• Medicaid released data today that showed that enrollment jumped even in states (including Alaska) that didn’t expand their programs. The New York Times drills down the data into readable bites.

• Many communities are scrambling to figure out the best policies to govern marijuana possession and sales within their communities. It doesn’t help that Gov. Bill Walker is now talking about imposing some sort of delay. As the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner wrote: “(J)ust what mechanism Walker can use to delay the regulations is unclear” and would likely lead to a court challenge if he tried.

• NovaCopper admits that they have ‘substantial doubt’ regarding the financial health of Ambler road without financial assistance from the state.

• The LA Times Editorial Board wrote an extensive op-ed about Pebble Mine. Shocker alert: LA thinks Pebble is a bad idea.

• The Washington Post’s Fact Checker gave Jonathan Gruber, an architect of ObamaCare, two Pinocchios for testimony that he gave to the House Oversight Committee on Dec. 9 regarding ObamaCare and federal subsidies and statements that he made about those subsidies in a 2012 speech. Those 2012 statements, which he tried to explain away to the House committee, are a large part of a legal case against ObamaCare that is in front of the Supreme Court. It doesn’t help that at that same 2012 speech, he said that the only reason the act passed was that Americans were “stupid.”

• Rain Coast Data owner Meilani Schijvens spoke to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce and presented updated numbers regarding the many slices that makeup Southeast Alaska’s Economic Pie, per the Juneau Empire. It doesn’t look great for Juneau: Mining is down, the timber industry will never fully recover and the government sector is grim. Bright spots: Tourism and health care.

• Big Lake might be joining the ranks of cities that make up the Mat-Su.

• Bill Clinton was “the first black president” and now it seems that many are beginning to call Barack Obama “the first Latino president.” Politico wonders if he deserves it. International Business goes further and lists six Hispanics who could become the real deal.

• Another one bites the dust. The Juneau Empire reports that “The Road” is not a priority for the Senate majority.

• The Washington Times had the misfortune of telling Alaskans that as of May 1, 2015, ferry rates will increase by 4.5%.

• Don’t forget Alaska: minimum wage increases begin on February 24, 2015.

• While giving the commencement speech at Texas A&M, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) continued stroking speculation that he was still considering another run for president. The Hill has his exact words and how they were received.

• The Ketchikan Daily News reports that the Ketchikan City Council discussed raising tobacco taxes to bolster its budget.

• With tighter budgets, Kodiak Island Borough and Kodiak City Council will be sitting down next Tuesday with DOT to discuss project priorities, according to the Kodiak Daily Mirror.

• The Sitka Sentinel announced that the Gary Paxton Industrial Park Board voted Wednesday to approve the land sale.

• The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reminds readers that today is the last day to weigh in on the proposed air quality regulations.

• Pebble Mine made it to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership 2014 Top 10 Underreported Conservation Stories. The story is #9.

• Everyone should find some light in their lives at Elderberry Park, along Anchorage’s Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, tomorrow where the Light Brigade will displaying lots of it.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com