Claire Stremple | Alaska Beacon

It is now up to the board and Gov. Mike Dunleavy to decide whether or not to implement the new standards, which would allow Alaska Native languages to satisfy the state’s reading requirements.

The funds are part of more than $86 million in grants nationwide to American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The Alaska Legislature recently increased state funding for domestic violence and sexual assault efforts, but a leading advocate says the effort doesn’t go far enough to meet the need.

Decision will become a ‘hot-button legislative item’ in final weeks of session, lawmakers say.

The future of the “Last Great Race” is uncertain, officials said in an appeal to supporters. The message comes at a time when major Iditarod sponsors have dropped out and inflation has increased the cost of participation.

Rep. Julie Coulombe’s bill would move money intended for crime victims from corrections to victim services.

The Alaska Division of Public Assistance has caught up on food stamp applications, but there are people waiting for other benefits programs, including heating assistance.

The state aims to support the federal government and mine developers Donlin Gold, LLC and Calista Corporation against a group of Alaska Native tribes that say the mine project was improperly permitted and could have ill effects on the health of residents, according to documents filed by the Alaska Department of Law on June 15 in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.