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In this July 31, 2020, file photo, a plane rests in brush and trees outside of Soldotna, Alaska, after a midair collision that killed seven people, including State Rep. Gary Knopp. A Feb. 22 report by the National Transportation and Safety Board is recommending that all pilots be required to communicate their positions on a designated radio frequency when entering and exiting areas not controlled by air traffic control towers throughout Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion via AP, F-le)

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Safety recommendations issued after midair crash that killed state lawmaker

A midair collision killed seven people, including Alaska state lawmaker Gary Knopp, near Soldotna on July 31, 2020.

Four-time winner Jeff King takes his sled dog team through a snowstorm in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, March 4, 2022, during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

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Teams prep for Iditarod after Saturday’s ceremonial start

Mushers took a leisurely jaunt through Alaska’s largest city, waving at fans that lined downtown streets.

Cap

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APOC decision allows unlimited contributions to candidates

Legislative action needed.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Viktor Tkachenko, who recently moved to Alaska from Ukraine, speaks during a rally encouraging the state to divest from all Russian investment on March 4, 2022.

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Protesters, politicians call for cutting financial ties to Russia

The governor issued a statment directing state agencies to identify and divest, if appropriate.

Alaska Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce selects Edie Grunwald to be his running mate at a campaign event at Paradisos restaurant in Kenai on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

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Pierce taps Grunwald, former parole board chair, as running mate

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce, a hopeful for the Alaska governor’s seat, has tapped Edie Grunwald as…

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

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COVID cases still down

There were a total of 73 COVID-related hospitalizations in Alaska as of Friday

Screenshot In this screenshot of Gavel Alaska, Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, spoke to the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, March 3, 2022, regarding a bill that would prevent transgender athletes from competing as the sex they identify with.

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Hearing held for restrictive transgender sports bill

Opponents say courts will strike it down.

Speaker of the Alaksa House of Representatives Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, speaks to lawmakers on Jan. 18, 2022. In a statement Wednesday the House Majority Coalition announced a $1,300 boost to this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

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House leadership proposes $1,300 ‘energy relief check’

Dividend amount under debate.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, of Calif., speaks to the media, Thursday, March 3, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, of Calif., speaks to the media, Thursday, March 3, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

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Pelosi supports halting Russian oil imports to US as lawmaker pressure grows

“I’m all for that,” Pelosi said about ending Russian oil in the U.S. “Ban it.”

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce Luncheon at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Thursday, emphasizing the system’s importance to the state’s workforce.

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UA seeks to rebuild enrollment

UA President: Infrastructure jobs are coming, Alaskans could fill them.

Image via Alaska Board of Fisheries

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Board of Fish meeting scheduled for end of month

The Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting addressing issues affecting Cook Inlet will take placed March 26 through April…

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney stopped by the Empire offices in Juneau on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, to talk about the system’s future. Mostly recovered from budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic, Pitney said the university is ready to start building Alaska’s workforce. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

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Pitney: UA ready to train Alaska’s workforce

‘Getting people through the pipeline.’

Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file This photo composite shows Alaska’s congressional delegation, from left to right, Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. Don Young, all Republicans. Following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Alaska’s delegation called for increased U.S. energy development.

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Delegation urges energy production following State of the Union

Alaska’s lawmakers say energy is unused weapon

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

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Peninsula residents among newly reported COVID deaths

New deaths are reported through death certificate review each Wednesday

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington. (Saul Loeb, Pool via AP)

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Biden vows to check Russian aggression, fight inflation

“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said.

In this September 2019 Empire file photo, prescriptions drugs, vitamins, hormones, and other drugs left in the drug drop box in the lobby of the Juneau Police Department are displayed. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file)

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Alaska to receive $58M in opioid settlement

15% of the $58 million — roughly $8.7 million — will go to the nine political subdivisions in…

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire The offices of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation got some rate sun on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, as Alaska’s lawmakers urged the corporation’s Board of Directors to divest from Russian assets in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

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Permanent Fund to hold Russian assets as lawmakers urge divestment

Many states are divesting.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin reacts as she leaves a courthouse in New York, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Palin lost her libel lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, when a jury rejected her claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation by erroneously linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

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Judge defends move to toss Palin’s libel case against NYT

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff said he was unfamiliar with the term “push notifications”

Image via labor.alaska.gov.

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Wages up from a decade ago

Yearly wages rose 11% when adjusted for inflation — or approximately $5,809 annually — from 2010 to 2020

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is currently working on a study for a second crossing across the Gastineau Channel, seen here on Aug. 22, 2021, to North Douglas Island. The public outreach portion of the study is set to begin in May, according to DOT.

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Federal funds could pay for a 2nd crossing to Douglas Island

With infrastructure in focus, a decades-old idea is getting another shot