Regular Session Bills Enacted for Healthcare, Trawling, and Interior Design
New state laws affect pharmacists, physician assistants, interior designers, trawl fisheries, and precious metals as legal tender.
Government
Minimum Wage Hike to $14 Arrives on July 1
Minimum wage earners get a raise, effective July 1. A ballot measure increases the hourly rate to $14, on the way to $15 per hour by 2027.
Alaska Employment: Job Growth and Unemployment Flat in May
Unemployment in Alaska held at 4.6 percent in May while government job cuts held overall employment growth since 2025 at 0 percent.
Back to School: UAF Provides Housing, Education for Eielson AFB Personnel
UAF has underused dorms; the US Air Force has a housing shortage at Eielson. A $2.7 million agreement solves both problems while providing personnel with educational opportunities.
Land Allotted on Anchorage Hillside for Natural Burial Cemetery
The Anchorage Assembly approved a transfer of 9.6 acres of city land on Golden View Drive for the purposes of the city’s first natural burial cemetery.
Alaskans Compete for ANWR Leases
While the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority enlarged its investments in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil leases, Cook Inlet gas producer HEX expanded into the North Slope with rival bids on a couple tracts.