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Current Topics
Ambler
District land transferred to NANA. Mining News North
The U.S. Department of
Interior July 16 announced that it has conveyed ownership of 28,000
acres of land in Alaska's Ambler Mining District to NANA Regional
Corp., the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional
corporation for Alaska's Northwest Arctic region.
'Paperwork
nightmare': Thousands wait as Alaska public assistance struggles
continue. Alaska Public Media
Thousands of Alaskans are
still caught in backlogs as they try to get government benefits
intended to help people facing disabilities and poverty. That’s
despite a yearslong effort by state officials to keep up with
paperwork. And some say the problems will only get worse with new
federal work requirements for Medicaid.
Things That I Found Interesting
Anchorage
borrow-a-dog program gets pups out of the shelter and onto trails. Alaska Public Media
McGovern is a volunteer
with Tails on Trails, a program the shelter launched this spring to
get dogs out of their kennels and into the community. The idea is
simple: give volunteers up to 48 hours of quality time with a dog,
whether that’s going running, hiking or just sitting on the couch and
watching a movie.
Essay:
A life compressed into a month. ADN
(My comment: Growing
up in Fairbanks, I met the Junco. They are my favorite bird. The
beautiful song, the humble appearance, their resiliency. I heard
their song only once in Anchorage. What a beautiful piece about these
remarkable birds!)
Arctic Issues
A
Chinese research vessel returns to Arctic waters, and Canada is
watching. CBC
The Canadian military and
possibly the coast guard appear to have been keeping tabs on a
Chinese research vessel as it returns to Arctic waters off Alaska for
the second year in a row.
Economy
U.S.
Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor implement
workforce development partnership. U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Departments of
Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) announced the implementation of a
workforce development partnership to create an integrated federal
education and workforce system. DOL will take on a greater role in
administering the adult education and family literacy programs funded
under Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
and career and technical education (CTE) programs funded by the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). The
programs will be managed alongside ED staff, with continued
leadership and oversight by ED.
Energy
France's
increase in nuclear and hydropower in 2024 led to more electricity
exports. EIA
France’s electricity exports
to Belgium and Germany increased the most, but France also exported
more electricity to Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and
Italy, according to data from the European
Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity. Within France’s electricity generation mix,
nuclear energy increased the most, followed by hydropower.
Education
Alaska
K-3 students improve in reading, state assessment shows. Alaska Beacon
At the beginning of the
2024-2025 school year, 44% of Alaska K-3 students were reading at a
nationally defined benchmark level. By the end of the year, that had
increased to 60% of students.
'Limping
along': Federal educations funding freeze cuts into ASD staffing. Alaska's News Source
The Anchorage School
District already included $14 million of the frozen grant dollars in
their budget for the upcoming school year. As a result, 34.5
full-time positions were eliminated. ASD says the majority of those
affected have been relocated to other positions, but five educators
were laid off.
Anchorage
School District lays off staff, blaming state and federal funding
cuts. Alaska
Public Media
“This is happening only
because public education in Alaska is being actively undermined by
unstable decision-making, delayed funding, and systemic negligence,”
Bryantt wrote.
Opinion:
We've done what the governor says Alaska school districts refuse to
do. Now we're at the breaking point. ADN
3
Alaska school districts join lawsuit against Trump administration
over federal education funding freeze. ADN
Politics
Dunleavy's
unconstitutional judge panel pick prompts legal challenge. Reporting from Alaska
Gov. Mike Dunleavy failed to
follow the Alaska Constitution when he tried to appoint Alaska
attorney John W. Wood, 79, to a position on the Alaska Judicial
Council reserved for non-attorneys, Alaskans
for Fair Courts says in a complaint filed in Anchorage Superior
Court.
Group
sues to halt Gov. Dunleavy's latest appointment to Alaska Judicial
Council. ADN
A citizen group is suing
Gov. Mike Dunleavy in an effort to stop the appointment of a Willow
political consultant to the Alaska Judicial Council, saying Dunleavy
ignored constitutional rules about such appointments.
Dunleavy
violated Alaska Constitution with appointment to judge-picking board,
lawsuit alleges. Alaska Beacon
Wood was picked for a
non-attorney seat on the board but is a former attorney, making him
ineligible to serve, the suit alleges. In addition, the suit says
Wood is ineligible because he held a “position of profit” with the
state when appointed in May. State records show Wood has served as a
state contractor, receiving more than $132,000 this year. The most
recent payment is listed as June 6.
Alaska
US senators split votes on cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid. Alaska Beacon
Congress
has defunded public broadcasting. Murkowski explores what's next for
Alaska stations. Alaska Public Media
House
gives final approval to Trump's $9 billion cut to public broadcasting
and foreign aid. ADN
The cuts include $1.1 billion
for public broadcasting over two years, with more than $20 million
in funding for Alaska’s 27 public radio and television
stations. The measure is known as a rescission package, because it
claws back funding that Congress had already approved earlier this
year.The overall bill includes $9 billion in cuts, with most in
foreign aid.
Alaska
Rep. Nick Begich again votes to strip funding from public
broadcasters. Alaska Beacon
Among the congressional
Republicans voting for the cut was Alaska Rep. Nick Begich III. The
216-213 vote means a proposal to cancel $9 billion in funding for
foreign aid and public broadcasting will advance to the desk of
President Donald Trump, who requested the cancellation.
Sunday
listening: Lisa Murkowski on her 'One Big Beautiful Bill' vote. Northern Journal
On
budget vote, Murkowski says she was 'hung out to dry' and stuck
between two bad options. Alaska Beacon
Alaska
governor vetoes another bill, his seventh of this year. Alaska Beacon
In posts on social media, Kiehl called the veto “a
weird move” because the bill was based on work he did with the
governor, it passed through the Capitol by a combined 59-1 vote, and
he said the governor’s office declined meetings to discuss it after
the Legislature passed the bill.
Health Care
New
Alaska law establishes quick deadlines for insurers' decisions on
medical care. Alaska Beacon
Health insurers must
provide speedier responses to prior authorization requests for
certain medical treatments and services, under a bill that went into
law on Monday without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature.
Governor
vetoes bill intended to provide emergency health care to Alaska
police dogs. Alaska Beacon
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has
vetoed a bill that would allow paramedics and other licensed
emergency responders to provide treatment to injured police and
rescue dogs. Current state law permits non-licensed people to treat
injured “operational canines,” but licensed providers are forbidden
from helping because doing so would be considered veterinary medicine
and a violation of their license.
Alaska's
$14M cut from opioid lawsuit settlements to go to rehab programs. Alaska Public Media
Alaska is set to receive up
to $12.2 million over the next 15 years after signing onto a
settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family.
State
retracts projected impacts of budget reconciliation bill on Alaska
Medicaid program, citing carve-outs. ADN
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