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Alaska’s business advocates call for making child care a priority
More than three quarters of Alaska parents reported missing work because child care issues, a leading business advocate told the group advising Gov. Mike Dunleavy on child care policy. Kati Capozzi, the Alaska Chamber’s executive director, said that addressing the issue is a priority for employers. She told the state’s Child Care Task Force on […]
Alaska Department of Public Safety publishes Missing Indigenous Persons report
According to a new state report, nearly 200 Alaska Native or American Indian people went missing between the beginning of April and the end of June in Alaska this year. Two dozen of them have not been found. Violence against American Indian and Alaska Native people far exceeds the national average and Alaska has one […]
Thousands of Alaskans dropped from Medicaid after pandemic protections end
The number of Alaskans covered by Medicaid has dropped by more than 14,000 since April, after federal protections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ended. This number may increase as the state continues the process of determining who is still eligible, which was halted during the national emergency declaration. Those Alaskans are losing coverage as […]
Alaska Native youth to carve two dugout canoes with federal education funding boost
Federal money for arts, culture and educational programs will fund the creation of two dugout canoes in Southeast Alaska. Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Goldbelt, Inc., will teach Alaska Native youth how to carve canoes with nearly a quarter million dollars in grant funding from the National Park Service. The goal is to […]
Alaska nonprofit law firm to receive $4.7 million to assist disaster recovery
The nonprofit law firm Alaska Legal Services Corp was awarded federal money this week to support victims of disasters last year as they continue to navigate the recovery. The firm will be in charge of distributing $4.7 million in funding to create what’s being described as a “disaster relief hub,” which will support the victims […]
Alaska graduate student workers, university move toward vote on potential labor union
A group of University of Alaska graduate student employees took a step to form the state’s first student worker union on Wednesday. The Alaska Graduate Student Workers Association signed an agreement with the university system that defines who is eligible to vote on becoming a union, certifies them as a bargaining unit and triggers a […]
Alaska tribes, university to receive federal grants for repatriation of remains and cultural items
Alaska tribes and the University of Alaska Fairbanks will receive more than $350,000 in grants as part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA, the National Park Service announced on Monday. The groups will put the money towards bringing objects of cultural significance back to Alaska. NAGPRA requires federal agencies […]
New ID law intended to support Alaskans exiting incarceration, reduce recidivism
A new law aimed at supporting Alaskans as they leave prison and reenter society will go into effect next year. The state’s Department of Corrections will be able to issue state IDs to prisoners who do not have valid identification when they exit the carceral system. Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the bill into law on […]
Alaska Native nonprofit launches program to support Alaska Native teachers
As Alaska grapples with a shortage of teachers and high turnover rates, a regional nonprofit is recruiting Alaska Native educators to a new statewide program designed to support and retain them. Amber Frommherz of Sealaska Heritage Institute said the new initiative, called the Community of Practice program, is a place for educators from around the […]
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s most recent UA Board of Regents pick resigns after two months
Tuckerman Babcock resigned from his post as a member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents on Wednesday, after two months in the role and before his confirmation by the state Legislature. Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Babcock, his former chief of staff and a longstanding Republican figure, to the board that guides policy and […]
Alaska to use crowdsourcing website to distribute $2M in COVID-19 relief money for public school supplies
Alaska public school teachers short of supplies this year have a new source to turn to for funding, and it’s not the local school budget. Each teacher could receive $650 to $750 from the state in federal pandemic relief money. Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development will devote $2 million in federal pandemic relief […]
Sexual assault survivors in Alaska can now track their rape kits online
A new online tool will allow survivors to check the status of their sexual assault kits, Alaska’s Department of Public Safety announced last week. The department developed a tracker so survivors can stay up to date on their case in “the least intrusive and traumatic way possible.” A sexual assault kit, known colloquially as a […]