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A U.S. Forest Service crew works on a riverbed project in the Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service)

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Public ideas sought for long-term Tongass strategy

U.S. Forest Service to conduct online, in-person sessions during coming weeks for 10-year plan

A chart shows the number and type of Alaska residents receiving Medicaid coverage based on either 2022 Alaska Medicaid Claims data (yellow) or 2021 U.S. Census data (orange). More than 260,000 residents are currently enrolled, about 30,000 more than 2020, due to a federal provision that kept states from removing people during the COVID-19 pandemic. That provision ended April 1 and Alaska officials are scheduled review eligibility of all residents enrolled during the next 12 months. (Alaska Division of Public Assistance)

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Medicaid eligibility for all enrollees under review

Coverage for more than 260,000 Alaskans to be checked during next year as COVID-19 protection ends

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announces the formation of a child care task force that is scheduled to issue a report of recommendation in July of 2024 during a press conference Thursday in Anchorage. (Screenshot from official video of press conference)

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Governor creates child care task force

Group scheduled to issue final report in mid-2024; some lawmakers seeking quicker action

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, offers an apology Thursday on the House floor for “escalating” tensions during a heated session on Wednesday when most members of the minority caucus staged a walkout over what they called a “hostage” situation involving education funding. A few other lawmakers also expressed similar sentiments.

News

Extra education funding restored – with a catch

House majority ties increase to minority’s willingness to balance budget with reserve funds

All chairs for minority members of the Alaska State House except for Minority Leader Calvin Schrage are empty during Wednesday’s floor session after absent members fled the Alaska State Capitol over a dispute with the majority about an increase in education funding. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Education funding fight prompts House minority walkout

Republican-led majority revokes funding increase as minority threatens to withhold CBR vote

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire A collection of books including LGBTQ-friendly titles are displayed in the storefront window of Alaska Robotics in downtown Juneau on Tuesday. The store, which featured books and cards illustrated by local artist Mitchell Watley, removed them following his arrest Sunday for allegedly placing transphobic notes threatening violence against children at locations around town.

News

Local stores remove artist’s work following arrest

Children’s books and cards pulled after man accused of posting transphobic notes.

Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, co-chair of the House Finance Committee, speaks in favor of an amendment to restore partial funding for a single Department of Law employee during a 45-minute debate on the proposal Tuesday. Such debates resulted in lots of discussion, but few changes in the House’s proposed budget for next year. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Education gets short-term boost, but budget battle drags on

House looks to pass budget this week, but Senate, governor — and OPEC — also affecting spending plans

Judge Kirsten Swanson imposes strict conditions, including staying away from schools and other places children frequent, for Mitchell Thomas Watley to be released from jail after his arrest Sunday for allegedly placing transphobic notes in at least three public locations since Friday that referred to shooting children. Watley, who participated by phone from Lemon Creek Correctional Center, had his first hearing in the case Monday afternoon at the Juneau Courthouse. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Man arrested for allegedly posting notes that reference shooting children

Suspect said he spread leaflets out of fear of Tennessee shooter, according to police.

Flags fly outside the State Office Building on Friday, where a note police described as a possible threat against children was discovered at midday on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Police investigate notes indicating possible threat against children

In a statement, JPD said two such messages were found on Friday.

Nayeli Hood, 10, foreground, and Ona Eckerson, 9, testify against a bill limiting sex and gender content in schools during a House Education Committee meeting Thursday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Testimony gets colorful on ‘parental rights’ bill

Opponents of restricting sex and gender content in schools dominate five-hour hearing

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, a nonprofit headquartered in Juneau with 10 employees, is awaiting the final outcome of a vote by five non-management employees in favor of unionization. A challenge by the organization’s management on whether the National Labor Relations Board, which tallied the employees’ ballots Thursday, is legally allowed to intervene in the matter is pending. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file)

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SEACC employees prevail in union vote, but appeal pending

Conservation nonprofit questions NLRB’s authority in dispute, argues outcome may have national impact

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, inquires about election legislation during a committee hearing Tuesday at the Alaska State Capitol. Carpenter, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, is sponsoring bills to decrease business taxes and implement a 2% statewide sales tax that got hearings this week.

News

Tax on, tax off: Cutting corporate taxes while imposing 2% sales tax gets skeptical response

Fiscal plan focus of a committee hearing.

Heidi Teshner, acting commissioner of the Department of Education and Early Development, explains details of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s so-called “parental rights” bill during a House Education Committee hearing Wednesday. Public testimony on the bill is scheduled to be heard by the committee Thursday evening. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Public gets first say on proposal to restrict sex, gender content in schools

House Education Committee to host Thursday hearing on Dunleavy’s bill.

Robert DeMaine, principal cellist of the L.A. Philharmonic, is scheduled to perform Dvorak’s Cello Concerto during a pair of concerts this weekend by the Juneau Symphony. (Courtesy Photo/ Daniel Lippitt)

News

Say cello to the guest artist: Symphony performance features L.A. Philharmonic’s principal cellist

Concert will include Dvořák’s Cello Concerto among other selections.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State representatives Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, left, and Andi Story, D-Juneau, discuss a proposal requiring school districts to maintain a public online checkbook with Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, the bill’s sponsor, during a break in a House Education Committee meeting Wednesday. The two Southeast Alaska representatives expressed concerns about cyber security and small remote districts that do not have official websites.

News

Lawmakers try to fill in some blanks in ‘online checkbook’ for schools bill

Proposed online register raises questions about practicality, cyberattacks, offline districts.

State representatives Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage, left, Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, and Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, study proposed amendments to next year’s state budget during a House Finance Committee meeting Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

All in a day’s budget debate — voting, sex and taxes

Even the smallest pieces of House committee’s markup show signs of huge policy battles to come

State Sen. Bert Stedman, center, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, presides over a committee hearing Thursday. The committee on Monday approved an $8.4 million fast-track supplemental budget to address staff shortages in processing food stamps, public defenders and legal advocates for vulnerable residents. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

News

Bill with funds to address food stamps backlog goes to governor

Legislature gives near-unanimous approval to hiring extra staff to fix months-long backlog

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Bethany Marcum, executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum, responds to questions from the Senate Education Committee on Friday about her nomination to the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents. Her organization’s conservative policies, including backing a budget by Gov. Mike Dunleavy that proposed a 40% cut to the university system, made her the most controversial of the governor’s four nominees to the board.

News

Lawmakers question university board nominee who supported UA budget cut

Bethany Marcum, head of conservative think tank, hears from scathing doubters and glowing supporters

Legislative fiscal analysts Alexei Painter, right, and Conor Bell explain the state’s financial outlook during the next decade to the Senate Finance Committee on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Legislators eye oil and sales taxes due to fiscal woes

Bills to collect more from North Slope producers, enact new sales taxes get hearings next week.

A graph shows projected monetary losses and gains for government and private stakeholders in the Willow oil field project, which for the state is expected to reach a break-even point in 2030, a year after production is scheduled to begin. But a complex set of tax structures and unknown variables may cause those predictions to differ considerably. (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)

News

State offers brighter financial forecast for Willow

Instead of losing $1B during first decade, Alaska will break-even by 2030, revised forecast shows