“Because funding was not sufficient to cover inflation, from federal and state, and so our only option has been to ask the feds permission to serve fewer children while keeping our same amount of dollars.” - Mark Lackey, a Head Start childcare provider, on how insufficient funding means he serves fewer children.
Palmer Head Start teacher Moriah Morris sits with children. (Photo courtesy of Mark Lackey)
By Corinne Smith
In Alaska, the gap between the need for childcare and the availability of services is growing, according to providers and national data. Some sources estimate it’s costing the state millions each year.
An estimated 55% of Alaska children lack reasonable access to child care, according to data compiled by the national non-profit advocacy group First Five Years Fund. Alaska childcare providers say state and federal funding to support programs is insufficient — and that rising costs mean they are able to offer less and less.
The gate to the John M. Asplund Wastewater Treatment Facility is seen on July 29, 2026. The plant serves most of the residents of Alaska's largest city. Wastewater samples taken in early and mid-July revealed genetic material from measles. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
By Yereth Rosen
At least one person in Anchorage had measles in early and mid-July, creating a risk that the highly infectious disease could spread through the state’s largest city, state health officials are warning.
A traveler looks at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer as they walk around a line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 24, 2026 in Houston. (Photo by Antranik Tavitian/Getty Images)
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has for more than a year used personal information airline passengers provide to the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group.
The documents, collected by the government accountability organization American Oversight, show for the first time a formal data-sharing agreement since May 2025 between TSA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System oil pipeline and the Dalton industrial haul road are seen in this undated photo. (Image by Lois Parshley)
NEWS ANALYSIS
By Lois Parshley
After decades organized around fossil fuel extraction, the state is having the kind of argument societies tend to have when the foundations of an old economic order start to wobble. The men who drafted the Declaration of Independence would find the conversation familiar: They understood that who controls a territory’s resources — and who bears the costs of their extraction — is at the core of political power.
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