When voters narrowly passed Ballot Measure 2 in 2020 – which radically transformed Alaska’s voting system – few likely thought about how the new system would affect the ability of political parties to replace candidates. Under the prior system, if the nominee…… Read More

Summer has finally arrived! The legislative session ended Wednesday (5/18/2022) night with the Legislature passing a budget with only hours to spare. A narrow vote in the House reduced this year’s dividend from $3,850 to $3,200. I packed up all … Read More

Those reading some sources of local media – or better yet, the #akleg stream on Twitter – may think that the increase in government spending approved this week by the Legislature is attributable if not entirely, at least mostly to higher Permanent Fund Dividends…… Read More

Amid the end of session chaos, things took a bizarre turn this morning on the fifth floor of the Capitol.… Read More

There is just three days left until the constitutional session limit, and a budget deal is still not in place. In fact, the conference committee for the budget was just finalized today. The sequence of events that got us to this point are equally complex, bizarre, and…… Read More

Welcome to this edition of the Alaska Stalker, a lighthearted round up of the best and worst of Alaska’s social media landscape. If you enjoy the Alaska Stalker, please consider supporting working moms like me by sending in…… Read More

One of the things we have observed about politics over the past few decades is that if you don’t have an agreed plan that takes into account both the right…… Read More

The House is likely to concur with the huge budget passed by the Senate on Tuesday, according to multiple sources. The House was scheduled to reconvene at 7 pm last night to consider concurrence, but when it became clear the … Read More

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! The constitutional session limit is just ten days away, and significant uncertainty remains with the budget. The Senate will take up the combined operating, capital, and supplemental budget tomorrow on the … Read More

In their own op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News last weekend, the newspaper’s editorial board argued that the state should provide $600 million toward repairs to the Port of Alaska (formerly known as the Port of Anchorage). (See “Lawmakers are … Read More