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The amendment, which failed on caucus lines, would have allowed the state to accept $145 million in federal funds so that Alaskans near the poverty line can get health care through Medicaid.

Interest in a potential gold and copper deposit near Nondalton has put the village’s tribe and corporation at odds. Nondalton’s village corporation, Kijik, has entered into an agreement to explore the Groundhog claims, and that action doesn’t sit well with all shareholders.

Arctic Rep Questions Russian Military Buildup; Tax Credit for Nikiski Plant to Cost State Millions; Demboski Gets Mat-Su PAC Support; Coffey and Halcro Lead Anchorage Mayoral Fundraising; State Sends Team to Help With Bethel Store Closing; SE Alaska Food Bank Expects to Expand; Village Corp and Tribe at Odd Over Mineral Deposits; More Dogs in Tow in '15 Iditarod; NCAA Rifle Champsionships

Robert Papp, the U.S. special representative for the Arctic, says he questions reports that Russia has launched a major military buildup in the Arctic. Papp says he’s asking U.S. intelligence agencies to look beyond Russia's military swagger for a realistic view of its Arctic activity. Papp says Moscow could be adding infrastructure for general use in the north.

The Alaska Department of Revenue expects a proposed tax credit for the Agrium fertilizer plant in Nikiski to cost the state between $3 million and $4 million in foregone revenue annually.

The Coast Guard is teaming up with emergency personnel in Unalaska to practice their response to a mass shooting on the docks -- in one of the region’s busiest ports.

Candidates Dan Coffey and Andrew Halcro have raised the most money in the Anchorage mayor's race. However, financial disclosures paint a more nuanced picture of what those numbers mean.

Race Update: 5:45 p.m. Aaron Burmeister was leading a pack of mushers into Huslia early Thursday evening. He was running ahead of a small group that included Martin Buser, Thomas Waerner, and Dallas Seavey. Whether sled dogs are in need of rest will start to show as teams near the halfway mark in this year’s race. More mushers than ever are towing trailers behind their sleds to carry dogs as they travel down the trail. The jury is still out on whether the method actually does benefit dogs.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Rifle Championships are being held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Friday and Saturday. The championships bring together shooters capable of extreme accuracy.

All the regional Native nonprofits in the state, which represent most of the tribes in Alaska, have issued a joint statement asking Governor Bill Walker to change his position in the court case Tununuk II vs. the state of Alaska. They say Walker’s position will make it very difficult for tribal members to adopt Native children. The state says it’s only arguing for compliance with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The case involves a Native child called Baby Dawn; her Alaska Native grandmother Elise of the village of Tununuk; and Baby Dawn’s non-Native former foster and now adoptive parents the Smiths of Anchorage. An Alaska Supreme Court ruling in December allowed the Smith’s petition to adopt Baby Dawn to override Elise’s stated wish to adopt her granddaughter.

Marijuana Efforts Draw Disapproval; Senate OKs Eliminating Daylight Savings Time; Mackeys Want Iditarod Title; Supreme Court Issues Stay in Education Case; Skier Injured in Avalanche; Fish and Game Relocate Wood Bison; Lemon Creek Offers Re-Entry Programs

A skier who was testing slopes near Haines for an international ski competition this weekend was injured in an avalanche Wednesday morning, according to state troopers. The person is alive but did not have any information about their identity or condition, according to Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters. The victim was partially buried by the avalanche and was able to be found quickly, she said. The skier was being treated at the Haines clinic.