Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media

Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
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Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
two women hug in a doorway.

LizAnn Williams, mother of Alaska congresswoman, has died

Congresswoman Mary Peltola's mother, LizAnn Williams, was raised on the Gweek River and in Kwethluk. She retired as a medical records clerk.
A woman in a blue blazer holds a microphone and talks in front of a U.S. and Alaska flag.

First lady Jill Biden will visit Bethel on Wednesday

This will be the first visit to Bethel by any spouse of a sitting president, according to her office.
Joe Biden and Alannah Hurley

In Rose Garden address, Biden celebrates with Alaskans opposed to Pebble mine

“Bristol Bay is an extraordinary place, unlike anywhere in the world,” the president said.
a nurse administers a vaccine to a patient

The federal COVID-19 emergency is ending. Here’s what it means in Alaska.

You won't see drastic changes. Some changes won't take effect for months.
a woman talks to people outside in a crowded space

Peltola braces for Supreme Court to undermine Indian Child Welfare Act

House Democrats defend ICWA and the "terrifying" historical context that brought Congress to pass it.
testimony against House Bill 4

Fans of Alaska’s ranked choice voting speak out against bill to repeal it

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, says a poll shows a majority of Alaskans would repeal RCV. But public testimony in Juneau ran 3-to-1 against it.

Murkowski says Supreme Court should live by an ethics code of its own making

She's co-sponsoring a bill that would require the justices to adopt their own ethics rules. She and Sen. Angus King are the only sponsors so far.

Alaska Supreme Court reaffirms decision leaving 5th-place finisher off U.S. House ballot

Justices say the state made the right call when it decided not to advance Tara Sweeney to special election ballot.
women hold an era yes sign

Murkowski votes with Democrats to advance Equal Rights Amendment but measure stalls in Senate

Sen. Murkowski co-sponsored the ERA resolution. Sen. Sullivan voted no citing "serious constitutional infirmities."
Three women holding Alaska Native regalia,

Federal commission hears from Alaskans on high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous people

The Not Invisible Act Commission met in Anchorage this week to hear testimony from victims and from advocates working to prevent violence.
small bodies of water dot the tundra

Corps to reconsider permit rejection for proposed Pebble mine

It's a partial win for Pebble on appeal, but mine developers also have an EPA veto to contend with.
a man in a suit

Rep. Peltola’s party-bending chief of staff departs

Alex Ortiz was the last chief of staff for Rep. Don Young and helped cement Peltola's image as bipartisan.

Alaska writer Don Rearden finds AI has his number, and it freaks him out

Don Rearden challenged a bot to write a poem. The result was trippy for him, and for reporter Liz Ruskin.

ExxonMobil says it plans ‘relatively limited’ Arctic investment

ExxonMobil told shareholders not to expect an expansion of Arctic activities. A second Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lease sale is expected in 2024.

On trip to Ukraine, Murkowski calls aid ‘worth every penny’

The U.S. has given $35 billion in security aid to Ukraine. "An investment in the democracy of the free world," Sen. Murkowski calls it.
Construction workers walk down a city street.

Alaska population dipped last year, Census Bureau finds

More people moved out of Alaska than into the state last year, but other population factors nearly offset the loss.

Alaskan sentenced in Jan. 6 riot at Capitol tells judge he needs a gun for moose defense

Aaron Mileur was sentenced to two years of probation. He'd like to modify one of the terms.

Peltola says charges against Trump further divide Americans

Rep. Mary Peltola avoided passing judgment on former president Donald Trump's indictment Tuesday, but called it "a bleak day for Americans."
man standing at a microphone

With the Trump charges still sealed, Sullivan denounces prosecution as unjust

Sen. Sullivan's castigation of the decision to charge the former president contrasts with the neutral positions taken by the rest of the Alaska delegation.