Briefs
Seven apply for upcoming Alaska Supreme Court vacancy
Three sitting judges and two state attorneys are among seven people vying to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court. The Alaska Judicial Council announced the applicants Monday, and after a series of surveys, interviews and public hearings, will meet in mid-November to pick a list of finalists eligible for the position. Alaska’s […]
Denali gets permanent superintendent as park, a top tourist destination, copes with disruptions
Denali National Park and Preserve, one of Alaska’s top tourist attractions, has a new superintendent, the National Park Service said on Friday. Brooke Merrell, a deputy superintendent who had been filling in for the last nine months as acting superintendent, has now been promoted to the top job in the 6 million-acre park, famous for […]
Alaska sues Interior Department over contaminated ANCSA lands
The state of Alaska has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior in an attempt to hold the federal government responsible for the identification of thousands of polluted sites on land given to Alaska Native corporations. A complete inventory is a first step in the state’s ongoing efforts to hold the federal government responsible for […]
NOAA Fisheries wants public to weigh in on climate change studies of Alaska’s marine waters
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking public input to help guide its climate-change research in waters off Alaska. Members of the public interested in having input on the future of federal research on Alaska’s fisheries face a deadline next week. Comments will be accepted through July 29 on plans drafted by NOAA’s Alaska […]
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs bill increasing rural power subsidy
Up to 82,000 rural Alaskans will see lower power bills because of legislation signed this month by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Senate Bill 243, passed by the Alaska Legislature this spring, raises the maximum subsidy for the state’s Power Cost Equalization program, which reduces the cost of home electricity in rural Alaska. Dunleavy signed the measure […]
Alaska will formally recognize Native tribes, likely negating planned ballot measure
Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign a bill giving state recognition to Alaska’s 229 federally recognized Native tribes, the Alaska Federation of Natives said Thursday. In a July 28 ceremony, the governor will also sign bills creating child welfare and education agreements between the state and tribal governments, AFN said. An official in the governor’s office […]
Algal toxin identified as culprit in Arctic tern die-off, thanks to abundant incriminating evidence
In the years of successive seabird die-offs in Alaska’s warming waters, scientists and coastal residents have pondered a question: Are algae-caused toxins, which are becoming more prevalent as water temperatures rise, causing or contributing to those deaths? Now there are some definitive answers, at least about a localized die-off of Arctic terns in the Juneau […]
Tale of two salmon fisheries: Bristol Bay breaks record, but Yukon River collapses
For Alaska salmon fishing, the summer of 2022 is the best of times and the worst of times. In the Bristol Bay region, the sockeye salmon run and harvest amounts set new records, as was predicted in the preseason forecast. As of Monday, the run had totaled over 73.7 million, with a harvest of over […]
Dunleavy leads early fundraising for Alaska governor’s race
Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy has raised more money than any other candidate in this year’s Alaska governor’s race over the past five months and is heading toward the Aug. 16 primary election with more cash in his campaign war chest than any other candidate. Dunleavy, a Republican, reported raising $925,380 between Feb. 2 and July […]
For U.S. Senate, Murkowski outraises all other Alaska candidates combined
As she seeks re-election to the U.S. Senate, Republican candidate Lisa Murkowski raised more money between April 1 and June 30 than all other candidates in the race, combined. Murkowski’s re-election campaign reported raising $1.57 million in the latest quarterly reports submitted to the Federal Elections Commission. Her lead challenger, Republican candidate Kelly Tshibaka, reported […]
Alaskans will get PFD checks slightly earlier this year, governor announces
The state of Alaska will begin distributing payments of around $3,200 to eligible Alaskans on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Facebook Friday afternoon. That amount includes this year’s Permanent Fund dividend as well as a one-time energy relief payment. Eligible Alaskans who selected direct deposit on their Permanent Fund dividend application are […]
Legislative committee approves $100,000 for ‘friendly’ lawsuit against executive branch
A billion-dollar dispute between Alaska’s legislative and executive branches may be settled by a lawsuit approved Thursday by a committee of the Alaska Legislature. The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, which includes members of the state House and Senate, voted unanimously to approve $100,000 and hire an outside legal firm to represent the Legislature in […]