Category: Alaska News

State lawmakers raised concerns in a series of legislative hearings while they considered the confirmation of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s attorney general designee Stephen Cox. At issue were controversial legal actions Cox took in his first eight months in office.

Cox is an attorney and has served in various roles in federal law enforcement, including as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas and other roles in the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, as well as in private industry in Texas and Alaska, according to his resume. Cox is a member of the Federalist Society, a national conservative and libertarian legal organization. Prior to being appointed, he worked as legal counsel for Bristol Bay Industrial, LLC, a holding company and investment subsidiary of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, since 2021. 

Dunleavy appointed Cox to the Attorney General’s office in August, after Treg Taylor resigned to run for governor. Cox appeared before lawmakers in Senate and House confirmation committees ahead of a joint session to vote on his appointment next week. 

While in Alaska’s top legal post, Cox has taken several controversial actions lawmakers questioned. He defended handing over Alaska’s private voter information at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has prompted a lawsuit by civil rights groups. Cox and the Alaska Department of Law also joined over 110 amicus briefs, or “friends of the court briefs” on a wide variety of federal and state cases, including U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Some lawmakers raised concerns that Cox has taken legal positions with amicus briefs that were highly politicized, aligned with the Trump administration and in some cases contrary to Alaska law and unrelated to Alaskans interests.

That included joining Alaska in cases opposing birthright citizenship, supporting a Christian baker declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, and supporting the most recent case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional maps cannot be drawn based on race — a decision critics say effectively limits the Voting Rights Act.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, asked why Cox had signed Alaska on to challenge birthright citizenship, which the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to decide in June. Stevens became emotional, saying it was a fundamental value to provide refuge to people fleeing war and poverty, or seeking better opportunities — like his own ancestors who escaped the Irish famine. 

“It just baffles me. How can you or your department or anyone in the administration argue against birthright citizenship? It’s in our Constitution. It’s a moral issue,” Stevens said.

Cox said he believes that birthright citizenship should not be granted for children of those visiting or temporarily in the United States, but only for those who intend to stay. 

“My view of the Constitution under the 14th Amendment is that it is not simply birth on the territory, that you also have to be not subject to the foreign jurisdiction, and that there has to be some kind of allegiance,” Cox replied.

“But I also recognize, like everything, I could be wrong,” he added. “But again, we will hear what the US Supreme Court decides on that issue.” 

Lawmakers in the Senate Judiciary and State Affairs Committees pressed Cox on his reason for signing on to cases that they said would be contrary to Alaskan’s interests.

Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, asked if Cox would sign on to cases challenging abortion rights in another state, while Alaska’s Constitution protects the right to abortion within the right to privacy. 

“What is your perspective with respect to filing amicus briefs and requests for amicus briefs regarding the right to abortion, that the courts have found is specifically protected in Alaska?” Claman asked.

After several minutes of back and forth, Cox finally said he would have to consider the specific case and consult with the governor.

“I would look hard at the law. I would consult the experts within the Department of Law. I would get their expertise. If I felt that the state of Alaska did not have an interest, I wouldn’t bring it,” he said. “If I thought that there was an interest in that the state of Alaska did have, notwithstanding what the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled in in its prior cases, I would have a conversation with the governor.”

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, questioned Cox on why he didn’t oppose a lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court that would require mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day, which would be a challenge for many rural Alaska precincts. Alaska law currently allows ballots to be received within 10 days, or 15 days if mailed overseas.

“Why didn’t you stand up for Alaska and say to the court: this is a bad law for Alaska. We want you to strike this down. We want you to say no to this,” Wielechowski said. 

Cox defended the decision to submit an amicus brief declaring no support for either party as a “strategic choice.” 

“I actually like briefs in support of neither party that are very fact-based. And I think, and again, I realize people might disagree, but I think sometimes they get noticed the most, but that was a strategic choice,” he said.

Lawmakers also questioned the time and resources expended by the Alaska Department of Law on amicus briefs, versus prosecutions and law enforcement in Alaska. “Why would we spend that money when we have this crisis on domestic violence and sexual assault, when that money is better spent on prosecution in state?” Claman asked. 

Cox defended the initiative, and the creation of a new Alaska State Solicitor General role focused on multistate litigation in October. He said his goal in office is to pursue more amicus briefs. 

“Going forward, I’d like Alaska to take more of a leadership role, offering more of our own briefs, and shaping the arguments directly, as opposed to just being a joiner,” he told lawmakers.  

Senators question Cox on sharing confidential voter information

Several senators questioned Cox on his role in the Dunleavy’s administration’s decision to share confidential voter information at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice last year. Critics and plaintiffs in new lawsuit against the state say the sharing of voter information — including full name, birth dates and partial social security numbers — was a violation of voters’ privacy. The state also signed an agreement to remove voters the DOJ flags as ineligible.

Cox said he believed the request was lawful, and noted the federal government had threatened to sue. 

“One, was there a statute that authorized disclosure of confidential information? There was, for lawful government purposes,” Cox said. “And two, we took the posture of cooperation. Alaska has a long standing history of cooperating with the U.S. Department (of Justice) Civil Rights Division.”

“And I will be candid with you,” he added. “I have a disposition of cooperating with law enforcement.”

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, pressed Cox on the decision to share the voter information, which he and other lawmakers stressed is protected by Alaska’s Constitution.

“The state also has a constitutional right of privacy. It’s one of the, I think, bedrocks and one of the most important things I think some people recognize in the state constitution,” Kawasaki said. “Why was that not your first thought, is that Alaska has got a constitutional right to privacy. Let’s take a pause before we do anything more that the Department of Justice has requested?”

Cox defended the decision as lawful: “I will concede I am learning about the right to privacy. And the Legislature has far better expertise on the right to privacy,” Cox said. “And the law department’s position is that that statute is a valid statute and that it is not unconstitutional.”

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Kenai, also questioned the purpose of sharing Alaska’s voter information, which Cox defended as under “lawful government purpose” in the agreement. But Bjorkman raised doubts that the reasons the federal government may deem voters to be ineligible is clear. 

“If we are releasing the data for a lawful purpose, but we can’t positively identify what the purpose is, and then judge that according to whether or not it is indeed lawful,” Bjorkman said. “I have a concern about that.”

Cox outlines AG office priorities

Cox told lawmakers that while in the Attorney General’s office his priorities include a new “quality of life” initiative working with the municipality of Anchorage to prosecute retail theft and public disorder infractions. 

“We’ve cross-designated prosecutors so that state and municipal attorneys can use each other’s authorities. We’re looking at civil tools like abatement actions to go after drug houses or even using data from retailers to identify patterns and repeat offenders,” he said.

Cox said prosecuting violent crime like domestic violence and sexual assault is always the No. 1 priority of the office, and added he’s focused on resource development and consumer protection as well. 

“Alaska has some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country, and I think we can be enforcing them more aggressively,” he said. 

“At bottom, this job is about the rule of law, what the law requires, how it is applied and how we exercise the state’s power within those limits. I’ve spent much of my career in law enforcement settings where the stakes are real. Decisions affect liberty, public safety and public trust. That experience shapes how I approach this office,” he said.

Cox is scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. A joint session on state appointments was scheduled for May 7 but was postponed and likely will be set for early next week. 

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Juneau’s Goldbelt Tram is scheduled to remain closed until May 24 following an accident last Thursday when one of the two passenger cars docked at the base station at an accelerated rate of speed, injuring employees in the car, Goldbelt Inc. announced Monday.

The closure is to “investigate the issue and take any necessary corrective measures to ensure the safety of our guests and employees,” the Juneau-based Alaska Native corporation stated in a post on its Facebook page.

“The Tram is in the process of refunding all pre-paid tickets for visits scheduled during the closure period that were purchased through our website. If you purchased tickets through a third party, such as a cruise line, please contact that vendor directly for refund assistance.”

The accident occurred at about 9 p.m. last Thursday when five employees were taking one of the cars down from the mountain. Two were taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital after the impact at the base, where they were treated and released.

Damage occurred at both the top and bottom stations, due to both cars operating in tandem when the incident occurred.

Goldbelt has not specified the reason for the accident.

This story was originally published by the Juneau Independent.

The post Goldbelt Tram to remain closed at least until May 24 after accident last week that injured employees appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

After two southeast Alaska Republicans reversed themselves, the Alaska Legislature on Monday failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of an elections bill intended to take effect this year.

Forty votes were needed to override the veto. Monday’s vote was 38-22, with Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, providing the critical votes to sustain the veto. Both previously voted to pass Senate Bill 64 and send it to the governor.

Each said after Monday’s vote that they did not believe state officials would be able to implement the bill in time for this year’s elections.

As written, SB 64 contained a swath of changes to state law that were intended to make it easier for Alaskans to vote and to improve the security of state elections.

Among the proposed modifications: Free postage for absentee ballots, a new system for absentee voters to track their ballots through the counting process, a 10-day period for absentee voters to fix problems that disqualified their ballots, updated procedures for auditing the state’s voter list to remove ineligible people, a requirement that the financial backers of ballot measures disclose their identities and a special liaison intended to fix widespread voting problems in rural Alaska.

Dunleavy vetoed the bill on Thursday. In his veto message to the Legislature, he wrote, “the Division of Elections warns such changes would be extremely difficult if not impossible, to implement securely and reliably in advance of the 2026 elections.”

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, supported the bill and the override. Speaking ahead of the vote, he said that in 2022, during a special election held after the death of Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, the state was able to implement a ballot-tracking system within six weeks.

“I’m not prepared to tell Alaskans, ‘Sorry, it’ll have to wait another year. It’s just too hard,’” Wielechowski said.

But Bynum said afterward that he was swayed by statements from the Division of Elections, which said it was uncertain about its ability to implement the system so quickly this year.

“I can’t speak to what they may or may not have done in 2022. I can only speak to what the Division of Elections is telling me today. And what they told me is that this timeline is too aggressive for them to effectively put this in the law,” he said.

Bynum said another factor in his vote was the use of tribal IDs by voters at the polls. SB 64 would have mandated the state to accept their use as voter ID. Bynum said that until the past week, he was unaware that tribal IDs could already be used as a matter of policy.

Bynum said the vote was a difficult one for him and that if the bill had taken effect Jan. 1, he would have voted for it.

Stedman was one of the last legislators to vote, and his opposition was significantly less important because Bynum’s decision had already sustained the veto.

“I think they need more time to implement it. That was it, pretty much. I think there’s a lot of good work in this bill and a lot of positive things, but it just needs a little more time,” he said while walking away from Monday’s joint session.

In March, the House voted 23-16 on March 23 to pass the bill. Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, was excused absent from that vote but later expressed her support. Two days later, the Senate voted 16-4 to approve the House’s changes and send the bill to Dunleavy.

The veto of SB 64 was Dunleavy’s 10th in the two-year 34th Alaska State Legislature. While prior governors have vetoed more bills during a single Legislature, this Legislature has passed relatively few bills, and Dunleavy has vetoed bills at a higher rate than any previous governor.

Legislators overrode two of Dunleavy’s 10 vetoes. Two others, in addition to SB 64, saw override votes fail. The remaining five were never brought up for an override vote despite opportunities to do so.

The veto means a sixth consecutive year will pass without a significant update to the state’s election system. Bipartisan bills failed in 2022, 2024 and now 2026.

This year’s bill appeared to have the most likelihood of success — it was endorsed by Reps. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, and Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, two of the most politically conservative members of the state House, and it had support from House and Senate progressives.

The Alaska Federation of Natives issued a statement urging legislators to support an override, as did other groups.

But many Republicans opposed the changes because they wanted a more rigorous cull of the state’s voter list and oppose easier access to absentee voting.

Ahead of the final vote, Republican writer Suzanne Downing lambasted the bill, as did other socially conservative commentators.

Vance, speaking Monday to the Legislature, said she received “threats” and “bullying” because of her support of the bill and an override. 

After the vote, she said “there has been slander and an all-out assault to discredit and, frankly, lie to the people about what this bill does.” 

Asked whether she was referring to Downing and her website, which has published a series of articles against the bill, she said, “Very clearly — intentionally misleading the people about what’s actually in the bill, what it does, and claiming that I’m no longer a conservative.”

One of the articles was from Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, who urged Dunleavy to veto the bill and on Monday asked legislators to sustain the governor’s decision.

Speaking on the floor, she said rural voters in her district need more than 10 days to fix problems that might have disqualified their absentee ballot.

Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, represents Schwanke’s district and another Fairbanks-area House district. He was in favor of the override.

“If I lose an election because a little old lady in Arctic Village had to cure her ballot and have that one ballot cost me my election, so be it,” he said. “Aren’t we here to make sure every vote counts?”

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With the Alaska Department of Fish and Game poised to start culling bears in a program to boost the population of a depleted caribou herd, critics have asked a state judge to block the program before the shooting begins.

The Alaska Wildlife Alliance is seeking an injunction to prevent the department from resuming a controversial predator control program in 40,000 square miles of state land east of the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and west of Katmai National Park and Preserve. The territory is used by the Mulchatna Caribou Herd. 

The alliance maintains that the predator control program the department seeks to pursue is no better than the program found unconstitutional last year by two state Superior Court judges, Andrew Guidi and Christina Rankin.

The Department of Fish and Game, however, argues that the constitutional violations the judges identified have been addressed and that the program is too important to Western Alaska subsistence hunters to delay. The department says it must remove bears from the area to give the Mulchatna herd a better chance to recover — and that the removal needs to happen soon, this spring, when the caribou are giving birth to calves that might be vulnerable to bear predation.

The parties were in court on Friday arguing their cases before a third Superior Court judge considering the matter, Adolf Zeman.

“The board has reinstated the exact same predator control program that was struck down by the court as unconstitutional for failure to consider bear population data,” Michelle Sinnott, the attorney representing the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, told Zeman at the hearing.

The only new information that the department has provided concerns caribou, information that is irrelevant to the question of whether bears are adequately protected, Sinnott said.

Kimberly Del Frate, the state attorney arguing on behalf of Fish and Game, told Zeman the bear-culling program, as designed by the department, will not harm the overall bear population.

“The bear removal itself is narrow and targeted,” and therefore does not threaten the sustained yield of the bear population, she said.

Further, an emphasis on Mulchatna herd health over bear numbers is justified, Del Frate argued. Past state Supreme Court rulings and state legislation shows that the concept of “sustained yield,” which is in the Alaska constitution and expresses the principle of managing natural resources for long-term health, is meant to be flexible, she said.

“It expressly allows for preferences among beneficial uses, such as a preference for prey species as a food source over other uses of predator species,” she said.

Zeman, at the conclusion of Friday’s hearing, promised a speedy decision.

“I understand that we’re time-sensitive here, so I will issue a decision here as soon as I can,” he said.

The bear-culling is planned for this month, when the caribou begin giving birth to their calves, said Patty Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Game. There is not a firm start date, she said.

“Typically, we would start looking for signs of calving in the Mulchatna (area) during the first couple weeks of May. Exact timing varies from year to year depending on how and where calving is occurring. It’s fairly dynamic,” she said by email.

Critics of the program say it threatens populations of bears that use habitat in Katmai National Park and Preserve, among other sites.

The program was initially authorized by the Alaska Board of Game in 2022, and it started in 2023. From 2023 to 2025, the program killed 186 brown bears, five black bears and 20 wolves. Of that total, 11 brown bears were killed last spring, days after Rankin’s May 7, 2025, ruling that found the program legally void. The judge responded by issuing a restraining order against the department.

Both Guidi and Rankin had found that the Mulhatna predator control program, as approved by the Board of Game and carried out by the Department of Fish and Game, violated the constitution’s sustained yield provision by failing to assess population impacts on bears, as well as provisions requiring adequate public notice and participation.

The Board last July approved a revived Mulchatna predator control program; board members said it addressed issues raised by the earlier court rulings.

The Mulchatna herd population peaked at about 200,000 animals in the 1990s but is now down to about 15,000 animals, according to the Department of Fish and Game. Hunting was closed in 2021. The department’s goal is to bring the numbers up to between 30,000 and 80,000 animals, a population size that would support resumed hunting.

The department argues that predator control done to date has already helped the herd. But critics argue that the herd’s population has now stabilized and that factors other than bear predation — including habitat change, disease and past overhunting — are more likely causes of the population decline.

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State lawmakers raised concerns in a series of legislative hearings while they considered the confirmation of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s attorney general designee Stephen Cox. At issue were controversial legal actions Cox took in his first eight months in office.

Cox is an attorney and has served in various roles in federal law enforcement, including as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas and other roles in the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, as well as in private industry in Texas and Alaska, according to his resume. Cox is a member of the Federalist Society, a national conservative and libertarian legal organization. Prior to being appointed, he worked as legal counsel for Bristol Bay Industrial, LLC, a holding company and investment subsidiary of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, since 2021. 

Dunleavy appointed Cox to the Attorney General’s office in August, after Treg Taylor resigned to run for governor. Cox appeared before lawmakers in Senate and House confirmation committees ahead of a joint session to vote on his appointment next week. 

While in Alaska’s top legal post, Cox has taken several controversial actions lawmakers questioned. He defended handing over Alaska’s private voter information at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has prompted a lawsuit by civil rights groups. Cox and the Alaska Department of Law also joined over 110 amicus briefs, or “friends of the court briefs” on a wide variety of federal and state cases, including U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Some lawmakers raised concerns that Cox has taken legal positions with amicus briefs that were highly politicized, aligned with the Trump administration and in some cases contrary to Alaska law and unrelated to Alaskans interests.

That included joining Alaska in cases opposing birthright citizenship, supporting a Christian baker declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, and supporting the most recent case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional maps cannot be drawn based on race — a decision critics say effectively limits the Voting Rights Act.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, asked why Cox had signed Alaska on to challenge birthright citizenship, which the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to decide in June. Stevens became emotional, saying it was a fundamental value to provide refuge to people fleeing war and poverty, or seeking better opportunities — like his own ancestors who escaped the Irish famine. 

“It just baffles me. How can you or your department or anyone in the administration argue against birthright citizenship? It’s in our Constitution. It’s a moral issue,” Stevens said.

Cox said he believes that birthright citizenship should not be granted for children of those visiting or temporarily in the United States, but only for those who intend to stay. 

“My view of the Constitution under the 14th Amendment is that it is not simply birth on the territory, that you also have to be not subject to the foreign jurisdiction, and that there has to be some kind of allegiance,” Cox replied.

“But I also recognize, like everything, I could be wrong,” he added. “But again, we will hear what the US Supreme Court decides on that issue.” 

Lawmakers in the Senate Judiciary and State Affairs Committees pressed Cox on his reason for signing on to cases that they said would be contrary to Alaskan’s interests.

Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, asked if Cox would sign on to cases challenging abortion rights in another state, while Alaska’s Constitution protects the right to abortion within the right to privacy. 

“What is your perspective with respect to filing amicus briefs and requests for amicus briefs regarding the right to abortion, that the courts have found is specifically protected in Alaska?” Claman asked.

After several minutes of back and forth, Cox finally said he would have to consider the specific case and consult with the governor.

“I would look hard at the law. I would consult the experts within the Department of Law. I would get their expertise. If I felt that the state of Alaska did not have an interest, I wouldn’t bring it,” he said. “If I thought that there was an interest in that the state of Alaska did have, notwithstanding what the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled in in its prior cases, I would have a conversation with the governor.”

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, questioned Cox on why he didn’t oppose a lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court that would require mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day, which would be a challenge for many rural Alaska precincts. Alaska law currently allows ballots to be received within 10 days, or 15 days if mailed overseas.

“Why didn’t you stand up for Alaska and say to the court: this is a bad law for Alaska. We want you to strike this down. We want you to say no to this,” Wielechowski said. 

Cox defended the decision to submit an amicus brief declaring no support for either party as a “strategic choice.” 

“I actually like briefs in support of neither party that are very fact-based. And I think, and again, I realize people might disagree, but I think sometimes they get noticed the most, but that was a strategic choice,” he said.

Lawmakers also questioned the time and resources expended by the Alaska Department of Law on amicus briefs, versus prosecutions and law enforcement in Alaska. “Why would we spend that money when we have this crisis on domestic violence and sexual assault, when that money is better spent on prosecution in state?” Claman asked. 

Cox defended the initiative, and the creation of a new Alaska State Solicitor General role focused on multistate litigation in October. He said his goal in office is to pursue more amicus briefs. 

“Going forward, I’d like Alaska to take more of a leadership role, offering more of our own briefs, and shaping the arguments directly, as opposed to just being a joiner,” he told lawmakers.  

Senators question Cox on sharing confidential voter information

Several senators questioned Cox on his role in the Dunleavy’s administration’s decision to share confidential voter information at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice last year. Critics and plaintiffs in new lawsuit against the state say the sharing of voter information — including full name, birth dates and partial social security numbers — was a violation of voters’ privacy. The state also signed an agreement to remove voters the DOJ flags as ineligible.

Cox said he believed the request was lawful, and noted the federal government had threatened to sue. 

“One, was there a statute that authorized disclosure of confidential information? There was, for lawful government purposes,” Cox said. “And two, we took the posture of cooperation. Alaska has a long standing history of cooperating with the U.S. Department (of Justice) Civil Rights Division.”

“And I will be candid with you,” he added. “I have a disposition of cooperating with law enforcement.”

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, pressed Cox on the decision to share the voter information, which he and other lawmakers stressed is protected by Alaska’s Constitution.

“The state also has a constitutional right of privacy. It’s one of the, I think, bedrocks and one of the most important things I think some people recognize in the state constitution,” Kawasaki said. “Why was that not your first thought, is that Alaska has got a constitutional right to privacy. Let’s take a pause before we do anything more that the Department of Justice has requested?”

Cox defended the decision as lawful: “I will concede I am learning about the right to privacy. And the Legislature has far better expertise on the right to privacy,” Cox said. “And the law department’s position is that that statute is a valid statute and that it is not unconstitutional.”

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Kenai, also questioned the purpose of sharing Alaska’s voter information, which Cox defended as under “lawful government purpose” in the agreement. But Bjorkman raised doubts that the reasons the federal government may deem voters to be ineligible is clear. 

“If we are releasing the data for a lawful purpose, but we can’t positively identify what the purpose is, and then judge that according to whether or not it is indeed lawful,” Bjorkman said. “I have a concern about that.”

Cox outlines AG office priorities

Cox told lawmakers that while in the Attorney General’s office his priorities include a new “quality of life” initiative working with the municipality of Anchorage to prosecute retail theft and public disorder infractions. 

“We’ve cross-designated prosecutors so that state and municipal attorneys can use each other’s authorities. We’re looking at civil tools like abatement actions to go after drug houses or even using data from retailers to identify patterns and repeat offenders,” he said.

Cox said prosecuting violent crime like domestic violence and sexual assault is always the No. 1 priority of the office, and added he’s focused on resource development and consumer protection as well. 

“Alaska has some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country, and I think we can be enforcing them more aggressively,” he said. 

“At bottom, this job is about the rule of law, what the law requires, how it is applied and how we exercise the state’s power within those limits. I’ve spent much of my career in law enforcement settings where the stakes are real. Decisions affect liberty, public safety and public trust. That experience shapes how I approach this office,” he said.

Cox is scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. A joint session on state appointments was scheduled for May 7 but was postponed and likely will be set for early next week. 

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The Alaska House advanced a bill Thursday that would regulate commercial self-driving vehicles. 

Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks and the bill’s sponsor, said Thursday that while autonomous cars may function well in other states like California, Alaska’s weather and road conditions can change quickly and autonomous vehicles may not function the same way.

HB 217 says that self-driving vehicles may be used for commercial purposes if the vehicle weighs 10,000 pounds or less and is designed to transport no more than 16 people. A qualified driver, called a “human safety operator” in the bill, must be physically present in the car with the ability to intervene if needed. 

“By requiring a qualified human safety operator to be present, the bill ensures that a qualified driver would potentially be able to intervene if there was a technological malfunction that occurred. It ultimately keeps all road users safe and helps to preserve jobs in Alaska in this industry,” Carrick said.

The bill does not apply to electrically powered personal delivery devices that operate on sidewalks, transport personal property, weigh less than 120 pounds and have a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour.

Patrick FitzGerald, political coordinator for Teamsters Local 959, a union representing employees in over 80 trades, asked legislators to support the bill, writing that the regulation of autonomous vehicles will protect the safety of drivers on the road and Alaskan jobs. He added that a human safety operator will add an additional layer of safety for commercial vehicles.

The bill received opposition from Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association and TechNet.

Rose Feliciano, director of TechNet, an advocacy group for the technology industry, wrote in a letter to legislators that the bill could limit “the use of safe, proven AV technology on Alaska’s roads” and prevent autonomous vehicles from operating in Alaska. Feliciano stated that autonomous vehicles will increase the safety and efficiency of freight movement, create new jobs, alleviate supply chain challenges and supplement the truck driver workforce.

Chief Executive Officer of Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association Jeff Farrah agreed with Feliciano, writing that autonomous vehicles support road safety, create new jobs and bring economic and environmental benefits to Alaska. 

“AVs will usher in a new era of mobility that will make Alaska’s transportation system safer and more efficient. We strongly believe Alaska should support safety-enhancing policies without foreclosing a future with AVs,” he said.

The Division of Motor Vehicles did not anticipate a fiscal impact.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday afternoon.

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Samantha (Sami) Mallon married Martin Duncan in Shelton, Washington on April 20 with close family and friends in attendance, including Mallon’s mother Martina Larsen. Their officiant was Lex Schillinger. Dakotah Kindle and former Haines resident Austin Woodard were groomsmen. The bridesmaids were Lisa Hosley and Makayla Jessie. The newlyweds will be enjoying their honeymoon on the beaches of Oregon before returning to Haines in early May, by way of a legendary road trip on the Alcan with their dog Diesel. 

Warren G. Price walked into the forest 22 years ago but left instructions for his children about what to do on his 100th birthday on April 17, 2026. They were to travel to the Price property where his bench is located, smoke cigarettes, have a shot of whiskey and talk about memories of Dad. All eight of his remaining children did just that. Nadine Price said some may have used candy cigarettes and mocktails but a good time was had by all. 

Robin Beaudry’s  2001 Subaru went silent as she drove toward town and through the construction zone on Friday, right before the car burst into flames. Moments earlier Beaudry was waved through the traffic by flagger Helena Muench. Muench was just ending her flagging shift and ended up driving a fire truck that responded to the incident, according to Beaudry. The fire was unfortunately not in cellphone range, making a call to the fire department a bit more challenging. In the end,  the car-b-que was extinguished by the water truck working the construction zone. 

The Haines Chamber of Commerce Community Clean-up collected a heap of trash. Executive director Amanda Brandon made a scavenger hunt for trash collectors, adding a little bit of a thrill.  A vape pen and a shoe were the only items not found on the scavenger hunt. The biggest, most awkward item dropped off was a canoe. Tessa Tersteeg and Rhylen Tersteeg picked up trash for their second year in a row. This year they chose Lutak Road.  They collected two full bags and some larger items that could not fit in the banana-yellow bag. Sophia Armstrong and husband Reilly Kosinski were crowned 2026 queen and king of trash. The past two years Joan and Pete Degen walked away as the winners. While she was collecting trash, Armstrong found an Elks coin from 1998 that entitles her to a free drink. The next time she is in Skagway, she says she will try to claim that drink. The Armstrong family brought in multiple car-loads of trash. Their enthusiasm and dedication to community clean-up is appreciated.   

The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) held their annual bridge tournament in Haines last weekend. Thirty-three participants from Juneau, Whitehorse, Anchorage and Haines participated in the event held at the ANB/ ANS Hall.  Local participants included Dr. Stan Jones, Frank Holmes, Ann Quinlan, Joseph Orlando, Gregg Bigsby, Fred Shields, Debra Schnabel and Jim Wilson. Nearly all placed among the top three scorers in each event. The Saturday evening feast was king salmon, provided by Don Nash, and barbecue ribs prepared by Gordy and Julie Olson. The bridge tournament started with one casual warm-up and was followed by five competitive games during the weekend. Following the games, individual results were tabulated for each player. The high scorers were ranked. Canadians Jourdain Patchett and Chris Bookless tied for first. Local Jim Wilson came in second. Mark Davey from Whitehorse came in third with the Fred Shields and Roger Schnabel team tied for fourth place. 

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