Alaska Education Commissioner Deena Bishop & Mt Edgecumbe HS Sup. David Langford are before the House Education Committee now answering tough questions: Like, why hire one superintendent to run 2 school districts? Langford runs Edgecumbe + Chatham School District www.ktoo.org/video/gavel/...

Alaska Dept of Corrections officials report in a budget update hearing with a House Finance subcommittee this morning that as a result of closing a housing unit at the max-security Spring Creek prison in Seward, 2 weeks ago a "large fight" broke out involving 48 inmates and costing over $200k

ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps. If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Alaska legislators say governor’s fiscal plan is likely dead after first week of hearings, writes @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/09/a...

Update from last week re: ongoing impacts from October's ex-typhoon Halong. "Bryan Fisher, director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management…said with the scale of destruction, the rebuilding effort will take years." #akwx #ExtremeEvents alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/05/o...

A moment for the Kodiak student art displayed in the Capitol 😍

FEMA approves additional areas to qualify for disaster relief following West Coast storms, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/briefs/fema-...

Lawmakers are making a trip to Sitka on Friday to visit Mt Edgecumbe HS, the state's largest boarding school, which has been in crisis since the fall. Over 100 students - ~25% - left over winter break, amid complaints of poor leadership, cuts to staff, coaches and activities, stress and low morale.

New: Officials told lawmakers this week they estimate $125 million in Western Alaska storm damage so far, and a major cleanup and rebuilding effort will begin again this summer. alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/05/o...

Officials estimate $125 million in Western Alaska storm damage so far, and a long road to recovery, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/05/o...

Some good news: almost 100 Alaska storm evacuees have moved from hotels to longer term housing since last week. That's significant progress, considering the housing shortage in Anchorage and statewide. Now, the state is reporting 381 people, making up 73 households are still sheltering in hotels.

"Gov. Mike Dunleavy in May issued a freeze on out-of-state travel. But the savings were relatively minor compared to increases in salary costs — roughly $300,000 across state departments."

A phased proposal for Kenai Peninsula school consolidations, planned for consideration in March, describes the closure of Seward Middle School this year, followed by Paul Banks Elementary, Tustumena Elementary and Sterling Elementary as soon as 2027 #aknews homerindependentpress.com/2026/02/05/s...

A judicial conduct panel has recommended a Nome judge be reprimanded for behavior including using offensive accents to impersonate people from other ethnic groups, and keeping a courtroom of attorneys waiting for an hour while he watched a sports game. www.adn.com/alaska-news/...

This is gonna be cool!

NEW: The bill now in the Alaska House seeks to expand existing state law around CSAM to also prohibit AI-generated CSAM, which is currently only prosecuted by federal law enforcement. alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/04/l...

Lawmakers advance bill to add state felony charges for AI-generated child sexual abuse material, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/04/l...

Just got a batch of info from the Alaska Department of Corrections re: the number of people detained by ICE in the state. Last year, there were 101 people detained by ICE and held in Alaska. This year, there have been another 14 people held, with four still in custody.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.

Anchorage teachers now officially have new contracts. Last night, the Anchorage School Board approved the agreement reached between the school district and the teachers union. The three-year contract includes 5% raises in each of the first two years and 4% in the third.

2 weeks ago, the El Paso Medical Examiner ruled the death of a Cuban ICE detainee a homicide. This time, when a 32-year-old Nicaraguan man died, ICE bypassed the county medical examiner in favor of a military facility. They won’t publicly release a ruling. www.texastribune.org/2026/02/03/t...

Alaska Education Commissioner Deena Bishop & dept officials present DEED's finances + budget proposal (~$1.8 billion) to lawmakers this morning, and notes the increase in homeschool students - which has doubled since 2016. But they expect both public + homeschool enrollment to decline next year:

Prosecutors plan to be more aggressive in cases against serious shoplifters amid cooperation on “quality of life” crime issues in Anchorage.

Alaska’s state ferry system is at risk of a partial or total shutdown this summer due a $78 million shortfall with the failure of the Trump administration to issue a key annual grant in 2025. “Right now, we have a federal chaos problem” - Sen Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/03/a...

The Western Alaska storms and particularly ex-Typhoon Halong brought record-breaking winds and flooding — damaging thousands of structures, roads, boardwalks, airports and other critical infrastructure. (via Alaska Beacon) https://akpub.io/3ZJzG1l

Rep. @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social told reporters that there were about 1,100 detainees currently housed at the facility. That includes hundreds of other minors all the way down to a 2-month-old infant.

Alaskans join nationwide protests against ICE and immigration crackdown, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/briefs/alask...

Spring is crunch time for scholarship deadlines, with most applications due in the next two months. (via Mat-Su Sentinel)

It sounds like the U.S. Senate will hold a confirmation vote on Tuesday or Wednesday this week for Alaska's new federal judge. #akleg #Alaska

“It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024 — ALASKA, I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote immediately after the disaster. #akleg #Alaska

What do you want to hear from Alaska candidates as they compete for your vote this election? Let the @alaskabeacon.com know with this form 👇 and we'll ask! docs.google.com/forms/d/1cBp...

NEW: The Trump admin. has denied Alaska's request for full reimbursement for disaster relief efforts for the first 3 months following the devastating Western Alaska storms, though Gov. Dunleavy claimed it was promised last fall. The state has filed an appeal. alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/30/t...

Trump administration denies full disaster funding for Western Alaska storms, state files appeal, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/30/t...

Chronic absenteeism can affect academic outcomes and Alaska has the highest rate in the nation. Read more from @corinne-smith.bsky.social at the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/30/a...

NEW: Alaska has one of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the nation, with 43% of students chronically absent from public school last year. But reasons & rates vary widely by district, and lawmakers are looking at ways to boost attendance alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/30/a...

*Four months* of illegal gas flaring on Alaska's North Slope prompted a $313,616 state fine. "In the case of CIE, the flaring was used to contribute to its bottom-line economics.” alaskabeacon.com/briefs/state...

Alaska, what anti-ICE protest events are planned for tomorrow, Fri 1/30? Are you planning to go to a demonstration? Walk out of school or work? Or protest in another way ? Photo from today's protest in Juneau.

A large crowd rallies at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau in protest of ICE, murders of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti, Renee Good and others in ICE custody, and calling for an end to ICE operations + immigration crackdown

The interesting thing in this year's population report is kind of wonky ... last year, the U.S. Census Bureau said thousands of people had moved into Alaska from overseas. This year, they admitted that was wrong and retroactively eliminated the rise caused by that trend. #akleg

If you're submitting a FOIA to the Coast Guard, you should know about a change in procedure that went into place this month ...

Alaska population rises slightly, but more people continue to move out than move in, writes @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/28/a...

Two upcoming addresses to the legislature have been scheduled for February. Dates for additional speeches by Sen. Murkowski and Rep. Begich are expected later in the legislative session. #akleg

A $50M literacy grant is helping Alaska schools, but some districts say it’s tough to access funds, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/28/a...

Murkowski condemns Noem and ICE actions: ‘I think it is probably time for her to step down,’ writes Claire Stremple for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/27/m...

“The two were held for almost a week in a hotel 80 miles from their home, without access to a lawyer or a hearing before a judge, before being deported.” We’ve been following the story of Génesis at @thebarbedwire.com — glad @theguardian.com reported this. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Deadly shooting in Minneapolis could lead to partial government shutdown over ICE funding, writes @fischler.bsky.social for @statesnewsroom.com

‘Harm against our family’: Alaska’s Indigenous leaders call for solidarity with Greenlanders amid Trump’s threats, writes Max Graham for Northern Journal in this article republished by the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/26/a...

Planned oil drilling project in Alaska will be unaffected by rig’s fall, ConocoPhillips says, writes @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/26/p...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski doubled down on the need for congressional oversight of ICE two days after federal agents killed a 37-year-old nurse during a raid in Minneapolis.

A massive oil rig that toppled onto the tundra on the North Slope on Friday remained too unstable for responders to get close as of this morning, according to state officials.