Alaska Legislature

Eleven candidates for the Alaska Legislature withdrew from Nov. 5′s general election.

A national legislators’ group is pushing Congress to give states more time to spend money for homeless students, but advocates say it may be too late for an extension.

The departures mean a head-to-head race between nonpartisan candidate Ky Holland and Republican Lucy Bauer.

Lawmakers say “small tweaks” to policy can attract and keep more teachers in Alaska’s classrooms.

The race between incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Merrick and challenger Jared Goecker, also a Republican, is set to serve as a referendum on bipartisanship.

Nick Moe is ending his campaign, paving the way for Democrat Carolyn Hall to represent a West Anchorage district in the Alaska House starting in January.

McKay became the latest in a series of Republicans dropping out of races with more than one GOP candidate.

The one-term Republican praised Alaska’s ranked choice voting system and decried the veto of a bill that would have permanently increased public education funding.

Lawmakers say current laws don’t protect the confidentiality of people who file complaints against legislators.

The contest for Interior Alaska’s House District 36 has more candidates than any other legislative race this year.

The Legislature passed several measures this year intended to expand renewable energy in Southcentral Alaska as the region faces a shortage of natural gas.

District leaders and teachers say their colleagues are leaving because of uncertainty in what is usually a stable profession.

If allowed to become law, the bills could have led to a legal challenge, Dunleavy said.

Service providers say the state’s programs need significant investment to make inroads on reduction.

The measure expands subsidies for families, and creates a child care tax credit program for businesses.

Republican Leslie Hajdukovich, looking to unseat Fairbanks Democratic Sen. Scott Kawasaki, was the top fundraiser heading into the primary.

State evidence was submitted days before the trial was set to start, which prompted the delay.

The pledges are a way to circumvent ranked choice voting and put forward one Republican candidate in elections, according to one supporter.

Management of the Blood Bank of Alaska say they’ll take a “leap of faith” to build a donor testing lab, despite not knowing how they will secure funding.

The 50-page crime bill combines wide-ranging policy changes. The ACLU of Alaska has flagged what it described as “significant constitutional concerns.”

In his veto memo, Gov. Dunleavy cited the same reason for nixing the five Long Trail projects as was used for almost all of his vetoes: “Preserve general funds for savings and fiscal stability.”

Award amounts for the college scholarship will increase by almost 50%, which supporters say should help keep more Alaska high school graduates studying in the state.

Gov. Dunleavy vetoed the money because it is unclear whether it will be needed, his office said,