Earmarks are back, and Murkowski is using them to steer money home
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has issued a $230 million wish list of dozens of Alaska projects she’s hoping Congress will pass with the next batch of appropriations bills.
Anchorage man who opposed mask mandate and frequented contentious Assembly meetings dies from COVID
William Topel died shortly after demonstrating against an indoor mask mandate at the Anchorage Assembly.
Juneau Public Market is back and in person this year
People going to the market are required to be fully vaccinated.
Letter asking for vote on second PFD payment reflects differences among Alaska Republican senators
The unusual letter to the Senate Finance Committee co-chairs said “action must be taken” on the PFD funding bill requested by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
New online tool helps Juneau taxpayers see where their money goes
Users will see an estimated breakdown of the programs and services supported by their sales and property tax dollars.
Kenai residents raise thousands for library after city council seeks to approve book purchases
One of the fundraiser’s organizer’s described the council’s request as the “definition of censorship”
Global supply shortages are driving up Alaska oil prices
The short supply is being driven largely by COVID-19. When the pandemic first hit in 2020, demand for crude oil collapsed and OPEC scaled back production dramatically.
Klukwan fights to keep school open ahead of possible closure vote in November
Parents and community members of the Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan said past district decisions have led to the instability, causing low enrollment.
Alaska’s oil and gas jobs have failed to rebound from pandemic losses, slowing state’s recovery
The number of jobs in Alaska’s oil and gas industry remains relatively low after companies cut nearly a third of the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rifts widen over Yakutat village corporation’s expanded logging
Yakutat’s mayor says she’s concerned that area’s forestland is being sold too quickly.
With COVID-19 hospitalizations at near record levels, a gathering of vaccine skeptics is coming to Anchorage
Most of the speakers are not infectious disease experts and are advocating for treatments that are not supported by research.
Power restored in Adak after a nearly weeklong outage closed school and city offices
The community of roughly 100 people has a single diesel powerhouse.
Early results show voters rejecting recall of Anchorage Assembly member Zaletel
The effort to oust Zaletel is one of three attempts to recall an Anchorage Assembly member in the past year.
Alaska Seaplanes plane slips tow at Juneau airport, no injuries reported
Alaska Seaplanes spokesperson Andy Kline said no one was inside of the plane and there was no damage to it. Kline said the plane was checked out and is operational.
Former juvenile facility in Ketchikan transformed into shelter for survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault
The state closed the Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility in 2016 citing high costs and low usage. After more than $1 million in renovations, the building will reopen for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Allergy worries kept a Kasigluk woman from getting vaccinated. She died of COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people with allergies to get the vaccine. It says that if you have an allergy to one ingredient in one vaccine, another vaccine should be safe.
Alaska Air National Guard reports first incursion of Russian military planes since January
The Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing identified the Russian aircraft on Oct. 21 when they entered international airspace off Alaska.
With Alaska’s vaccine sweepstakes ending soon, Dillingham winner encourages others to get the shot
This is the last week for Alaskans to sign up for the Give AK a Shot sweepstakes.
Juneau committee reviewing systemic racism in new laws makes first recommendations to city
The Juneau Assembly created the Systemic Racism Review Committee last year. Before, staffers and policymakers rarely discussed race and equity.
After a decade with no recall campaigns, the Anchorage Assembly sees three in a year
To some observers, the cash going toward the recall signifies a deeply partisan political climate where people have starkly different views on the pandemic.