Politics

Sen. Gary Stevens. The Republican lawmaker has represented Kodiak since 2003. A state budget will likely be passed at the end of this month’s special legislative session, but the PFD question may not be answered by then. That’s according to Kodiak Senator Gary Stevens, who sat down with Jared Griffin at KMXT to talk about recent developments in the legislature …

USCGC Polar Sea, a decommissioned heavy icebreaker. (US Coast Guard) When Alaska state representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (KRISE-TOMkins) from Sitka read that the Coast Guard was going to send three new icebreakers to port in Seattle, instead of Alaska, he had one word: “Baloney.” In a meeting of the House’s Military and Veteran’s Affairs committee on Tuesday, Rep. Kreiss-Tomkins introduced a …

May 12, 2021 by Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO and Alaska Public Media Alaska state Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, speaks in support of Abe Williams who was rejected from sitting on the Alaska Board of Fisheries on Tuesday, May 11 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska Legislature held its annual joint confirmation hearing for dozens of the governor’s appointees to boards and commissions. (AP …

Kodiak’s own State Representative Louise Stutes has been elected as Speaker for the Alaska State House. KMXT’s Dylan Simard spoke to her Thursday afternoon to discuss her appointment, local issues of import, and her plans for the legislative session. … D: What is your vision for the future of commercial fishing in Alaska? LS: Well, it’s certainly changing. I don’t …

This morning, Rep. Louise Stutes was elected as Speaker of the House in a close vote by the Alaska House of Representatives. Stutes’ election was decided on a 21-19 vote, with Rep. Kelly Merrick of Eagle River being the tie-breaking vote. Stutes will also be the first Speaker of the House from the Kodiak district, and only the third woman. …

By Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Public Media & KTOO – Juneau – February 10, 2021 Members of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee hear details about a bill to extend the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration on Feb. 2 in the Capitol. Members, from left, are Sen. Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, behind the plexiglass; Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage; Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla; …

January 19, 2021 by Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media The Robert B. Atwood building and neighbors in downtown Anchorage. (Alaska Public Media staff photo) Several state buildings in Juneau and Anchorage are closed out of an “abundance of caution” due to fears about pre-inauguration violence. The closures were announced in an internal memo from Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, Ben Stevens, on Friday. …

In Juneau, state and local officials are on edge but hopeful there won’t be local violence January 13, 2021 by Rashah McChesney, KTOO The Alaska State Capitol and Dimond Courthouse in downtown Juneau. (Tripp J Crouse/KTOO) State lawmakers in Juneau and local law enforcement are preparing for the possibility of violence after the FBI warned of potential armed protests in …

January 6, 2021 by Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO and Alaska Public Media Hearing the news of the violence in the U.S. Capitol reminded Kodiak Republican Sen. Gary Stevens, 79, of an experience he had as an army lieutenant in 1968 when his battalion was called into Washington, D.C., after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. “Watching TV today reminded me …

The Alaska Division of Elections finally tallied Kodiak’s 3500 absentee votes on Thursday, and while those votes didn’t change much on the statewide election landscape, we have a better idea of how Kodiak voted this election. Generally speaking, Kodiak went for Republican candidates again this year, but that doesn’t mean the island is completely red. For the state Senate P …