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The Alaska Memo

Hi! The Alaska Memo is a political newsletter by me, Matt Acuña Buxton, focused on Alaska politics with a dash of Anchorage and a smattering of everywhere else. At the heart of it, my mission is to explain not just what happened but why it matters, bringing in the context and background that I’ve amassed in more than a decade of reporting in Alaska.

Recent Posts

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Supplemental budget passes, Alaskans lost millions in federal health care help because of GOP

As most lawmakers try to play it safe, one argued they should be busy praising the president for bailing the state out rather than worrying about what-ifs.

Supplemental budget passes, Alaskans lost millions in federal health care help because of GOP
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'Delicate balance' election bill clears the House, on track to pass the Legislature

Oil price certainty is in the eye of the beholder. Bipartisan election bill passes with technically bipartisan support. Legislators get some big, bad numbers for rising health care costs.

'Delicate balance' election bill clears the House, on track to pass the Legislature
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Even at its second-most volatile point, Alaska can't quit oil

Ultimately, forecasts are just forecasts, and as House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp joked on the House floor on Monday, "the sole purpose of oil price forecasting is to make astrology look respectable."

Even at its second-most volatile point, Alaska can't quit oil
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The oil price roller coaster and Begich's legislative address

Let's unpack the latest tribulations on oil prices through the very best of metaphors – the roller coaster.

The oil price roller coaster and Begich's legislative address
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As legislators rail against feds accessing voter info, Dunleavy officials say they'd do it again

State officials say they wanted to be good partners with the Trump administration.

As legislators rail against feds accessing voter info, Dunleavy officials say they'd do it again
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A legend lost, a teacher leaves and chilling questions for ICE

Alaska lost one of the best to ever put ink to paper.

A legend lost, a teacher leaves and chilling questions for ICE
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A shocking arrest rattles the Legislature and a long-overdue oil tax rewrite lands

It's a bigger problem than just the Anchorage Young Republicans or even the Alaska Republican Party.

A shocking arrest rattles the Legislature and a long-overdue oil tax rewrite lands