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Governor's race survey: the PFD question (and ferries)
Candidates propose their PFD amounts — and tell us the last time they rode an Alaska state ferry.
Mar 237 min read
Alaska Beacon state and legislative daybook for the week of March 16, 2026
Here’s what’s happening at the Alaska Capitol and elsewhere across the state.
Mar 234 min read
Federal ‘SAVE Act’ risks denying thousands of Alaskans the ability to vote, Murkowski says
Alaska’s senior U.S. Senator is the only Republican to join Democrats in opposition to the bill, which currently lacks the votes to pass.
Mar 234 min read
Cast a ballot and wait for the plane. In Alaska, a grace period for ballots is seen as a necessity
Many worry that a case from Mississippi challenging whether ballots received after Election Day can be counted in federal elections could end Alaska's practice of accepting late-arriving ballots. Alaska counts ballots if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days, or 15 days for overseas voters in general elections.
Mar 225 min read
Alaska officials step toward wider oil and gas exploration on state land near Yukon River
Oil and gas firm Hilcorp is already at work on land owned by Doyon Ltd. near the village of Birch Creek, south of the river.
Mar 213 min read
Buoyed by big projects and a big lease sale, Alaska oil companies project optimism
Representatives of companies operating on the North Slope, speaking at an industry conference, say their investments are expected to result in increased oil production.
Mar 205 min read
Alaska education board takes steps to assess boarding school conditions after outcry
State board will create a new committee to review concerns, including student services and maintenance needs after roughly a quarter of students disenrolled this year.
Mar 206 min read
Local advisory board asks state to redo hiring process for Mt. Edgecumbe superintendent
MEHS board says the superintendent hire should focus solely on the state-run boarding school, but the current superintendent administers MEHS and another district.
Mar 194 min read
As winters warm, falling through the ice is becoming more common — and deadly
The risks are especially acute in Alaska, where the unpredictable ice season disrupts traditional hunting practices for Indigenous communities
Mar 196 min read
NPR-A oil and gas lease sale draws record bidding, despite legal clouds
The first lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019 generated $163 million in high bids, but some bids were for protected land.
Mar 197 min read
Alaska lawmakers try to broker budget funding compromise amid war-driven funding dispute
Alaska legislators have sidetracked a bill originally intended for the legislative fast track.
Mar 182 min read
Alaska’s US senators back effort to waive $100k visa fee for public school employees
The senators are cosponsoring new legislation in Congress as state lawmakers and school officials urge action to keep teachers in Alaska classrooms Alaska U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (Alaska Beacon file photos) By Corinne Smith Alaska Beacon Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators are pushing the Trump administration to waive a recently hiked visa fee for all public school employees. The Trump administration raised the fee for highly skilled workers visas, known a
Mar 174 min read
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