported to have fallen overboard from the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady. That's according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said Tuesday …
Some Alaska school districts say they can’t afford to hire and retain international teachers after the Trump administration hiked fees for highly skilled worker visas. Alaska school districts have increasingly hired international teachers through the H-1B program amid an ongoing teacher shortage. Until last September, the annual fee for such visas was $5,000 per person. […]
More than 110 million acres of land across the U.S. are protected in 806 federally designated wilderness areas – together an area slightly larger than the state of California. For the most part, these places have been left alone for decades, in keeping with the 1964 Wilderness Act’s directive that they be “untrammeled by man.” […]
Anyone that possesses, creates or shares child sexual abuse material created with artificial intelligence in Alaska would face new state felony charges under legislation advanced by the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday — plus AI companies and social media companies could face state penalties too. House members passed House Bill 47 almost unanimously by […]
Alaska lawmakers eulogized their former colleague, Craig Johnson, a longtime Republican Representative for Anchorage, who died Friday at the age of 72. Alaska’s House of Representatives took a moment of silence in his honor during their Friday floor session, at the request of majority caucus leader Rep. Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, who succeeded Johnson in his […]
Online sports betting is no longer a pastime limited to die-hard fans. It is the core of a rapidly growing industry, even though it is still banned in 20 states, including Alaska. But that may change this year. Alaskan lawmakers are actively debating this session whether they should open their digital borders to this market. […]
A new investigative documentary series on HBO highlights the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in Alaska, particularly Alaska Native women, through the case of serial killer Brian Steven Smith. The series examines how the Anchorage Police Department handled the case and considers lingering questions of justice for victims and families. The new […]