Alaskans get $1,174 checks from oil

Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska

Most Alaska residents soon will be getting a check for $1,174 simply because they live there.

Each person’s share of the state’s vast oil wealth was announced with much fanfare in Anchorage on Tuesday, with Gov. Sean Parnell ripping open a gold envelope to reveal the number. This day is so widely anticipated in Alaska that the announcement of the Permanent Fund Dividend amount was carried live on television statewide, and dozens tuned in to watch a live webcast by the governor’s office.

This year’s check is the smallest since 2006 and $107 less than last year’s amount, which was $1,281.