Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN - Juneau
agutierrez (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.209.1799 | About Alexandra
Alaska Senate Passes Bill To End Daylight Saving Time
Sen. Anna MacKinnon’s bill would eliminate the need to adjust clocks twice a year.
Alaska Teens Lobby Governor On Climate Change
A group of teenagers are calling on Gov. Bill Walker to create a climate change task force.
At National Guard Confirmation Hearing, The Political Becomes Personal
At a pair of confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Adjutant General Designee Laurie Hummel was asked about her plans for reforming the Guard, and went through a personal line of questioning along the way.
Plenty Of Work Left Before An Alaska LNG Pipeline Becomes A Reality
Next year, Alaska is supposed to move forward on the engineering and design work of a natural gas pipeline. The project would cost at least $45 billion, with that amount split between the state, Exxon, BP, ConocoPhillips, and TransCanada. If the project gets built, it would allow Alaska to sell North Slope gas to Asia, and and use the revenue to help pay for state government. But there are a lot of things that must happen before the state gets to that point.
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Walker Administration Renews Medicaid Push
A week after the House Finance Committee removed Medicaid expansion language from the budget, Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson is back before legislators advocating for the program.
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Alaska House Finance Committee Hearing Public Input On Budget
With the state facing a deficit of more than $4 billion, the budget is arguably the most important issue facing the Alaska Legislature this session. The House Finance Committee is now hearing from the public on its cuts, in preparation for any changes it might make to the spending proposal.
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Medicaid Expansion Event Brings Out Lawmakers, Davidson
Legislators, aides and others heard an alternate viewpoint on Medicaid expansion from a senior fellow with an organization that has referred to the "dangers" expansion poses in states that opt for it.
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Daylight Saving Bill Triggers Time Zone Déjà Vu
A bill that would eliminate daylight saving time in Alaska is now one step away from the Senate floor. But as the legislation has advanced, it’s also changed in a way that could divide the state -- literally.
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Gov. Walker, Republican Leadership Tangle Over Proposed LNG Line
Since Gov. Bill Walker was inaugurated, he and the Legislature’s Republican leadership have traded reams of angry letters and testy press releases. Now, their paper battle has transformed into outright hostility in dueling press conferences. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez is on the line to talk about the disagreements over a proposed natural gas line.
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With Medicaid Language Stripped From Budget, Path To Expansion Uncertain
A House subcommittee has stripped Medicaid expansion language from the state’s operating budget. The move is a setback for the Walker administration, which has made Medicaid expansion a top priority, but the fight may not be over yet.
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New Marijuana Bill Would Require Alaska Residency Of Sellers
The 25-page bill would require marijuana retailers and growers to be licensed by the state, instead of just getting business registrations.
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With Budget Recommendations, Early Education Programs On Chopping Block
Pre-kindergarten grants, Parents as Teachers, Best Beginnings -- all of these early learning programs were zeroed out in the budget recommendations offered by a House education subcommittee on Tuesday night.
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As Legislature Eyes Budget Cuts, Public Media Funding Targeted
Between operations and infrastructure, public radio and television were granted $5 million in state funds in the last budget. With the proposal offered by the House Finance subcommittee, funding would be reduced to $2.5 million.
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After Filing Bill To Limit Per Diem, Anchorage Democrat Pledges Some Of Her Own
A week after filing a bill that would prohibit legislators from collecting per diem when not in the capital, Rep. Harriet Drummond has pledged to return some of her own daily allowance. The Democrat will fly home for Anchorage caucus this weekend.
With School Choice Resolution, Legislature Revisits Voucher Question
With a crowd of charter school students in the gallery, the Alaska State House used a school choice resolution as a proxy for a debate on vouchers on Monday.
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Walker Files Bill Creating Marijuana Control Board
Just one day before marijuana possession becomes legal in Alaska, Gov. Bill Walker has filed legislation to create a marijuana control board.
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Walker Seeks To Scale Up State Gasline Project
When Gov. Bill Walker was elected, there were questions about the fate of the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline project. The proposed $10 billion state-owned gasline was viewed as a backup plan to the large line currently being pursued alongside the North Slope producers, but Walker had criticized the project as being redundant. Now, Walker plans to keep the ASAP project alive -- and make it bigger.
Walker Names Gasline Board Appointments
Gov. Bill Walker has appointed Rick Halford, Joe Paskvan, and Hugh Short as his directors on the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation board.
With Budget Changes, Walker Boosts Ferry, Community Jails Funding
With Wednesday’s deadline for changes, Gov. Bill Walker has sent his final amendments to the capital and operating budget to the Legislature.
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Alaska Lawmakers Frustrated After Meeting With Interior Secretary Jewell
After President Barack Obama announced a plan to designate most of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, Alaska lawmakers seized a chance to meet his Interior Secretary on their own turf. A team of nine legislators took a break from session work in Juneau to travel to Kotzebue this week to confront Sally Jewell about those actions. But while the meeting was hyped, neither the delegation nor the Secretary described it as a showdown.
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