Alaska
Two years in, the Alaska Beacon is going strong • Alaska Beacon
On Saturday, the Alaska Beacon will mark the second anniversary of its May 11, 2022, launch. Just like this week, the launch week was the last of the legislative session, and the Beacon connected from Day One with Alaskans thirsty to know more about their state government.
Since then, the four-person staff has made it their business to keep Alaskans informed about what Alaska politicians are doing and why they are doing it.
There’s been a lot of talk about the future effect of artificial intelligence on news and other industries. The Beacon looks forward to making use of AI tools.
But AI-driven computers don’t know which public records are most vital to track down. They don’t ask elected officials questions they don’t want asked. And they won’t put in the time getting to know Alaskans across the state.
The Alaska Beacon does and will continue to do so.
The Beacon journalists aren’t the only Alaskans that make the Beacon happen. The readers who value independent and illuminating state-level journalism support the Beacon’s work through donations.
Reader donations assist in purchasing the equipment the Beacon staff needs to bring readers to the scene of government action, including the photo lens reporter James Brooks uses inside the Capitol in Juneau.
“That’s the lens I use every day to document the Legislature, and without that, I’d be reduced to using my own cell phone to take pictures,” he said.
In a state where internet connections even in some urban areas can be slow, Beacon supporters have also made a difference. In the past two weeks, a mobile hotspot device allowed Beacon reporters in Juneau to report and file stories quickly.
“We’ve used it to connect to the internet when cruise ship traffic has made the connection we have in the Capitol too slow to work on our stories,” senior reporter Claire Stremple said.
The support of people inside and outside Alaska make it possible for Beacon reporters to report on this massive state. For example, Claire recently visited Ben Eielson Junior-Senior High School near North Pole to report first-hand about the impact of the school’s impending closure on the community.
And reporter Yereth Rosen has made multiple trips to Utqiagvik, Fairbanks and Juneau, allowing the Beacon to have three reporters in the Capitol during crucial periods of the legislative session. Experience has taught her how vital it is to report in person.
“It’s so expensive, but you have to go — there’s no substitute for being there in person and seeing things on the ground. And especially in rural areas,” Yereth said. “You know, you can’t do everything by phone, you have to actually see things. You have to … see permafrost crumbling; to really understand that you have to talk to people in person, and we can’t always expect them to come to you. And Alaska is not like a state where we can just go drive and take a day trip, and see all we need to see and come back home.”
Reader support doesn’t just help inform those who visit the Beacon’s website. Many readers find Beacon content in other news sources they trust, including daily and weekly newspapers, as well as public media and radio stations. When the Beacon staff does its reporting, it helps other news organizations stretch their reporting to accomplish more.
Undergirding the Alaska Beacon’s service to Alaska is the support of its national parent nonprofit, States Newsroom. The organization recently marked having a presence in all 50 states, including 39 outlets like the Beacon directly operated by States Newsroom and 11 partners that share their content.
Just next week, Alaska Beacon readers will be able to learn about the last actions of this legislative session. And for the six months after that, the Beacon staff will help readers understand 50 legislative races, two statewide ballot measures and a U.S. House race that’s expected to be hotly contested.
Please consider donating to support the Alaska Beacon. And spread the word about the value of subscribing to The Morning Light, the Beacon’s free daily email newsletter.
With reader support, the success of the Alaska Beacon’s last two years can continue for the next two years and many more beyond.
Thank you,
Andrew Kitchenman, editor-in-chief
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Alaska
Yundt Served: Formal Charges Submitted to Alaska Republican Party, Asks for Party Sanction and Censure of Senator Rob Yundt
On January 3, 2026, Districts 27 and 28 of the Alaska Republican Party received formal charges against Senator Rob Yundt pursuant to Article VII of the Alaska Republican Party Rules.
According to the Alaska Republican Party Rules: “Any candidate or elected official may be sanctioned or censured for any of the following
reasons:
(a) Failure to follow the Party Platform.
(b) Engagement in any activities prohibited by or contrary to these rules or RNC Rules.
(c) Failure to carry out or perform the duties of their office.
(d) Engaging in prohibited discrimination.
(e) Forming a majority caucus in which non-Republicans are at least 1/3 or more of the
coalition.
(f) Engaging in other activities that may be reasonably assessed as bringing dishonor to
the ARP, such as commission of a serious crime.”
Party Rules require the signatures of at least 3 registered Republican constituents for official charges to be filed. The formal charges were signed by registered Republican voters and District N constitutions Jerad McClure, Thomas W. Oels, Janice M. Norman, and Manda Gershon.
Yundt is charged with “failure to adhere and uphold the Alaska Republican Party Platform” and “engaging in conduct contrary to the principles and priorities of the Alaska Republican Party Rules.” The constituents request: “Senator Rob Yundt be provided proper notice of the charges and a full and fair opportunity to respond; and that, upon a finding by the required two-thirds (2/3) vote of the District Committees that the charges are valid, the Committees impose the maximum sanctions authorized under Article VII.”
If the Party finds Yundt guilty of the charges, Yundt may be disciplined with formal censure by the Alaska Republican Party, declaration of ineligibility for Party endorsement, withdrawal of political support, prohibition from participating in certain Party activities, and official and public declaration that Yundt’s conduct and voting record contradict the Party’s values and priorities.
Reasons for the charges are based on Yundt’s active support of House Bill 57, Senate Bill 113, and Senate Bill 92. Constituents who filed the charges argue that HB 57 opposes the Alaska Republican Party Platform by “expanding government surveillance and dramatically increasing education spending;” that SB 113 opposes the Party’s Platform by “impos[ing] new tax burdens on Alaskan consumers and small businesses;” and that SB 92 opposes the Party by “proposing a targeted 9.2% tax on major private-sector energy producer supplying natural gas to Southcentral Alaska.” Although the filed charges state that SB 92 proposes a 9.2% tax, the bill actually proposes a 9.4% tax on income from oil and gas production and transportation.
Many Alaskan conservatives have expressed frustration with Senator Yundt’s legislative decisions. Some, like Marcy Sowers, consider Yundt more like “a tax-loving social justice warrior” than a conservative.
Related
Alaska
Pilot of Alaska flight that lost door plug over Portland sues Boeing, claims company blamed him
The Alaska Airlines captain who piloted the Boeing 737 Max that lost a door plug over Portland two years ago is suing the plane’s manufacturer, alleging that the company has tried to shift blame to him to shield its own negligence.
The $10 million suit — filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tuesday on behalf of captain Brandon Fisher — stems from the dramatic Jan. 5, 2024 mid-air depressurization of Flight 1282, when a door plug in the 26th row flew off six minutes after take off, creating a 2-by-4-foot hole in the plane that forced Fisher and co-pilot Emily Wiprud to perform an emergency landing back at PDX.
None of the 171 passengers or six crew members on board was seriously injured, but some aviation medical experts said that the consequences could have been “catastrophic” had the incident happened at a higher altitude.
Fisher’s lawsuit is the latest in a series filed against Boeing, including dozens from Flight 1282 passengers. It also names Spirit AeroSystems, a subcontractor that worked on the plane.
The lawsuit blames the incident on quality control issues with the door plug. It argues that Boeing caught five misinstalled rivets in the panel, and that Spirit employees painted over the rivets instead of reinstalling them correctly. Boeing inspectors caught the discrepancy again, the complaint alleges, but when employees finally reopened the panel to fix the rivets, they didn’t reattach four bolts that secured the door panel.
The complaint’s allegations that Boeing employees failed to secure the bolts is in line with a National Transportation Safety Board investigation that came to the conclusion that the bolts hadn’t been replaced.
Despite these internal issues, Fisher claims Boeing deliberately shifted blame towards him and his first officer.
Lawyers for Boeing in an earlier lawsuit wrote that the company wasn’t responsible for the incident because the plane had been “improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.”
Fisher’s complaint alleges that the company’s statement was intended to “paint him as the scapegoat for Boeing’s numerous failures.”
“Instead of praising Captain Fisher’s bravery, Boeing inexplicably impugned the reputations of the pilots,” the lawsuit says.
As a result, Fisher has been scrutinized for his role in the incident, the lawsuit alleges, and named in two lawsuits by passengers.
Spokespeople for Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Alaska
FIRST ALERT: Heavy snow incoming to Southcentral, Southeast, and Southwest Alaska
ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – A large winter storm is not only bringing heavy snowfall, but warmer temperatures are approaching! The most impacted areas will include Southcentral, Southeast, and Southwest Alaska, with close to a foot of snow accumulation likely through Tuesday afternoon.
Anchorage will receive a trace of snow overnight and into the early morning hours with about 1 to 3 inches of snow by early Monday afternoon. Close to 5 inches of snow will fall across the Kenai Peninsula and Copper River Basin by Monday afternoon before Tuesday morning brings closer to a foot of snow accumulation across the region. Anchorage and Mat-Su snow totals by Tuesday morning will likely reach 8 to 10 inches.
www.alaskasnewssource.com/weather/alerts/
Juneau will most likely get the heaviest rounds of snow from this storm system with close to a foot of snow likely to accumulate by Monday afternoon with even more snow Tuesday morning. Across Southeast, snow total will vary but Sitka and Ketchikan will receive near 3 to 7 inches. Brace for a few days of heavy snowfall with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Rapid snow accumulation will add hazard to roads and rooftops so be vigilant and weather aware.
Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App.
This storm is already making landfall from the Kuskokwim Delta to Bristol Bay. Expect 8 to 16 inches of snow by Monday night as the heaviest rounds will pass over late Monday morning. Wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour will add blizzard-like conditions with reduced visibility. The Aleutian Chain is bracing for high winds as the gusts up to 70 miles per hour are likely tomorrow. Light rain will pass through as a result of residual moisture of the tail-end of this storm.
The Interior will remain mostly dry tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies stretching over the Brooks Range and into the North Slope. Overnight lows are still quite chilly, sitting near 50 and 60 below zero. Coldest temperatures of the season were record Sunday morning at -50 degrees in Fairbanks, being the coldest temperature since February 2024 which was also -50 degrees. Light snow is possible Tuesday, but otherwise, very calm and quiet weather remains across central and northern Alaska.
Send us your weather photos and videos here!
24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Copyright 2026 Alaska’s News Source. All rights reserved.
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