Claire Stremple - Alaska Beacon
New data shows measurable progress on Alaska’s food stamp backlog
Thousands of people are still waiting for food aid, but the trend is positive.
Dunleavy veto cuts Head Start increase as centers struggle to pay teachers, serve children in need
Seven of 17 programs are on notice that federal funding is in jeopardy without changes.
Would-be child care providers in remote Alaska say it’s all but impossible to get a state license
Access to child care is an issue statewide, but remote areas face added hurdles.
New state child care task force faces bleak reality of Alaska’s system
It has one year to deliver a final report on solutions to the governor.
Angoon students name, launch first dugout canoe since 1882 Bombardment
It was a celebration of enduring culture more than 140 years after the village was devastated by the U.S. Navy shelling.
Proposed policy aims to streamline Alaska’s food stamp application process
Alaska is one of only a handful of states that doesn’t already use broad-based categorical eligibility for food benefits.
State roughly halves the number of Alaskans waiting on food aid, but more than 8,000 remain
The partial progress highlights the scale of the backlog.
Alaska child care providers say funds approved by Legislature are crucial to staying open
A late addition to the budget would provide $7.5 million for child care centers, but providers say more support is needed.
A bill to get nurses licensed more quickly in Alaska faces pushback from unions
There’s agreement that there’s a nurse shortage, but no consensus on what to do about it.
Legislature votes to allow Alaska prisons to issue state IDs
Valid ID is required for everything from getting a job and housing to opening a bank account, buying a phone, or enrolling in Medicaid and Social Security.
Alaska food banks still ‘inundated’ as state works to fix food stamp backlog
Rep. Alyse Galvin called the state's food stamp response "a swing and a miss"
Months-long backlog for Alaska’s aid programs triggers second lawsuit
An Anchorage resident filed a class action lawsuit to force the state to get cash assistance to vulnerable Alaskans in a timely manner.