Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, speaking at an Anchorage event on Thursday, had harsh words for much of her Republican Party but praise for a rare GOP member who, like her, is willing to criticize President Donald Trump: Alaska’s senior U.S. senator. “I can’t be here in Alaska and not mention the incredible courage of […]

Should public media be spared the budget cutting axe of President Donald Trump and the congressional allies of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE? I’m not going to directly answer that question myself, because I’m not an unbiased observer: I’ve worked for years as a reporter and contractor for Alaska Public Media, Anchorage’s public […]

Alaska’s branch of the Democratic Party announced Friday that it has hired Jenny-Marie Stryker, currently the political director for the Alaska Center, as its new executive director. The announcement follows the resignation of former executive director Lindsay Kavanaugh and a decision by the national party to increase its contributions to state-level party organizations, particularly those […]

On Friday, the Alaska Senate’s finance committee finished work on a draft state operating budget for the coming year and sent the draft ahead to a vote of the full Senate. Senators is scheduled to begin debating amendments on Monday, with a vote on the draft expected later in the week. The committee’s draft is […]

Alaskans rallied in communities statewide for May Day, in support of workers and protesting the Trump administration’s policies as anti-democratic, and condemning federal firings and threatened cuts to vital programs and social services.  May Day is recognized by many countries and organizations as International Workers Day, and hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. […]

Alaska’s wildfire season is shaping up to be especially dangerous this year, and the Alaska House of Representatives is asking local, state and federal officials to prepare ahead of time. On April 25, the House voted 37-0 to approve a resolution calling for readiness. House Joint Resolution 15, by Rep. Ky Holland, I-Anchorage, is slated […]

Last summer, a quiet revolution unfolded on the shores of the Kenai Peninsula. A group of setnet fishermen — barred and facing economic ruin from their traditional fishery to protect dwindling king salmon — stepped into a new role: scientific collaborators. Testing set-beach seines as an alternative to gillnets, they proved something remarkable. Not only […]

A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of people imprisoned in Alaska alleges that the state Department of Corrections provides inadequate health care. The class action lawsuit filed Thursday by the …

Alaska’s seafood industry, squeezed by depressed fish prices and increased costs, is in a crisis. Also in a crisis is the Alaska state budget, with both investment income and oil revenues in sharp decline. That presents a dilemma for lawmakers trying to find ways to help the beleaguered seafood industry. What can they do to […]

In a disaster, service dogs are assigned to search for victims and comfort them. A new bill passed Monday by the Alaska House of Representatives intends to assist those dogs when it’s their turn to need help. If approved by the Senate and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, House Bill 70 would allow ambulance crews to aid […]

The Alaska House of Representatives has approved a formal letter asking Congress to extend a series of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. Unless the credits are extended, Alaskans insured through the federal health insurance marketplace — about 25,000 people — could see their rates […]

To avoid high insurance costs, some groups of commercial fishers in Alaska have formed cooperatives to collectively pay liability and damage claims themselves. A bill passed April 25 by the Alaska House of Representatives would exempt these cooperatives from regulation under the state’s insurance laws. The House voted 37-0 to pass House Bill 116, which […]

Now more than ever, leadership comes down to knowing when and how to pivot. Whether you’re running a small business, managing a classroom, serving in public office or raising a family, you’ve likely seen firsthand how quickly circumstances can change. At Idaho State University, we feel it too. But rather than retreat in the face […]

Amid a severe state budget deficit, the Alaska Senate Finance Committee is proposing the lowest Permanent Fund dividend in five years and — if adjusted for inflation — the lowest dividend ever. On Thursday, the committee unveiled a new version of its proposed state operating budget with a $1,000 dividend, a $400 reduction from its […]

North of Fairbanks, hundreds of workers at Alaska’s biggest gold mine dig up, haul, crush and grind thousands of tons of ore each day, year-round.  The sprawling Fort Knox mine consumes $40 million worth of power every year — more than any other business in the state, and some 16% of the power produced by […]

For the third time in two years, the Alaska Legislature has approved a bill that seeks to increase long-term state funding for the state’s K-12 public schools. On Wednesday, the state Senate voted 17-3 and the House voted 31-8 to approve House Bill 57, which would permanently increase the base student allocation, core of the […]

Alaska Education Commissioner Deena Bishop sent a letter to superintendents statewide urging them to lobby legislators for the governor’s education policy items – or risk Dunleavy again vetoing an increase to school funding. On Wednesday, some superintendents from districts across the state shared reactions to the commissioner’s veto threat, calling it “surprising,” “concerning” and “disappointing,” […]

As states rush to address falling literacy scores, a new kind of education debate in state legislatures is taking hold: not whether reading instruction needs fixing, but how to fix it. More than a dozen states have enacted laws banning public school educators from teaching youngsters to read using an approach that’s been popular for […]

Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska overwhelmingly approved paid sick leave laws last year. Now some lawmakers in those states are trying to roll back the benefits before they begin. Republicans …

As Alaska lawmakers confront a major budget deficit, legislators’ opposing views on possible solutions appear likely to lead to a lower Permanent Fund dividend and cuts to services, including public schools. In public statements, members of the Alaska Senate’s majority caucus have said they oppose spending from savings to balance the budget and want to […]