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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Senate has approved a spending proposal that would cut education funding, reject pay raises for public employees and otherwise make deeper agency cuts than the House. The vote Friday evening was 16-4 and followed hours of debate. Notice of reconsideration was given, meaning the bill can be voted on again before heading back to the House. If the House does not agree with the Senate version an expected outcome the budget will go to a conference committee, where House and Senate negotiators will work to hash out d...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has come out against the proposed Pebble Mine, calling the massive gold-and-copper project “the wrong mine in the wrong place for Alaska.’’ In a statement released by his office Monday, Begich said he has long supported Alaska’s mining industry and believes continued efforts must be made to support resource-development industries that help keep Alaska’s economy strong. But he said “years of scientific study (have) proven the proposed Pebble Mine cannot be developed safely in the Bristol Bay watersh...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — School officials in Petersburg want clarification on a decades-old law their attorney reads as leaving districts responsible for the cost of school entrance physicals, an interpretation that could have financial implications for school districts statewide. The issue was raised by parents, prompting Petersburg school officials to seek an attorney’s opinion. “He said, Yep, they’re right,’’ superintendent Robert Thomason said. School officials believe they must follow the law but they also contend the law needs to be updat...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ A broker established to help sign Alaskans up for health insurance under the federal health care law is suspending enrollments until problems with the online marketplace are fixed. Enroll Alaska’s chief operating officer, Tyann Boling, said Monday that the subsidy calculations for Alaskans are not correct and the concerns have been sent to the regional U.S. Health and Human Services director. Boling did not know when the issue would be resolved. “But as a company that provides a service to Alaskans, I’m not going to have...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service plans to take a portion of the timber payments it has promised or paid out to 22 states, citing federal budget cuts. Collection letters from Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell went out to governors around the country Monday, saying money would be taken from funds used for habitat improvement and other national forest-related projects that put people to work under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. Oregon stands to lose the most in the move, with nearly $4 million in...
