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Murkowski condemns Noem and ICE actions: ‘I think it is probably time for her to step down’

By: Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Nashville press conference on July 18, 2025, to discuss arrests of immigrants during recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Alaska’s senior Senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, told reporters on Tuesday that Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem should “probably” step down. Murkowski is one of a handful of Senate Republicans calling for further investigation into the killing of U.S. citizens by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement personnel and ICE conduct in Minneapolis.

She is the second Republican in the U.S. Senate, after Thom Tillis of North Carolina, to call for Noem’s resignation.

“She has, through her words — and I think in her actions — she’s taken a direction that has not been helpful to the situation, and I don’t think that it helps the country,” Murkowski said.

“Accountability goes all the way to the top, and I think you have a secretary right now that needs to be accountable to the chaos and in some of the tragedy that we have seen,” she added.

Her comments come after a massive surge of federal agents has been operating in Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Their actions include an unknown number of arrests and two fatal shootings in three weeks, prompting widespread protests. 

Murkowski voted to confirm Noem’s appointment last January. Noem faces mounting bipartisan criticism after House Democrats co-sponsored articles of impeachment against her.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich III did not immediately respond to questions about Noem’s leadership from the Alaska Beacon on Tuesday.

Murkowski has not supported calls from a faction of progressive Democrats in Congress to defund the agency. She voted in support of the Republican-drafted budget package earlier this year that sent almost $85 billion to the agency, giving it a larger budget than the U.S. Marine Corps.

“You’ve got all these cries to say, ‘We can’t give another penny to ICE.’ Well, the fact of the matter is ICE has the resources that they will need. What it comes down to is: What are they doing with the money? And that’s where it comes to the management, that’s when it comes to who is controlling it, that’s when it comes to who is ultimately in charge and accountable,” she said.

Congressional response to ICE action in Minneapolis

Alaska’s congressional delegation is split in its response to the ICE action and the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend. 

In a Sunday statement, Murkowski called for a “comprehensive, independent investigation” of the killing, which she said is necessary to build back public trust. Her statement called on Congressional committees to fulfill their oversight duties in hearings. 

“ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties,” she said in the statement.

“The tragedy and chaos the country is witnessing in Minneapolis is shocking,” Murkowski’s statement said, and added that the killing of another U.S. citizen “should raise serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of immigration-enforcement training and the instructions officers are given on carrying out their mission.”

Sullivan’s office is closely monitoring reports out of Minneapolis following the fatal shooting,  according to a statement through spokesperson Devyn Shea. Sullivan stopped short of calling for an independent investigation of ICE actions. 

“He believes we should gather all the facts and investigate the incident before drawing conclusions — to ensure accountability, restore public trust, and prevent future confrontations that result in loss of life,” his spokesperson wrote.

“Senator Sullivan strongly supports our law enforcement and their ability to do their jobs. He also believes that any loss of life is tragic and hopes that the temperature in Minnesota on both sides can be lowered and that the situation between protestors and law enforcement deescalates and the violence dissipates,” the statement said.

Silver Prout, a spokesperson for Begich’s office, said he will not speculate, but “allow facts to be established through appropriate investigative processes.”

“Congressman Begich supports law enforcement’s ability to carry out their duties safely and without interference from agitators,” Prout wrote on Tuesday. “This includes a responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in the commission of those duties.”

Prout said Begich supports “appropriate” Congressional oversight of federal law enforcement and that safe communities are a top priority of Begich’s.

“If anything, recent events have underscored the need for additional funding to ensure law enforcement has the tools, personnel, and training needed to complete their job,” she wrote.

Congressional candidates speak out

Some congressional candidates have issued statements in response to the violence and unrest in Minneapolis. Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat challenging Sullivan, called for an independent investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, as well as increased Congressional oversight for ICE and funding for local law enforcement in Alaska.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our communities,” she wrote on social media on Monday.

“What’s happening right now in the Lower 48 does nothing to make us safer here in Alaska. In Alaska, we respect the rule of law and lawfully carrying a firearm never justifies deadly force by federal agents,” the post said.

On Monday, the campaign of Democratic candidate Matt Schultz, who is challenging Rep. Begich for Alaska’s sole House seat, called on Congress to respond to the killings of U.S. citizens by ICE.

The statement urged that ICE be withdrawn from Minnesota and for its personnel to be better trained. It accused the Trump administration of deploying them “as a cudgel for settling petty partisan grudges.” 

“I’m troubled by the silence and inaction of too many of our leaders here in Alaska,” the statement said, specifically attacking Begich and another candidate, independent Bill Hill. “It is time to speak up and show up for our fellow Americans, immigrants, and the Bill of Rights.”

Hill gave a statement on social media on Monday, saying that Americans should be able to exercise their 1st and 2nd Amendment rights without “being killed by their government.”

“Our congressman needs to stand up and fight for an independent investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti. Until that happens, ICE should get the hell out of Minneapolis,” the statement said.

Corinne Smith and James Brooks contributed reporting to this story. This story has been updated.

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Juneau Man arrested after firing rifle from residence

According to the proposed ordinance, when an officer-involved shooting occurs that causes death or serious injury to an officer or someone else, Juneau Police Department would release body-worn camera footage no later than 30 days after the incident. (Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau website)

NOTN- Juneau police arrested a 22-year-old man Monday night after reports that a rifle had been fired from a home on Radcliffe Road.

Police say officers were called to the 2100 block of Radcliffe Road, where a caller reported their roommate, Ethan Hagh, had fired a single round from an AR-15-style rifle out of a window.

The caller and other occupants were able to safely leave the residence but were unsure where Hagh had gone at the time of the report.

Officers searched the area for several hours, using drones and a public address system in an attempt to locate Hagh.

Those efforts were initially unsuccessful.

Just before 7:30 p.m., officers encountered Hagh walking back toward the residence. He was detained without incident. Police later found an AR-15-style rifle inside the home and a pistol on Hagh’s person.

No injuries were reported.

Hagh was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center and charged with one count of second-degree misconduct involving weapons and two counts of third-degree assault related to domestic violence and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the statement released by JPD.

He was arraigned today and released.

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Alaska governor debuts fiscal plan, including statewide sales tax and guaranteed PFD

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

 Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed a 4% statewide summer sales tax, effective through 2034, as part of his plan to bring Alaska’s state revenue and expenses in line for the long term.

If adopted, the sales tax would be Alaska’s first statewide, general-purpose levy since state legislators abolished Alaska’s income tax in 1980.

Alongside the tax bill, the governor has proposed a tighter state spending cap and a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a Permanent Fund dividend lower than scheduled by current law but above what legislators have approved in recent years.

“This comprehensive plan is designed to bridge the next seven years by stabilizing state finances, limiting spending growth, restoring a rules-based PFD, and sharing responsibility through targeted, time-limited revenue measures that support investment and predictability,” the governor wrote in a letter to state lawmakers.

Since 2015, persistently low oil prices and plateaued oil production from the North Slope have dogged state lawmakers who have struggled to balance Alaska’s need for services with the desire to pay large Permanent Fund dividends.

While most of Alaska’s general-purpose state revenue comes from the Alaska Permanent Fund, oil remains the No. 2 source of flexible spending money for the state, leaving the annual budget process subject to the vagaries of global markets.

The governor’s plan resembles one drafted by a bipartisan, bicameral legislative working group in 2021 and 2022. That plan and others like it have never significantly advanced in the Legislature.

Senate Bill 227, containing the bulk of the governor’s plan, was introduced on Monday and referred to the Senate Finance Committee for further discussion. An identical version will be introduced in the House on Wednesday.

The most fiscally consequential item in the bill is the sales tax, which would peak during the summer tourist season and drop to 2% between October and March.

That tax is expected to raise as much as $815 million per year for state services and the Permanent Fund dividend by Fiscal Year 2032. 

Dunleavy’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 — fiscal year 2027 — is about $7.75 billion and has a deficit of almost $1.5 billion.

The Dunleavy administration expects that revenue from oil production and a proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline will compensate for the phaseout of all the taxes in the long term.

Under SB 227, the state’s corporate income tax would fall to zero in 2031; the sales tax wouldn’t expire until 2034, leaving individual Alaskans paying higher tax rates than corporations for a period.

“Normally, sales tax is left to local governments. So I know it was a hot issue in Anchorage when the Mayor proposed that, so I think it is going to hit a lot of households,” said Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, applauded Dunleavy on Monday for putting forward a fiscal proposal, even if he disagrees with some of the components.

“The governor’s putting out a bill. I commend him for that. He’s putting out, you know, he’s throwing out ideas. I give him credit for that,” he said.

Wielechowski and other legislators said they want to fully analyze what the governor is proposing before opining on it. 

“There are a lot of parts to this bill, and the No. 1 thing for me — without a complete analysis — is it’s really unclear on how this is going to affect hard-working Alaskans,” said House Minority Leader DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer. “It is my No. 1 priority to make sure everyday Alaskans aren’t on the losing end of this.”

The Alaska Municipal League, which represents local governments across Alaska, is particularly interested in the governor’s proposal.

The League has previously said it would prefer a statewide income tax to a sales tax.

In almost every part of Alaska, except for Anchorage, sales taxes are a pillar of services. 

Many cities and boroughs exempt certain things, like food and utilities. Under the Dunleavy proposal, the state would be in charge of collecting sales taxes and would remit money to cities and boroughs.

Local exemptions and sales tax caps could vanish in the process, with the state instead determining what is taxed and not. 

“This is a 56-page bill that we are still going through. Sales tax is a major component of that, but sales tax shouldn’t be thought about independently from the other components,” said Nils Andreassen, director of the league.

In addition to the sales tax, SB 227 temporarily raises the state’s minimum oil tax, adds a surcharge of 15 cents per barrel of oil produced on the North Slope and adds part of the corporate sales tax update that Dunleavy vetoed last year.

Andreassen noted that regardless of its source, tax revenue flows into the state’s general fund for any number of uses.

“All taxes are connected at some level,” he said. 

The governor’s plan for the Permanent Fund dividend, enclosed in a constitutional amendment proposal separate to SB 227, is similar to one he proposed in 2021. 

Currently, the state’s No. 1 source of general-purpose revenue is an annual transfer from the Permanent Fund to the state treasury. In FY27, that transfer will be worth $4 billion.

The “50-50 dividend” proposed by the governor would reserve half of that transfer for dividends, or about $2 billion, if it were in place this year.

That amounts to roughly $3,200 per PFD recipient, based on the number of recipients in 2025.

Under a current, disused formula in place since the 1980s, the dividend would be about $3,800 per recipient.

That formula hasn’t been used since 2015, and lawmakers have instead set the amount by fiat, typically using a figure that can be paid with available revenue after services are covered. 

Legislators can ignore formulas in state law because the state’s annual budget bill is a law, and when one law conflicts with another, the newer law takes precedence.

Putting a dividend formula in the constitution would bind future governors and legislatures, and put the dividend atop the annual budgetary priority list, alongside education and other constitutionally mandated functions.

Adopting a constitutional amendment requires two-thirds of the House, two-thirds of the Senate, and approval by voters in the next general election. 

Alaskans have not adopted an amendment since 2004, and the Legislature hasn’t put one before voters since 2016. 

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City leaders discuss changes to Eaglecrest board at meeting Monday night

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Committee of the Whole, Monday Jan. 26

NOTN- The major topic discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting last night was proposed changes to governance at Eaglecrest Ski Area, which has struggled for years with operational instability and deferred maintenance.

Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon said she introduced an ordinance that would shift the Eaglecrest board from an empowered governing body to an advisory role under a newly established City and Borough of Juneau Eaglecrest Recreation Area Department. The change would give the city more direct oversight over operations and capital investments.

“My ultimate goal is to try to save Eaglecrest. If anybody knows my history, both my kids grew up in Eaglecrest. In fact, my youngest son continued ski racing in college.” She said, “Eaglecrest is a great place to learn how to ski, but they have struggled with operational instability and management challenges for many years. So this tells me there’s a structural problem.”

She emphasized that the proposal is not a reflection on the current board, but rather an effort to ensure the ski area’s long-term survival.

“Currently, the board that we have is a very strong board, but despite having more year-round staff than ever before, Eaglecrest has still struggled with basic ski operations, amplified by long-term neglect of equipment and deferred maintenance.” Said Weldon, “And I think in order for Eaglecrest to survive, it needs a little shake-up, and the only shake-up we can really do is to have more city oversight.”

Without additional city control, Weldon warned, major repairs may not be financially feasible.

A joint meeting is scheduled for early March between the city’s Committee of the Whole and the Eaglecrest board to address these proposals and gather further input.

“We’re going to have a joint meeting where we’ll sit and talk to the Eagle Crest board, and then I think a couple weeks later, it’ll be back in front of the Committee of the Whole and we can decide what we change.” Said Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, “I’ve heard a lot about it. It shows how much people care about Eaglecrest.”

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‘Our government is out of control,’ Alaska legislator says, calling for end to state aid for ICE

By: Corinne Smith and James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

U.S. Army Soldiers with the 11th Airborne Division, load Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft in preparation for deployment into the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center’s 25-02 training exercise, Fairbanks, Alaska, Jan. 23, 2025. (U.S. Army Photo by Master Sgt. Justin P. Morelli)

A Democratic state lawmaker from Anchorage loudly denounced the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s surge in Minnesota while speaking on the Alaska House floor on Friday.

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, is a military veteran and co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Armed Services Committee. 

“The facts are that our government is out of control. Norms have been broken at an alarming rate, and the world is watching us in shock,” he said.

Gray’s remarks were met by loud desk-thumping — a form of applause — and came on a day when thousands of Minnesotans marched in subzero weather and held a general strike to show their opposition to ICE efforts in their state.

Tensions are particularly high after several shootings by federal officers, including one in which an officer killed a mother of three.

The remarks came one day before federal agents fatally shot another Minneapolis resident on Saturday, prompting nationwide protests throughout the weekend. 

On Friday, Gray questioned Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to provide National Guard administrative support for ICE in Alaska and President Donald Trump’s threatened use of regular U.S. Army troops in Minnesota. 

Up to 1,500 active-duty troops of the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based in Anchorage, have been ordered to stand by for possible deployment to Minneapolis — Minnesota’s largest city — according to National Public Radio. 

Gray and Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks and the other co-chair of the Joint Armed Services Committee, have sent letters to Alaska’s congressional delegation and Brig. Gen. John P. Cogbill, commander of the 11th Airborne.

In those letters, Gray and Kawasaki say they are receiving “enquiries … from the Alaskan people” and pose a series of questions.

How long will the 11th Airborne be in Minnesota? How does a deployment fit in the division’s mission to defend the United States against foreign threats? Could soldiers be detaining suspected undocumented people? Would the 11th Airborne fight the Minnesota National Guard if Gov. Tim Walz activates it to defend protesters?

“Fifteen hundred active-duty soldiers may be sent from Alaska to Minnesota to protect ICE agents as they continue their efforts to arrest and detain suspected undocumented immigrants,” Gray said, “But who really needs the protection? Is it the ICE agents, or is it the folks who are terrified to leave their homes, to go to work, to pick their kids up from school or to actually show up at their immigration appointments?”

While Gray’s comments appeared to have the support of many legislators in the chamber — judging by the desk-pounding applause — there was at least one dissenting voice.

Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, is a veteran, the spouse of a veteran, and a Latina, she said, explaining that she had also sent a letter to Gen. Cogbill, but her letter was to remind him that he is not legally obligated to answer the Legislature’s questions or testify in the Capitol.

Allard said she has been deployed overseas with the military and with the U.S. State Department.

“I experienced things when I worked for the US State Department, of women being abused, hit — watched them get their teeth knocked in, where I had to stand by and couldn’t do anything,” she said.

“We have a lot going on in our country, dividing, saying we’re this or we’re that. We’re all Americans, but it doesn’t mean that it’s okay to have riots across our country. If the military and the federal government and the Department of War and the 11th Airborne Division decide that it’s best to go to Minnesota, that’s what we need to do,” she said.

Allard’s comments were met by quieter but noticeable desk-pounding, with the loudest coming from Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake.

He said afterward that he thinks Gray incorrectly described some aspects of ICE’s work in Minnesota. For example, Gray said ICE detained a five-year-old in Minnesota.

“There’s a little bit more to the story, McCabe said.

“We shouldn’t be messing around in another branch of the government in their bailiwick,” he said. “The worst people in Alaska to manage the National Guard is probably the state Legislature.”

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Planned oil drilling project in Alaska will be unaffected by rig’s fall, ConocoPhillips says

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Rig 26 is seen in a photo distributed by the state of Alaska on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, two days after it fell onto its side while being transported on the North Slope. (Doyon Drilling photo/Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation)

A winter oil-drilling campaign planned by ConocoPhillips will proceed without interruption despite the dramatic wreck of an oil rig over the weekend.

Doyon 26, claimed to be the largest mobile oil drilling rig in the United States, toppled over while being transported along a gravel road on the North Slope on Friday afternoon. A video of the crash shows a small fire erupting as the structure tumbles onto the nearby tundra.

Eight people were treated for minor injuries, according to a Sunday report from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and up to 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel may have spilled.

The environmental effects of that spill, if any, are still being determined by that agency.

The rig, nicknamed “the Beast,” is owned by Doyon Drilling Inc. and was one of two that ConocoPhillips intended to use in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, located west of Prudhoe Bay, this winter.

ConocoPhillips is developing the vast Willow project in the reserve and intended to use both Doyon 26 and another rig as part of its winter development work, said Brandi Sellepack, manager of the company’s exploration program, in a court affidavit published Monday morning. Most new construction on the North Slope occurs during winter, when the ground is frozen and can be traversed with less harm to the environment.

The oil company’s drilling program has been legally challenged in court by several environmental and local groups, and its attorneys included details of the incident in a notice to the judge hearing that challenge.

“After assessing the impact of the unfortunate loss of Doyon 26, ConocoPhillips’s current plan is to proceed with the full four-well exploration drilling program utilizing a substitute drilling rig, Doyon 142, which is capable of completing all of the planned drilling scope that Doyon 26 was scheduled to complete,” Sellepack said in the affidavit. “As the drilling program proceeds, ConocoPhillips will evaluate whether aspects of the program must be shortened based on this change of plans, such as, for example, the extent of datagathering from the wells and the length of any production testing. This change of plans will not increase the scope of any aspects of the drilling program.”

The company said an underground seismic surveying program — intended to reveal the scope of oil pockets in the area — was unaffected by the rig’s accident and will proceed on schedule.

Development of Willow is seen as critical for the state treasury, according to current forecasts. Oil produced from the project will result in billions of dollars in tax revenue for the state treasury, local governments, and the U.S. government. 

At the same time, the project will have some effect on the local and global environment, both through construction and emissions that contribute to climate change.

Those side effects have been the topic of extended lawsuits, including one currently active in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.

In its notice to the court, ConocoPhillips said it believes Friday’s accident is unrelated to the arguments raised in that case.

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Juneau for Democracy held peaceful vigil in solidarity with anti-ICE protests across the country

NOTN- Juneau for Democracy and the ReSisters held a peaceful pop-up protest in Juneau yesterday evening in solidarity with nationwide demonstrations which are being held due to recent federal immigration enforcement actions.

Juneau for Democracy invited residents to gather at The Whale for what the group called a candlelight vigil, to show support for people protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across the country.

The event is part of a wave of protests that have followed several shootings and lethal confrontations with ICE agents, particularly in Minneapolis. 

Protestors sang “This Little Light of Mine” in the lightly falling snow, posting on their social media to bring songs, poems, love and determination to share.

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New lawsuit claims Alaska’s description of a proposed elections ballot measure is biased

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

A summary sheet is seen during ballot review on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, at the headquarters of the Alaska Division of Elections in Juneau. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Supporters of Alaska’s election system filed a lawsuit against the Alaska Division of Elections on Thursday, alleging that the state’s description of a roll-back-the-clock ballot measure is biased and inaccurate. 

The state has defended its language, with a spokesperson calling it “accurate, neutral, and consistent with prior initiatives.”

This fall, voters will be asked with Ballot Measure 2 if they want to return Alaska’s election system to what it was in 2020. The state’s description would be printed on ballots alongside the measure. 

Until 2020, political parties determined who could vote and run in primary elections, voters were required to pick just one candidate in the general election, and people could donate secretly to nonprofits that could then pass money to candidates.

In November 2020, Alaskans approved Ballot Measure 2, which put all political candidates for an office into the same primary election. The top four advance to a general election that uses ranked choice voting. Nonprofits that donate to political candidates are required to disclose their donors.

In 2024, an effort to repeal the primary and general election changes failed by 737 votes out of 320,985 cast statewide.

The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit are AFL-CIO president Joelle Hall, state Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, and former Juneau city council member Barbara Blake. All three are represented by attorney Scott Kendall, the prime author of the 2020 ballot measure that installed the current elections system.

The suit was organized by the Alaskans for Better Elections Foundation, Kendall said. Alaskans for Better Elections supported the 2020 measure and has opposed prior efforts to repeal it. 

“I think (Alaskans) should know that the ballot language that has been offered by the Division of Directions is materially inaccurate, and in some cases, says the measure does the opposite of what it does, and it omits very significant changes the measure will make,” Kendall said by phone on Thursday.

In particular, the suit objects to the state’s claim that the ballot measure would restore or “bring back” campaign finance rules.

“The proposed measure (24ESEG) would not ‘restore,’ ‘bring back,’ or add even a single

campaign finance rule to Alaska’s statutes,” the suit states. “Rather, 24ESEG would fully repeal a litany of campaign finance disclosure requirements, and eliminate enhanced fines.”

A key part of the 2020 ballot measure and existing state law is the requirement that nonprofit groups disclose their financial supporters if those nonprofits contribute money to election candidates. 

A prior effort to repeal the 2020 ballot measure would have left the disclosure requirement in place. The new repeal effort would eliminate the dark-money disclosure law, concealing donations.

A section-by-section analysis published by the Alaska Department of Law in February 2025 concluded that this year’s measure would “reverse several changes to campaign finance disclosure requirements.”

“It repeals a ton of very, very popular campaign finance disclosure provisions, and yet, the ballot language proposes to say it restores them,” Kendall said.

The lawsuit also asserts that the state’s approved language downplays the way that political parties would be permitted to determine who may vote in primary elections.

Independent candidates would not appear on primary election ballots unless one or more political parties allow them. Independent voters would not be allowed to vote in a primary unless permitted by political parties.

Before 2020, both the Republican and Democratic parties in Alaska allowed some independent voters to participate in their primaries.

“Granting major political parties in Alaska the power to disenfranchise voters for primary elections is neither mentioned, nor even implied, in the proposed ballot language,” the lawsuit states. 

The Alaska Division of Elections is being legally defended by the Alaska Department of Law, which has not been formally served with the lawsuit but has a copy of the complaint. 

“We have been in the midst of ongoing discussions with plaintiffs’ counsel, who was urging the adoption of ballot language that would have departed from the legal standard requiring accuracy and neutrality,” said Sam Curtis, a spokesperson for the Department of Law. 

“We have not yet been served with the complaint and will review it when we are. The ballot language at issue is accurate, neutral, and consistent with prior initiatives. The alternative language advanced by the plaintiffs would be confusing and inject advocacy where the law requires impartial description. We are confident the courts will uphold the State’s language.”

The plaintiffs challenging the state have diverse political perspectives: Hall is a registered Democrat, Giessel is a Republican, and Blake is a registered nonpartisan. All three have opposed prior repeal efforts and are opposing this year’s as well.

Giessel said she wants Alaskans to know what they’re voting on.

“People tell me that they’ve signed initiatives, particularly this year — and other years previously as well — and then they find out that actually what they were told they were signing was misrepresented to them. So I want them to know exactly what’s in this,” she said.

Hall is an experienced campaigner.

“People need to know what they’re being asked to vote on, as clear as possible. Because some people will walk into that booth and read that word for word,” she said. “They will not have made up their mind ahead of time. So it just needs to be really clear.”

What do you think?

Below are the two versions of the proposed language on Ballot Measure 2. Which do you think is clearer and more accurate?

First, the state-written language:

An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries, Single-Choice General Elections, and Campaign Finance Rules

This act would get rid of open primary elections and ranked-choice general elections. It would bring back political party primaries and single-choice general elections. It would also bring back campaign finance rules.

Elections will occur as they did before open primaries and ranked choice voting. In the primary election, voters will choose a party’s ballot. They will vote for one candidate in each race and the winning candidate will be the party’s nominee. In the general election, voters will select one candidate in each race. The candidate with the most votes will win. Party petitions, special runoff elections, and other parts of the prior election system would return.

Campaign finance rules would also return to the way they were in the prior election system. This act would remove the limits on donations to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor. It would remove limits and disclosure rules under current law, including for digital ads, out-of-state donations, undisclosed donations, and the true source of donations. It would remove some fines and change the meaning of a campaign expenditure.

Second, the language proposed in the lawsuit:

An Act Restoring Political Party Primaries and Single-Choice General Elections, and Repealing Certain Campaign Disclosure Requirements and Fines

This Act would get rid of open primary elections, where all candidates appear on one ballot. It would get rid of ranked-choice general elections. It would replace them with political party primaries and single-choice general elections. This Act would also repeal certain campaign finance disclosure requirements and get rid of or reduce some fines for violations.

In the primary election, voters would choose one party’s ballot and vote only for candidates from that party. Political parties would be given the power to prohibit voters who are not registered members of their party, including Nonpartisan and Undeclared voters, from voting in their primaries. The winning candidate from each primary would be the party’s nominee. In the General Election, voters would vote for only one candidate. The candidate receiving the most votes would win, whether or not that candidate has a majority of the votes cast for the race.

This Act would end the ban on dark money by getting rid of the requirement that independent expenditure groups report the true sources of their contributions. It would also get rid of the requirement that such groups, when they are funded mostly by out of state money, disclose that fact in their ads.

Finally, it would get rid of or reduce the fines for some campaign finance violations.

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In final legislative address, Dunleavy highlights past successes and future of oil and gas projects

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Gov. Mike Dunleavy shakes hands with Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, R-Fairbanks, as he exits the House chambers after his State of the State address on Jan. 23, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivered his eighth and final State of the State address on Thursday to a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature, touting the accomplishments of his term and promising continued momentum, particularly for large-scale resource development.

“Even though it’s my last year, there is no slowing down,” he said, and promised to work with legislators to advance policies in the spirit of Alaska’s independence and resilience.

In a nearly 80 minute speech, Dunleavy gave wide-ranging remarks on his administration’s initiatives over the last seven years, from reducing crime to improving reading scores. He touched on economic and workforce development, as well as the advancement of mining, oil and gas projects, like the proposed Alaska LNG gas pipeline project from the North Slope to Cook Inlet. 

On Thursday, Dunleavy shared only a few details on a promised new state fiscal plan to help balance declining state oil revenues and pay for his proposed $7.75 billion draft budget this year. He said he plans to introduce a fiscal package in the next week, as well as bills focused on job training, child care and affordable housing. 

Dunleavy did not mention a seasonal sales tax proposal, as promised in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. 

Lawmakers with the House and Senate majorities expressed interest and some skepticism about his new fiscal plan after the speech, and concern around the lack of details for potential new tax proposals as the session gets underway.

“Honestly, that’s a tremendous amount of things he said he wants us to get through, so we have to do things properly and slowly and rightly and correctly,” said Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak. “And everything does take more time than you think, but we’re willing to work with the governor, and anxious to see what the specifics are of his fiscal plan.”  

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, said he is not optimistic for a fiscal plan this year.

“This is the eighth year that the governor has put a budget in front of the legislature with an over billion dollar deficit,” he said. “Yet to be contrasted this session with a fiscal plan that is going to be very controversial that none of us have seen yet.”

Dunleavy began the speech by applauding the state’s disaster relief efforts, most recently the response this fall in the devastating aftermath of ex-Typhoon Halong in Western Alaska. He noted the state has experienced 85 state and federal disaster declarations during his term, an average of one per month.

“We can’t control natural disasters. But we can control how we respond,” Dunleavy said. “I couldn’t be prouder of how we’ve responded to these events thanks to the brave men and women that I have the honor to serve as Governor.”

Dunleavy thanked the Trump administration throughout the speech, particularly for its focus on boosting Alaska resource development, which was outlined in the president’s executive order that promised to develop the state’s resources “to the fullest extent possible.” 

He praised the Trump administration for re-opening offshore drilling and federal lands in the Arctic for oil and gas development, as well as for the millions promised for health care through the Rural Health Transformation Program. 

“Alaska is benefitting greatly thanks to President Trump, and his administration. We need to do all we can to work with our federal partners over the next three years,” he said. “We may never get this opportunity again.”

Television cameras capture Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State speech on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Dunleavy touted dropping crime rates and a declining unemployment rate, citing a growing economy and state population. 

“I know there’s a feeling that things can be better, and of course they can, but our economy has been getting stronger and stronger every year of my administration,” he said.

Dunleavy said his administration will continue to work on reducing crime, in part by focusing on a new partnership with the municipality of Anchorage to combat crime there. 

“Public safety has been my No. 1 priority and it will continue to be so until the end of my term,” he said.  

Support of the proposed AK LNG pipeline featured prominently in his speech, though the financing and budget ask from the legislature remains uncertain. Dunleavy applauded the gas line developer, Glenfarne, a private energy developer that owns 75% of the project while the state of Alaska owns a 25% share.

Glenfarne Group CEO and founder Brendan Duval and Alaska LNG President Adam Prestidge stand while Gov. Mike Dunleavy recognizes their work in his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Glenfarne executives were in the House chamber as Dunleavy praised the company’s most recent announcement: that they had signed new gas sales and contractor agreements and are headed into final investment negotiations to begin construction.

“This will be the single most transformative project in Alaska since the Trans-Alaska Pipeline,” he said.

While education was a major priority of the governor and legislature last year, Dunleavy only briefly touched on the topic. He said he would like to see legislators take action on bills he’s already introduced to expand charter schools, create open enrollment, address teacher retention and expand tribal compacting, which would allow schools to be run by local Alaska Native tribes. 

Lawmakers react to the governor’s state of the state address

Republican lawmakers praised the speech and its scope. 

“I thought it was a great address,” said Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, who was especially excited about movement towards a new gas pipeline. “He tried to cover everything that he possibly could, you know, still holding that optimism of getting things done that we need to get done.

“It was good to hear his overall enthusiasm going into his last year,” said House Minority Leader Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Anchorage. “We do need to evaluate our revenue and our expenses and to really take a good look and be good stewards going forward. So I’m interested in seeing what he will promote.”

Members of the House and Senate majority caucuses echoed the interest in more details on the AK LNG pipeline proposal.

“I come from a district where people are not opposed to resource development, but we’re definitely skeptical,” said Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks. “We want to be practical, and we want to be critical, not to the point of stopping projects, but to the point of just understanding and having fair and reasonable oversight on projects.”

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, answers press questions following Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2025, while Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, and Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, look on. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Others, like Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, were more skeptical about the project. “Do they have gas purchase agreements? Not that we’re aware. Do they have gas sales agreements? Not that we’re aware. Do they have financing for the project? Not that we’re aware,” he said. “So they’re talking a lot about the project, and it feels like progress, but do they have any firm commitments on any of those things? Not that I’m aware.”

“We applaud his efforts. We all want a gas line. We’re all excited that we’re as close as we are,” Edgmon said. “But there are other sorts of existential issues that we’re not dealing with here in the legislature.” 

The speech failed to address fisheries for the second year in a row. Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, praised the governor’s optimism, especially around other resources, but noted the fisheries omission on Thursday. 

“It is one of our largest employers in the state, and they’re still having significant problems after the turn down a couple years ago. So we’ll continue to have discussions with the administration and see what help we can put forward for the industry guys,” he said.

Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, said most of his constituents would like to see an improvement in the level or quality of state services. “The governor did a good job of highlighting some of the achievements from his administration, but I think in many cases, he missed the mark on the reality felt on the ground,” he said. 

“With closing small businesses, we have a summer construction season that’s not funded — for the first time in state history. We have to address that,” said Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage. “We have a stressed fishing industry. So just a big difference between a sort of a glossy speech and the much more challenging reality on the ground that we have to address.”

But Dunleavy noted in his speech that he’s still got some time to get work done — and he’s not running down the clock.

“Contrary to what you may have heard, my time is not up until noon on December 7th, 2026,” he said. “And our time here together in this last regular session isn’t up until midnight on May 20th.”

Claire Stremple contributed to this story.

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Alaska Legislature fails to override Dunleavy’s veto of a tax bill intended to help education

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate watch as the final vote on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 113 is displayed on the voting board in the House on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Republicans in the Alaska Legislature voted down a new funding source for public school programs Thursday as they sustained Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 113.

The vote on overriding the governor was 35-25, 10 votes short of the 45 needed for an override. All of the “no” votes came from Republicans in the House and Senate minority caucuses. Those voting no included some legislators, such as Sen. Rob Yundt, R-Wasilla, who had strongly supported the bill last year.

If SB 113 had been enacted, the bill would have shifted some corporate income tax payments from other states to Alaska. 

The result was expected to be between $25 million and $65 million per year in new revenue for the state treasury, and the bill called for much of that money to go to programs that help young children learn how to read and to career-technical education programs that teach Alaskans non-college trades. 

Dunleavy vetoed the bill last fall, saying he was unwilling to approve any tax measure that was not part of a comprehensive, long-term plan intended to balance state revenue and expenses.

Under the Alaska Constitution, the veto needed to be taken up during the first five days of the regular session if lawmakers wanted to override it.

This article will be updated.

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