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.

Federal agents reportedly shot and injured two people near a medical clinic in east Portland on Thursday afternoon, acco...
01/09/2026

Federal agents reportedly shot and injured two people near a medical clinic in east Portland on Thursday afternoon, according to the Portland Police Bureau, write Julia Shumway, Alex Baumhardt and Shanty Nanguneri for the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the shooting on social media, though it referred to a U.S. Border Protection agent firing “a defensive shot.” Police had few immediate details to share about the incident, which occurred the day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis.

Like Minneapolis, Oregon’s largest city has been the subject of an intense immigration crackdown by federal agents in recent months. While a federal judge stymied President Donald Trump’s efforts to mobilize the Oregon National Guard and deploy guardsmen from other states to Portland, federal officials revealed in court in December that they’ve brought ICE agents from around the country to the metro as part of a major operation.

Like Minneapolis, Oregon’s largest city has been the subject of an intense immigration crackdown by federal agents in recent months.

Alaska’s two U.S. Senators are split on a resolution intended to halt U.S. military action in Venezuela without the appr...
01/09/2026

Alaska’s two U.S. Senators are split on a resolution intended to halt U.S. military action in Venezuela without the approval of Congress, writes James Brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined four other Republicans and the Senate’s Democrats in a 52-47 procedural vote that advances the resolution. If adopted, the resolution would direct the “removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, was among the 47 senators, all Republicans, who voted against moving the resolution from committee and to the Senate floor.

In an interview, Trump said he has no restrictions on international affairs beyond his own morality and mind.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-196 on Thursday to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years and ...
01/09/2026

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-196 on Thursday to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years and reverse massive cost increases that went into effect with the new year, writes James brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

The reversal must still be approved by the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump before becoming effective.

Alaska’s lone member of the House, Republican Rep. Nick Begich III, voted against the extension, as did 195 other Republicans.

Democrats have already vowed to make the vote an issue in this fall’s U.S. House elections, as they seek to unseat the incumbent Republican.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved a bipartisan bill Thursday to resurrect the enhanced tax credits that expired at th...
01/08/2026

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved a bipartisan bill Thursday to resurrect the enhanced tax credits that expired at the end of last year for people who purchase their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace, writes Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom's D.C. bureau.

The 230-196 vote sends the legislation to the Senate, where Republican leadership is unlikely to put it on the floor without considerable changes, which a bipartisan group of senators appears close to finalizing. Seventeen Republicans voted with every Democrat to pass the bill.

House GOP leaders didn’t want to bring the bill up in their chamber, but a handful of their own members signed a discharge petition in December, forcing the vote amid rising health care costs.

The vote sends the legislation to the Senate, where Republican leadership is unlikely to put it on the floor without considerable changes.

The Alaska Court System is preparing to finalize new ethics guidelines that will determine whether state judges must opt...
01/08/2026

The Alaska Court System is preparing to finalize new ethics guidelines that will determine whether state judges must opt out from hearing cases due to personal conflicts, writes James Brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

An extensive new ethics code, modeled on a national standard drafted by the American Bar Association, is open for public comment through Jan. 23.

The changes, which stretch for dozens of dense, jargon-filled pages, prescribe things like what a judge can ethically do during an election, how to respond if someone’s life might be endangered by secrecy and even what happens if an attorney is drunk in the courtroom.

The Alaska Court System's existing standard dates from 1998 and needs to be updated, a process that has taken years.

President Donald Trump is unlikely to see many U.S. oil companies jump in response to his call to invest in Venezuela fo...
01/08/2026

President Donald Trump is unlikely to see many U.S. oil companies jump in response to his call to invest in Venezuela for the foreseeable future, industry experts say in this story from Wesley Muller of the Louisiana Illuminator.

With low oil prices and better drilling opportunities elsewhere — along with the legally fraught idea of taking a sanctioned foreign nation’s natural resources — it would take several years, a shifting geopolitical landscape and either higher demand or a disruption to existing supplies before there’s any significant expansion into Venezuela, according to two energy sector economists and a former federal official and lawyer who specialized in oil industry investigations.

Following surprise military strikes on Caracas early Saturday and U.S. forces capturing its autocratic leader, Nicolas Maduro, Trump and several of his cabinet members have focused the public’s attention on Venezuela’s oil. The South American country is believed to have one of the world’s largest proven reserves of crude oil, which Trump has suggested could be extracted by American fossil fuel interests.

President Donald Trump is unlikely to see many U.S. oil companies jump in response to his call to tap into Venezuela, industry experts say.

The Alaska Court System is preparing to finalize new ethics guidelines that will determine whether state judges must opt...
01/08/2026

The Alaska Court System is preparing to finalize new ethics guidelines that will determine whether state judges must opt out from hearing cases due to personal conflicts, writes James brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

An extensive new ethics code, modeled on a national standard drafted by the American Bar Association, is open for public comment through Jan. 23.

The changes, which stretch for dozens of dense, jargon-filled pages, prescribe things like what a judge can ethically do during an election, how to respond if someone’s life might be endangered by secrecy and even what happens if an attorney is drunk in the courtroom.

The Alaska Court System's existing standard dates from 1998 and needs to be updated, a process that has taken years.

After enduring weeks of record-breaking cold and snowfall that buried Alaska’s capital city, taxing local infrastructure...
01/08/2026

After enduring weeks of record-breaking cold and snowfall that buried Alaska’s capital city, taxing local infrastructure and services, residents of Juneau are now bracing for an abrupt change to rain that will bring new hazards, writes Yereth Rosen for the Alaska Beacon.

The City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska issued a joint disaster declaration late Tuesday in advance of an incoming atmospheric river that is expected to create flooding, avalanche risks and possibly landslide risks. Gov. Mike Dunleavy followed that with a verbal disaster declaration that Juneau officials say will provide quicker access to state help to prepare for and respond to impacts of the coming atmospheric river.

Atmospheric rivers are elongated bands of heat and moisture that move north from more southern latitudes. They can dump vast amounts of rain and sometimes snow, and they have triggered deadly landslides in Southeast Alaska and other mountainous areas.

The expected rain to fall atop Juneau's deep layer of snow poses risks of flooding, avalanches and possible landslides, officials warn.

Alaska’s annual population estimate will be delayed almost a month due to last year’s federal government shutdown, write...
01/08/2026

Alaska’s annual population estimate will be delayed almost a month due to last year’s federal government shutdown, writes James Brooks for the Alaska Beacon.

State demographer David Howell said on Wednesday that the state estimate isn’t expected until at least Jan. 28 due to the lack of required data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The estimate is typically published in the first full week of January by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and reflects information as of July the previous year.

Information from the U.S. Census Bureau has been delayed because of last year's extended shutdown, forcing Alaska to wait as well.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a woman...
01/08/2026

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis Wednesday, while congressional Democrats universally condemned the action, writes Ariana Figueroa from our D.C. bureau.

Video obtained by the Minnesota Reformer shows an ICE officer demanding the driver of a maroon SUV get out of the vehicle. As the vehicle begins to pull away, an officer fires three shots through the windshield and driver-side window. The video shows no apparent harm to the officer, who walked away from the vehicle shortly after the shooting.

But Trump wrote on social media that “it is hard to believe he is alive.”

President Donald Trump defended a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis Wednesday.

A national support line for Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has begun work to launch an Alaska-...
01/07/2026

A national support line for Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has begun work to launch an Alaska-specific service, writes Claire Stremple for the Alaska Beacon.

Strong Hearts Native Helpline is a Native-led nonprofit that offers 24-hour, seven-day-a-week support for anonymous and confidential calls from people who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault.

The line is staffed by Native advocates, but Strong Hearts Deputy Executive Officer Rachel Carr-Shunk said there are not yet any Alaska Native people answering phone calls.

The organization to launch the Alaska-specific line within the next calendar year, after building partnerships in the state.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he will meet with Danish officials next week, following a rec...
01/07/2026

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he will meet with Danish officials next week, following a recent push from the Trump administration to annex or even use the military against Greenland — a course of action questioned by several Republican senators, including Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski, write reporters from the D.C. bureau at States Newsroom.

Senators sat through a closed, classified briefing Wednesday with Rubio about ongoing U.S. intervention in Venezuela launched over the weekend, and Democrats said afterward that he did not address their concerns about the operation.

In addition, President Donald Trump is considering options to acquire Greenland, including possible military operations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

Danish officials have repeatedly stressed any move to take the sovereign nation by force would violate NATO bylaws.

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