News

Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, stands outside of the Alaska State Capitol on May 20, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)

Legislature modernizes 40-year-old definition of consent in sexual assault cases

BY: - May 20, 2022

Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, is relieved her bill to modernize the definition of consent passed this year. “When I think about a policy like a massive public safety improvement, if we delay action, I know that between now and the next time I or anyone else will have the opportunity to address that, hundreds more […]

Baby formula is offered for sale at a big box store on January 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Baby formula has been is short supply in many stores around the country for several months. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Under fire from Congress, FDA chief says baby formula shortage will improve soon

BY: - May 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Robert Califf told Congress Thursday that the infant formula shortage will likely begin to improve in the coming days, though he declined to explain to unhappy lawmakers why his agency didn’t act sooner on a whistleblower report that detailed safety issues at an Abbott Laboratories facility in Michigan.  […]

A bald eagle perched in a tree in Sitka National Historical Park on May 9 is lethargic and drooping. Sitka resident Larry Pouliot called the Alaska Raptor Center about the bird, which died a couple of hours later of highly pathogenic avian influenza. (Photo by Larry Pouliot)

Avian influenza’s arrival in Alaska signals danger for other parts of the world

BY: - May 20, 2022

When Larry Pouliot went on a morning walk in Sitka National Historical Park on May 9, he spotted a lethargic, unresponsive bald eagle perched in a tree, its eyes bloodshot and its neck drooping. “I realized he was not doing great,” said Pouliot, who got video footage and photos of the ailing bird. He called […]

Before session ends, reading intervention bill gets through by close House vote

BY: - May 19, 2022

By a close vote of 21-19, the House passed a bill implementing a statewide approach to how schools intervene when students have difficulty reading. The measure had been blocked in the House, but the Senate included it at the last minute in another bill. Both chambers passed the bill, although most members of the House […]

Alaska Legislature votes to preserve savings accounts for education, ferry system

BY: - May 19, 2022

Hours before the end of the Alaska Legislature’s regular session, the state Senate voted 14-4 to approve a bill that will keep the state’s Higher Education Investment Fund and two ferry-system-related savings accounts from being automatically drained at the end of the fiscal year. The bill had already passed the state House. The investment fund […]

Alaska Legislature votes to limit child marriage

BY: - May 19, 2022

The Alaska Legislature on Wednesday voted to ban marriages for Alaskans younger than 16 and approved new restrictions on marriages involving 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds.  House Bill 62 advances to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for consideration. “This bill will help reduce situations where minors end up in marriage with an abusive older spouse,” said Senate Majority Leader […]

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 22: A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan. The United States military and its allies are in the midst of training and transitioning power to the Afghan National Security Forces in order to withdraw from the country by 2014. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

U.S. Sens. Tester, Moran reach deal on care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

BY: - May 19, 2022

The two leaders of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Montana Democrat Jon Tester and Kansas Republican Jerry Moran, have reached a deal with House leaders to pass a bill to extend health care access to veterans for conditions related to exposure to toxic chemicals during their service, the pair announced Wednesday. The consensus bill […]

Legislature approves budget with $3,200 payout per Alaskan after House balks at bigger figure

BY: - May 19, 2022

Three minutes before 11 p.m. on the last day of its regular session, the Alaska Legislature finalized a state budget that will pay each eligible Alaskan about $3,200 later this year.  As late as Saturday, it appeared possible that the House and Senate would agree on a $5,500 payment, but lawmakers settled on a lower […]

Bill heading to governor creates roadmap for establishing tribally operated public schools

BY: - May 18, 2022

A bill that creates a roadmap for establishing tribally operated public schools has passed the Alaska Senate and House, and is headed to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 34 directs the Board of Education and Early Development to work with Alaska Native tribal entities on an agreement that would formally recognize the tribes’ authority to […]

Two bull caribou of the Western Arctic Herd swimming across the Kobuk River during fall 2011 migration in Kobuk Valley National Park. The Ambler Access Project, a proposed 211-mile industrial road, would cross habitat used by the herd, which is one of the largest in North America. (Photo by Kyle Joly/National Park Service)

Biden administration’s pause on Ambler road project gets court approval

BY: - May 18, 2022

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 […]

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 03: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the November jobs report in the State Dining Room of the White House on December 03, 2021 in Washington, DC. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the economy added 210,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

President Biden to visit Anchorage briefly on Thursday

BY: - May 18, 2022

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

BY: - May 18, 2022

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 […]