Kyle Hopkins

The state’s offer of seven to 10 prosecutors comes days after the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reported hundreds of cases were dropped since May because the city lacked prosecutors to hit court deadlines for speedy trials.

An effort to clear a backlog in the court system, combined with a lack of prosecutors, has led hundreds of people charged with an array of criminal misdemeanors in the city to have their cases dismissed without a trial.

In an open letter, the Kotzebue police chief said Alaska state investigators reviewed the case of Jennifer Kirk’s 2018 death and found no new leads. But parts of the letter contradict information the department previously released about the case.

Local law enforcement said there was only one official unsolved killing in Kotzebue. An Anchorage Daily News/ProPublica journalist who reviewed that case and others reports many residents suspect otherwise.

Before they died, Jennifer Kirk and Sue Sue Norton were both victims of domestic violence, but the men involved — the ex-mayor’s sons — faced few consequences despite a long history of similar allegations.

Despite a history of fraud allegations, Rosalina Mavaega and her husband received one of the city’s largest awards under the American Rescue Plan Act. Prosecutors say the couple spent the funds buying cryptocurrency and on other personal uses.

Rosalina Mavaega was made a city commissioner and given a large grant to support her homeless services charity. Federal investigators are looking into her business dealings.

The lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court, includes claims of bullying and discrimination under former library deputy director Judy Eledge and makes allegations of race and sex discrimination at the Anchorage Fire Department.

Despite Judy Eledge’s history of inflammatory comments and social media posts, Anchorage’s mayor placed her in a key position in the city’s library and Alaska’s governor awarded her public money and a national role. What’s more, city and state agencies meant to protect Alaskans’ civil rights have been hamstrung.

Judge Peter Ramgren sided with the lawyer for Clyde “Ed” Sniffen, who argued too much time had passed for him to be charged with the alleged 1991 crime.

On the advice of the state’s attorney general, Alaska’s civil rights agency quietly deleted language promising equal protections for LGBTQ Alaskans against most categories of discrimination, and it began refusing to investigate complaints.

The former director of the city Office of Equal Opportunity filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday accusing Mayor Dave Bronson of firing her in retaliation for investigating alleged illegal acts by the mayor’s leadership team.

An influential friend of Mayor Dave Bronson’s is at the center of several of the controversies that have enveloped City Hall.

Here’s a timeline of some of the accusations and controversies since Mayor Dave Bronson took office in July 2021.

Blair Christensen would not comment on former City Manager Amy Demboski’s accusations against Mayor Dave Bronson and his administration, and whether they played a role in her decision to leave.