Historic split of Alaska’s health department will become final within days unless Senate moves fast
March 18 By Zaz Hollander, James Brooks Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s sweeping proposal to divide Alaska’s massive health department into two agencies via an executive order appears poised to go into effect this summer unless the Legislature makes a last-minute decision to meet in joint session…
Zelenskyy Delivers Emotional Appeal to Congress for U.S. Help in Ukraine
March 16 By Lisa Hagen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an emotional and personal appeal to Congress and President Joe Biden, invoking past deadly attacks against Americans like Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11 as he pleaded for more assistance to fend off Russian aggression. Members…
White House: ‘Severe Consequences’ if Congress Doesn’t Pass New Pandemic Aid
March 15 By Lisa Hagen The White House gave a stark warning on Tuesday: The administration won’t be able to keep up its response to the coronavirus pandemic and provide more vaccines, treatments and testing if Congress doesn’t quickly approve a new round of federal…
Running Away From Putin and Trump
March 11 By Susan Milligan Through all of Donald Trump’s problematic interactions involving Russia and Ukraine, Mike Pence stood by him, a loyal vice president. He was loyal when Trump was criticized for cozying up to autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence defended Trump after…
GOP candidate for governor Charlie Pierce picks parole board chair Edie Grunwald as running mate
March 10 By James Brooks Republican gubernatorial candidate and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce has picked the chair of Alaska’s parole board, Edie Grunwald, as his running mate. Grunwald was appointed to the parole board by incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy in 2019 and…
Biden Bans Russian Oil Imports as U.S. Gas Prices Soar
March 8 By Susan Milligan After bipartisan political pressure from Capitol Hill and an emotional plea from embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced he would ban oil imports from Russia to further cripple the Eastern European nation’s crumbling economy. “That…
White House: Congress Must Act Soon to Replenish COVID Funds
March 6 By Zeke Miller The U.S. will soon begin to run out of money to bolster COVID-19 testing supplies and to guarantee that uninsured Americans keep getting free treatment for the virus unless Congress swiftly approves more funding, the White House warned. Nearly a…
Alaska to have unlimited campaign contributions in most instances
March 5 By Tim Rockey and Sean Maguire Alaska is poised to have unlimited campaign contributions in most instances after a state regulator declined to impose new caps, after old limits were struck down as unconstitutional. In a 3-2 vote, the Alaska Public Offices Commission…
SpaceX’s Musk Says Starlink Has Been Told by Some Governments to Block Russian News
March 5 By Franck Merch SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Saturday that its Starlink satellite broadband service has been told by some governments, not Ukraine, to block Russian news sources. “We will not do so unless at ‘gunpoint’, sorry to be a free speech…
Britain Urges Its Nationals to Consider Leaving Russia
March 5 By Ron Bill Britain urged its nationals on Saturday to consider leaving Russia after Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine. “If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes,” the British government said in…
Alaska House committee drafts budget with $2,500 total for PFD and energy relief check
March 4 By Andrew Kitchenman A key Alaska legislative committee has drafted a state budget that would increase state spending more than Gov. Mike Dunleavy planned. It also would pay a combined permanent fund dividend and energy relief check of roughly $2,500. The budget proposal…
Bitcoin Falls 8.3% to $38,932
March 4 Bitcoin dropped 8.3% to $38,932.49 at 2308 GMT on Friday, losing $3,523.07 from its previous close. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is up 18.2% from the year’s low of $32,950.72 on Jan. 24.