-The United States may soon have an Arctic ambassador again to represent the nation’s interests in the far north.-Gov. Mike Dunleavy is eyeing a property tax break for the long-planned Alaska LNG project.-Republicans in the House delivered a rare rebuke of Trump when they passed a bill to restore union rights for federal employees, but Alaska’s congressman wasn’t among them.

The adoption of the 2026 spending plan followed a couple hours of council members offering final amendments at Monday’s meeting, which itself came after a series of budget meetings in November. Mayor Mindy O’Neall released her proposed budget in late October.

Fairbanks police are looking for a suspect who allegedly shot and wounded a person Monday night in the Fairbanks eastside Safeway store. // The Fairbanks City Council adopted its 2026 budget on Monday. // The window for Alaska Native veterans to apply for their Native allotments will stay open for another five years. // A 37-year-old Kodiak man had a toe amputated after advocates say he was denied adequate medical care while in ICE custody.

The ordinance establishing the acknowledgement passed in a tight 4-3 vote, with new Mayor Mindy O'Neall breaking a 3-3 tie.

The Fairbanks City Council voted down a paramedic-training agreement Monday with city firefighters, who say they’re overwhelmed by too many trainees. // Also Monday, the Council approved an ordinance to establish an Alaska Native land acknowledgement statement at the beginning of regular meetings. // Republican members of the state Senate on Tuesday elected Senator Mike Cronk of Tok as their new minority leader for the upcoming legislative session. // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual Arctic climate report card Tuesday that shows continued record high temperatures in the region. // The Dunleavy administration is threatening insurance companies that are discriminating against oil and gas companies over their environmental practices.

The council postponed the vote last month in hopes a solution could be found. That didn't happen, according to the city's chief of staff.

Members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) Assembly have drafted an ordinance that would rebrand a historical park in the center of the Golden Heart City. It comes amid a yearslong dispute over Pioneer Park’s name.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly will consider an ordinance Thursday that would change the name of Pioneer Park back to Alaskaland. // Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he will no longer try to reform the state’s schools during next year’s legislative session. // Sen. Dan Sullivan voted with Democrats last week on legislation to extend health care subsidies that failed to get enough votes. // Two semi-tractor trailers trucks were involved in separate accidents last Friday on the Parks Highway resulting in minor injuries. // Travel industry experts say Alaska is expected to have a strong winter tourism season.

A Fairbanks mining firm announced that it struck a deal to merge with a company in British Columbia. // Celebrated Athabaskan fiddler Bill Stevens died in Fairbanks last month at the age of 92. // The Western Arctic Caribou Herd was once Alaska’s largest; state biologists say the herd is now at its lowest numbers in five decades. // Gov. Mike Dunleavy released his proposed budget, setting the stage for months of debate in his final legislative session as governor. // Alaska Native veterans have until Dec. 29 to claim 160 acres of federal land, a deadline Sen. Dan Sullivan says he’s trying to extend.

Between June 2020 and January 2021, the age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality rate among American Indian and Alaska Native people was 5.5 times higher than that of white people, the report says.