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University of Alaska faculty union ratifies contract
The University of Alaska faculty union membership has ratified a tentative contract agreement with the University of Alaska administration. United Academics certified the ratification vote results Monday. The two parties reached the tentative contract agreement at the end of October, ending 14 months of negotiations. The sometimes contentious process resulted in both parties filing unfair […]
Alaska activist describes decades dedicated to anti-abortion work
Rebecca Hinsberger was raised thinking the right to abortion was a good thing. “My mother was a very outspoken supporter of abortion,” she said. “So I grew up in that atmosphere: that abortion was perfectly OK and shouldn’t be stigmatized.” Hinsberger started adulthood this way. She lived in a yoga ashram for six months. She […]
Alaska doctor, once the focus of outrage, reflects on past as abortion provider, with questions
Written in large letters across a billboard displayed in the Alaska Right to Life booth at the 1981 State Fair in Palmer was this question: “Does your Doctor kill babies?” Underneath that question was a list of several names – including Dr. carolyn Brown. This billboard along with things published in Alaska Right to Life’s […]
Annual death toll of people in Alaska Corrections custody continues to climb as 17th death is reported
Khari Wade, 51, died on Nov. 11 at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, becoming the 17th person to die in the state’s prison system this year, according to an Alaska Department of Corrections press release on Monday. This is the highest number of in-custody deaths Corrections has seen in the past decade, the time period for […]
In Alaska, voters reject once-in-a-decade constitutional convention question
Alaskans went to the polls Tuesday to answer a once-in-a-decade ballot measure question: Shall there be a constitutional convention? Their answer was a resounding “No.” With 96% of precincts reporting, only 30.2% of Alaskans had voted yes, while 69.8% voted against the measure. At a convention, the state constitution may be amended or revised, subject […]
Nov. 8 is the final day to vote in Alaska’s general election
Tuesday, Nov. 8, is Election Day and polls across Alaska are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters get to decide several races – who Alaska sends to D.C., who will lead the state as governor, and who will be sent to the state capital. Voters will also weigh in on a once-in-a-decade ballot measure […]
Lower Kenai Peninsula House candidates differ on abortion, constitutional convention
In the race to represent Homer and other lower Kenai Peninsula communities in the Alaska State House, the two main contenders differ on some key issues, like abortion rights, support for a constitutional convention and ranked choice voting. In the August primary, sitting legislator Republican Sarah Vance got 52% of the vote with nonpartisan Louis […]
University of Alaska administration and faculty union reach tentative contract agreement
The University of Alaska’s administration and its faculty union reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Monday, ending 14 months of negotiations. The sometimes contentious process resulted in both parties filing unfair labor practice complaints, which are still ongoing. Faculty union president Abel Bult-Ito said he’s “relieved” negotiations are over, “but I don’t think […]
What a constitutional convention has to do with abortion rights in Alaska
Alaska voters will be answering a yes-no question in the general election next week: “Shall there be a Constitutional Convention?” While the pro-Convention side has emphasized putting the Permanent Fund Dividend in the constitution as the top motivation, those opposed to the convention also see abortion rights as an issue at stake. The right to […]
Alaska Corrections reports 16th death of 2022, surpassing previous decade-high number of in-custody deaths
Paul Harris, 69, died on Oct. 23 at Goose Creek Correctional Center, becoming the 16th person to die in the state’s prison system this year, according to an Alaska Department of Corrections press release on Tuesday. With this death, Corrections surpassed the highest number of in-custody deaths the department has seen in the past decade, […]
Alaska students stay steady in reading but decline in math since pre-pandemic, says national assessment
Math scores were down this year for students in Alaska from pre-pandemic 2019, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Monday. The change in math scores mirrored a trend seen across the country. Reading scores, on the other hand, for Alaska students stayed about the same. The national average score declines […]
Confronting rising bills and flat state funding, Alaska schools say they are at a fiscal cliff
This week, the Anchorage School District announced that it is considering the closure of six elementary schools amid a projected $68 million budget shortfall. Anchorage isn’t the only district facing a major fiscal problem. At the end of the last school year, Fairbanks closed three schools. In Juneau, the school board is considering whether to […]