The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe is walking back claims of pressure and arrests he made earlier this week. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it can't verify these claims and denies …
The developers of the proposed Donlin Gold mine in Southwest Alaska are planning to decide next year whether the project’s finances pencil out. That timeline could depend in part on state utility regulators: At the moment, Alaska doesn’t have rules for the kind of gas pipeline needed to power the mine. Developers are proposing a […]
This story was produced in partnership between Bolts and High Country News and is republished with permission. I. The state troopers came first for Tupe Smith. They arrived in a pair on November 30, 2023, travelling a stretch of highway that starts in Anchorage but quickly becomes quite rural. They drove past a ski resort […]
Imagine starting the new year with the promise of at least a $147 million payout from the federal government. But there are strings attached. In late December, President Donald Trump’s administration announced how much all 50 states would get under its new Rural Health Transformation Program, assigning them to use the money to fix systemic […]
As the Trump administration chips away at longstanding childhood vaccine standards, a newly introduced bill in the Alaska Legislature would give state health officials the option of following vaccine advice of medical experts outside of the federal government. The measure, House Bill 238, would authorize the state Department of Health to follow vaccine recommendations made […]
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he expects President Donald Trump to interfere with the midterm elections. Schumer also says Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in major cities create …
Alaskans in need of legal services can connect with attorneys for free in locations in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks and Juneau on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday Jan. 19. The Alaska Court System is offering waivers for court filing fees for eligible Alaskans on that day. The Alaska Bar Association, in coordination […]
The Alaska Legislature will convene in Juneau next week with a stack of difficult issues weighing on lawmakers: School funding, disaster rebuilding, chronic vacancies in the state workforce, low oil prices (less state revenue), taxes, the mythical natural gas pipeline project that wants a massive tax break, the crisis in child care services, and more. […]
Jirdes Winther Baxter, the last living survivor of the diphtheria epidemic that prompted the 1925 serum run credited with inspiring the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, died Jan. 5 at Bartlett Regional Hospital at the age of 101. “This is kind of an end of an era for that period of time,” Fred Baxter, one of […]
A key step to preventing the spread of diseases like COVID-19 or influenza is simple: washing hands. But lack of piped water in parts of rural Alaska has made that simple practice not so easy to carry out. Now a technological innovation has boosted rural Alaskans’ ability to do that important disease-fighting task. The Miniature […]
This story was originally reported by Lauren Nutall of The 19th. Meet Lauren and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. A federal judge has blocked efforts by the Trump administration to curb diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within Head Start early child care programs, which included attempts to revoke funding from […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the state of Alaska’s latest attempt to alter Alaska’s decades-old system of subsistence fishing management. In a one-sentence order Monday, the court said it will not review a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in August that Alaska cannot manage fishing on a stretch […]
Bering Straits Native Corporation faces criticism from shareholders regarding the corporation’s involvement in federal contracts to aid in the detention and removal of asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and migrants. BSNC has in the past ten years secured lucrative contracts with the federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs […]
Two titans of Alaska’s oil industry both told President Donald Trump on Friday that they intend to expand into post-Maduro Venezuela. The public comments, Alaska-based oil industry players said, raise questions about how new drilling opportunities in the South American country could create competition for investment in Alaska’s petroleum-based economy. Texas-based Hilcorp operates Alaska’s largest […]
Former U.S. House Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, has announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Republicans control the U.S. Senate by a 53-47 margin, including two independents who caucus with Democrats. If Peltola were to defeat Sullivan, it would contribute to Democrats’ efforts to retake the chamber. While Alaska […]
A Democratic state lawmaker from Juneau has proposed a ban on face masks and disguises for on-duty police officers, who could be charged with a misdemeanor for each violation. House Bill 250, from Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, was one of 26 bills published Friday by the Alaska Legislature during the Legislature’s informal preseason. Among the […]
The state of Alaska is preparing to give away millions of dollars worth of gravel to public corporations, a move that would amount to millions of dollars in assistance to some of the state’s biggest construction projects. According to a Q&A posted by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the beneficiaries could include the proposed […]
Alaska’s capital city advised downtown residents in avalanche zones to evacuate their homes late Friday morning. Avalanche risk mounted as a result of increased snowfall, higher temperatures and forecasted rain, triggering an emergency alert. City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Programs Manager Ryan O’Shaughnessy said the city is monitoring the risk closely and working with […]
A buildup of hazardous gas at Alaska’s Red Dog mine in recent weeks forced the huge zinc and lead operation to fit workers with respirators and ramp up air monitoring at the mine and in nearby villages. Since November, reactive ore and waste rock at the remote Northwest Alaska mine has been generating higher-than-usual amounts […]
Alaska’s two U.S. Senators are split on a resolution intended to halt U.S. military action in Venezuela without the approval of Congress. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined four other Republicans and the Senate’s Democrats in a 52-47 procedural vote that advances the resolution. If adopted, the resolution would direct the “removal of United States Armed […]