Articles written by james brooks
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Last surviving signer of Alaska Constitution dies at 99
Vic Fischer, the last living signer of the Alaska Constitution and active in progressive state politics for seven decades, died Oct. 22 at age 99. His death came after several years of declining health and an extended stay in hospice care. Born May 4... Full story
State restricts sale of marijuana-like products derived from hemp
The state has approved new regulations on inexpensive cannabis-like products derived from hemp, sometimes referred to as “diet weed.” The new changes mean intoxicating hemp-derived products will have to be regulated by the state’s marijuana contr... Full story
Governor's office blocks publication of report on teachers pay
Staff for Gov. Mike Dunleavy quashed the publication of a new Department of Labor report examining the competitiveness of teacher pay in Alaska, an act that current and former staff say could damage the apolitical reputation of the division that publ... Full story
Spending on dividend and public services squeezes Permanent Fund
The Alaska Permanent Fund isn’t running out of money, but it may be running out of money that can be spent. After years of earning less than it needed to beat inflation and the demands of the state treasury, the Permanent Fund’s spendable res... Full story
Permanent Fund earnings fall short of investment goal
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.’s investment earnings were again less than withdrawals in the 12 months ending in June, according to preliminary data scheduled to be released at the corporation’s annual meeting this week in Anchorage. The cor... Full story
State considers eliminating renewal stickers on license plate
The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles is considering whether to eliminate the month and year registration renewal stickers that owners are required to put on state license plates. In a request for information published early in September, the divisio... Full story
Initiative signature drives will start for campaign limits, higher minimum wage
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has approved signature gathering for two ballot measures and disqualified a third from advancing to that next phase. The two measures — if they gather enough petition signatures for a spot on the ballot and then win voter a... Full story
Lawsuits say Tongass Roadless Rule gets in the way of prospective clean energy
The state of Alaska, a coalition of business groups and a pair of electric-power organizations have opened a new round in the generation-long fight over environmental protections in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. On Sept. 8, the state a... Full story
Marijuana industry says Alaska's high tax gives advantage to illegal sales
In an unusual offseason hearing, a committee of the Alaska Legislature considered a proposal on Friday, Sept. 15, that could lower the state tax on marijuana sold in the state. House Bill 119, considered by the House Labor and Commerce Committee,... Full story
State will try again to find shipyard to build $325 million oceangoing ferry
A year after an effort that failed to attract any bidders, the state is again looking to hire a shipyard to build a replacement for the ferry Tustumena. Design work is still not complete, however.... Full story
State payroll office overwhelmed by work with 46% of its staff jobs vacant
Staffing problems at the payroll division are causing many of Alaska’s 14,000 state employees to be paid late or for the wrong amounts and have caused the state to temporarily stop using one of its main tools for hiring and retaining workers. In a... Full story
State rejects initiative for legislative term limits
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has rejected a proposed legislative term-limits ballot measure, citing a Department of Law legal analysis that found the measure was likely unconstitutional. “The precedent set by the Alaska Supreme Court establishes that l... Full story
Federal agency rejects endangered listing for Southeast wolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has again rejected a request to list Southeast Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago wolves as endangered or threatened. The wolves, found in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, range among the region’s large, old tre... Full story
U.S. Transportation Secretary rides state ferry to Haines
When U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg's flight from Juneau to Haines was rained out on Aug. 16, he changed plans and did what Alaskans have done for decades: He boarded a ferry. Sen.... Full story
Permanent Fund will open office in Anchorage; first time ever outside Juneau
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. intends to open an office in Anchorage by the end of the year, the chairman of the corporation’s board of trustees said Aug. 10. When the office opens in space leased by the Department of Environmental Conservation, i... Full story
Judge rejects state lawsuit to start oil and gas work in ANWR
A federal judge has upheld decisions by President Joe Biden and the Department of the Interior that temporarily suspended work needed to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. In a 74-page order... Full story
State payments to settle lawsuits against Dunleavy near $1 million
The state has paid $350,000 to settle a four-year-old lawsuit that found Gov. Mike Dunleavy and his former chief of staff personally liable for illegally firing a state attorney. The settlement with Elizabeth Bakalar, of Juneau, ends a series of... Full story
State continues lawsuit against putting tribal land in federal trust
The state has formally asked a federal judge to decide whether the Bureau of Indian Affairs may create the legal equivalent of reservation land in Alaska on behalf of Native tribes. On Aug. 1, the state filed for summary judgment in its ongoing... Full story
Judge orders Denali tourist shop to stop selling fake souvenirs
A state judge has ordered a tourist shop outside Denali National Park to stop selling products labeled as “Made in Alaska” after the state accused the shop of repeatedly selling fake souvenirs and art. According to a complaint filed by the Ala... Full story
State school board delays vote on transgender girls sports policy
Alaska’s state school board has unexpectedly delayed a vote on a proposed regulation that would prohibit transgender girls from playing on girls high school sports teams. Board chairman James Fields said the delay was warranted by “hard que... Full story
Alaska signs Republican letter opposing federal rule to protect medical records
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor joined 18 other Republican attorneys general last month in a letter calling on the federal government to preserve state governments’ access to private medical records. That access could be used to restrict access t... Full story
Crew shortage could shut down Hubbard for a week
The Alaska Marine Highway System may have to cancel some Lynn Canal sailings this week as the state ferry system’s hiring woes continue through the peak summer travel season, its top official said Friday, July 14. “We’re at risk of shutting the H... Full story
Nick Begich announces 2024 run against Peltola for U.S. Congress
Nick Begich III, a Republican candidate who lost to Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in last year’s races for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, said Thursday, July 13, that he will run against Peltola again in 2024. Peltola hasn’t announced a re-el... Full story
Permanent Fund could run out of spendable money in three years
The spendable portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund is dwindling and could be exhausted entirely within three years, fund leaders were told during a regular quarterly meeting on Wednesday, July 12, in Anchorage. Deven Mitchell, CEO of the Alaska... Full story
State and federal offices go after fake Native artwork and souvenirs
A Ketchikan man agreed to plead guilty earlier this month to federal charges in conjunction with a long-running scheme to sell fake Alaska Native souvenirs manufactured in the Philippines. Travis Lee... Full story
