Clarise Larson

In this newscast: The state House passed a bill last week that would help protect foster kids from unnecessary stays in acute psychiatric care facilities. If it becomes law, a court hearing will be required within seven days of entering a facility to determine if the placement is necessary, instead of 30 days currently. Kids in foster care worked on the legislation and say it’s long overdue; The pilot recently rescued from a small plane in an icy Kenai Peninsula lake may face disciplinary consequences and be responsible for cleaning up the wreck; The Alaska Legislature passed a bill last week designating March as Women’s History Month in state law.

In this newscast: President Trump last Tuesday issued an executive order to reshape U.S. elections. The order, among other things, mandates absentee and mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. It also requires proof of citizenship for registering to vote in federal elections. There’s some concern that the changes might disenfranchise voters in rural Alaska Native communities; U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled last week that the Biden administration was wrong to cancel oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As it happens, she did exactly what U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan says she never does: decided against environmental groups. Sullivan’s recent criticism of the judge caused a stir in the legal community.