Alaska

Prevention pays off: Wellness programs help states care for an aging population

There are ways to stave off the health and financial challenges that come with an older population, experts say.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

A carbon offset project that’s actually working

Visiting Alaska is an emissions-heavy prospect. An innovative program has tourists ease that by helping buy heat pumps for locals.

  • By Taylor Kate Brown, Grist

States With the Most Fentanyl Overdose Deaths

Fentanyl overdose deaths are rapidly increasing in the U.S., more than doubling in the past two years in 30 states, according to a new report.

  • By Andre Claudio

Top States for Businesses

Virginia ranks as the top state for businesses while Alaska ranks as the worst based on 10 categories, including the cost of doing business and a high-quality workforce, according to a recent report.

  • By Andre Claudio

States With the Most and Least Cybercrime

Alaska has the highest amount of cyber fraud per person every year while West Virginia has the least, according to a recent report.

  • By Andre Claudio

With New Tourism Campaign, Alaska Pleads ‘Don’t Forget About Us’

Alaska launched a national campaign to attract tourists back, offering free vaccinations at that state’s major airports as an incentive.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Oil-Friendly States Fight Back Against Sustainable Investment Trend

New bills would force states to stop investing in companies that use sustainable strategies.

  • By Erika Bolstad, Stateline

Alaska Becomes First State to End Restrictions on Vaccine Eligibility

The governor's office said shots of the Covid-19 vaccine will now be available to all residents age 16 and older.

  • By Bill Lucia

These States Found the Secret to Covid-19 Vaccination Success

A few states with smaller populations have fared better than others delivering the vaccine to their residents.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Alaska Requires DNA Be Collected From People Arrested for Violent Crimes. Many Police Have Ignored That.

By failing to collect DNA samples when they arrest people as the law requires, Alaskan law enforcement left the state’s DNA database with crucial gaps, allowing at least one serial rapist to go undetected.

  • By Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica

Roadkill Moose Fed Alaska Families for Years. Then Came COVID-19.

Salvaged roadkill is a free source of protein.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros, Stateline

A Look At Ballot Initiatives: Voters Reject Ranked Choice Voting, Colorado Creates Family Leave and a New Minimum Wage in Florida

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | There were 120 statewide ballot initiatives for voters to consider this year.

  • By Laura Maggi
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

Uber and Lyft Won't Suspend California Service, as Court Grants Reprieve in Labor Law Case

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Los Angeles shuts off utilities at “party house” … New Jersey women in prison can pursue lawsuit over abuse … Alaska tribe sues over fishing rights.

  • By Emma Coleman and Bill Lucia

‘Double Whammy’: Oil Crash Adds to Virus Budget Woes in Some States

Alaska is dealing with some especially tough financial issues. In Louisiana, one lawmaker says: "It's just kind of the perfect storm with the coronavirus and the collapse of oil and gas."

  • By Bill Lucia

Remote Alaska Villages Isolate Themselves Further in Effort to Shield Against Coronavirus

Alaskan communities that are accessible only by plane or snowmobile are cutting off the outside world in response to COVID-19 rather than risk elders’ lives.

  • By Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica

Coronavirus and Tourism: Places like Alaska Without a Covid-19 Outbreak Could Still Be Devastated

As a result of government warnings and general fears, tourism and travel are expected to plunge in the coming weeks and months, particularly on cruise ships.

  • By Kevin Berry and Mouhcine Guettabi , The Conversation

The Census Already Started in Alaska. Native Translators Are Working to Prevent Undercount Repeat

Across the country, tribal and non-English speaking communities are creating guidance and messages in a variety of languages to encourage Census 2020 participation.

  • By Andrea Noble

Alaska Still Hasn’t Saved Its Universities

The governor agreed to halve his proposed budget cuts. But the school system still stands to lose $70 million.

  • By Adam Harris, The Atlantic

Alaska’s Search for Solutions to a Rapidly Changing Reality

COMMENTARY | Climate change poses current threats to the state’s biggest city. The mayor says residents are ready to come up with solutions.

  • By Ethan Berkowitz

Why Hundreds of Puffins Washed Up Dead on an Alaskan Beach

This latest mass-mortality event is another sign of the Arctic’s rapidly changing climate.

  • By Ed Yong, The Atlantic

With ‘Arctic Man’ Ruling, Supreme Court Limits Certain Retaliatory Arrest Lawsuits

The free speech case involves a man arrested at a festival in Alaska. "It’s significant because it narrows the scope of what individuals can sue the police for," says one legal expert.

  • By Bill Lucia