After a late-night vote and an ensuing public-relations debacle, House Republicans reversed themselves on a decision that would have taken the teeth out of the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Government
Federal act funds water infrastructure in western AK
A federal act signed by the president this month will bring millions of dollars for water and sewer systems in Alaska over a five-year period.
Juneau’s biggest stories of 2016
As 2016 winds down, here’s a look at Juneau’s biggest stories of the year.
As U.S. confronts Russia, Trump’s admiration of Putin is consistent
Once again, President-elect Donald Trump is praising the Russian president as a stronger and more strategic leader than Barack Obama.
U.S. Ethics chief was behind those tweets about Trump, records show
Trump-style tweets from the Office of Government Ethics urging divestitures made many suspect a hack of this typically staid agency. New records shared with NPR show the author was the agency chief.
Ketchikan Assembly to consider more conflicts of interest
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly has rescheduled its regular meeting from Monday to Tuesday, in observance of the New Year’s holiday. The agenda for Tuesday is a light one. Among the few action items is a public hearing and second vote on changes to the borough’s ethics code.
Clamming halted on East Cook Inlet beaches due to low razor clam numbers
A decline in the number of mature razor clams the past several years has prompted the state Fish and Game department to curtail clamming on East Cook Inlet beaches for the foreseeable future.
State arts council urges protections for Native use of ivory
The Alaska State Council on the Arts is urging Alaska’s congressional delegation to protect Native use of ivory after recent domestic ivory bans.
Advocacy groups push for better tracking of hate crimes
Hate crimes are challenging to count. The FBI’s annual tally is spotty because of underreporting. Advocacy groups are using their own systems to track a rise of reported attacks since the election.
10 election moments you won’t totally hate and might even like
The 2016 election was divisive and nasty and full of insults and innuendo. But let’s look at the brighter side — here are 10 lighter moments from 2016 that weren’t so bad. Some are actually funny.