Articles written by Sean Maguire
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State trying to fix food stamp delays, acknowledges people get frustrated when they're hungry
A month after a major backlog in Alaska’s food stamp application processing surfaced publicly, state officials are scrambling to hire emergency workers to address delays reaching crisis levels for Alaskans who depend on the federal program to feed...
Republicans organize state House by including lawmakers from Native rural areas
JUNEAU — A newly formed House majority — comprised of 19 Republicans, two Democrats and two independents — finalized its membership last Thursday, signaling a rightward shift in the chamber after six years of bipartisan coalitions composed...
Average wait time 90 to 120 days for state to process Medicaid applications
Alaska has violated state and federal law by failing to process Medicaid applications in a timely manner, according to an Anchorage-based civil rights law firm that settled a class-action lawsuit in federal court with the state three years ago. The A...
Former Gov. Sheffield dies at 94; pushed to move Alaska into one time zone
Bill Sheffield, who served as Alaska's fifth governor and survived a brush with impeachment during a decades-long career in public service, died Nov. 4 at his Anchorage home after a long illness. He w...
Constitutional convention supporters say it's about dividend and abortion
With Election Day less than a week away, the leading group encouraging Alaskans to vote no on a constitutional convention has raised much more money than its opponents after attracting a broad bipartisan group of supporters and a growing list of...
State Supreme Court explains decision upholding ranked-choice voting
The Alaska Supreme Court issued a full opinion on Oct. 21, explaining why it upheld the state’s new ranked-choice voting and open-primary system as constitutional in January. The five justices issued a brief order at the time in favor of the new...
Mail-in ballots require a second postage stamp
Alaskans voting by mail will need to put 84 cents worth of postage on their ballot envelopes to send them back by post to the state Division of Elections. One Forever stamp is currently worth 60 cents, meaning a second stamp would be needed to mail...
Mat-Su bans voting machines in borough elections starting next year
In what is apparently a first for Alaska, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly passed an ordinance last week that will prohibit the use of voting tabulation machines for borough elections, starting next year. The new Mat-Su ordinance, approved...
Investigation finds Permanent Fund firing process 'deficient' but legal
JUNEAU — The Alaska Permanent Fund’s board of trustees used a “deficient” performance evaluation process to justify firing CEO Angela Rodell, who said her removal was “political retribution” for opposing Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget...
Judge says Oath Keepers' member likely ineligible to serve in Legislature
An Anchorage judge said last Thursday that based on the limited evidence presented, Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman is likely ineligible to hold public office, but his name will stay on the general election ballot until a trial scheduled for De...
Alaskans will start receiving $3,284 payout next week
Eligible Alaskans will receive a $3,284 check, which includes the annual Permanent Fund dividend and a one-time energy relief payment, starting Sept. 20. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the exact amount of the payments during a live stream last...
Murkowski, Tshibaka appear in first debate of U.S. Senate race
In their first time sharing a debate stage, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her Trump-backed challenger Kelly Tshibaka presented their visions for representing Alaska as Republicans. And the differences were just as pronounced in style as they were in...
State may contract for private operator to cover ferry gap in smaller communities
The Alaska Marine Highway System is looking for private companies to fill service gaps over the winter for small Northern Southeast communities. The LeConte is scheduled to go out of service in early January until the end of February for its annual...
