blogpage | Juneau Independent

Supreme Court sounds skeptical of late-arriving ballots, a Trump target

A ruling eliminating grace periods for mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day would affect Alaska, 13 other states

6 days ago3 min read

Police blotter for March 21

This report contains public information available from local emergency response and law enforcement organizations.

6 days ago1 min read

Medicaid cuts could add pressure to already-stressed psychiatric units

Between 2023 and 2024, 126 hospitals across the US shut down their inpatient psychiatric units.

6 days ago6 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.

6 days ago4 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.

6 days ago4 min read

Juneau sets daily and monthly snow records – but not winter record after discovery of error in historic data

3.6" on Sunday gives Juneau 195.8" since Oct. 1, surpassing 194.3" in 1964-65; but discovery of ’missing’ 7.5" in 2006-07 means record is 197.9", according to weather service.

6 days ago2 min read

First games show Gold Medal spirit is still on the court

Haines runs past Klawock, Hoonah nips Angoon, Kake women win, Yakutat women victorious, Hoonah masterful.

7 days ago6 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.

7 days ago5 min read

High gas prices likely to offset Trump’s tax cuts, study finds

Analysis doesn’t include tariffs, other costs resulting from economic uncertainty.

7 days ago4 min read

Turn today’s oil boom into tomorrow’s energy security

Alaska is once again riding high on the strength of oil revenues, with a possible $545 million flowing into state coffers during the current fiscal year due to higher oil prices. This is welcome news for policymakers and residents alike. But it also presents a familiar and uncomfortable paradox; the very forces boosting state revenue are poised to inflict serious economic pain on many Alaskans, particularly those in rural communities.

Mar 223 min read

On The Trails: Wasps

The insect order Hymenoptera includes wasps and bees. Bees evolved from a waspish ancestor a long time ago and constitute a separate lineage, which is not the focus of this essay, although some comparisons are quite interesting.