
Applications open: Who will be Alaska’s next Supreme Court judge?
The Alaska Judicial Council is taking applications for a position on the Alaska Supreme Court. A seat on the five-member high court will be open this summer with the upcoming retirement of Chief Justice Joel Bolger. Those interested in becoming a Supreme


Palmer mask mandate defeated after overwhelming public outcry
After listening to 20 hours of public testimony from more than 700 Mat-Su residents over a three day period, the Palmer City Council voted down a citywide mask mandate, 4-3, on Dec. 4. Nearly 70% of comments – both in-person and written – opposed the idea


Lt. Governor’s office explains why he waited to tell Alaska of voter registration hack
Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer waited five weeks before alerting Alaskans that the state’s voter registration system had been hacked back in October, exposing sensitive information of 113,000 Alaskans. One day after releasing this information, his office answered


8,600 sign petition citing concerns about Anchorage mask mandate for athletes
A petition against Anchorage’s mandate that athletes wear face masks during practices and competitions has now been signed by nearly 9,000 people who say the order “defies a growing body of scientific data about significant negative health effects of


Alaska’s voter registration system hacked – data exposed
As early as Oct. 27, Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer was aware that Alaska was the victim of data exposure by outside actors targeting the Division of Elections Online Voter Registration System, which was built and maintained by an outside vendor and operated by the


Palmer mask mandate likely doesn’t have the votes to pass
On Friday, Dec. 4, the Palmer City Council will read the final 250 some written testimonies on a highly controversial proposal to impose a citywide mask mandate. Once the letters are read into the record, which will likely take five to six more hours, the


Petition against Alaska’s use of Dominion voting machines surpasses 1,600 signatures
Twelve days after the online petition company Change.org removed their campaign, a group of Alaskans have gathered more than 1,600 signatures in protest of Alaska’s use of Dominion voting machines. The petition, “Ban Dominion Now,” originally went live


Alaska hospital association president addresses COVID testing, healthcare capacity
Jared Kosin is president and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Association, which represents more than 65 hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare organizations that employ over 10,000 Alaskans. The Watchman sent several questions to Kosin in


Lawsuit claims Ballot Measure 2 violates U.S. and Alaska constitutions
One day after the Alaska Division of Elections certified the general election results, a lawsuit was filed on Dec. 1 in Alaska Superior Court to block Ballot Measure 2, which won by a margin of 50.5% to 49.4%. The lawsuit is filed against the State of Alaska,


Alaska election certified – residents have until Dec. 5 to request recounts
The Alaska Division of Elections certified the general election results on Nov. 30, which means the clock is now ticking for voters or candidates to request a recount. The deadline to ask for a recount is Dec. 5. According to state law, any group of 10

