The campaign of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola sued the Alaska Division of Elections on Friday in an attempt to make public the names of Alaskans whose absentee ballots have been rejected by the division. The suit was filed Friday in Anchorage Superior Court by Alaskans For Mary, and it named the Division, its director and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom as defendants. Alaskans for Mary has asked for expedited consideration and is requesting both an injunction and temporary restraining order that could expose the names before the election is certified later this month. In an emailed statement about the lawsuit, Alaskans for Mary said, “We are confident that Mary will win this race.
A rare viral disease has emerged in an outbreak in Alaska’s largest city that appears to be expanding, state health officials report. There are now four new cases in Anchorage of mpox, a viral disease formerly called monkeypox that is spread through close contact and can be fatal. None of the patients reported traveling outside the state in month-long period before becoming infected. It is the highest number of annual mpox cases in Alaska since 2022, when five cases were diagnosed in the state amid a global outbreak. Between 2023 and 2025, there were only two Alaska cases. Three of the Anchorage cases emerged in October and were reported last week through a state Department of Health alert intended to raise awareness in the public and among healthcare providers. The fourth case was reported to state officials on Thursday, said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Alaska’s state epidemiologist.
Nearby reporting
Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday approved a scaled-down version of a controversial land transfer to a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. According to a final finding and decision published Tuesday afternoon, DNR has approved a plan that would give approximately 6,800 of land for free to the state-owned corporation. That’s less than the 19,500 acres that had been earmarked for transfer in a preliminary July decision. DNR further said it will impose conditions on the transfer, including the right for local residents to use roads and trails in the area. DNR will also include a reversion clause that returns the land to the state agency if AIDEA fails to develop it.
