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The Alaska Current

@thealaskacurrent.com
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We're a nonprofit collective of Alaska journalists, creatives, and content creators providing all the news, politics, and culture that can fit in 665,400 square miles. thealaskacurrent.com

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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 10/09/2026
Dan Sullivan changes his tune on Alaska’s $5 gas now that Trump’s president Sullivan made a big scene over $5 gas under Biden back in 2022. With gas crossing the $5 mark again, he's been thanking Trump officials: "You’re doing such a great job for our state, for our country." #akelect
thealaskacurrent.com
Dan Sullivan changes his tune on Alaska’s $5 gas
Sullivan made a big scene over $5 gas under Biden, complete with an "I did that!" sticker. Under Trump, $5 gas is just an opportunity to drill, baby, drill.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 08/09/2026
Republican former Attorney General Treg Taylor is back in the race to be Alaska’s next governor despite refusing to disclose the details behind more than $1 million in rental income. GOP officials decided at the last minute that Taylor should qualify because the rules can’t be enforced. #akelect
thealaskacurrent.com
Treg Taylor’s back on the ballot for governor
The state argues that potential errors in other candidates mean they can’t enforce the rules on an intentional error by a key Dunleavy ally.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 05/09/2026
Trump’s coming to Alaska to help Sullivan beat the other Dan Sullivan The president says he'll save Dan Sullivan in the last 30 days. Peltola, voting records, and a $5.60 gallon of heating oil say it won't be that simple. #akelect
thealaskacurrent.com
Trump blames 'phony' Dan Sullivan for tight Alaska race
The president says he'll save Dan Sullivan in the last 30 days. Peltola, voting records, and a $5.60 gallon of heating oil say it won't be that simple.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 03/09/2026
Nick Begich downplays his Trumpiness, but his record says otherwise Publicly, Begich has worked to soften his image, but when it comes to votes or closed-door events, he’s all in on Trump. #akelect
thealaskacurrent.com
Nick Begich downplays Trumpiness, but record says otherwise
Publicly, Alaska US Rep. Nick Begich has worked to soften his image, but when it comes to votes or closed-door events, he’s all in on Trump.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 21/08/2026
Months after Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed campaign finance limits, Alaskans got the final word. Ballot Measure 1, putting a $2,000 cap on contributions, is passing with more than 70% of the vote from Tuesday's primary, carrying all but one of the 40 House districts. #akleg #akelect
thealaskacurrent.com
Alaskans vote to end unlimited political spending
Months after Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed campaign finance limits, Alaskans voted overwhelmingly to institute them anyway.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 13/08/2026
Alaska removed 3,048 people from its active voter rolls after a DMV data match flagged them as possible noncitizens. Elections Director Carol Beecher said “old data” contributed to the errors, including the mistaken removal of U.S. citizens. Commentary and illustration by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 08/08/2026
A third special session has begun, but lawmakers say time is running out for Gov. Mike Dunleavy to secure agreement on tax incentives aimed at advancing the Alaska LNG project.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 04/08/2026
Bycatch has emerged as one of the defining issues in Alaska's U.S. Senate race, putting candidates' records, fisheries policy and campaign contributions under a new spotlight. Commentary and illustration by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 31/07/2026
With less than a month until the Aug. 18 primary election, the coalition of 23 Democratic, independent and Republican lawmakers is calling on the state to reverse the purge that moved 3,048 voters to the inactive list. Typical purges affect around 200 voters.
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Legislators call on Alaska election officials to reverse voter purge that hit new citizens - The Alaska Current
Despite concerns about "old data," the state pushed ahead with the unprecedented purge that seems to have targeted new citizens.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 29/07/2026
According to the memo, the Division of Elections approached the DMV with a “non-routine” request to check the citizenship status of 15,200 voters.
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Alaska lawmakers demand answers on state voter purge that disqualified citizens - The Alaska Current
The purge comes as the Division of Elections is already being accused of bending or ignoring the law to favor Republicans.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 28/07/2026
A proposed Mat-Su industrial park reflects Alaska's latest economic bet: leveraging abundant land and energy to attract data centers. The proposal also opens a broader debate over electricity, land use and the future of industrial development in the state. Commentary and illustration by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 25/07/2026
OPINION: Elections in our sparse and sprawling state have never really gone over without a hitch.
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Buxton: Between voter purge and partisan ballot hijinks, what’s the Division of Elections even doing? - The Alaska Current
It's almost as if an election denier is running the show and this is all the goal.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 23/07/2026
Schultz will still appear on the Aug. 18 ballot and can formally drop out once the election is held. The general election is Nov. 3.
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Hill will get a head-to-head with Begich after Schultz’s exit, but will progressives rally? - The Alaska Current
Republicans hope the exit will fracture the anti-Begich vote.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 22/07/2026
Sitka Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will be running with a fundraising haul that’s nearly double every other candidate save for the Republican who gave his own campaign $1.25 million.
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JKT reports big haul heading into governor’s race primary - The Alaska Current
The former Sitka lawmaker’s fundraising haul shows many indicators of grassroots support in Alaska, but also includes some big-ticket Outside donors.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 15/07/2026
The deadline to register to vote in Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary election is this Sunday, and it’s set up to be one of the more consequential state primaries in recent memory.
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Here’s why you need to register to vote in Alaska’s primary - The Alaska Current
The Aug. 18 primary election may not be that exciting, but it will narrow the 17-candidate field for Alaska's next governor.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 10/07/2026
Repeal Now is the latest campaign supporting an initiative to repeal Alaska’s open primary system.
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Key backer of RCV repeal caught in Medicaid fraud crackdown - The Alaska Current
The campaign's effort to hide its billionaire backers may have backfired.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 09/07/2026
At this point, Mike Dunleavy's governing style may be defined less by the bills he signs than by the budgets he vetoes. He's becoming Alaska's veto governor. Illustration and commentary by Holly Todd
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 09/07/2026
A tax deal once considered all but inevitable is now hanging by a thread.
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Once-certain AKLNG tax cut deal unravels as legislators grapple with S-corp taxes, secret agreements and slights - The Alaska Current
Things were looking good for the subsidy before issues about corporate taxes, a secretive agreement and name-calling entered the picture.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 08/07/2026
The effort to overturn ranked-choice voting and the effort to remove Petersburg's Dan Sullivan from the ballot share an underlying premise: that Alaska voters can't be trusted to figure things out for themselves. Illustration and commentary by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 26/06/2026
COMMENTARY: Rather than relying on Alaska's own attorneys, the Division of Elections turned to a lawyer from a conservative Lower 48 firm to defend its decision to keep Dan J. Sullivan off the ballot.
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Alaska brought on a right-wing attorney to defend the decision to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot - The Alaska Current
Accused of partisan meddling in the 2026 elections, Alaska officials turned to a conspicuous choice for legal representation.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 25/06/2026
Petersburg Sullivan's case is scheduled to be heard in the Anchorage Superior Court on Thursday.
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‘You don’t need any special legal training to smell a rat.’ Legislators question Dan J. Sullivan’s removal from the ballot - The Alaska Current
Republicans suggest the case isn't at all about the qualifications for holding office but about the qualifications for running for office.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 24/06/2026
Even if Petersburg's Dan J. Sullivan were trying to confuse voters — which he denies — a new lawsuit argues that's beside the point.
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Lawsuit argues Alaska election officials can’t disqualify Dan J. Sullivan — even if he was running as decoy - The Alaska Current
The lawsuit seeking to put him back on the ballot argues the state isn't allowed to consider motive — even if there were evidence, which there isn't.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 22/06/2026
Every year, Alaskans eagerly await our summer frenzy. In this June photo essay by Emily Mesner, she spent 24 hours following the light and documenting Anchorage.
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Where We’re Anchored: June - The Alaska Current
June brings (hopefully) warm temps and (undoubtedly) a fever that is postmarked by blooms of backyard rhubarb, sunburnt faces and the promise of abundance.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 20/06/2026
Deep in the Tongass, accessible only by boat, a century-old printing press sat silent for seven years. The nearly one-ton Vandercook press at Sea Pony Farm near Pelican has been restored by the Sitka Conservation Society and is being used to connect art, conservation and community.
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Pressing Silence: Sea Pony Press - The Alaska Current
Deep in the Tongass, enshrouded by the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness, sits a behemoth.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 19/06/2026
Alaska election officials say the other Dan Sullivan wasn't really running for Senate — he was running to confuse voters. The evidence? A nickname. Commentary and illustration by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 17/06/2026
A new complaint alleges the group behind Alaska's latest ranked-choice voting repeal effort violated campaign finance laws dozens of times.
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Group behind latest effort to repeal ranked-choice voting is intentionally misleading voters, complaint alleges - The Alaska Current
Along with the usual campaign finance violations, the group is accused of attempting to hide the fact that it's primarily backed by an Outside billionaire.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 16/06/2026
The Alaska House advanced legislation to reduce taxes on the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline, with supporters arguing it could help deliver lower-cost gas to Fairbanks and Southcentral Alaska.
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AKLNG bill advances out of the House, highlighting state’s geographic divide - The Alaska Current
While some lawmakers were worried that the AKLNG project may be giving up too much for too long, the possibility of cheaper energy won many over.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 16/06/2026
The decision rests on a series of circumstantial factors rather than evidence of direct coordination with any other campaign and is likely headed for a court challenge.
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Dan Sullivan going by ‘Dan’ is just the proof the Division of Elections needed to disqualify him - The Alaska Current
There's no smoking gun, just a bunch of red yarn linking non-disqualifying issues together into a convenient narrative.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 15/06/2026
A squeaky etching press. A thousand hand-printed butterflies. A lifetime of watching the natural world. Meet Ketchikan printmaker Evon Zerbetz, the latest artist featured in the Pressing Silence series.
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Pressing Silence: Evon Zerbetz - The Alaska Current
On one end of her home studio a giant, three-dimensional steel form stands tall, adorned with butterflies of different colors, dimensions, and designs.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 15/06/2026
Chris Hill didn't grow up outdoors. Raised in the D.C. suburbs, she discovered climbing at summer camp, became a conservation leader and eventually found her way to Alaska through a love of wild places — and fly fishing. The latest in the Trail Blazers series.
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Trail Blazers: Chris Hill - The Alaska Current
Chris Hill didn't grow up outdoors. Raised in the Washington D.C. suburbs, she was an arts kid — interested in photography, crafts, and spending hot Maryland summers mostly inside.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 12/06/2026
Cross-country skiing first connected Arleigh Hitchcock to the outdoors as a kid. Years later, Alaska's mountains, glaciers and trails have shaped a life built around adventure, community and stewardship.
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Trail Blazers: Arleigh Hitchcock - The Alaska Current
During their childhood in Washington, cross country skiing was an important part of Arleigh Hitchcock’s connection to the outdoors.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 12/06/2026
The Division of Elections says Petersburg Republican Dan Sullivan is ineligible to challenge U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, though it has yet to publicly detail the evidence behind its decision.
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Alaska Division of Elections plans to disqualify the Other Dan Sullivan without proof of alleged fraud - The Alaska Current
If past issues with the Division of Elections putting its thumb on the scale for conservative causes are anything to go by, this will almost assuredly end up in court sooner rather than later.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 12/06/2026
House lawmakers gave AKLNG another boost Wednesday, advancing a bill that would slash taxes on the project. The measure now heads toward a floor vote as the special session enters its final week.
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AKLNG bill advances without the option for local governments to cut their own deals - The Alaska Current
With a little more than a week remaining in Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy's special session, the gasline subsidy bill is nearing a vote in the House.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 09/06/2026
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has launched an investigation into whether Petersburg Republican Dan Sullivan is trying to confuse voters — despite questions about whether the state has the authority to police a candidate's motives for running.
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Alaska Republicans are absolutely losing their minds over the other Dan Sullivan - The Alaska Current
They can’t believe another Dan Sullivan would run for office and have launched an investigation.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 06/06/2026
OPINION: Lawmakers spent another week digging into the project and found that many of the biggest savings for Alaskans hinge on export markets that don't yet exist.
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AKLNG’s proposed gas contract highlights the project’s underlying challenge: There just aren’t that many Alaskans - The Alaska Current
The AKLNG special session continued this week, giving more clarity on what will be an undeniably difficult project, no matter the subsidy lawmakers ultimately approve.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 04/06/2026
The filing period for Alaska’s statewide races closed on Monday, setting up an expansive, 17-candidate field for the state’s next governor — and there’s just about someone for everyone. thealaskacurrent.com/2026/06/04/m...
thealaskacurrent.com
Matt Buxton’s definitive way-too-early tier list of Alaska’s candidates for governor - The Alaska Current
Having trouble wading through the 17 candidates for governor? We've got our latest VIBES breakdown of the field.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 03/06/2026
Haines is small, remote and packed with artists. In the latest Pressing Silence, Baylee Pearson shares how printmaking, community and life in Southeast Alaska inspire her work under the name Misfit Prints. thealaskacurrent.com/2026/06/02/p...
thealaskacurrent.com
Pressing Silence: Haines is for the misfits - The Alaska Current
A Sitka native and current Haines resident, Baylee Pearson spent the last 10 years between the two locales taking inspiration from the lands she’s spent a lifetime on.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 02/06/2026
The Ninth Circuit has rejected former Sen. Lora Reinbold’s lawsuit against Alaska Airlines, ruling that enforcing COVID mask mandates didn’t make the airline a state actor subject to constitutional claims. thealaskacurrent.com/2026/06/01/r...
thealaskacurrent.com
Reinbold loses bid to revive lawsuit against Alaska Airlines over flight ban - The Alaska Current
The right-wing state lawmaker temporarily lost her flying privileges after refusing to follow masking rules.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 30/05/2026
Unclear costs, unknown gas sources, future demands on state cash and unanswered questions about whether the project pencils out at all.
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Risk-adverse legislators dismiss the AKLNG ‘razzle dazzle’ to drill down on the giga-project’s details - The Alaska Current
The big question is whether the project makes sense in the first place when even the most generous of subsidies might not be enough.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 30/05/2026
“Alaskans are natural nurturers — we take pride in what it means to exist in the harshness of northerness,” writes Emily Mesner in this month’s “Where We’re Anchored” column.
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Where We’re Anchored: May - The Alaska Current
The theme for May is nurture, so I typed, “what does it mean to be nurtured?” into Google’s search bar and hit “enter."
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 28/05/2026
Some Alaska officials are pushing to turn the state into a hub for AI data centers, tying massive energy and gas projects to growing tech demand — a shift that could reshape the state’s landscapes, energy use and economy for decades. Illustration by Holly Todd.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 26/05/2026
Former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, the last Democrat to win Alaska's governorship, has endorsed Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in the 2026 gubernatorial race.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 21/05/2026
On a 21-19 vote, the Alaska House on Tuesday approved a change to Senate Bill 24 that would legalize new cigar lounges in Alaska.
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Alaska Republicans commandeer anti-smoking bill to legalize ‘super cool’ cigar lounges - The Alaska Current
Republicans breathlessly talked about how fun cigar lounges will be.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 20/05/2026
Alaska lawmakers failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of the public pension bill Tuesday, ending the latest push to restore a retirement option for public workers. thealaskacurrent.com/2026/05/19/l...
thealaskacurrent.com
Long-running fight for public-sector pensions ends, for now, with failed veto override - The Alaska Current
The 33-27 vote fell short of the 40 votes needed to enact House Bill 78, which would have given public-sector employees the option to opt into a pension system.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 20/05/2026
Alaska lawmakers spent Monday trying to rush through a massive AKLNG subsidy bill while rewriting provisions on the House floor in real time.
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Dunleavy vetoes pension bill after legislators try and fail to pass massive pipeline subsidy - The Alaska Current
Lawmakers on Monday were left working on the fly, with some writing amendments by hand, as others regularly checked in with Glenfarne executives and the Dunleavy administration throughout the day.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 18/05/2026
Last week, Alaska lawmakers rejected Attorney General Stephen Cox, making him the first Alaska cabinet-level appointee rejected by legislators since Sarah Palin’s administration. Hours later, Gov. Mike Dunleavy gave him a new job anyway.
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No Alaska experience? No problem. Gov. Dunleavy rehires AG Cox after legislators reject his appointment - The Alaska Current
Just hours after lawmakers spiked Stephen Cox's appointment, Dunleavy announced he had created a new job just for him.
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 15/05/2026
Weeks after a tech vendor backed a GOP finance conference hosted by Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, it received millions in state contracts tied to Alaska’s $90M+ tech and energy deal network.
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Tech vendor sponsored revenue chief Adam Crum’s nonprofit, then he awarded $80M+ in state contracts - The Alaska Current
A free glacier cruise for state treasurers preceded public contracts to firms tied to a data infrastructure investor building the most ambitious natural gas plant in the world
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 15/05/2026
CORRECTION: We stated that the initial Department of Revenue contract was worth $7.5 million, when in fact, that contract expanded to $11.9 million, according to Saige Managing Partner Charles Hu, who supplied us with the numbers himself.
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CORRECTION: Tech firm sponsoring Adam Crum summit awarded $4M+ more than we reported - The Alaska Current
On Tuesday, we reported that Saige Consulting sponsored a 2024 summit for GOP state treasurers that was hosted by former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, during a time when the firm was under…
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 14/05/2026
A vendor sponsoring a glacier cruise at a GOP finance conference hosted by Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum later secured millions in Alaska contracts — part of a wider $80M+ set of deals tied to the state’s data center and energy ambitions.
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Tech vendor sponsored revenue chief Adam Crum’s nonprofit, then he awarded $80M+ in state contracts - The Alaska Current
A free glacier cruise for state treasurers preceded public contracts to firms tied to a data infrastructure investor building the most ambitious natural gas plant in the world
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The Alaska Current @thealaskacurrent.com · 14/05/2026
The Alaska Legislature has less than a week left to pass a budget, confirm appointees, wrap priority bills — and somehow decide whether to approve a multibillion-dollar subsidy for the AKLNG pipeline.
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‘We’re trying.’ Legislators warn AKLNG project may be too large a lift for session’s final days - The Alaska Current
Big issues like the project's cost, its timeline, the cost of gas to Alaskans, its profitability, whether there are actually customers beyond Alaska and its impacts on state and local governments are…
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