Government & Politics
As people die in Alaska prisons, reform advocates are calling for independent investigation
Prison reform advocates are calling on Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to order an independent review of the state Department of Corrections. The department recently reported its 15th in-custody death this year. William Hensley III, 34, died on Sunday at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Wasilla after a month in custody. With this death, Corrections […]
Kodiak fishery debate highlights differences between Peltola and her House rivals
For U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat who won August’s special election to serve the remainder of the late Don Young’s term, Tuesday’s fishery-focused candidate debate in Kodiak was an opportunity to draw sharp contrasts with her three rivals. Peltola defended the ongoing efforts to update the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act – an […]
Interim Revenue Commissioner Deven Mitchell is new CEO of Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board of trustees has named Deven Mitchell, the interim head of the Alaska Department of Revenue, as the corporation’s new CEO. The board voted unanimously on Monday evening to approve the pick and direct interim CEO Valerie Mertz to open salary negotiations with Mitchell. The decision came at the end […]
Redistricting pits two Anchorage House Democrats with similar policy views against each other
Redistricting has pitted two Anchorage Democrats against each other for a House seat, creating a contest between incumbents who share political views, many endorsements and even East Coast upbringings. The race between Rep. Harriet Drummond, who has represented parts of Midtown and West Anchorage since 2013, and Rep. Zack Fields, who has represented a more […]
Alaska Legislature’s new social media policy nixes banning and blocking
If Alaska’s state legislators remove constituents’ comments or block them on social media, they may forfeit state-paid legal protection, according to a new social media policy adopted Friday. A House-Senate panel voted 8-3 in favor of adopting the new policy on behalf of the entire Legislature. Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, said the new policy means […]
Alaska Legislature votes against intervention in Eastman eligibility lawsuit
The Alaska Legislature will not intervene in a lawsuit challenging the eligibility of Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman to serve in public office. In a 1-9 vote Friday afternoon, a House-Senate panel voted against a request for intervention from Eastman, who said in an email that his ability to continue serving as a sitting legislator […]
Biden approves more federal disaster assistance after typhoon hits western Alaska
Alaska’s state, local and tribal governments can be reimbursed for 100% of many costs incurred before and after Typhoon Merbok struck this month, after President Joe Biden on Thursday amended the federal disaster declaration. The federal government typically reimburses local governments for 75% of their costs, but Alaska’s congressional delegation and Gov. Mike Dunleavy had […]
Permanent Fund Corp. board will interview three people for top job
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.’s board of trustees has scheduled three interviews Monday with potential candidates to be the corporation’s next CEO. Interim state Revenue Commissioner Deven Mitchell, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority Chief Investment Officer Morgan Neff, and Melanie Hardin, a Verizon executive who formerly worked for Charles Schwab in London, are scheduled […]
Race for Yukon-Kuskokwim House seat pits youth against experience
The race to represent one of the nation’s most rural state legislative districts is newly competitive. Democrat C.J. McCormick, a Bethel City Council member serving as vice mayor of that city, had been the only candidate in the House District 38 race until mid-September. But now Myron Naneng Sr., a former head of the Association […]
Special investigation finds Gov. Dunleavy wasn’t involved in firing of former Permanent Fund CEO
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not orchestrate the firing of former Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. executive director and CEO Angela Rodell, a special investigation has concluded. “The governor’s office had no impact or influence upon the decision,” special investigator Howard Trickey told members of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee on Thursday. Trickey’s investigation, ordered […]
Typhoon Merbok spotlights Alaska’s need for science and climate-resilient infrastructure
When the remnants of Typhoon Merbok were barreling toward western Alaska to unleash what turned out to be the region’s strongest storm in more than half a century, meteorologists knew what was coming. What they could not predict was the exact level and location of flooding – devastation that prompted a federal disaster declaration on […]
Alaska’s first MMIP investigator stayed 5 months; new one is committing to at least 1 year
Retired Alaska State Trooper Lieutenant Lonny Piscoya is Alaska’s new missing and murdered Indigenous persons investigator. He fills the vacancy left by Anne Sears, who went back into retirement in early September after five months on the job. Piscoya, who retired in 2018 after 25 years with the Troopers, is now responsible for leading the […]