The U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-196 on Thursday to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years and reverse massive cost increases that went into effect with the new year. The reversal must still be approved by the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump before becoming effective. Alaska’s lone member of the House, Republican […]
The Alaska Court System is preparing to finalize new ethics guidelines that will determine whether state judges must opt out from hearing cases due to personal conflicts. An extensive new ethics code, modeled on a national standard drafted by the American Bar Association, is open for public comment through Jan. 23. The changes, which stretch […]
After enduring weeks of record-breaking cold and snowfall that buried Alaska’s capital city, taxing local infrastructure and services, residents of Juneau are now bracing for an abrupt change to rain that will bring new hazards. The City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska issued a […]
Alaska’s annual population estimate will be delayed almost a month due to last year’s federal government shutdown. State demographer David Howell said on Wednesday that the state estimate isn’t expected until at least Jan. 28 due to the lack of required data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The estimate is typically published in the first […]
A national support line for Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has begun work to launch an Alaska-specific service. Strong Hearts Native Helpline is a Native-led nonprofit that offers 24-hour, seven-day-a-week support for anonymous and confidential calls from people who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. The line is staffed by Native […]
Future assessments of U.S. landslide hazards could include the study of risks posed by atmospheric rivers, which caused extreme precipitation that was linked to recent deadly slides in Southeast Alaska. The added focus on atmospheric rivers is one of the main updates in a bill that would reauthorize the National Landslide Preparedness Act. The bill, […]
Alaska is expected to have moderate statewide job growth this year, led by continued expansion in the oil and gas industry and the health care sector, according to a new state forecast. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s 2026 jobs forecast predicts an additional 3,000 jobs, amounting to 0.9% growth in employment for […]
The Alaska Airlines pilot who was praised as a hero for safely landing a plane after a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff in 2004 is suing Boeing because he believes the plane maker …
Nine crew members of a commercial crab boat were hoisted to safety after the boat named the Arctic Sea grounded on an Alaska island. The ship aground on Saint George Island in the Bering Sea during …
It was an eventful year in national politics, and Alaska’s senior senator was often in the spotlight for bucking the Republican Party or the Trump administration. She sat down with veteran Alaska reporter Nathaniel Herz of the Northern Journal to reflect on the last year and look forward into 2026 — in a conversation that […]
The commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Family and Community Services has departed that position to take a job with the Trump administration. Kim Kovol has accepted a job with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced last week. Her last day working for the state was on Friday, and Tracy […]
Today is Saturday, Jan. 3, the third day of 2026. There are 362 days left in the year. Today in history: On Jan. 3, 1920, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold the contract of Babe Ruth to …
Alaska dealt with a range of public safety challenges and policy choices in 2025, from extreme weather to immigration enforcement. The devastation left by Typhoon Halong in Western Alaska was historic — and life-changing for many — this year. The storms prompted a massive disaster response and public safety effort, including the largest mass evacuation […]
It was a difficult and consequential year for Alaska schools, educators and students. While Alaska lawmakers passed the first significant education funding increase since 2011, the state rode a federal funding rollercoaster as funds were frozen, released, disputed and appealed. Western Alaska students and families also endured the devastating storm disaster of Typhoon Halong. Hundreds […]
Alaska was awarded more federal money than any state besides Texas for a federal rural health initiative, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Monday. The money will come from the Rural Health Transformation Fund, a $50 billion program set up as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and intended to […]
The budget was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of its burial was signed by the Governor, the House and the Senate. Old Budget was as dead as a doornail. I didn’t much care. I sat in my house clutching a state-sealed dividend check. Outside, voices cried for […]
Meteorologists sometimes warn of a winter storm that could “bomb out” or become a bomb cyclone. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this happens when a storm's …
Framed by the fireplace in Alaska’s governor’s mansion earlier this month, Gov. Mike Dunleavy shook hands and posed for pictures in the final holiday open house of his two terms as Alaska’s top elected official. Dunleavy is prohibited from running for another term, and 14 candidates have already signed up to run for his office […]
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed two Republicans from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to fill vacant seats in the Alaska House of Representatives. The Republican governor made the appointments Wednesday, and the two men may replace Sens. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, and George Rauscher, R-Sutton, whom the governor previously appointed to fill two vacancies in the Senate. Both […]
It took me decades to really notice birds, to give them my full attention. When I did finally invite them into my life at age 43, I fell deeply—and some friends might add, madly—in love with our winged and feathered neighbors, especially the little ones that swarm backyard feeders throughout Alaska’s long and harsh winters. […]