“It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024 — ALASKA, I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote immediately after the disaster. #akleg #Alaska
The Alaska state House’s ethics committee has launched an investigation into whether Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance illegally used state resources for an official letter accusing the local newspaper of “partisan spin.”
Vance calls it “lawfare.”
#akleg
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
A reminder for #akleg followers: The state's legally required annual reports are posted online here — www.legfin.akleg.gov/JERRI/AllRep...
A story in three acts:
It looks like the photos didn’t quite come through… let’s try that again.
On Sunday, I took a commercial flight to Kipnuk, the Western Alaska village hit hardest by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.
What I saw and heard there was simultaneously heartbreaking and inspiring.
(Photos by me, Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
Update, 6:00 a.m. Wednesday:
The water level on Mendenhall River currently stands above 16 feet -- a new record for glacial outburst flood height.
The river reached major flood stage around 1 a.m. and is still forecast to peak between 8 a.m. and noon.
What are you seeing where you are?
On Sunday, tens or hundreds of millions of tons of rock fell into Tracy Arm, a deep, narrow fjord south of Juneau popular with sightseers.
It set off a colossal tsunami, stranding and nearly washing away a group of kayakers who had camped on a nearby island.
alaskapublic.org/news/environ...
Alaska lawmakers, by a single vote, successfully overrode Gov. Mike Dunleavy's veto of $51 million in state funding for public schools today. #akleg alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
Gov. Dunleavy "asked House minority members to not show up for the first five days of session because like any governor, he does not want his vetoes overturned."
Dunleavy called the session.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said House Speaker Bryce Edgmon. #akleg
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
Governor Dunleavy Schedules Special Session on Education Reform, Department of Agriculture July 2, 2025 (Anchorage, AK) – Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a proclamation for a 30-day special session to begin Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in Juneau. The call will be limited to two items, education reform and an executive order creating the new Alaska Department of Agriculture. “Enacting a few necessary reforms to our public education system can elevate those children struggling in Alaska’s school system,” said Governor Dunleavy. “As elected officials we must do all we can to put the next generation on the path to a successful and prosperous future, and that starts with a solid public education. Splitting the Division of Agriculture away from DNR into a department will elevate food security and support our hard-working farmers while growing the agricultural sector.” The agriculture department EO and the education reform bill will be available on the first day of the special session. Click here for a copy of the special session proclamation.
Here's what he has to say about it. #akleg
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling a special legislative session starting Aug. 2. Two subjects on the call: "The creation of a Department of Agriculture" and "Education reform."
#akleg
The Alaska DMV would like you to know that those texts you’ve been getting demanding payment are, as you may have suspected, a scam.
Alaska state lawmakers on the One Big Beautiful Bill #akleg —
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
Some initial responses from Murkowski, Sullivan, Begich and Dunleavy last night. #akleg
As Trump floats regime change in Iran, Murkowski follows up with a statement emphasizing that only Congress has the power to authorize war. #akleg
I imagine they’ll be posting here soon at @juneauindependent.bsky.social
And they are here on BlueSky also: bsky.app/profile/june...
#Juneau #Alaska #AlaskaSky #PartyLikeAJournalist
The Juneau Independent, the new venture by the departed Juneau Empire editor Mark Sabbatini is now live. And there is a remarkable amount of news and opinion content on there, despite having launched just today. Check it out: juneauindependent.com
Of note — The amount of money deposited in the state’s main rainy-day fund from so-called tax and royalty settlements dropped from $281 million in 2020 to just $3.1 million in 2024, according to documents from the Department of Revenue. #akleg
More: alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
In his veto message, Dunleavy says the bill raises constitutional concerns.
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaking to me just now, says the bill was suggested by and written by legislative attorneys, who never flagged any constitutional issues. (That's a big part of their job.) #akleg
NEWS: Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would increase legislative oversight of tax collection.
House Speaker & Senate President say it's necessary to address a “persistent pattern of obstruction within the senior ranks of Alaska’s Department of Revenue.”
SB 183 passed by a wide margin #akleg
Arrggg...half a dozen weather balloon observations in Alaska were not available Saturday afternoon (from what there should have been five months ago). #weather #akwx #meteorology @climatologist49.bsky.social
Sitting in the newsroom, listening to Alix solve this mystery in real time, was fun to watch.
It’s a question that’s swirled around town for decades, often with some heated debate: Why is the state capital Juneau and not Anchorage? Clarise Larson tracks down the answer for the latest episode of Curious Juneau.
www.ktoo.org/2025/06/13/w...
the images in this post are the first several paragraphs of the story. click the link to read.
Goodness. (Gift link.) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/t...
Dunleavy cut $50.6 million from formula funding for public schools, equivalent to $200 in basic per-student funding, known as the base student allocation, trimming back a $700 increase lawmakers approved last month. #akleg
That's one of several cuts -- read more:
alaskapublic.org/news/educati...
“We’re gonna be making decisions here later on this week on that — whether there’s gonna be a veto, and if so, how much. So, that information will be out probably by Thursday,” he said. #akleg
Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at a Fairbanks Chamber luncheon yesterday that he’s still deciding whether to veto some or all of the education funding boost approved by lawmakers.
But the announcement could come as soon as this week, he said, per reporting from local public radio station KUAC. #akleg
