Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Public Media & KTOO - Juneau
Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.
Alaska’s fourth special session begins with legislators unable to agree on when to meet
The Alaska Legislature began its fourth special session of the year on Monday. There are big disagreements between lawmakers on major policies. But it’s also not clear if they can even agree on how frequently to meet over the 30-day session.
Permanent Fund Corp. CEO raises questions after trustee proposes cutting staff pay
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.'s top executive, Angela Rodell, is asking whether the corporation's trustees are committed to the corporation’s independence.
Alaska Speaker of the House asks Gov. Dunleavy to cancel special session during COVID-19 surge
Alaska House Speaker Louise Stutes urged Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday to cancel the special session scheduled to start on Monday, citing the COVID-19 surge.
The final amount for Alaskans’ PFD this year is $1,114
Alaskans who filed electronically and chose direct deposit will receive their PFDs the week of Oct. 11. Those receiving a paper check will start to receive their dividends the week of Oct. 25.
Alaska Redistricting Board’s first drafts draw criticism and alternate plans
In one draft map, seven Democratic representatives were combined in three districts, while no Republicans were.
Hackers had access to Alaskans’ private health information, state says
When the state health department's website was breached earlier this year, hackers had access to the private health information of Alaskans, the state announced on Thursday.
Gov. Dunleavy urges Alaskans to get vaccinated, his most forceful message yet
“I strongly urge folks to get a vaccine — strongly urge them to do that,” said Gov. Dunleavy.
Alaska lawmakers land on $1,100 PFDs, Dunleavy calls another special session
Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the Legislature into a fourth special session starting on Oct. 1. He issued the call on Tuesday after the Legislature passed a bill setting the PFD amount for this year.
Alaska PFD remains unresolved as special session nears end
The Legislature's third special session must end by midnight.
Lawmakers stop working on bill to aid Alaska hospitals facing COVID-19 surge
The bill became caught up in a dispute over requiring all hospitals to allow any patients to bring a person who supports them during any treatment.
Alaska Sen. Reinbold excused from floor sessions after being banned from Alaska Airlines
Alaska Sen. Lora Reinbold has been excused from attending Senate floor sessions through next January after Alaska Airlines banned her from flights for refusing to wear a face mask.
Alaska could have trouble paying its bills as funding dispute continues
Alaska’s state government may have trouble paying its bills over the next year, due to a dispute over taking funds from the piggy bank the state has used to balance the budget in the...
Gov. Dunleavy names new Alaska transportation commissioner
Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Ryan Anderson as the new commissioner of the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. He replaces John MacKinnon.
Alaska PFD payout remains up in the air as special session grinds on
Alaskans eager to know how much their permanent fund dividend will be this year, as well as when they’ll get it, will have to wait some more. The dividend is caught up in a broader debate over state budget policies. And a legal disagreement could affect its size even if lawmakers settle on an amount.
Sharing harrowing details, hospital officials implore Alaska lawmakers to help quickly
on Thursday, hospital leaders told lawmakers at a House Health and Social Services Committee meeting that it’s most important that the state act now to help overburdened hospitals, no matter the method.
Alaska House votes for $1,100 PFD but it’s not a done deal
The PFD amount still has to pass the Senate, and it could be much lower, since Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration has said one of the accounts to be used to pay dividends in the bill is empty.
Alaska lawmakers continue to feud over PFD amount, delaying this year’s dividends
The state’s Permanent Fund Dividend Division said if dividends were to be paid as normal in the first week of October, lawmakers would have until Tuesday to decide on the amount. It is not possible for both chambers to pass the funding in time.
As state health officials outline plan to help overloaded hospitals, Dunleavy asks Alaskans to consider the vaccine
The steps include speeding up the process for allowing licensed health care providers to work in hospitals. The state is also looking to use state-contracted workers to temporarily staff hospitals.
Dunleavy announces that Alaska college scholarships, medical students will receive funding
Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he ordered his Office of Management and Budget to release funding for the WWAMI medical education program plus 17 other programs.
In feud over PFD, Alaska Legislature grinds to a halt when Republican lawmakers refuse to show up
The Alaska House of Representatives couldn’t conduct any business Wednesday when minority-caucus Republicans refused to attend a floor session. The mostly Democratic House majority didn’t have enough members present to reach a quorum.