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Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, D-Bethel, urges her colleagues to vote for a bill to have the state recognize the Alaska’s 229 already federally recognized tribes on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The bill was one of dozens heard Wednesday as lawmakers tried to pass as much legislation on the last day of the legislative session. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Budget debate takes lawmakers into evening

More time for debate.

Supporters of the trail-building conservation corps started with CARES Act funding rallied in front of the Governor's Mansion on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, to urge state officials to continue funding the programs. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Advocates don’t want conservation corps efforts to trail off

Building up trail building.

Residents of Mendenhall Towers were briefly evacuated Monday, May 17, while Capital City Fire/Rescue investigated smoke that had appeared, possibly from an electrical fire. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Mendenhall Tower Apartments briefly evacuated for smoke

An electrical fault in a light was suspected.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee discussed the state's capital budget bill in a meeting on Monday, May 17, 2021, but it's not clear when it might be debated on the floor. Lawmakers had been pushing to finish the bill before May 19, but a special session from the governor has given them more time. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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With more time, lawmakers take step back on budget

Work to be done.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, gave his annual address to the Alaska State Legislature on May 3, 2021, but some Democratic lawmakers said the speech brought the partisanship of Washington D.C. to Alaska.

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In letter, Alaska Democrats say Sullivan brought D.C. partisanship to Juneau

Not what Alaskans do.

Masks were made optional in the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, May 14, 2021, but lawmakers are still trying to get their work done. Gov. Mike Dunleavy called two special sessions Thursday, but the proposal was met with mixed reactions. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Lawmakers mixed on governor’s special sessions

A lot of work to do.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, said at this Wednesday, May 12, 2021 news conference there may be a special session of the Alaska Legislautre. On Thursday he officially called two, one for late May and one for early August. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Dunleavy calls special sessions for budget, relief funds

Backlog of work.

Then-Gov. Sean Parnell speaks during an interview at the governor's mansion in July 2014. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

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Former governor selected to lead UAA

Begins in June.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy made changes to a proposed constitutional amendment in a news conference at the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, he hopes will set the state on a better fiscal path. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Dunleavy makes changes to Permanent Fund proposal

Gov says proposal is first step to better fiscal future

Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, speaks to his concerns about Gov. Mike Dunleavy's appointment of Treg Taylor of Attorney General during a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Lawmakers confirm attorney general, commissioners

Boards and commissions.

Lawmakers took a brief break from an all-day floor session Monday, May 10, 2021, when a plexiglass divider around a lawmakers desk fell over. Debate on the state's operating budget bill covered a range of political issues beyond just funding. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Budget bill becomes partisan battleground

All day debate.

The Alaska House of Representatives, seen here on Friday, May 7, 2021, is scheduled to meet early Monday morning to finalize budget bills before the end of the legislative session in about two weeks. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Speaker: House to pass budget Monday, special session likely

They’re meeting early on Monday.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., arrives to the chamber ahead of President Joe Biden speaking to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

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Young camp quiet on potential Cheney ouster

Republican House leadership moves toward Trump loyalty.

In this Empire file photo, an Alaska Marine Highway ferry is docked at the Auke Bay terminal in Juneau. A bill recently passed by the House of Representatives would create a new governing board, hopefully bringing stability to the ailing system. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

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House passes bill to create new ferry board

A more stable ferry system.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans James Lindoff (left) and George Bennett drape a ceremonial blanket over Gov. Mike Dunleavy during a news conference on Wednesday. Dunleavy is proposing a program allowing Alaska Native veterans to exchange federal land for state lands potentially closer to their homes.

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Gov proposes land exchange for Vietnam-era Alaska Native veterans

Righting an old wrong.

House Minority Leader Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, seen here speaking with Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, speak in the hall of the Alaska State Capitol on Feb. 16, 2021, said the minority caucus is working on proposals for the annual Permanent Fund Dividend. The Legislature is approaching the end of the session, but has yet to allocate an amount for a PFD. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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As budget work continues, PFD question remains

A dividend divide.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, met with reporters after delivering an address to the first joint session of 2021 for the Alaska State Legislature on Monday, May 3, 2021. Sullivan was critical of the Biden administration in his remarks to lawmakers, saying his environmental policies were punative to Alaska. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Sullivan talks tough on jobs, China

Room for work.

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives spent hours in floor sessions Saturday and Sunday inside the Alaska State Capitol, seen here on Monday, April 26, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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House moves budget back to committee

More time to talk.

Juneau Pioneer Home resident Phyllis Woodman, left, sits with the home's administrator Gina Del Rosario, right, on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Del Rosario is retiring and friends and colleagues say she'll be hard to replace. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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‘Only one Gina’: Pioneer Home administrator announces retirement

‘A friend and an admin.”

A page in the Alaska House of Representatives hands out copies of a budget bill over 100 pages long on Friday, April 30, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire

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With May 19 goal in mind, lawmakers speed up work

Saturday sessions.