Bethel threatens to terminate city workers who aren’t vaxed by Sept. 27
The City of Bethel, home to 6,200 residents in rural Alaska, is demanding that all city employees, volunteers and contractors get COVID shots in order to keep their jobs. According to the new policy, which was announced by City Manager Peter Williams on Sept.
Screenshots show 4 Palmer City Council members discussing public issues in private online group
The Alaska Watchman has obtained dozens of screen-shot images showing four Palmer City Council members engaged in numerous closed discussions about local politics. The problem is that these exchanges took place in a private Facebook group, out of the public
Palmer to investigate City Council members for Open Meetings Act violations
The Palmer City Council has formally requested that City Manager John Moosey launch an investigation into four City Council members who are allegedly members of a private and exclusive online group that discusses and advocates for political topics that
Bethel refuses to hire city employees who are among the unvaxed
The City of Bethel – a village of 6,200 residents – has implemented a policy that bans hiring any new employees who have declined to take the COVID shots. Effective Aug. 10, the city stated that “all applicants for hire must be vaccinated against
Anchorage librarian defends her qualifications to lead city’s libraries
Sami Graham, who has been nominated by Mayor Dave Bronson to lead the Anchorage library system, answered tough questions from Anchorage Assembly members regarding her qualifications to serve as the city’s top librarian. The questions came during an Aug. 20
Controversial scheme to incentivize COVID injections divides Palmer City Council
A sharply divided Palmer City Council voted June 8 to approve using a $30,000 state grant to incentivize people into getting COVID shots. After lengthy debate, the council voted 4-3 to give a passthrough grant from the Alaska Dept. of Health & Social
Anchorage women’s shelter says city licensing plan would gut its volunteer base
A faith-based battered women’s shelter could lose half its staff if the Anchorage Assembly forges ahead with a proposal to heavily monitor and control non-profit outreaches for the homeless and the people who are allowed to volunteer and staff the
Sharply divided Palmer City Council approves study on Anchorage-style mail-in voting
After contentious debate, the Palmer City Council narrowly approved the spending of $3,000 in federal CARES Act funds to conduct a feasibility study on how to create a mail-in voting system similar to what Anchorage implemented in 2018. The 4-3 vote occurred
Palmer City Council to hear proposal from activists who want control of local police
Political activists in Palmer want to take charge of the Palmer Police Department. On May 11 they will give a presentation to the city council laying out their plan, which closely mirrors one of the many demands made nationally by Black Lives Matter
Anchorage clerk says many ballots had all ovals filled in, which confused vote counters
Anchorage Municipal Clerk Barbara Jones offered an explanation as to why the vote count has taken longer than expected in this year’s city elections. An April 7 email detailed some of the challenges facing the municipal election team, including strange
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