A federal official is recommending the state tap the Alaska Permanent Fund to pay some of the costs of living in Alaska, rather than looking to the federal treasury.

The suggestion quickly drew a harsh reaction from some state officials, however.

The unusual recommendation came from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General, which issued a report Monday saying the federal government should not be funding the $70 million bypass mail program, which subsidizes shipping costs to rural locations.

The site of two Dena’ina traditional houses, or nichils, dating back to 1500 A.D. located in Old Town Kenai have remained unmarked for decades.

But hopefully not for long.

Rebecca Lambourn, Kenai Parks and Recreation Commission member, said the commission has proposed placing four signs around Old Town. A sign at the archeological site will teach locals and tourists about the houses while three additional signs will share similar historical tidbits of the olden days of Kenai.  

Kenai’s city council ended a work session Monday night in a stalemate over alterations to the commissions and committees appointment process.

The council tentatively agreed on several changes to the process by which citizens are appointed to Kenai’s Planning and Zoning Commission, but could not come to a decision on whether or not to publish applications from each interested party when the city’s mayor announces her choice to fill an opening. 

Explosive growth in Alaska's health care costs, recently about 9 percent a year, are threatening to cripple future state budgets, but officials are hoping some new strategies can bring those increases down.

"If we could get our cost curve down from 9 percent to 2 percent, that would be almost miraculous," said Mike Barnhill, deputy commissioner of the Department of Administration.

Barnhill's department, which oversees health care coverage for most state employees and retirees, is looking to beef up state "wellness" programs.