Hi! The Alaska Memo is a political newsletter by me, Matt Acuña Buxton, focused on Alaska politics with a dash of Anchorage and a smattering of everywhere else. At the heart of it, my mission is to explain not just what happened but why it matters, bringing in the context and background that I’ve amassed in more than a decade of reporting in Alaska.
Juneau-bound, AKLNG faces pushback, election veto override fails
The session is barreling to its messy conclusion with plenty of unknowns about big things.
Public pension bill passes, legislators get mixed messages on AKLNG beyond ‘less taxes’
Republicans stood by their bold claim that people nowadays just want to work forever.
State sued for giving up voter list, Republicans flip their lid on Styrofoam ban, Reinbold pro se
Styrofoam could be on its way out of take-out while Lora Reinbold gets her (latest) day in court.
Republican infighting, the fiscal scree slope, and the troubling practice of exporting inmates, importing gangs could resume
It's the 90th day of the session, and have we really figured anything out?
House approves key social spending boosts in operating budget as Republicans cry foul
For their part, the 19 House Republicans seemed to have about 19 different ideas for what the budget needed to look like to garner their support.
Hello Again, Murkowski's address and a constitutional amendment for public education
A reboot, Murkowski's annual speech sounded a tad more Republican-y than usual and a dedicated fund for K12 advances.
Help for Mt. Edgecumbe and a S-corp tax fix passes Senate amid 'chloroform' warning
Help for Mt. Edgecumbe may be on the way, while Republicans are lashing out over the passage of an amendment that would close the "S-Corp loophole."
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