Alaska state government
First lady of the U.S. Jill Biden poses for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko in Tokyo, Thursday, July 22, 2021. Biden embarked on her first solo international trip as first lady, leading a U.S. delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the coronavirus is surging and COVID-19 infections have climbed to a six-month high. (Kyodo News via AP)
Jill Biden in Tokyo for Olympic Games, meets prime minister

By Mark Thiessen And Darlene Superville Jul. 21, 2021 08:44 AM EDT

FILE - The Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth sails through Cook Inlet Thursday, May 16, 2019, for a port call in Anchorage, Alaska. Federal officials say a lawsuit in Florida could block cruise ships from visiting Alaska in summer 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
CDC says Florida lawsuit imperils summer cruises to Alaska

By The Associated Press Jun. 03, 2021 07:37 PM EDT

Alaska gains jobs but doesn't reach pre-pandemic levels

By Becky Bohrer May. 21, 2021 04:47 PM EDT
JUNEAU Alaska (AP) — Alaska had 19,100 more jobs in April than it did the same month in 2020 but the numbers still lagged what they were before the pandemic,...

Alaska health department website targeted in malware attack

May. 19, 2021 02:40 PM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska health department website was the target of a malware attack, officials said. A similar attack previously...

Alaska lawmakers make masks at state Capitol optional

May. 14, 2021 07:38 PM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska legislative leaders voted Friday to make mask-wearing optional at the state Capitol and then shed their own face coverings after...

Alaska ends COVID-19 disaster status, says state in recovery

Apr. 30, 2021 05:45 PM EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday ended the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration, saying the state is in such a good position he...

Metlakatla Indian Community Mayor Reginald Atkinson, fourth from left, laughs as he presents gifts to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Metlakatla, Alaska. Dunleavy is shown second from left, holding a talking stick he was given as a gift. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Alaska governor's travel signals move to return to normalcy

By Becky Bohrer Apr. 29, 2021 02:45 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2019 fle photo, Alaska Department of Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka addresses reporters in Anchorage, Alaska. Tshibaka a candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska previously wrote articles in support of an organization that espoused gay conversion therapy, questioned the integrity of elections and described the "Twilight" books and movies as evil. Many of the past articles, blogs and posts from candidate Tshibaka have been deleted but some are available through archived internet pages, as first reported Tuesday, April 27, 2021, by CNN. The CNN article, Tshibaka said in an email to The Associated Press, "is just proof that our campaign is gaining momentum, which has Lisa Murkowski and her allies scared to death. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen,File)
Alaska candidate shadowed by anti-gay article, election post

By Mark Thiessen Apr. 27, 2021 07:24 PM EDT

Alaska won't require vaccine passport for visitors, locals

Apr. 26, 2021 07:31 PM EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will not require visitors to have a vaccine passport if they want to travel in the state. Republican Gov....

The mayor of Stewart, British Columbia, Gina McKay, center, meets with Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, right, and Alaska state Sen. Bert Stedman at the U.S.-Canada border near Hyder, Alaska, on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Dunleavy said Alaska is in a fortunate position with its vaccine supply and wants to share it with people across the border in Stewart, British Columbia, a community that has close ties to Hyder. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
AP interview: Alaska governor shares vaccine with Canada

By Becky Bohrer Apr. 26, 2021 12:18 PM EDT

Alaska lawmakers want a say in use of federal aid money

Apr. 21, 2021 01:56 PM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers want a say in how the state spends more than $1 billion from a new federal aid package, a year after largely ceding...

Alaska to offer tourists COVID-19 vaccines starting June 1

By Becky Bohrer Apr. 16, 2021 08:24 PM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at key airports in the state starting June 1, in...

This December 2020 photo provided by Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Village Service Chief Dr. Elizabeth Roll holds a COVID-19 vaccine in Napakiak, Alaska. Getting the vaccine to the world's farthest corners means delivering it by boat to Maine's islands, traveling by snowmobile to villages in Alaska and navigating complex waterways in Brazil's Amazon. (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation via AP)
The Latest: Vaccines to be made available at Alaska airports

By The Associated Press Apr. 16, 2021 01:43 AM EDT

Alaska court sides with Dunleavy in appointments dispute

By Becky Bohrer Apr. 08, 2021 05:13 PM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Gov. Mike Dunleavy in ruling that the state constitution requires legislators to decide...

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks at a rally in Montgomery, Ala. Palin says she tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging people to take steps to guard against the coronavirus, including wearing masks in public. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Palin confirms COVID-19 diagnosis, urges steps like masks

Mar. 31, 2021 08:03 PM EDT

Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. Taylor was appointed attorney general by Gov. Mike Dunleavy but his appointment is subject to legislative approval. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Virus response top topic in Alaska attorney general hearing

By Becky Bohrer Mar. 24, 2021 09:42 PM EDT

Vaccine hesitancy, virus cases affect Alaska prison visits

Mar. 24, 2021 09:35 AM EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Vaccine hesitancy and rates of COVID-19 spread in communities housing Alaska prisons are hindering efforts to lift restrictions...

In-person attorney visits to resume in Alaska prison system

Mar. 17, 2021 01:19 PM EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Corrections is allowing attorney-client visits to resume within its facilities after a yearlong suspension...

Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, speaks to reporters on Monday, March 15, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. Reinbold returned to her seat on the Senate floor Monday with a new face-covering meant to comply with COVID-19 mitigation policies after Senate leaders last week took action to restrict her access to the floor and committee hearings for what they said were policy violations. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, Pool)
Alaska senator changes face covering after rules dispute

By Becky Bohrer Mar. 15, 2021 05:22 PM EDT

Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold sits in a Senate gallery on Friday, March 12, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska, with Sens. Click Bishop, left, and Bert Stedman, right, in the foreground. The Alaska Senate voted Wednesday to allow leadership to restrict access to the Capitol by Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, over violations of protocols meant to guard against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, Pool)
Alaska Senate leaders accommodate member over virus rules

By Becky Bohrer Mar. 12, 2021 07:46 PM EST