Ahead of its vote on a bill to restrict political donations in state elections, members of the House’s multipartisan majority rejected a series of amendments that would have expanded the bill.  Among the rejected proposals were ideas to require greater disclosure of donations funneled through so-called dark money groups enabled by the 2010 U.S. Supreme […]

This story first appeared on KFF Health News. For many years, Eric Wunderlin’s health issues made it hard to find stable employment. Struggling to manage depression and diabetes, Wunderlin worked part-minimum-wage retail jobs around Dayton, Ohio, making so little he said he sometimes had to choose between paying rent and buying food. But in 2018, […]

The Vietnam War that ended after the fall of Saigon 50 years ago greatly impacted U.S. society. For some Americans, it still shapes their lives today. They include a woman who continues to work to …

Four years after a federal appeals court eliminated Alaska’s limits on political campaign contributions, the Alaska House of Representatives has taken a step toward reimposing them. On Monday, the House voted 22-18 to approve House Bill 16, which mirrors the language of a ballot measure slated to go before voters in 2026. Alaskans are expected […]

One of the most cynical things Alaska legislators ever did — and that’s saying something — was vote to gut the 2002 minimum wage increase less than one year after passing it.  After trying to supplant a voter initiative approved for the 2002 election with weaker measures, Republican majorities finally took the advice of their […]

The number of births in some Western states that are adding new housing rose last year, reversing losses the year before in many cases, according to new federal statistics released Wednesday. Increases from 2023 to 2024 were highest in Colorado (4.5%), Idaho (3.8%), Utah (3.6%), Washington state and Nebraska (each 2.6%). Births increased around 2% […]

Alaska bars and liquor stores will be required to post signs warning of alcohol’s link to cancer, under a bill that became law on Friday. The new sign mandate, to go into effect on Aug. 1, makes Alaska the first U.S. state to require such health warnings. The warnings about the alcohol-cancer relationship will be […]

Alaska’s public schools might get more money, after all.  Nine days after Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a significant increase to the state’s K-12 public school funding formula, the Alaska Senate has approved a compromise education bill that includes a smaller increase. The bill includes some — but not all — of the policy changes that […]

In the state with the fourth-largest proven reserves of oil and gas in the U.S., there is a looming energy shortage. Above the Arctic Circle, oil producers on Alaska’s North Slope send an average of 465,000 barrels of crude oil south each day for shipping to refineries and users around the country and the world. […]

Smoking has steadily declined in Alaska over the past decades, evidence that coordinated health campaigns mounted over several years have been effective, a new report from the state Department of Health said. Adult cigarette smoking rates fell to 16% in 2023 from 28% in the 1990s, according to the Alaska Tobacco Prevention and Control Program’s […]

Alaska is known for its big-game hunting, and the state’s commercial hunting guide industry may soon get a permanent top regulator. On Wednesday, the Alaska Senate voted 20-0 to change state law and require that Alaska’s Big Game Commercial Services Board have a permanent executive director. The board is in charge of licensing commercial hunting […]

A 1,000-gallon diesel spill earlier this month near the Yukon River has prompted renewed objections to plans by a privately held oil company to drill in the region later this year. The truck was operated not by Hilcorp, the oil company, but by Brice Inc., a Native-owned construction firm that has worked with Hilcorp on […]

Interior designers who work on large commercial construction projects may soon be allowed to stamp design plans, similar to what architects are allowed to do. On Wednesday, the Alaska Senate voted 18-2 to approve Senate Bill 54, which would create an interior design licensing process and modify the way the state regulates landscape architects. If […]

Last month, five large boxes were hand-carried from Alamos, Mexico, across the U.S.-Mexico border to Tucson, Arizona. There, at the local UPS store, they were reboxed before I received the phone call I had been looking forward to for over a year: “They’re ready to ship.”  These boxes, containing over 600 documents covering nearly 35 […]

For years, plans to develop Alaska’s largest gold prospect appeared to have stalled amid lawsuits and questions about costs.  Now, a $1 billion deal could inject new life into the massive Donlin gold project in Western Alaska. That’s the message, at least, from the investors who are doubling down on Donlin, including two prominent East […]

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — In the wake of recent natural disasters, state leaders across the country are finding that emergency support from the federal government is no longer a given. Under President Donald Trump, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied federal assistance for tornadoes in Arkansas, flooding in West Virginia and a windstorm in Washington […]

With school funding still uncertain, and less than a month to go in the Alaska legislative session, the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday advanced a reworked bill that would increase the base of the state’s funding formula by $700 per student. Members of the committee also included some policy proposals suggested by Gov. Mike Dunleavy […]

On April 22, 2025, the Alaska Legislature had the opportunity and responsibility to secure stable and meaningful investment in our children’s education. With the override vote on House Bill 69, lawmakers were given a chance to rise above political posturing and provide the first real increase to the base student allocation, or BSA, in nearly […]

The Alaska Department of Corrections has reported three in-custody deaths in the month of April so far, bringing the total reported this year to five in-custody deaths.  Nathaniel David Leask, 49, died on April 3 in the Anchorage Correctional Complex. He was remanded just six days prior, for “multiple probation violations” according to the department. […]

A powerful Alaska Senate committee is considering a draft of Alaska’s state operating budget that would cut more than $200 million from a version adopted earlier this month by the state House. The Senate Finance Committee unveiled the first draft of its operating budget proposal during a Thursday morning meeting in the Capitol at Juneau. […]