ADN Politics

What to know about the Anchorage mayor’s race

Anchorage voters will soon decide a hugely consequential mayor’s race. Unlike the last mayoral election, the city is no longer in the middle of a pandemic, but Anchorage is still dealing with significant challenges.  After three tumultuous years, incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson faces nine opponents who promise to lead the city in very different ways.In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to Daily News reporters Emily Goodykoontz and Zachariah Hughes about what they’re paying attention to ahead of election day.For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today.This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.

The education bill failed. Now what?

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy made good on his threat last week, vetoing a $200 million education bill that had passed the Legislature on a bipartisan vote.This week — amid immense pressure on all sides — lawmakers fell one vote short of overriding that veto.Now the future of state education funding for Alaska schools this year is murky, at best. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to reporters Iris Samuels and Sean Maguire to discuss what happened, and the coming political fallout.For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today.This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.

How Alaska’s education funding bill ended up in limbo

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy this week threatened to veto a hard-fought bill to increase funding for Alaska’s public schools, unless the Legislature agrees to back some of his own education priorities.Now, lawmakers in Juneau and school districts across the state are scrambling to sort out what to do next.In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to reporters Sean Maguire and Iris Samuels to discuss what is and isn’t in the bill, and what might happen next.For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today.This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.

How serious is Alaska’s natural gas crisis, really?

A recent cold snap in Southcentral Alaska raised the profile of a looming problem for the region: Natural gas from Cook Inlet powers a big chunk of Alaska, including Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and the Mat-Su – but energy companies say that gas won’t be available for much longer. How is that possible, in a state that has enormous gas reserves? And what does that mean for future energy bills?Anchorage Daily News reporter Alex DeMarban has been covering this issue, and speaks with host Elizabeth Harball to answer these and other burning questions. For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today.This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.

The Alaska political stories we’re watching in 2024

The New Year has arrived, bringing with it an election year and the next Alaska legislative session. In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to Daily News reporters Iris Samuels and Sean Maguire about the top storylines they are tracking in 2024 — from continued battles over education funding and ranked choice voting to notable people and issues on the ballot in November.For more local and state news, subscribe to the Anchorage Daily News today.This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.