Justice
Both sides of Alaska homeschool case want programs in place, disagree over how it should happen
The administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and plaintiffs in a court case whose outcome struck down key components of Alaska’s homeschool programs have different ideas for how to get families who use those programs through the next year. Earlier this month, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled that the law allowing the state to […]
Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters
A fast-emerging field of climate research is helping scientists pinpoint just how many dollars from a natural disaster can be tied to the historic emissions of individual oil companies — analysis that is the centerpiece of new state efforts to make fossil fuel companies pay billions for floods, wildfires and heat waves. When a flood […]
Alaska House seeks to ban social media for kids, limit access to internet pornography
Late Wednesday night, the Alaska House of Representatives advanced toward a final vote on a proposal that would ban children younger than 14 from using social media and require all Alaskans to verify their age before viewing pornography online. House Bill 254, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, originally contained just the porn age requirement, […]
Alaska Senate plans fast action on correspondence problem, but House is ‘fundamentally divided’
As the Alaska Senate prepared on Wednesday to launch a legislative blitz intended to quickly fix a looming problem with the state’s remote education programs, the Alaska House of Representatives signaled that it is so split that it may need more than a year to act on the topic. House lawmakers spent more than three […]
Alaska House panel removes proposal to raise the state’s age of sexual consent to 18
The Alaska House’s Rules Committee has eliminated, at least temporarily, a plan to raise the state’s age of sexual consent to 18. Members of the House said on Tuesday that they expect to revote on the idea before the legislative session ends. Meeting on Monday, members of the committee voted unanimously to remove the section […]
U.S. Supreme Court appears to lean toward Oregon city in complex homelessness case
WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S Supreme Court justices Monday seemed inclined to side with an Oregon town’s law that bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, in a case that could have broad implications for local ordinances related to homelessness across the country. During oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, conservative […]
Lawmakers to wait on Alaska Supreme Court as families reel in wake of correspondence ruling
Over the last 26 years, Penelope Gold has used the state’s correspondence school program to homeschool six of her seven children. Most have graduated, but her youngest daughter is in fifth grade. For all that time, Gold said she has gotten cash from the state to round out her kids’ education with things like sports, […]
Alaska House members propose constitutional amendment to allow public money for private schools
After a court ruling that overturned a key part of Alaska’s education correspondence programs, members of the state Legislature have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow public money to go to private and religious schools. House Joint Resolution 28 is scheduled for hearings Wednesday and Friday next week in the House Judiciary Committee. If […]
Alaska appeals Kuskokwim River fisheries lawsuit that pitted AFN against state officials
The state of Alaska is appealing its defeat in a lawsuit brought by the federal government over control of salmon fisheries on the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska. In a notice published Tuesday with the U.S. District Court for Alaska, the Alaska Department of Law said it was appealing Judge Sharon Gleason’s decision to the […]
Supreme Court to consider outlawing sleeping outside even if no inside space is available
On April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could radically change how cities respond to the growing problem of homelessness. It also could significantly worsen the nation’s racial justice gap. City of Grants Pass v. Johnson began when a small city in Oregon with just one homeless shelter began enforcing a […]
Alaska correspondence students to ‘finish out the year’ while officials grapple with ruling
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is advising state school districts to continue business as usual after a legal decision struck down the core of the state’s correspondence school programs. “I will be sending out a letter today to all school districts with some direction,” said Deena Bishop, the agency’s commissioner, on Monday […]
Lawmakers weigh whether to reduce or acknowledge rights of growing Alaska homeless population
TJ Beers stood across the street from the Capitol in a navy suit and held a sign that caught the late afternoon sun on Tuesday. It was printed on a large piece of cardboard, reminiscent of what an unhoused person may sleep on, and said: “A record 51+ homeless residents died on Anchorage streets in […]