News

Dunleavy unveils plan for PFD back payments

Dunleavy unveils plan for PFD back payments

That mega PFD isn’t happening this year, in his plan.

Dunleavy unveils plan for PFD back payments
Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, left, and Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, relay a message to Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy in his Capitol office that the Senate is open and ready for business on the first day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Dunleavy to give first State of State address

It’s in less than a week.

Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, left, and Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, relay a message to Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy in his Capitol office that the Senate is open and ready for business on the first day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Hello? Cellphones banned on Senate floor

Hello? Cellphones banned on Senate floor

Sen. John Coghill said Tuesday evening he is considering a revision of a ban of cellphone usage on the Senate floor. Coghill is the Senate… Continue reading

Hello? Cellphones banned on Senate floor
Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, left, congratulates Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, right, after being sworn in on the opening day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Tensions rise in discombobulated Alaska House

Until a majority is formed, the House will be at a standstill.

Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, left, congratulates Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, right, after being sworn in on the opening day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Alaska receives almost 10 times more unemployment filings since shutdown began

Alaska receives almost 10 times more unemployment filings since shutdown began

There have been almost 10 times more unemployment filings from federal workers in Alaska than normal since the federal shutdown began. The Alaska Department of… Continue reading

Alaska receives almost 10 times more unemployment filings since shutdown began
Session to begin with House in disarray

Session to begin with House in disarray

Uncertainty hangs over the Capitol.

Session to begin with House in disarray
Pre-filed bills tackle Alaska’s sexual assault problem

Pre-filed bills tackle Alaska’s sexual assault problem

More than a third of Alaska women have experienced sexual assault.

Pre-filed bills tackle Alaska’s sexual assault problem
Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, listen during a House Resource Committee hearing at the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.

Pre-filed bill would require rape kit testing within six months

On Monday, Alaska House Rep. Geran Tarr (D-Anchorage) pre-filed public safety legislation that would require the timely testing of sexual assault/rape kits in Alaska. HB… Continue reading

Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, listen during a House Resource Committee hearing at the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy meets with his cabinet members and gives attending media a list of his administration’s priorities at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. The 31st Legislative Session opens next Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Dunleavy vows to crack down on crime, restore PFD

New governor, new cabinet.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy meets with his cabinet members and gives attending media a list of his administration’s priorities at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. The 31st Legislative Session opens next Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, speaks during a legislative session at the Capitol in January 2017. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire file photo)

Anchorage rep pre-files bill on contraceptive access

On Monday, Rep. Matt Claman (D-Anchorage) filed HB 21, which aims to provide greater access to reproductive health care and prescription contraceptives for women across… Continue reading

Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, speaks during a legislative session at the Capitol in January 2017. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire file photo)
Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Walker laments how fiscal crisis dominated tenure

Walker reflects.

Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
National Forest System Acting Deputy Chief Chris French speaks at a public informational meeting on Thursday on development of an Alaska-specific version of the national Roadless Rule. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)

Skepticism at first Alaska Roadless Rule meeting

As rulemaking process begins, Juneau meeting draws out public’s skepticism.

National Forest System Acting Deputy Chief Chris French speaks at a public informational meeting on Thursday on development of an Alaska-specific version of the national Roadless Rule. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)
Angela Rodell, Executive Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, speaks about the positive results of the fund this year at the APFC office on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Alaska Permanent Fund continues to beat market, but returns drop slightly from last year

The investment managers at the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation have once again beaten the market.

Angela Rodell, Executive Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, speaks about the positive results of the fund this year at the APFC office on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A school of pink salmon splashes in the shallows of Resurrection Creek near its confluence with Cook Inlet on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017 in Hope, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Salmon initiative would criss-cross state jurisdictions, officials say

Beyond just the cost and politics of Ballot Measure 1, state administrators have expressed concern about who would be in charge of what land. Ballot… Continue reading

A school of pink salmon splashes in the shallows of Resurrection Creek near its confluence with Cook Inlet on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017 in Hope, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
A herd of Dall’s sheep graze on the side of one of the peaks in the Mystery Hills above the Skyline Trail in September 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Fish and Game expands monitoring for harmful sheep, goat bacteria

The state is asking hunters to bring in the heads of the animals they’ve harvested this season so biologists can test for a dangerous bacteria.… Continue reading

A herd of Dall’s sheep graze on the side of one of the peaks in the Mystery Hills above the Skyline Trail in September 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Troopers: Phone scam targeting people on sex offender registry

Troopers: Phone scam targeting people on sex offender registry

The state is warning people about a phone scam targeting people on sex offender lists. The Alaska State Troopers issued a public safety advisory Wednesday… Continue reading

Troopers: Phone scam targeting people on sex offender registry

Fish board denies emergency petition on hatchery permit

The Board of Fisheries declined to take up an emergency petition related to hatchery pink salmon production in Prince William Sound, though members agreed the… Continue reading

Kodiak hatchery experiments with salt water exposure to mark its pink salmon

Editor’s note: This is the third part of a three-story series about the operations of Alaska’s salmon hatcheries and their consideration in the North Pacific.… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon smolt being raised by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association at the Trail Lakes Hatchery, ultimately destined for Shell Lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, swim in their tank on Friday, April 20, 2018, near Moose Pass. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Hatchery-marked salmon important for management, international relations

Editor’s note: This story is the second in a three-part series about the operations of Alaska’s salmon hatcheries and their impact on the North Pacific.… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon smolt being raised by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association at the Trail Lakes Hatchery, ultimately destined for Shell Lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, swim in their tank on Friday, April 20, 2018, near Moose Pass. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Sockeye salmon smolt being raised by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association at the Trail Lakes Hatchery, ultimately destined for Shell Lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, swim in their tank on Friday, April 20, 2018 near Moose Pass, Alaska. Pacific salmon raised in hatcheries are usually exposed to predetermined sets of hot and cold water cycles before they hatch, leading to dark and light rings on their inner ear bone, called an otolith, that biologists can later read to track where the salmon came from when it returns as an adult. Staff at Trail Lakes Hatchery raise all the association’s sockeye salmon, which are hatched, imprinted and distributed to the organization’s various operations across Cook Inlet, from China Poot Lake in Lower Cook Inlet to Shell Lake. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

A look into how salmon hatcheries mark their fish

Editor’s note: This is the first part of a three-story series about the operations of Alaska’s salmon hatcheries and their impacts in the North Pacific.… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon smolt being raised by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association at the Trail Lakes Hatchery, ultimately destined for Shell Lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, swim in their tank on Friday, April 20, 2018 near Moose Pass, Alaska. Pacific salmon raised in hatcheries are usually exposed to predetermined sets of hot and cold water cycles before they hatch, leading to dark and light rings on their inner ear bone, called an otolith, that biologists can later read to track where the salmon came from when it returns as an adult. Staff at Trail Lakes Hatchery raise all the association’s sockeye salmon, which are hatched, imprinted and distributed to the organization’s various operations across Cook Inlet, from China Poot Lake in Lower Cook Inlet to Shell Lake. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)