Must Read Alaska

Opinion: Understanding NGOs in Alaska

By Greg Sarber

NGOs have gotten involved in politics here in Alaska, and most voters do not understand what they are or how they try to influence you. I had personal contact with one last week when a representative of an Anchorage NGO visited me at my home. The woman was attacking Senator Dan Sullivan, and after the visit, I was wondering how it was legal for a non-profit to be politically active, so I dug a little deeper. Here is what I found.

First, you have to understand what a Non-Governmental Organization is and the rules that govern them to determine if they are doing something that might be improper.

Opinion: Understanding NGOs in Alaska By Greg Sarber This article was originally published in “Seward’s Folly,” the author’s personal Substack, June 30, 2026. NGOs have gotten involved in politics here in Alaska, and most voters do not understand what they are or how they try to influence you. I had personal contact with one la...

Opinion: The Government Should Protect Rights, Parents Should Protect Kids

By Wyatt Young Nelson

Although protecting children online is an important public policy goal, expanding government- or company-controlled age verification systems should not come at the expense of privacy, anonymity, and civil liberties. Measures intended to improve online safety deserve careful consideration, but they should not create systems that collect sensitive personal information, increase surveillance, or weaken constitutional protections for free expression and privacy.

A bill recently introduced in Congress, H.R. 7757, commonly referred to by supporters through names including the Kids Internet Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act), the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), or the Parents Decide Act, has raised concerns among privacy advocates because of its potential implications for online age verification. Like any federal legislation, the bill must move through the committee process before receiving consideration by the full Senate. Supporters argue that such legislation is intended to protect minors online, while critics contend that it could establish new mechanisms for collecting personal information and monitoring internet users. ...

Opinion: The Government Should Protect Rights, Parents Should Protect Kids By Wyatt Young Nelson Although protecting children online is an important public policy goal, expanding government- or company-controlled age verification systems should not come at the expense of privacy, anonymity, and civil liberties. Measures intended to improve online safety deserve careful con...

Spiritual Warfare & Preparing for Combat with Kyle Clement

In a culture chasing novelty and quick spiritual fixes, many men are left restless, confused, and spiritually vulnerable. Temptation has become the front line of battle — and most don’t even realize they’re already in it. On this episode of the Must Read Alaska Podcast, we sit down with Kyle Clement, co-founder of Liber Christo and a leading trainer in Catholic deliverance ministry....

Spiritual Warfare & Preparing for Combat with Kyle Clement https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-9tkjv-1b0c4de In a culture chasing novelty and quick spiritual fixes, many men are left restless, confused, and spiritually vulnerable. Temptation has become the front line of battle — and most don’t even realize they’re already in it. On this episode of ...

Fairbanks Defies "Shall Operate" Law— The First Test of Alaska's Charter School Appeal Process in State History

In a first-of-its-kind legal battle that has pitted Alaska’s State Board of Education against the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, the proposed Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School has become a high-stakes test of a previously untested Alaska statute that mandates local school districts operate charters if the State School Board approves that charter on appeal.

After the Fairbanks School Board denied Pearl Creek's application to open, the school appealed to the State Board of Education— a process provided by Alaska law for charters who feel their application was unjustly denied. After extensive review, the State Board overturned the district's decision and granted Pearl Creek permission to open. According to AS 14.03.250, "A local school board that denied an application for a charter school approved by the state board on appeal shall operate the charter school." However, the Fairbanks school board is still refusing to open the school.

The sequence of local district says "no," but State says, "yes" to a charter school application has never happened in Alaska history. However, existing statute provides clear guidance for this exact situation. The Pearl Creek case tests those existing statutes in real time for the first time. ...

Fairbanks Defies "Shall Operate" Law— The First Test of Alaska's Charter School Appeal Process in State History In a first-of-its-kind legal battle that has pitted Alaska’s State Board of Education against the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, the proposed Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School has become a high-stakes test of a previously untested Alaska statute that mandates local school districts o...

Alaska DOT&PF and AMHS Seek Public Review of Winter 2026/27 Ferry Schedule

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) 2026/27 Winter Schedule is now available for review and public comment. The draft schedule covers regional sailings from October 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027. ...

Alaska DOT&PF and AMHS Seek Public Review of Winter 2026/27 Ferry Schedule The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) 2026/27 Winter Schedule is now available for review and public comment. The draft schedule covers regional sailings from October 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027. The proposed schedule and supporting documentation can be found online at: dot.alaska.gov/amhs/do...

Analysis: Build the Hydrogen Hub; Demanding Legislative Transparency of Alaska LNG

By Dana Raffaniello

There is a reason the bill’s proponents say “build the gasline” rather than “build the hydrogen hub.” The public record tells a different story than the legislative one, and the gap between them is the single most important transparency failure in this entire debate.

In December 2022, Governor Dunleavy published an op-ed advocating clean hydrogen as Alaska’s energy future. In January 2023, AGDC submitted a concept paper to the U.S. Department of Energy describing a hydrogen development framework for the North Slope. That same month, the governor led a trade mission to Japan where the central economic propositions were hydrogen export and carbon capture, not residential gas delivery to Southcentral Alaska.

The administration has been making the hydrogen and carbon capture case in every venue except the one where it matters most legally, which is the Alaska Legislature, whose fiscal notes have never once modeled the federal 45Q carbon capture credit stream or the 45V clean hydrogen credit stream as components of the project’s actual financial architecture.

The project’s own paid consultant filled in part of that picture involuntarily. GaffneyCline senior director Nicholas Fulford told the Senate Finance Committee on May 27, under oath, that natural gas itself “is not the driver” of this project’s value, and that gas “is not worth much.” A member of House Resources had already confirmed this privately months earlier, writing that Glenfarne would not be here without the ability to sequester CO2 on the slope, and that Japan would not purchase Alaska’s gas without CCUS. ...

Analysis: Build the Hydrogen Hub; Demanding Legislative Transparency of Alaska LNG By Dana Raffaniello This article is a partial reprint of “The Paper Shields: How HB 381’s “Not Precedent” Clause and Its Project Labor Agreement Are Legally Hollow, and What That Means for Your PFD and Your Borough” by Dana Raffaniello, originally published 7/4/2026 on the author’s perso...