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Alaska News


State Senate candidate Louise Stutes agrees to settle campaign finance violations
Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, will pay more than $2,000 to settle a series of campaign finance complaints filed by a former chair of the Alaska Republican Party in 2025.


Murkowski pushes for release of $41.3M in delayed federal grants for Alaska Native education
The U.S. Department of Education is expected to award $41.3 million in grant funding through the Alaska Native Education Program to 26 Alaska grantees after some delay, according to an announcement from Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.


It’s OK for candidates to conceal finances temporarily, Alaska state elections attorney says
Candidates should not be removed from the primary election for filing a blank disclosure form, attorney Griffin Deitz told a judge in court on Friday.


Newly launched partisan ‘news’ publications target Alaska’s ‘toss up’ US Senate race
GOP advocacy nonprofit is publishing the Alaska Navigator; a liberal 501(c)(4) organization is publishing progressive articles as The Alaska Independent.


Bill introduced by Murkowski aims to promote use of eDNA analysis in fishery management
Federal fishery managers would start analyzing the DNA collected in ocean waters to help inform their decisions, under a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, Alaska’s Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said on Thursday.


Alaska Division of Elections erroneously removed more than 600 citizens from voter list
More than 100 noncitizens were also mistakenly registered to vote, Carol Beecher told state lawmakers in a partial response to questions.


UA Board of Regents moves to cut tuition for out-of-state students, aiming to boost enrollment
The University of Alaska Board of Regents unanimously approved a cut in the tuition rate for out-of-state students to create a standard tuition rate for all resident and nonresident students across campuses and degree types, beginning in fall 2027.


Alaska superintendents drill down on education policy with some gubernatorial candidates
Six candidates for Alaska governor and lieutenant governor from across the political spectrum appeared side-by-side in a room full of superintendents and school officials in Juneau, promising that boosting education funding would be a priority of their administration, if elected.


Price tag for Trump’s D.C. deployment of National Guard: $1.4B more through 2029
The deployment of National Guard troops hailing from all across the country to Washington, D.C., is expected to cost taxpayers more than $1.4 billion in additional funds through 2029.


Plaintiffs drop four-year-old lawsuit that alleged misconduct in Alaska’s foster care system
A New York-based child welfare advocacy group has dropped a lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services that alleged widespread misconduct by the state’s foster care system.


ExxonMobil won big at a big Alaska lease sale. Months later, its bids are still in legal limbo.
Other companies also have their leases tied up in litigation from local and environmental groups.


Trump administration mounts second attempt to relax offshore Arctic drilling rules
The administration is seeking to change safety rules for oil operations in Arctic waters off Alaska, a region where exploration and development projects have stalled.


President Donald Trump is denouncing mail-in voting. Alaska Republicans are doing it anyway.
Since 1994, the Alaska Republican Party has sent absentee ballot applications to registered voters across the state, urging voters to cast their ballot by mail.


2026 Alaska Voter Guide offers candidate comparisons by collaborative of media outlets
The Alaska Beacon, Alaska Public Media, KTOO and the Anchorage Daily News worked together this year and have created a voter guide to help Alaskans make informed choices when they vote.


As Alaska’s US Senate campaign heats up, super PACs boost out-of-state candidates
The groups appear to be trying to ‘dilute the vote’ for the leading GOP and Democratic hopefuls, one strategist says.


Ranked-choice voting? Hold on. Alaskans have another ballot measure to decide first.
Ballot Measure 1, on the Aug. 18 statewide primary ballot, would reimpose limits on financial donations to state candidates.


Feds turn over Alaska hazardous waste management to state
Alaska is now in charge of hazardous waste regulation in the state, a task that can be made more challenging by geographic remoteness.


Here’s when to expect results in Alaska’s 2026 statewide primary election
Information from the Alaska Division of Elections and historical performance by the state offer a guide.


Alaska providers say childcare gap is growing
Providers say they’re serving fewer children because state and federal funding are insufficient to cover rising operational costs.


Wastewater in Anchorage signals warning about measles
Samples taken from city’s plant revealed genetic material from measles, a highly contagious disease that is particularly dangerous for young children.


Murkowski’s ‘landless’ bill advances to US Senate floor
‘I believe that the people who live here are ultimately the best stewards and will determine the future of the region.’


Alaskans to vote on ballot measure that would overhaul state election system
Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the open primary and ranked choice general election systems, and repeal some campaign disclosure rules.


As winter approaches, Southcentral Alaska utilities are worried about running short of gas
After a cold spring, they’re planning for a worst-case scenario next winter and doing their best to avoid it.


Matt Schultz says he had support, but not enough money
Democratic US House candidate explains his decision to suspend his campaign against Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich and back independent Bill Hill.


Alaska Native communities prepare for man camps driven by new mining boom
How one village established a Native-led sexual assault response team to help address the oncoming chaotic boomtown atmosphere.


Lawsuits seek to overturn permit for road construction through Alaska wildlife refuge
Two new lawsuits say the US Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing a wetlands-fill permit for a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge wetlands.


Get Out the Native Vote initiative galvanizes Alaska Native voters for the 2026 elections
The group aims to turn around a decline in Alaska Native voter turnout through forging statewide partnerships, boosting voter education and outreach, and reducing logistical challenges.


Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to get $400 million in federal settlement
The federal government has agreed to pay the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium $400 million to settle claims of inadequate cost coverage over several years.


A parasite that thrives in warm conditions adds to Yukon River salmon woes
Alaska scientists are teasing out the effects of Ichthyophonus, a parasite that has taken a particularly severe toll on already weak Yukon River Chinook runs.


Unions sue Dunleavy over vacant seats on state’s pension-management board
Two of Alaska’s largest labor organizations have sued Gov. Mike Dunleavy for failing to promptly fill two seats on the board that governs the state’s public employee pension plans.


Lawmakers approve state audit of the Alaska Board of Fisheries
Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes requested the special state audit due to public complaints, but said it would investigate only the board’s process and procedures, not actions taken.


Alaska bush pilot’s bootlegging case heads to the U.S. Supreme Court later this year
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether or not to overrule the state of Alaska’s decision to seize the airplane of a bush pilot who flew a bootlegger and beer to a dry village in 2012.


On nearly deserted Adak Island, you pay to keep hundreds of buildings wired for internet
US phone customers pay more than $340,000 a year for an Anchorage company to keep homes and buildings on Alaska’s Adak Island wired for obsolete internet service. All but a few of them sit empty.


Syphilis infections a rising threat for Alaska newborns, health officials report
There were 14 cases of congenital syphilis in 2025, the most recorded in any recent year.


Hilcorp killed Alaska LNG bill, some legislators say, but governor calls the claim ‘bulls**t’
Behind the scenes of a climactic day in the Alaska Legislature for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline.


Democrat throws support to independent running for Alaska’s US House seat
Saying ‘democracy itself is under threat,’ Matt Schultz suspended his campaign and urged voters to support Bill Hill to oust the GOP incumbent, Nick Begich.


Alaska state legislator chases bear away from fellow lawmaker outside state Capitol
Rep. Garret Nelson, R-Sutton, chased a black bear away from Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, in front of the Alaska State Capitol during a late-night encounter this week.


With industry wary of Arctic Refuge, Alaska’s own government plans a lonely quest for oil
AIDEA is spending as much as $175 million to look for petroleum in the refuge.


Alaska regulators fine North Slope oil field operator for unauthorized gas flaring
Alaska regulators on Wednesday assessed a $741,520 civil penalty against the operator of a small and trouble-plagued North Slope oil field for five months of unauthorized flaring of natural gas.


ICE: Alaska state attorney arrested by immigration officials, held in Tacoma detention center
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Shucheng “Charlie” Yang, 32, a Chinese national and attorney with the Alaska Department of Law, on July 10 in Anchorage, according to an ICE spokesperson.


Amid political division, Alaska lawmakers close in on final compromise gasline bill
Legislators return to Capitol on Thursday for possible vote; Dunleavy says a third special session to advance Alaska LNG Project likely if acceptable bill fails to pass.


Tiny Alaska port town designs transportation plan to handle huge crowds
Whittier is putting finishing touches on a plan to guide transportation management over the next two decades.


Have a felony record in Alaska? You may still be eligible to vote.
Alaskans who are currently incarcerated and awaiting trial or sentencing, and those who have served their sentence and have been released from correctional supervision are eligible to vote in all elections.


After gasline tax bill, pipeline developers plan to ask Alaskans for a few billion dollars
If the state doesn’t chip in, its 25% ownership stake will be diluted by other investors, reducing profits in the long term.


To vote in Alaska’s primary elections, residents must register by July 19 — here’s how
Alaska’s primary election just over a month away, and the deadline to register to vote in that election is Sunday, July 19.


Alaska Democrats sue elections officials after they approved candidate who didn’t disclose finances
The Alaska Democratic Party is suing the Alaska Division of Elections, alleging that officials improperly approved a Republican candidate who failed to disclose his personal finances, as required by state law.


Dunleavy sets state record for most vetoes in a single Legislature
Eight other bills await a final decision, plus the possibility of a multibillion-dollar tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline.


To the GOP, he's a sham candidate. At home, he’s Mr. Sullivan, ex-teacher and Alaska Senate hopeful
On Independence Day, as second-term Republican Dan Sullivan and his chief rival in Alaska's U.S. Senate race Democrat Mary Peltola headlined parades, the other Dan Sullivan seeking the seat was happily on the sidelines of festivities in this small fishing community he long has called home.


Alaska expands eligibility for early interventions for children with developmental delays
New law expands eligibility that will allow earlier interventions for infants and children, but providers say more funding is needed to provide those critical services.


Bering Sea heatwave cited as trigger for nosedive in Yukon River Chinook salmon
The intense marine heatwave conditions that began roiling the Bering Sea in about 2016 resulted in the lowest winter sea ice extent measured in 150 years, widespread bird and marine mammal die-offs, a drastic shift in fish populations and a crash of snow crab stocks.
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