Anchorage voters will soon decide a hugely consequential mayor’s race.  Unlike the last mayoral election, the city is no longer in the middle of a pandemic, but Anchorage is still dealing with significant challenges.  After three tumultuous years, incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson faces nine opponents who promise to lead the city in very different ways. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to Daily News reporters Emily Goodykoontz and Zachariah Hughes about what they’re paying attention to ahead of election day. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News ..read more

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy made good on his threat last week, vetoing a $200 million education bill that had passed the Legislature on a bipartisan vote. This week — amid immense pressure on all sides — lawmakers fell one vote short of overriding that veto. Now the future of state education funding for Alaska schools this year is murky, at best.  In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to reporters Iris Samuels and Sean Maguire to discuss what happened, and the coming political fallout. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today. This episode of ADN Po ..read more

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy this week threatened to veto a hard-fought bill to increase funding for Alaska’s public schools, unless the Legislature agrees to back some of his own education priorities. Now, lawmakers in Juneau and school districts across the state are scrambling to sort out what to do next. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to reporters Sean Maguire and Iris Samuels to discuss what is and isn’t in the bill, and what might happen next. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today. This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffe ..read more

A recent cold snap in Southcentral Alaska raised the profile of a looming problem for the region: Natural gas from Cook Inlet powers a big chunk of Alaska, including Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and the Mat-Su – but energy companies say that gas won’t be available for much longer. How is that possible, in a state that has enormous gas reserves? And what does that mean for future energy bills? Anchorage Daily News reporter Alex DeMarban has been covering this issue, and speaks with host Elizabeth Harball to answer these and other burning questions.  For more local and state news, subscri ..read more

The New Year has arrived, bringing with it an election year and the next Alaska legislative session. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to Daily News reporters Iris Samuels and Sean Maguire about the top storylines they are tracking in 2024 — from continued battles over education funding and ranked choice voting to notable people and issues on the ballot in November. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today. This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee ..read more

Part of a little-known state agency is near collapse, and it’s not clear what will happen to the vulnerable people it serves. Daily News reporter Iris Samuels recently dug into issues at Alaska’s Office of Public Advocacy. Facing severe staffing issues, it turned to a private nonprofit to help it provide guardianship services for over 100 people. But that nonprofit ran into issues of its own, leaving the Alaskans it served at risk of going into debt, losing public benefits, or becoming homeless. Host Elizabeth Harball talks to Samuels about what happened to the Office of Public Advocacy, and w ..read more

In 2018 and then in 2020, two women were found dead on the same property in the Northwest Alaska community of Kotzebue. The women were 25-year-old Jennifer Kirk and 30-year-old Susanna, or “Sue Sue,” Norton. They both had been in relationships with sons of Kotzebue’s now-former mayor, who owns the property where they were found.  Kirk’s death was declared a suicide, and Norton’s, a homicide. No charges have ever been filed in connection to the deaths. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball speaks with Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reporter Kyle Hopkins, who spent years looking into ..read more

As Western Alaska communities face a shocking decline in the salmon runs they depend on, fishing operations called factory trawlers are drawing more scrutiny than ever before — the vessels are not going after salmon, but they can still scoop some up in their nets. With support from the Pulitzer Center, the Daily News recently published a two-part series diving into factory trawling in the Bering Sea, the industry’s impact on Alaska’s salmon runs, and Community Development Quota groups, which have become powerful players in fishery politics. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to long ..read more

Anyone who has tried to buy or rent a home in Anchorage recently has been faced with the realities of the city’s housing crisis. Costs have shot up, while at the same time, there isn’t a lot of inventory to choose from. The issue has wide-ranging implications for the city, impacting everything from attracting and retaining workers to efforts to address homelessness. Host Elizabeth Harball talks to Anna Brawley, an Anchorage Assembly member with a background in city planning, about efforts to address the city’s housing crisis, and challenges that are coming up along the way. For more local and ..read more

A top official in Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration resigned this month after being accused of breaking election laws. It’s a complicated saga that has unfolded over months – an investigation into the mayor’s IT director involving a challenge to this year’s city election results.  In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball speaks with ADN reporter Emily Goodykoontz, who broke the news about the allegations in May. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today. This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee ..read more