Alaska’s divided Legislature fails to override governor’s line-item budget vetoes
While there won’t be a formal way to override the vetoes after Friday, there may be another path to restoring funding for some line items.
Murkowski finds EPA criticism of Pebble Mine ‘substantial’
The Environmental Protection Agency issued harsh assessments of the proposed Pebble Mine last week, and they've made an impression on Lisa Murkowski.
As polar bears encroach on this Alaska village, feds charge whaling captain with illegally shooting one
As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are spending more time near the Alaska North Slope village of Kaktovik. Now, federal prosecutors have charging a whaling captain there with killing one in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
PFD fight splits Alaska GOP, leaving some aligned with Democrats
Typically, some of the most intense fights at the Alaska state Capitol are between Democrats and Republicans. But one of the biggest ideological fractures complicating this year's legislative session is within the GOP, and that's creating some strange bedfellows.
Pilot dies in fourth plane crash near Ketchikan this summer
The Coast Guard sent out small boats from Station Ketchikan, and a search and rescue helicopter from Air Station Sitka. Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad crews were mobilized, and KVRS found the crashed plane.
Lawmakers remain far apart, physically and politically, as time runs out for veto override
Dunleavy issued a second round of line-item vetoes, this time on the capital budget. Legislators in Juneau criticized the changes, but didn’t vote on overriding them.
‘This needs to stop’: Murkowski rebukes Trump for tweet
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has condemned President Trump for saying that four left-wing congresswomen should go back to where they came from. All four congresswomen are non-White.
Meet the Trump administration official whose signature could formally open ANWR to drilling
On his second day on the job at the U.S. Department of Interior, Joe Balash says he was personally tasked with carrying out Congress’ instructions to hold an oil lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "I am confident that we are able to move forward here and not devastate the Porcupine caribou herd. I am absolutely convinced of that,” Balash says.
Rural Alaskans brace for impact as Power Cost Equalization funds disappear
As legislative gridlock continues over funds included in an annual sweep into state savings, rural Alaskans soon could see more expensive electricity bills.
Legislature seeks new path to fund vetoed programs
A draft bill discussed Monday would set permanent fund dividends at $929 to have a balanced budget. House Bill 2001 would both reverse Dunleavy’s vetoes to the operating and capital budgets and set the dividend level.
Effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy working to coalesce around legal grounds
At the event, organizers said the governor's budget vetoes are not the sole reason they want to pursue a recall. But the vetoes were cited repeatedly.
Galvin tries again to unseat Young
Anchorage education advocate Alyse Galvin has filed to take another run at Alaska Congressman Don Young in 2020.
Alaska Legislature sues governor over validity of school funding law
The dispute is over a law enacted last year and signed by former Gov. Bill Walker. The law sought to provide school funding for both last school year and the coming year.
‘We’re never going to surrender’ — Sarah James on a life fighting oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge
Sarah James’ desire to preserve the Neets'aii Gwich'in way of life drove her into the thick of the battle over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Dunleavy calls lawmakers to Juneau to continue special session
In a declaration Wednesday, Governor Mike Dunleavy amended his call for the second special session to have it take place in Juneau, rather than his original choice: Wasilla.
ACLU sues Dunleavy over “punitive” cuts to court system
The civil rights group claims that the move by the governor infringes on the separation of powers laid out in Alaska's constitution.
Two worlds that overlap: Richard Glenn sees ANWR drilling as a boon to Inupiaq communities
Richard Glenn is an inconvenient truth for opponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge. He presents a challenge to the prevalent narrative in D.C., that Native people oppose development in the Arctic.
Attorney General pushes back on ACLU lawsuit over court cuts
Department of Law says it doesn't believe the governor's vetoes are unconstitutional, and that the ACLU's suit risks elevating the judiciary above other branches of government.
Hospital group sues to block emergency Medicaid payment cut
The Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association’s president says the changes should have been handled through the normal process for changing rules.
Congressional delegation eyes federal funds at risk in state budget impasse
A pile of federal dollars on the line as legislators negotiate the state's capital budget and whether to restore some of the roughly $400 million Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed.