Articles written by James Brooks
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Alaska judge strikes down state's cash payments to families using correspondence school programs
An Anchorage Superior Court judge on Friday struck down an Alaska law that allows the state to... Full story
Financial estimates being compiled Tuesday indicate there may not be enough revenue to cover the Legislature's draft spending plan
As the Alaska House of Representatives opened debate on the state operating budget Tuesday, financial experts away from the House floor were... Full story
Alaska House finance committee approves $7.5 million more for child care facilities
Members of the Alaska House Finance Committee revised their latest budget draft Tuesday to include more money for child care and eliminate funding...
New forecast bumps Alaska oil price estimates slightly
A new state revenue forecast that includes modestly higher oil prices promises to give Alaskans a slightly larger Permanent Fund dividend and the Alas... Full story
Legislative budgeters say Dunleavy's proposed 2024 Permanent Fund dividend is a no-go
Leading Alaska legislators said last week that there’s little appetite for spending from savings to pay a super-sized Permanent Fund dividend this y...
Alaska newspaper publishers worry about bill ending some public notice requirements
The Alaska Senate voted without dissent Monday to allow the Department of Natural Resources to stop publishing some public notices in local...
Dunleavy threatens to veto public education funding bill unless legislators act on his priorities
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an ultimatum to state legislators on Tuesday, saying he will veto a multipart education funding bill unless... Full story
Permanent Fund leaders propose to borrow up to $4 billion for investments
The leaders of the $76 billion Alaska Permanent Fund voted unanimously on Friday to adopt a strategic plan that calls for borrowing up to $4 billion... Full story
Alaska Volcano Observatory fully activates monitoring network over Sitka's rumbling mountain Seismic activity at Mount Edgecumbe has declined since a 2022 swarm of earthquakes, but a risk remains
Sitka's Mount Edgecumbe volcano is wired. On Jan. 26, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced the... Full story
Gov. Dunleavy bans big new contracts with companies that boycott Israel
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a far-reaching administrative order on Monday that calls for public agencies to stop doing business with companies... Full story
Some skepticism as Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposes biggest use of executive power in decades
In an unusual use of executive powers, Gov. Mike Dunleavy this month issued 12 executive orders abolishing state boards and granting new powers to... Full story
Despite educators' pleas for changes, school funding bill advances closer to Alaska House vote
The Alaska Legislature’s big education funding bill will reach the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives by next week, a leading Republican l... Full story
Alaska governor's staff deleted state agency's analysis of teacher pay
Staff for Gov. Mike Dunleavy quashed the publication of a new Department of Labor and Workforce Development report examining the competitiveness of... Full story
Alaska retirement board recommends closure of widely used plan after analysis finds flaws The 'managed accounts' program covers more than 10,000 of the 122,000-plus retirement accounts managed by the state
The board in charge of Alaska’s retirement system for public employees has recommended the closure of its commonly used managed accounts program a... Full story
Alaska redistricting board agrees to pay $400,000 after losing Eagle River Senate lawsuit
The five-person board in charge of drawing Alaska’s legislative districts will pay $400,000 to settle financial claims brought by a group of East A... Full story
$1,312 Permanent Fund Dividend arrives Oct. 5
This year's Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend will be $1,312. The Alaska Department of Revenue... Full story
In new challenges to Tongass 'Roadless Rule,' pro-logging arguments have disappeared
The state of Alaska, a coalition of business groups and a pair of electric-power organizations have opened a new round in the generation-long fight...
Study: Alaska is failing to keep most Alaska-born residents
More than half of Alaskans born within the state have moved away, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data published by the Federal...
Southeast wolves are not threatened or endangered, federal agency concludes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has again rejected a request to list Southeast Alaska's... Full story
Pete Buttigieg ends Alaska visit with emphasis on ferries
When U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg's flight from Juneau to Haines was rained out... Full story
Alaska natural resources agency OKs bigger off-road vehicles on most state land
Alaskans can now use larger and heavier recreational off-road vehicles on most state land without a specialty permit, a move intended to accommodate... Full story
Permanent Fund could run out of spendable money in three years
The spendable portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund is dwindling and could be exhausted entirely within three years, fund leaders were told during a... Full story
Another campaign complaint filed against opponents of Alaska ranked choice voting
Supporters of Alaska’s ranked choice voting system are again alleging that opponents of the system are violating state campaign law. On Monday, A... Full story
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoes half of proposed funding increase for K-12 public schools
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Alaska’s $6 billion state budget into law Monday after vetoing more than $200 million from the document approved in m...
Why did Alaskans statewide get an Amber Alert on Tuesday?
On Tuesday afternoon, cellphones across the state beeped with emergency tones as the Alaska State Troopers attempted to find two-year-old Karma... Full story
