Alaska Beacon

Alaska Beacon The Alaska Beacon is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.

Our journalists fairly and fearlessly report on the people and interests that determine state policy.

Officials with the Alaska National Guard said they are preparing and training a response force of 100 service members to...
11/21/2025

Officials with the Alaska National Guard said they are preparing and training a response force of 100 service members to deploy to Washington D.C. and support civil authorities, as directed by the Pentagon and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, writes Corinne Smith for the Alaska Beacon.

The update on Tuesday from Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, was in response to a letter from state legislators on the Alaska Joint Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers raised concerns around the implications of a Pentagon’s directive to Alaska to prepare 350 National Guard personnel for rapid deployment for “civil disturbance operations.”

In his letter, Saxe said Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested that the force be deployed to Washington D.C. to join a joint federal task force in March of 2026.

Officials with the Alaska National Guard said they are preparing and training a response force of 100 service members to deploy to Washington D.C. and support civil authorities, as directed by the Pentagon and Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

President Donald Trump has taken his most decisive step yet toward dismantling the Department of Education, a move that ...
11/20/2025

President Donald Trump has taken his most decisive step yet toward dismantling the Department of Education, a move that will have widespread ramifications for vulnerable students and has raised concerns among education leaders and lawmakers who contend that it will create chaos and confusion for families instead of giving them the help they actually need, writes Nadra Nittle for The 19th.

His administration announced on Tuesday that it will transfer core agency functions to four other federal offices — news met with fierce criticism by education advocates who questioned its legality and said it is an abandonment of the nation’s students.

This story was originally reported by Nadra Nittle of The 19th. Meet Nadra and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. As The 19th makes plans for 2026, we want to hear from you! Complete our annual survey to let us know your thoughts. President Donald Trump has taken his most d...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed into law late Wednesday a bill compelling the release of unclassified investi...
11/20/2025

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed into law late Wednesday a bill compelling the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he shared a well-documented friendship, though Trump denies any involvement in the financier’s crimes, writes Ashley Murray for States Newsroom.

Epstein, who surrounded himself with the rich and powerful, died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 awaiting federal trial on s*x trafficking charges.

Trump signed the bill the day after the House sent it to the Senate, which agreed by unanimous consent to accept the measure.

President Donald Trump signed a bill late Wednesday compelling the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against the convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The state’s annual North Slope oil and gas lease sale drew brisk bidding that was dominated by small independent compani...
11/20/2025

The state’s annual North Slope oil and gas lease sale drew brisk bidding that was dominated by small independent companies, some of which were new entrants to Alaska, officials reported on Wednesday, writes Yereth Rosen for the Alaska Beacon.

The Division of Oil and Gas said nine companies submitted a combined $16.97 million in high bids for 271 onshore tracts in the central North Slope.

It was the most tracts sold in a North Slope lease sale since the annual areawide leasing program started in 1999, and it was the highest amount of money submitted in high bids since 2014, when 254 North Slope tracts were sold for $39.85 million.

The nearly $17 million submitted in high bids was the highest total since 2014 for an annual North Slope areawide oil and gas lease sale.

Alaskans who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program received half of their benefits nearly a week lat...
11/20/2025

Alaskans who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program received half of their benefits nearly a week late as a result of the federal government shutdown this month. Their full benefits were two weeks late, even though the state had emergency funds to prevent that, writes Claire Stremple for the Alaska Beacon.

Officials say the state never used the $5 million per week it set aside to keep people from waiting for food benefits because the state’s system had to be reconfigured to use state money rather than its usual federal funding source. SNAP is a federal food assistance program that is run by the state.

Division Director Deb Etheridge said the state is now prepared to react quickly if a similar situation arises in the future.

Alaskans' full food benefits were two weeks late, even though the state had emergency funds to prevent that.

The recent Alaska Beacon op-ed, “Alaska’s coastal communities deserve a say in geoengineering of our oceans,” offers exa...
11/20/2025

The recent Alaska Beacon op-ed, “Alaska’s coastal communities deserve a say in geoengineering of our oceans,” offers exactly the kind of leadership and perspective the world needs right now, write Ken Buesseler, Will Burns, Brad Warren and Emily Seelen in a commentary for the Alaska Beacon.

Alaska’s coastal and Indigenous communities are reminding us that the ocean is not an inexhaustible resource—it’s home.

Alaska sits squarely on the front lines of a changing ocean, where declining Arctic sea ice, increasingly frequent harmful algal blooms, and the devastation of storms like Typhoon Halong show how rapidly life defined by the sea is being reshaped. With their wealth of local knowledge, coastal Alaskan communities can offer valuable insights as to whether a method of marine carbon dioxide removal, or mCDR, which leverages natural ocean processes to remove a key greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, is feasible or futile.

Coastal Alaskan communities can offer valuable insights as to whether a method of marine carbon dioxide removal is feasible or futile.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety announced 17 new graduates from its basic training academy bound for police depar...
11/19/2025

The Alaska Department of Public Safety announced 17 new graduates from its basic training academy bound for police departments, wildlife and state trooper posts, airport police and fire stations and village public safety officer roles across the state, writes Corinne Smith for the Alaska Beacon.

Roughly one third of the graduates, or six trainees, are headed to the Alaska State Troopers, in wildlife or state trooper roles. The state law enforcement agency has struggled with vacancies in recent years, which leaders have said has limited its ability to address time-sensitive criminal investigations.

“We’re getting better. The vacancies are certainly higher than we would like them to be now, which I think is the case, not only across Alaska, but across the country. We would like to see those vacancies a lot lower than they are,” said Austin McDaniel, the department’s director of communications.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety announced 17 new graduates from its basic training academy bound for police departments, wildlife and state trooper posts, airport police and fire stations and village public safety officer roles across the state.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators began debating how to reduce health care costs for Americans during a hearing Wednesday, wher...
11/19/2025

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators began debating how to reduce health care costs for Americans during a hearing Wednesday, where experts’ varied recommendations and comments from lawmakers previewed the rocky and potentially long path ahead, writes Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroo.

Republicans on the Finance Committee argued the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has led to a spike in health insurance costs for individuals that shouldn’t be offset by tax credits any longer.

Democrats urged their colleagues to extend the enhanced subsidies for at least another year to give Congress more time to address larger, more complex issues within the country’s health insurance and health care systems.

U.S. senators began debating how to reduce health care costs for Americans during a hearing Wednesday.

The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld state regulators’ decision to grant permits for a large gold mine planned for Southw...
11/19/2025

The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld state regulators’ decision to grant permits for a large gold mine planned for Southwest Alaska, bringing the proposed Donlin project a step closer to construction, writes James Brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

In a unanimous ruling published Friday, the court’s five justices said the Alaska Department of Natural Resources did not need to consider the environmental impact of the entire proposed Donlin Mine when it approved water use permits and a right-of-way permit needed for a natural gas pipeline intended to power the mine.

Their ruling has implications for many major development projects on private land and likely applies to projects on federal land as well, such as the large oil projects on Alaska’s North Slope.

The court's unanimous decision has implications for mining and drilling projects on private and federal lands elsewhere in Alaska.

Fewer Alaska babies were born in 2024 than the year prior, continuing a yearslong decline in the state’s births and wome...
11/18/2025

Fewer Alaska babies were born in 2024 than the year prior, continuing a yearslong decline in the state’s births and women’s fertility rates, a new report shows, writes Yereth Rosen for the Alaska Beacon.

There were 8,950 Alaska babies born last year, down from 9,031 in 2023, according to the Alaska Vital Statistics 2024 Annual Report released by the state Department of Health. The number of births has fallen in each of the past five years, the report showed. In 2020, there were 9,486 babies born in Alaska.

The state’s annual vital statistics report and cancer report show some positive signs about lifespans, maternal health and disease reduction.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday to force the release of unclassified investiga...
11/18/2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday to force the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, a friend to the rich and powerful who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 awaiting federal trial on s*x trafficking charges, writes Ashley Murray for States Newsroom.

The lawmakers in the lower chamber voted 427-1 to compel the Department of Justice to release materials related to the government’s investigation of the financier who harmed over 1,000 victims, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the lone “no” vote.

The House passed legislation to force the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against the convicted s*x offender.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Tuesday in trying to dismantle the U.S. Department...
11/18/2025

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Tuesday in trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing six total inter-agency agreements signed with other departments that will transfer several of its responsibilities to those agencies, writes Shauneen Miranda for States Newsroom.

The agreements — with the departments of Labor, State, Interior, Health and Human Services and State — come as Trump has sought to take an axe to the 46-year-old department in his quest to return education “back to the states.”

The move further fulfills a pledge Trump heavily campaigned on and later tapped Education Secretary Linda McMahon to carry out.

The administration announced six inter-agency agreements that will transfer the education department's responsibilities to other departments.

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