April 30 By Abigail Williams Political hand-wringing in Washington over Russia’s hacking of federal agencies and interference in U.S. politics has mostly overshadowed a worsening digital scourge with a far broader wallop: crippling and dispiriting extortionary ransomware attacks by cybercriminal mafias that mostly operate in…

April 30 By Andrew Kitchenman A bill that would extend Alaska’s disaster declaration was passed by the Legislature on Wednesday. House Bill 76 would make the extension retroactive to its original expiration on Feb. 14, and would allow the state to operate under the disaster…

April 29 By Kavitha George Anchorage COVID-19 restrictions are set to loosen significantly next week. At a meeting Tuesday, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to remove all the city’s gathering limits and social distancing requirements starting Monday, May 3. The decision also lifts COVID-19 requirements…

April 29 By Alan Fram Sen. Tim Scott accused Democrats on Wednesday of dividing the country and suggested they’re wielding race as “a political weapon,” using the official Republican response to President Joe Biden’s maiden speech to Congress to credit the GOP for leading the…

April 29 By Jill Ritchie Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young said he will seek re-election to the seat he has held since 1973. The Republican, in a statement announcing his re-election plans Wednesday, said with the challenges facing Alaska, this is “not the time to…

April 29 By Kevin Hart U.S. federal agents seized electronic devices in daybreak raids Wednesday at the New York home and office of Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor who became former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, as investigators probe Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine…

April 28 By Matt Miller Alaskans all over the state are reporting getting calls from the U.S. Marshals Service threatening to charge or arrest people unless they hand over money. The U.S. Marshals office said it’s a scam that has been circulating in the rest…

April 28 By Nicole Schuman An unwritten bit of etiquette is to avoid religion and politics during dinner. The chances of diners agreeing on a position are slim, and, for many, identification and ideation quickly become passionate subjects. So it may not come as a…

April 28 By Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead The Alaska National Guard is sending a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to Bethel as part of the state’s effort to prepare for disaster response during the 2021 spring flood season. A Black Hawk and aircrew from the 1st…

April 28 By Karen DeYoung The U.S. government’s point person for negotiations with the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Tuesday that he is not as pessimistic as many others are about the future of Afghanistan after the departure of U.S. and coalition troops. “I don’t personally…

April 27 By Mike Schneider America’s population growth has declined to its slowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday, while the nation’s political center of gravity keeps shifting further to the Republican-led South and West. Texas, Florida and other Sun Belt…

April 27 By Erin McKinstry Concerns around energy independence and high costs have led many places in rural Alaska to look for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. The Department of Energy recently announced the awardees of a new program to help remote communities find clean…