The three pieces of legislation that make up Alaska’s annual state budget are on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s desk. According to legislative records, the state’s operating, capital and mental health budgets were transmitted to the governor on Tuesday, giving the governor until June 19 to veto the bills or sign them into law. The governor has […]

On the 120th and last day of Alaska’s annual legislative session, the state House passed a bill that would curb high interest rates and fees for payday loans of $25,000 or less.  The Senate passed Senate Bill 35 in late April, and the House passed the bill Tuesday by a vote of 24 to 16. […]

Like many other Alaskans, I love our national parks. Their beauty, wildlife and opportunities for adventures are a great gift to current and future Alaskans, as well as our many visitors. From Denali to Katmai to Glacier Bay, these special places help drive a thriving tourism economy and support reliable, made-in-Alaska jobs. Unfortunately, Alaska’s national […]

Memorial Day is a time to set aside our differences and join together in remembering and thanking those brave souls who gave their last full measure for their fellow Americans. They deserve that honor even for serving in what some thought to be an ill-advised conflict. Vietnam turned out to be such a war, but […]

In November of 1976, after graduating from high school I went to the polls, and along with more than 75,000 Alaskans, voted YES on Proposition 2; this vote created Alaska’s Permanent Fund (PF). It continues to amaze me that more than 30,000 Alaskans voted against this measure. We were blessed to have wise leaders who […]

This story was originally published by Grist. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. It was produced by Grist and co-published with Alaska Public Media. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. The Tulsequah Glacier meanders down a broad valley in northwest British Columbia, 7 miles from the Alaska border. At the foot of […]

Groundbreaking music executive Dave Shapiro has died in a San Diego plane crash. He was 42. The music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed Shapiro died in the crash. He had a pilot’s license and was …

As another school year ends, superintendents across the United States are staring down an autumn staffing crisis, with 1 in 8 teaching positions either vacant or filled by an underqualified educator. States that are struggling with post-pandemic teacher shortages have spent millions to lure replacements and retain veterans with hiring bonuses and bumps in salaries. […]

Before adjourning their regular session for the year, Alaska legislators passed 33 bills through both the House and Senate. Two were vetoed before lawmakers left the Capitol. One of those became the subject of the first successful veto override since 2009. Here’s a look at what’s passed and is headed to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for […]

Conservation groups and a Tribal government have sued to overturn a permit that allows a mining company to build a road and expand an airstrip at a site important to endangered whales. At issue is the permit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted in September to Contango ORE Inc. for construction work at the […]

Alaska’s largest city has reached a $2.1 million settlement with the family of a 16-year-old girl who was holding a knife last August when she was fatally shot by a police officer. Anchorage Mayor …

The Alaska Legislature is on pace to raise the state’s age of sexual consent to 18 next year, after the state House voted 39-0 to approve House Bill 101 on Monday. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which is expected to take it up in January, when lawmakers convene for the second year […]

Mere hours before he banged his gavel to adjourn this year’s session of the Alaska House of Representatives, Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, introduced a bill to bar metals mining from the Bristol Bay watershed. The measure, House Bill 233, would expand on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 decision prohibiting permitting of the controversial Pebble Project […]

After 22 years in the Alaska Senate, Senate President Gary Stevens is retiring.  Stevens’ decision has been discussed in the Alaska Capitol for more than a year, but on Tuesday, it became official as Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes became the first person to announce that she will run for Stevens’ seat. “I certainly will […]

A state judge has extended a restraining order that bars the Alaska Department of Fish and Game from killing bears in a controversial predator-control program. Superior Court Judge Christina Rankin, in an order issued late Monday, said the department’s decision to shoot bears earlier this month in violation of a previous court ruling justified her […]

The Alaska Legislature adjourned its regular session on Tuesday without finishing work on a major elections bill or a bill reimposing limits on cash donations to election candidates. House Bill 16, the campaign finance bill, and Senate Bill 64, the elections reform legislation, are expected to return when the Legislature resumes work in January, and […]

The Alaska Legislature adjourned its regular session on Tuesday, one day earlier than expected, after passing a “maintenance level” state budget that contains a $1,000 Permanent Fund dividend. Legislators do not expect a special session this year. “I would like to thank all of you for getting to this point: a day early, and before […]

The Alaska Legislature has approved state funding for child advocacy centers, which support child victims of physical and sexual abuse. Alaska’s 20 centers were in limbo, facing a $5.5 million shortfall after federal grants were ended or cut, as well as uncertainty over whether operations and services would continue past June.  On Friday afternoon, the […]

Alaska’s public schools may see the largest permanent funding boost in well over a decade, after the Alaska Legislature voted for the first time since 2002 to override a sitting governor’s veto. With a 46-14 vote, lawmakers significantly increased Alaska’s per-student public funding formula, overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to reject House Bill 57. Forty […]

The Alaska Legislature has voted to urge the state’s congressional delegation to oppose cuts to Medicaid, as the state faces a potential annual loss of $194 million in federal spending and tens of thousands more uninsured residents. The House passed Senate Joint Resolution 15 on Sunday by a vote of 27-13, and the Senate approved […]