News
Biden administration’s pause on Ambler road project gets court approval
A federal judge has granted the Biden administration permission to reconsider a controversial Trump administration-approved road that would cut through the Brooks Range foothills. In an order issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason approved the Department of the Interior’s plan to partially reevaluate the impacts of the proposed 211-mile Ambler Access Project while […]
President Biden to visit Anchorage briefly on Thursday
President Joe Biden will stop briefly in Anchorage on Thursday during a flight from Washington, D.C., to Asia. The president’s stopover was revealed in a notice published this week by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the notice, Air Force One and supporting aircraft will stop in Anchorage sometime between 1:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. […]
Feds sue Alaska over management of Kuskokwim fisheries
The federal government sued Alaska’s state government and the state Department of Fish and Game on Tuesday, saying in a filing at the U.S. District Court in Anchorage that the state illegally opened the Kuskokwim River for salmon fishing. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block similar future actions by the state. Low salmon returns […]
After larger deal fails, state lawmakers propose payout of up to $3,850 per Alaskan
A compromise state budget containing as much as $3,850 in Permanent Fund dividends and energy payments for each eligible Alaskan is heading to final votes on the last regular day of the Alaska Legislature. A six-member committee completed work on the compromise budget late Tuesday, three days after the Alaska House failed to agree with […]
Senate tables transgender sports bill again, likely ending its chances for now
A controversial Senate bill that would prohibit transgender girls from competing in girls sports got tabled Tuesday on the Senate floor – and, this time, it’s likely to stay that way. After placing a call on the house, Anchorage Republican Sen. Natasha von Imhof made a motion to table Senate Bill 140. Bill sponsor Shelley […]
Biden condemns racist theory of white supremacy in visit to Buffalo after mass shooting
President Joe Biden on Tuesday commemorated the victims of last weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and condemned the ideology that drove the killer to “carry out a murderous, racist rampage” at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. In a visit to the Upstate New York city, Biden and other Democrats, including […]
Alaska’s redistricting board again gerrymandered map to benefit Republicans, judge rules
The three Republican-appointed members of Alaska’s state redistricting board unconstitutionally gerrymandered a map of Anchorage state senate seats to favor Republican candidates, an Anchorage Superior Court judge ruled late Monday night. “In summary, the totality of the circumstances leads this court to conclude that the majority of the board acted in concert with at least […]
After two-year COVID hiatus, tours on Pribilof island set to resume
Two years after becoming one of the most sealed-off locations in the United States, St. Paul Island is reopening to visitors. St. Paul Island Tour, a business within the Unangan-owned TDX Corp., is resuming its operations after a pause forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. An email blast sent out last week revealed a lot of […]
University moves forward with faculty salary increases; union says negotiations aren’t done
The University of Alaska Board of Regents voted on Monday to implement faculty pay increases over the next three years, despite the university and its faculty union still not coming to an agreement. The university and union have been negotiating the terms of its collective bargaining agreement for several months. University staff claimed an impasse […]
Alaska Legislature OKs increase to rural power subsidy
Residents of 194 rural Alaska towns and villages will get more of their monthly power bill subsidized by the state if Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs legislation approved Monday by the Alaska House of Representatives. On Monday, the state House voted 38-2 to increase the maximum subsidy allowed under the state’s Power Cost Equalization program. The […]
U.S. House panel weighs labor law amendment to protect workers from wage theft
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers questioned several labor experts Wednesday before a House Education and Labor panel about how a new bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 would protect workers from wage theft. House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro introduced the bill, H.R. 3712, known as the “Wage Theft Prevention and Wage […]
Alaska inflation similar to U.S. trends, but a sharp departure from recent past
The annual inflation rate for the Anchorage area was 7.5% as of April, nearly matching the annual national rate that was most recently measured at 8.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week. The close match between Alaska and national economic trends is noteworthy, said Neal Fried, a senior economist with the Alaska Department […]