Alaska
Interest in refugee services rises after federal policy changes, Alaska agency says
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A recent executive order now has Americans asking how refugees in their communities will be affected.
Build Belonging, an event on Feb. 2 is hosted by Catholic Social Services with their Refugee and Immigration Services program. During the interactive event from 1-4 p.m., Alaskans can hear about the first-hand experience of a refugee in America and learn about the potential impacts of the executive order issued on Jan. 20.
Local organizations like the ACLU of Alaska, Alaska Literacy Program, and Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center will speak about their work with refugees in the Anchorage area, but the event won’t only center around speeches.
Attendees can try food from other cultures made by refugees, sign up for volunteering opportunities, or participate in activities designed to contact elected officials regarding legislation that could impact the refugee landscape.
Heba El-Hendi, the RAIS Program director, said the event is meant to cultivate community and belonging.
“This event is targeting how we, as individuals in the community, can support, what action items we can take, and what can we do to learn about the refugee experience,” El-Hendi said.
Addressing the executive order issued in January which halted the United States Refugee Admission Program, El-Hendi said it doesn’t mean there aren’t newcomers to the U.S. who need help. “Because the program has halted, doesn’t mean that our work has stopped.”
“In fact, we need more support and more community members coming and partaking in this collective together in supporting the communities that we have already here. ” El-Hendi said.
The Build Belonging event will be held in the auxiliary gym at the Alaska Airlines Center Feb. 2 from 1-4 p.m.
Information on the Catholic Social Services RAIS program here.
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HB 281 mirrors legislation in other states due to shortage of pennies resulting from Trump administration’s halt in production
Suzanne Cohen says she hasn’t had trouble coming up with enough pennies when making cash purchases. But since the copper coins are no longer being minted she doesn’t object if future purchases are rounded off to the nearest nickel.
“If they’ve gotten rid of it it seems like it’s only a matter of time, so this is probably the right thing to do eventually,” she said during the noon hour on Monday at Rainbow Foods.
A hour earlier and a block away at the Alaska State Capitol, a bill was introduced rounding cash purchases to the nearest five-cent sum by Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River. House Bill 281 is similar to legislation introduced in other states following the Trump administration’s decision last year to stop making new pennies.
“After the U.S. Treasury decided last fall to stop minting pennies, they’re disappearing from circulation faster than they expected,” Saddler stated in an email to the Juneau Independent on Monday. “As pennies get more scarce, we should make sure businesses can’t round transactions up or down to their advantage. My HB 281 simply sets consistent, fair standards for how cash transactions should be rounded to the nearest nickel, to protect Alaska consumers and businesses.”
Practically applied, it means a shopper handing $2 to a cashier would get no change back from a $1.98 purchase, but a nickel back from a $1.97 purchase.
“If the total ends in one cent, two cents, six cents, or seven cents, the total is rounded down to the nearest amount divisible by five cents; (2) if the total ends in three cents, four cents, eight cents, or nine cents, the total is rounded up to the nearest amount divisible by five cents,” the text of HB 281 states.
Dyoni Smith, a section manager at Rainbow Foods who was working at one of the registers on Monday, said there hasn’t been a noticeable shortage of pennies yet either at the store or for the cash purchases she still makes regularly.
“We have a few people who actually pay to the penny with cash,” she said. “And then we have some, like one guy who comes in and he’ll pay cash, and he’ll put the remainder in the donation jar. And then another guy who comes in and sometimes he’ll pay to the penny — sometimes he’ll get change out of the change jar. So there’s quite a few people who I see who use cash.”
President Donald Trump last February ordered the U.S. Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies — something long discussed by other policymakers since the coins cost more to make than they are worth. The U.S. Mint reported that a penny cost about 3.7 cents to make in fiscal 2024, up from 3.1 cents the previous year.
Among the factors to be considered in states implementing rounding laws are possible legal challenges, impacts to retailers and what happened when Canada stopped distributing its penny in 2012, according to a policy summary by the National Conference of State Legislatures. But generally the organization states such laws are worth supporting.
“While states may approach this issue differently due to their own unique circumstances, there is a growing consensus among retailers, economists, and other stakeholders, recognizing symmetrical rounding, (up or down) to the nearest nickel, as the fairest method to all parties when applying to cash transaction,” the policy summary notes.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Transportation Security Administration has begun accepting Alaska Mobile ID’s at security checkpoints in the Anchorage and Juneau airports. The digital ID’s, which were introduced in the state about a year ago, are just starting to catch on, according to Lauren Whiteside, Division Operations Manager for the Alaskan DMV.
Whiteside said the Division has been working closely with partners for months to prepare Alaska’s Mobile IDs for use at TSA checkpoints in both airports.
“This is a really modernized movement that we are really excited to be a part of,” Whiteside said.
The IDs are obtained through an app that can be downloaded for free. The DMV website has links to the app stores as well as other information on how to obtain a mobile ID.
Whiteside said there are lots of advantages to having your state approved identification on your phone. At the airport, she said, it’s convenience.
“You know sometimes you have your kids with you, sometimes you are balancing carry-on luggage, and if you can do all of your check-ins just using your phone, that’s really appealing to people.”
But Whiteside said the main appeal is privacy. No information can be shared from a mobile ID without the user’s consent, and people can select how much information they wish to share depending on the circumstances.
“I can opt to send everything, which you would likely always want to do with law enforcement, but you have all these options on what you choose to send and what you don’t choose to send,” she said.
Whiteside said it’s important to remember that mobile IDs don’t replace physical IDs, instead, they’re considered a companion to a regular ID and people will need to carry both in case a physical ID is requested.
Although TSA acceptance is limited to just the Anchorage and Juneau airports, Whiteside said she fully expects the program will expand to other airports and other industries.
“As time goes on it’s going to become more and more common, so we recommend anyone who wants to have it- it is not a requirement -but anyone who wants it, we encourage you to go ahead and download,” she said.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – As the run-up to the 2026 Iditarod continues, two of Alaska’s most prestigious sled dog races saw their winners cross the finish lines Sunday.
The 2026 Knik 200 went to Eddie Burke Jr., who also won the race in 2023. The former Iditarod Rookie of the Year finished in 20 hours, 18 minutes and 51 seconds, nearly a full hour faster than his closest competition.
Meanwhile, out in western Alaska, 2019 Iditarod winner Pete Kaiser continued his dominance in the Kuskokwim 300 with his 10th career win at the event. The victory breaks a tie with Jeff King for the most Kuskokwim 300 wins in a career.
The two races do not normally fall on the same weekend, but the Knik 200 had been postponed three weeks due to poor trail conditions.
You can find full results for both the Knik 200 and Kuskokwim 300 here.
The 2026 running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins on March 8, one day after the ceremonial start.
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