I just spent a year and a half and a half-million dollars remodeling the house to sell. It was supposed to be listed in a couple of weeks, and now it's just a pile of rubble.”

Tucked between the Gastineau Channel and majestic mountains, Juneau, Alaska, offers a rare blend of serene seclusion and thrilling activities. From exploring glaciers and rainforests to spotting whales in their natural habitat,

An infected person flew from Seattle to Anchorage earlier this month around the same time multiple flights were leaving for Southeast Alaska.

As lawmakers ascended on the Capitol for the start of the new session and 34th Legislature on Tuesday, priorities are beginning to take shape, with education, energy, and the economy drawing focus. Before the introduction of new legislation,

Alaska legislators on Friday unveiled a second batch of measures that were prefiled ahead of Tuesday's start to the legislative session. Eighty-one measures were announced last week. A further 20 bills were unveiled Friday — 10 are set to be introduced in the state Senate and 10 in the House.

The Alaska Legislature will take up election reform proposals this session, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy introducing a bill through the House, and the Senate majority caucus planning to introduce its own reforms later this week.

The first day always involves more pomp and circumstance than legislating, and this time was no exception — but senators offered some clues about the road ahead.

With aligned majorities in the House and Senate, priorities are set to include education funding, public pensions and election reform.

Money’s going to be tight, but a permanent education funding increase rather than another one-time increase is among the essential achievements needed this session, state Senate leaders said as the 34th Alaska State Legislature gaveled in Tuesday.

They include teachers, fishermen, pilots, a hunting guide, realtors, engineers, attorneys, veterans, a pharmacist, a medical doctor, a physician assistant, a nurse, a shopkeeper, an insurance broker and a professor.