Algerian man Imane Khelif has beat Italy’s Angela Carini in a welterweight round of Olympic women’s boxing and will advance. It took just 46 seconds for Carini, of Naples, Italy, to give up the match after taking a couple of heavy blows to her head.
The International Olympics Committee has decided to allow men who have X and Y chromosomes to box women. On Friday, a male boxer from Taiwan will be pitted against a woman from Uzbekistan. Yu-Ting will box in the Women’s 57kg division on Aug. 2, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. His opponent is Sitora Turdibekova, a woman.
After the less-than-a-minute match, Carini was clearly traumatized, and was seen crying in the boxing ring.
Khelif will fight again on Saturday against an as-of-yet undetermined opponent.
Chalk it up to wardrobe failure: Fletch Fletcher, a language arts teacher at Dimond High School in Anchorage, made social media this week, with his name and physique featured in the “Libs of TikTok” channel on X/Twitter.
In a video apparently shot by a student, a teacher wearing a dress appears to have his hardened penis tenting out of the fabric, right at eye level where a student under his watch is working on a computer. The distance between the erection and the student’s hand is mere inches. That teacher is identified as Fletcher, although not verified by Must Read Alaska as such.
Meet Fletch Fletcher. A male teacher at @ASDschools who now identifies as nonbinary. He likes to wear tight dresses to school so his bulge sticks out. I’m told he also wears very tight pants and it makes the students extremely uncomfortable.
According to the Libs of TikTok account, Fletcher also wears tight pants that show his bulge and make students uncomfortable.
Students of Dimond High School who are familiar with the situation may contact Must Read Alaska in the comment section below and ask that their names be kept private if they have information that is pertinent to this report.
It’s a balloon, or it’s not a balloon. It was the size of a car. But we’re not sure what size of car. If the Pentagon knows what it shot down over the Arctic Ocean, it’s not saying. At this point, it’s still in the category of an unidentified flying “object” that was north of Prudhoe Bay until taken down by an F-22 out of Elmendorf.
The Department of Defense did give at least a few more details about the nature of the mission, which took place this morning over the Arctic, while it was still dark in northern Alaska. As revealed by Must Read Alaska earlier on Friday, the military had detected the object on Feb. 9, and determined it was unmanned. A jet from Anchorage to Red Dog Mine was rerouted toward Nome to avoid the item on Thursday.
“The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. President Joe Biden ordered Northern Command to shoot down the object. Civilian airliners typically fly between 40,000 and 45,000 feet.
The object, whatever it was, fell onto sea ice off the coast of Alaska and U.S. Northern Command has begun recovery operations, Ryder said.
“U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska Command coordinated the operation with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard, Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he said.
The object was about the size of a small car, the general said, and does not resemble in any way the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this week. “We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin,” he said.
Two F-22s flying out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, took down the object. The one missile shot was an AIM-9X Sidewinder. “We have HC-130, HH-60 and CH-47 aircraft participating in that recovery,” the press secretary said.
The shoot-down of a China spy balloon six days earlier has drawn criticism from many observers, who note that the White House didn’t acknowledge the spy balloon until it was photographed and reported by a newspaper in Billings, Montana. Only then did the Biden Administration admit it knew about the balloon, and it has changed stories about the timing and nature of its decisions ever since.
The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday passed ordinances opposed by residents across the city and also objected to by operators of homeless shelters and facilities.
The first ordinance expands the zoning for homeless shelters into areas called B-3 business districts. Most of the B-3 areas are in Midtown Anchorage. Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel of Midtown was the sponsor of the ordinance that will bring more crime and social problems to Midtown neighborhoods.
Zaletel is the subject of a recall effort that is now underway.
The B-3 district in Anchorage “is intended for primarily for general commercial uses in commercial centers and area exposed to heavy traffic. These commercial uses are intended to be located on arterials, or within commercial centers of town, and to be provided with adequate public services and facilities,” according to the Municipality, but the zone butts up against residential neighborhoods. The purpose of the ordinance is to spread out the homeless problem to reduce its impacts on the downtown district and make other neighborhoods share the burden.
The second ordinance is going to require homeless shelters to be licensed by the municipality by 2023. This ordinance was objected to by faith-based organizations who say that the Assembly, run by a leftist majority, is trying to force women’s shelters to admit transgendered individuals.
The Biden Administration’s head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of “impending doom” from a resurgence of Covid-19 and appealed to governors and mayors to reinstate mask mandates. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, welled up with tears as she ask America to “hold on a little while longer” and continue wearing masks.
“I am asking you to just hold on a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can, so that all of those people that we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends,” Walensky said. The nation has “reason for hope. But right now, I’m scared.”
“Please, this is not politics — reinstate the mandate,” President Joe Biden said. “The failure to take this virus seriously is precisely what got us into this mess in the first place.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy, on Twitter, said no, he would not be implementing a statewide mask mandate.
“No thanks, @POTUS – you can keep your mask mandate. We’ll keep doing it the #Alaska way: trust the people & let them live their lives,” Dunleavy wrote.
To date, 31 percent of Alaskans have received at least one dose of a vaccine against Covid. Over 21 percent of Alaskans are fully immunized. Anchorage has a mask mandate that has been in place for almost a year but the state has never had a one-size-fits-all mandate.
Must Read Alaska updates relating to the COVID-19 coronavirus will be included on this running post, where you can see updates throughout the days and nights ahead. Check back for updates.
10:30 am, 04/03/2020: The Carlson Center in Fairbanks has been converted into an overflow field hospital, in the event that the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital reaches capacity. Close to 100 cots have been set up, while Fairbanks and North Pole have reported a total of 42 COVID-19 cases to date, most not needing hospitalization.
10 pm, 04/03/2020: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center survey results released on Friday show 92% of small employers said they are negatively impacted by the pandemic, up from 76% saying the same just 10 days prior. The survey was taken March 30 among a random sample of 300,000 members of the small business organization.
The survey showed continued decline in the small business sector since the NFIB’s previous similar survey, which was conducted on March 20.
The NFIB on Friday stated, “The severity of the outbreak and regulatory measures that cities and states are taking to control it are having a devastating impact on small businesses.”
10 pm, 04/02/2020: The Department of State says that due to public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, it is only able to offer passport service for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.
Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (e.g. parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etc) that require you to travel outside the United States within 72 hours (3 days).
The State Department advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel at this time due to the global impact of COVID-19. Many areas throughout the world are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and taking action that may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions. Even countries, jurisdictions, or areas where cases have not been reported may restrict travel without notice.
3 pm, 04/02/2020: The Alaska Railroad passenger service will be postponed to July, rather than its originally scheduled start date of May 8.
Usually, the summer train season starts with the arrival of cruise ships in Seward and Whittier, where passengers disembark and travel by train to Anchorage and north to Denali and Fairbanks.
Aurora Winter Train is suspended through the end of the 2019-2020 winter season
Coastal Classic Train has daily scheduled service may begin July 1
Northbound service for the Denali Star Train is may begin July 1, with daily bi-directional service starting July 2
Glacier Discovery Train returns July 3
Hurricane Turn Train: operates April 2, May 7, and June 4. Standard Thursday-Monday service begins July 2, 2020
10 am, 04/02/2020: From Flowingdata.com comes this handy toilet paper calculator to help you gauge how many weeks you can go before you’ll need to start scouting for toilet paper again:
In short, if you’re a household of two, using 8 sheets per wipe, and wiping 8 times a day, you’ll need about seven rolls to last you two weeks, according to the calculator, which you can adjust according to number of people, number of wipes, and number of squares used. Other variables are noted in the analysis.
8 am, 04/02/2020: Costco announced this week it changed its guest policy to deal with the influx of panic shoppers. As a temporary measure, the warehouse store will allow members one guest per membership card. Previously, members could bring up to two guests with them. The company is trying to limit the number of people in the warehouse to create the social distancing suggested by the CDC.
1:30 pm, 04/01/2020: Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson filed a complaint against Juan Lyle Aune, alleging that Aune profited from the spread of COVID-19 by purchasing thousands of N95 respirators from Alaska stores, and then reselling the respirators on Amazon and eBay for unconscionably high prices. The complaint asks the court to impose a separate $25,000 fine for every such sale Aune made.
“Price gouging is simply unacceptable,” said Clarkson. “The Department of Law is fully committed to taking action against those who would engage in unscrupulous behavior to profit off of COVID-19.”
According to the complaint, Aune purchased respirators from several Alaska stores, including Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Spenard Builder’s Supply. On one trip to Lowe’s, Aune purchased the store’s entire supply of 3M N95 Respirators – a total of 293 20-packs. According to the complaint, Aune told a Lowe’s employee that he was “flipping” the masks for a profit of about $50 per box.
The complaint alleges that Aune generally purchased 20-packs of N95 respirators for $17 to $23 in local stores, before reselling the 20-packs on Amazon for an average price of $89.25. Aune also sold 20-packs of N95 respirators on eBay for as much as $89.99.
Alaskans are encouraged to report price gouging, scams, and deceptive trade practices related to COVID-19 to the Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Unit at [email protected] or calling at 907-269-5200 or 1-888-576-2529.
9:30 pm, 03/31/2020: Alaska Municipal League has a running list of links to dozens of communities and their current health mandates, including travel bans to and from villages. The link is here.
9 pm, 03/31/2020: The Ketchikan Emergency Operations Center closed public beaches, parks, and playgrounds on Monday.
10 am, 03/31/2020: 88 percent of Americans have experienced changes to their lives since COVID-19 hit the U.S., according to new Pew Research Center data. Twelve percent report their lives have remained relatively unchanged. According to the research, 51 percent of Democrats say their life has changed in a major way, compared to 38 percent of Republicans.
Republicans are reporting less psychological distress: 17 percent of Republicans report “high distress” compared to 30 percent of Democrats.
2 pm, 03/30/2020: The Municipality of Anchorage is setting up an emergency medical care center in the Alaska Airlines Center, located across from Providence Hospital on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The facility may be able to care for COVID-19 patients who are not needing critical care, but do require some medical care. The facility, usually used for basketball games, has been covered with cots in anticipation of a surge of patients, according to the Emergency Operations Center, now operating out of the Loussac Library. Anchorage, including JBER, Eagle River, Chugiak, and Girdwood, has at least 59 confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus.
2:45 pm, 03/29/2020: The “Quick Test” is coming. The number of tests that have been performed in the United States for COVID-19 now exceed 894,000 Americans. Starting April 2, Abbott Labs will be manufacturing 50,000 new test kits a day that give quicker answers. The Abbott “point-of-care” test has received FDA approval and will be available to urgent care clinics next week. It gives a positive result in five minutes and a negative result in 13 minutes.
2:30 pm, 03/29/2020: President Trump said that Cigna and Humana will be waiving the copays on insurance for costs associated with the coronavirus.
2:15 pm, 03/29/2020: President Trump today extended the current federal guidelines on social distancing to April 30. He said the peak for the contagion COVID-19 and death from the virus is expected to come in two weeks from now.
7 am, 03/28/2020: Anchorage has a shortage of personal protective equipment and medical supplies. The following are needed immediately and Anchorage Emergency Operations is asking for donations: – Non-contact medical grade thermometers, Please see picture attached Universal Transport Media (for guidance see: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Labs/Documents/LaboratoryTests.pdf#page=23) – Nitrile exam gloves (no latex gloves) – N95 masks – Surgical masks – Medical gowns – Face shields which protect eyes Open and expired PPE are acceptable for donation. Used PPE is not being accepted. Homemade cloth masks for use by Anchorage Fire Department that are made to the following specifications:
Recommended materials include a single layer of tightly-woven material, such as a dish/tea towel or bed sheets/antimicrobial pillowcases.
The materials used must be able to be washed/dried on high heat.
Please wash your hands and keep your area clean when making the masks.
When completed, please bundle masks in packs of 25 or less in a sealed zip lock bag and drop off at the donation center.
Do not make masks if you have any respiratory illness symptoms.
Masks will be laundered by AFD before use.
Open and expired PPE are acceptable for donation, however used PPE is not being accepted.
Please take donations to: CrossFit Alaska 9191 Old Seward Highway Entrance faces Scooter Ave Hours of donation: 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM 7 days a week.
6:45 am, 03/28/2020: Late Friday night, President Donald Trump authorized Defense Secretary Mark Esper to order units and individual members in the National Guard and Reserves, as well as “certain Individual Ready Reserve members,” to active duty, the Pentagon announced. The troops will assist with response to the Wuhan coronavirus.
“The Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, at the direction of the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, are authorized to order to active duty not to exceed 24 consecutive months, such units, and individual members of the Ready Reserve under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned, not to exceed 1,000,000 members on active duty at any one time, as the Secretary of Defense and, with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, the Secretary of Homeland Security consider necessary. The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, will ensure appropriate consultation is undertaken with relevant state officials with respect to the utilization of National Guard Reserve Component units activated under this authority.”
7:15 pm, 03/27/2020: In Ketchikan, the inter-island ferry that operates to Prince of Wales Island will implement a four-day-per-week schedule starting March 28.
The ferry will run Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Passenger service will be limited to essential travel, which means those returning home or traveling for critical medical care, or those transporting essential goods and services. The number of passengers on board has been reduced by 75 percent to allow appropriate space between passengers. More information can be found at the ferry system’s link.
6 pm, 03/27/2020: Alaska is the No. 3 state for the number of citizens tested per capita, said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer. New York is No. 1 in testing.
1 pm, 03/27/2020: Mayor Ethan Berkowitz of Anchorage extended the “hunker down” order through at least April 14, but said that date should not be considered a “hard end.” Orders could continue for a while, he said at a press conference today. Berkowitz said property taxes would be delayed for at least a month, and there will be no utility shut-offs for a month. In addition, any state or federal assistance that people receive will not be garnished for municipal fees or taxes due.
Building permit fees will be reduced by 25 percent, he said, and other fees will be either reduced or rebated, since many permitted businesses like restaurants and bars are not operating.
10 am, 03/27/2020: A Navy hospital ship has arrived in Los Angeles to help with the overflow from hospitals. The USNS Mercy has 1,000 beds and will treat non-coronavirus patients, freeing up local hospitals to focus on the surge of COVID-19 patients
9:30 pm, 03/26/2020: North Pole Mayor Mike Welch was tested Thursday for COVID-19 at Tanana Valley Clinic after experiencing symptoms and being asked to come in for the swab test.
7:30 pm, 03/26/2020: Alaska Medicaid will allow 68-day fills on medications that would normally be limited to 34 days. With the allowed accumulation, this permits a patient to be able to have approximately 10 weeks of medication on-hand. If a specific patient condition warrants, individual exceptions for a day’s supply beyond 68-days can be requested of the pharmacist.
6:32 pm, 03/26/2020: More that 2,400 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Alaska, said Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum. That is less than one percent of Alaskans, but a quick uptick in testing since the first case diagnosed in Alaska just 14 days ago.
5:44 pm, 03/26/2020: KUOW, public broadcasting in Seattle, has decided to stop airing the president’s press conferences on COVID-19 because the station feels they are not factual.
At the same time, President Trump’s approval rating among voters has started to climb in recent days, with the survey site fivethirtyeight.com saying his approval is now over 45 percent.
12:15 pm, 03/26/2020: At least 81,321 people in the U.S. are known to have been infected with the coronavirus, more cases than China, Italy or any other country has seen, according to data gathered by The New York Times.
11:45 am, 03/26/2020: The Port of Seattle has delayed the Alaska cruise season indefinitely.
11 am, 03/26/2020: The second phase of the congressional relief package that passed the Senate will bring $1.5 billion to the State of Alaska. It will also deliver rapid relief to small businesses, and expand unemployment. It will send a surge of resources to medical professions, said Sen. Dan Sullivan. It must be approved by the House.
7:28 am, 03/26/2020: State officials have corrected information about how many are hospitalized in Alaska due to COVID-19. The correct number as of March 25, 2020 is 3.
11:30 pm, 03/25/2020:Mayor Ethan Berkowitz of Anchorage has said the city will not enforce the mandatory 10-cent fee per paper bag that the city requires merchants charge their customers. However, he did not say merchants may issue single-use plastic bags for merchandise and groceries.
10:40 pm, 03/25/2020: A second employee of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. This individual is included in the current count of 59 in Alaska who have been stricken with the virus.
10:35 pm, 03/25/2020: Royal Caribbean has extended the suspension of its cruises through May 12. “Because of announced port closures, we expect to return to service for Alaska, Canada and New England sailings July 1, 2020,” the company said. Norwegian Cruise Line is cutting pay and moving to a four-day work week for most staff.
3 pm, 03/25/2020:The current case count in Alaska is 44. An employee of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital has tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. Another Fairbanks person, a patient of the Tanana Chiefs Conference’s Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center, has also tested positive. l
3 pm, 03/25/2020: Jake Metcalfe, the executive director of the largest state employee union in Alaska, is seeking an injunction against the Dunleavy Administration to force all nonessential state employees to work from home for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. He also wants the court to mandate staggered work hours and social distancing rules for all state employees.
The Alaska State Employees Association represents 7,500 state and municipal employees across the state.
10 am, 03/25/2030: The United States is the world’s third-most infected country by the Wuhan coronavirus. To date, the top three are:
81,661 China
74,386 Italy
60,115 US
5:15 pm, 03/24/2020: The Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan have been postponed by the International Olympics Committee, for about a year.
3:45 pm, 03/24/2020: The U.S. Department of Education has stopped collections of federal student loans that are in default.
3:33 pm, 03/24/2020: First COVID-19 hospitalization is in Juneau at Bartlett Memorial Hospital. This is the second case in Juneau and the person is in the critical care unit. The person had been traveling in Washington State and Portland, Oregon, both known hot spots.
Meanwhile, the case count is up to 39 in Alaska, with two more having been identified in Ketchikan. This brings the total of positive cases in Ketchikan to eight. These two individuals, upon experiencing symptoms of illness, self-quarantined and sought testing through the Creekside Family Medical Clinic. The testing was processed by a private lab. The two do not have a history of recent travel, so these are considered community transmission cases.
8:45 am, 03/24/2020: Alaska Airlines will eliminate 200 flights per day through March 31. This is a 15 percent reduction of its normal flights. The airline is parking 30 jets from its fleet of 230 aircraft. Flights to Hawaii will be extremely limited and the airline will stop flying to Costa Rica, although for now it will keep its Mexico and Canada routes.
8:30 am, 03/24/2020: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued a shelter-in-place order Monday evening, something he had been pressured to do for several days. Washingtonians are not to leave their homes except for critical tasks in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
7:46 pm, 03/23/2020: Three Bears market has instituted a ban on the use of personal multi-use shopping bags.
“Our grocery store workers are on the front lines of COVID-19, working tirelessly to keep our community fed. With identified community transmission, we ask that shoppers keep their reusable bags at home given the potential risk to Three Bears customers and employees,” the store notified shoppers, effective at all locations immediately. The stores are located in Wasilla, Palmer, and Kenai.
3:15 pm, 03/23/2020: First National Bank stock price went through large price swings today on the stock market before ending sharply lower.
The current stock price is $176, having recovered from its low of $125 at the close of trading. It appears some entity that owns stock in the bank may have dumped the stock this afternoon.
9 am, 03/23/2020: AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union has temporarily closed several branches and curtailed operates at others:
Branches temporarily closed:
36th Ave
Abbott
N. Eagle River
Juneau St
W. Dimond
W. Northern Lights
N. Pole
W. Fairbanks
Parks Hwy
Vintage Park
Branches with drive-up and appointment services open Monday – Friday, 11 am to 6 pm:
C St
DeBarr
Dimond
Eagle River
East DeBarr
Huffman
JBER
Northern Lights
W. Abbott
Airport Way
Steese Hwy
Homer
Kenai
Soldotna
Palmer
Wasilla
W. Parks Hwy
Glacier Hwy
In-Store Branches open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11 am to 6 pm:
Bethel
Ketchikan
Kodiak
8 am, 03/23/2020: PeaceHealth Medical clinics are closed Monday and Tuesday in Ketchikan after two caregivers who work there tested positive for COVID-19. The medical center is one of the largest employers in Ketchikan.
11:15 pm, 03/22/2020: FEMA has set up a rumor control web page pertaining to COVID-19, available at this link.
11 pm, 03/22/2020: Juneau has cancelled its Fourth of July parade. The Fourth of July parade is the biggest community event of the year.
10:30 pm, 03/22/2020:Anchorage Office of Emergency Management reminded residents that the Hunker Down order is in effect in Anchorage as of 10 pm Sunday.
Emergency Order EO-03 directs Anchorage residents and businesses to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the chance of Anchorage hospitals becoming overwhelmed and unable to treat those who need urgent medical care, the department wrote.
When left unchecked, this virus spreads exponentially. Some models show that without an order to hunker down, hospitals could become overwhelmed within weeks. The predictions of these models are borne out by what is happening in other communities that waited too long to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Hunker Down order mandates that non-critical businesses close their premises, and that residents stay home as much as possible.
“Non-critical businesses encompass any business that is not specifically exempted as a critical business. This includes (but is not limited to): shoe stores, hair salons and barber shops, nail salons, clothing stores, makeup stores, jewelry stores, car dealerships (service and parts may remain open), tattoo parlors, acupuncture, art studios, and sporting goods stores, in-home housekeeping services, babysitting (except to provide support for critical workers). This is in addition to the closure of gyms, movie theaters, indoor recreation centers, bowling alleys, and nightclubs that were closed.
“Non-critical businesses must close their premises; it is not acceptable to simply transform to a curbside or delivery business as that still places too many workers and customers in harm’s way for a non-critical purpose.
“The emergency order includes a list of critical businesses that can continue to operate while implementing social distancing techniques to the maximum extent possible—including switching to curbside or delivery service.
“The critical business list includes health care operations, grocery stores, convenience stores, maintenance and operations of critical infrastructure, first responders, criminal justice personnel, critical government functions, defense and national security-related operations, food cultivation, social services, journalism, gas stations, banks and other financial institutions, hardware stores, plumbers, electricians, mailing and shipping services, laundromats, educational institutions for the purpose of distance learning, restaurants (for takeout and delivery only), transportation services, hotels, childcare facilities (to serve workers in critical jobs only), and some legal and accounting services. For a full list, refer to the emergency order. These businesses should incorporate remote working whenever possible and adhere to CDC social distancing guidelines including maintaining six feet between people.”
9:15 pm – 03/22/2020: Anchorage police will begin wearing personal protective gear — things like masks and nitrile gloves — when physically interacting with the public. This doesn’t necessarily mean that COVID-19 is presenting the situation, but that police are protecting themselves from unnecessary exposure. Also, dispatchers and officers will be asking people questions related to COVID-19 exposure to help prevent exposure.
All community engagement activities and events, such as the ride-a-long program, Coffee with a Cop, public appearance requests and more, have been suspended until further notice. The APD front lobby at its headquarters is closed.
8:30 pm – 03/22/2020: The Seattle Times did not print its Sunday edition today due to the restrictions and general conditions caused by the COVID-19 virus. The newspaper was founded in 1891 and has been operated by the Blethen family since 1896. A note from the publisher advised:
5:30 pm – 03/22/2020: Sitka has been given a “hunker down in place” strong recommendation, issued by the Sitka Emergency Unified Command. Sitkans are asked to stay home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. If residents need to shop for groceries, they may do so if they do not believe they have been exposed to the virus. Work from home as much as possible. Non-essential businesses are urged, but not required to close for 14 days. Those picking up or dropping off at the airport are urged to use curbside, and not go inside the airport. Anyone traveling into Sitka must quarantine in accordance with DHSS mandates.
4 pm – 03/22/2020: The current count of COVID-19 cases in Alaska is 22.
3:38 pm – 03/22/2020: An update on donating blood to the Blood Bank of Alaska. Please call 907-222-5600 to schedule an appointment. The staff will schedule you in.
11:06 am – 03/22/2020: Homeless men in Anchorage are being moved into the Sullivan Arena, while homeless women are being moved into the Ben Boeke Ice Arena next door. They are being given sleeping pads that are spaced six feet apart.
10:30 am – 03/22/2020: The current count of COVID-19 cases in Alaska is 21.
10 am – 03/22/2020: Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced on Sunday, adding “he is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.”
11 pm – 03/21/2020: Gov. Mike Dunleavy has launched a web page devoted to the work of the Economic Stabilization Team.
The page contains links for Small Business Administration loans, unemployment insurance, home mortgage assistance, and other resources that will be added as details are firmed. Share this page with those who may need help.
9:50 pm – 03-21/2020: Senior citizens in the Mat-Su Valley are getting some needed support from the Santa Cop and Heroes program, which applied for and received a $50,000 grant from Southcentral Health Foundation to provide 400 food kits to seniors 60 and older in the valley. Contact them at this link and get on the list for a food drop if you are running low of food, have no family support, and you meet the age qualifications.
8:30 pm – 03/21/2020: New testing protocols for Alaska have been put in place by the Department of Health and Social Services, in response to a shortage of equipment.
Testing supplies are running low. Until the shortage is resolved, health care providers are now prioritizing testing to specific groups. Health care providers do not need to call the Alaska Section of Epidemiology to approve testing, but those patients who are asymptomatic may not be tested. Here is what the testing technicians are being advised:
Patients who have a clinically compatible illness (e.g., fever, cough, or shortness of breath) AND at least one of the following criteria should be considered for testing:
12 pm – 03/21/2020: North Star Borough Mayor Bryce Ward announced an emergency declaration on Friday. The declaration will help with the procurement of aid and assistance from State and federal agencies when they become available. The borough is home to nearly 100,000 Alaskans and encompasses Eielson Air Force Base, Salcha, Fox, Two Rivers, and Chena Hot Springs.
11:30 am – 03/21/2020: Kenai Borough offices are closed to the public. Borough employees will still conduct government business under modified work schedules during regular business hours Monday – Friday. Those who can, will work from home, while others will come to work and practice the recommended guidance to ensure safe workspaces. You can also find contact information by department at www.kpb.us.
The Central Peninsula Landfill and transfer sites will continue to remain open to the public. Steps have been put in place for staff and the public’s protection. Please follow directional signage and staff instructions.
Dispatch and Fire/EMS will maintain operations; however, public will not be allowed to enter these facilities. First responders are following guidance specific to call outs. Nikiski Fire Service Area will continue their potable water service to residents with modifications.
Kenai Borough residents are asked to use the drop box located by the main front doors of the Borough Administrative Building (BAB) to deposit payments or department-specific documents, or mail delivery:
Kenai Peninsula Borough Attn: Department Name 144 N. Binkley Street Soldotna AK 99669
8 am – 03/21/2020: Anchorage medical community is experiencing a shortage of personal protective equipment such as nitrile gloves, face masks and medical gowns. They are asking providers and businesses to donate. Due to global demand, there is no definitive shipping date for more these items. The national demand for PPE and Alaska’s distance from suppliers, avoiding PPE shortages in Anchorage will require stretching existing supplies as long as possible. The following is needed immediately:
Nitrile exam gloves (no latex gloves)
N95 masks
Surgical masks
Medical gowns
Face shields that protect eyes
Please take Personal Protective Equipment to:
CrossFit Alaska 9191 Old Seward Highway Entrance faces Scooter Ave
Hours of donation: 9 am – 5 pm, 7 days a week. For questions, email [email protected] or call 907-343-4019
4:30 pm – 03/20/2020:The City and Borough of Juneau implemented voluntary temperature checks for travelers arriving at the Juneau International Airport. Passengers with a temperature of 100.4 F will be advised to contact a medical provider and to self-quarantine.
4:15 pm – 03/20/2020: A shortage of testing swabs has led Anchorage Office of Emergency Management to ask doctors to donate swabs, or the current Anchorage supply will be exhausted on Sunday. Due to global demand, there is no definitive shipping date for more swabs.
The following swabs are needed immediately: Nasopharyngeal swab with synthetic tip (ex. Dacron, Nylon, Polyester), with non-wooden shaft. NP swab should have sterile tube containing 2-3ml viral transport media (VTM) Please take swabs to: Drive Thru COVID19 Testing Site 4115 Lake Otis Parkway
Please use the back entrance/ employee parking lot (behind the tan and brown building). Hours of donation: 9:00 AM- 7:00 PM 7 days a week.
3:30 pm – 03/20/2020: Must Read Alaskahas learned that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz will order all Anchorage residents to shelter in place beginning this evening.
3:25 pm – 03/20/2020: An employee of the office of the Vice President has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement.
“This evening we were notified that a member of the Office of the Vice President tested positive for the Coronavirus,” wrote Pence Press Secretary Katie Miller. “Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual. Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
11 am – 03/20/2020: President Donald Trump said the U.S. Department of Education will not require standardized testing for students in elementary through high school for the current school year.
10 am – 03/20/2020:The Anchorage Health Department and satellite locations have limited services to phone and appointments only, effective March 19.
Many services and benefits will be available via telephone or limited to in-person appointments; no in-person business or services will be available without an appointment. The contact numbers for the resources are:
• Community Health Nursing: 343-4799 • Aging and Disability Resource Center: 343-7770 • Women, Infants and Children: 343-4668 • Child Care Licensing: 343-4758 • Environmental Health (Food and Air): 343-4200 • Community Safety and Development: 343-4822 • Main Number: 343-6718
9:42 am – 03/20/2020:
How many cases? 255,729 worldwide. Known in Alaska: 12. Every person typically infects two others.
– Did it start in a Wuhan lab? The coronavirus may have originated in a government laboratory 300 yards from the Wuhan fish market where the authorities say the outbreak started, the Daily Mailreports.
– California is sheltering in place: 40 million Californians have been ordered to stay home indefinitely, only going out for essential jobs, errands, and solitary exercise, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He warned the public that the patients who are contracting the coronavirus — 1,000 now in the Golden State — may soon overwhelm the state medical facilities.
– New York going into lockdown: Gov. Cuomo is shutting down all non-essential businesses across the state, leaving just grocery stores, pharmacies, and other essential operations open. He is banning all non-solitary outside activity, like outdoor basketball games and other team sports and he is requiring all non-essential government and private-sector employees to work from home, starting Sunday.
– President Trump has closed almost all traffic but commercial trucks at the southern border with Mexico.
– The Trump Administration has postponed the IRS income tax deadline to July 15.
10:15 pm – 03/19/2020:The U.S. Supreme Court has closed its building to the public and postponed its March argument session, which was to begin March 23.
10 pm – 03/19/2020:Funerals and weddings are among the events now banned in Washington State, as the epicenter of the coronavirus tries to get a handle on social distancing.
10 pm – 03/19/2020: Alaska Public Offices Commission is closed to walk-in traffic until further notice. APOC offices will remain staffed and will continue to serve the public and respond through alternative forms of contact including post mail, email, fax, and telephone, during its normal business hours of 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.
9:45 pm – 03/19/2020: Although the Blood Bank of Alaska is in need of blood, it’s asking for a voluntary 28-day deferral for anyone who has traveled out of state and to foreign countries in the last five weeks, and a 28-day deferral for donations for all travel out of state.
2:50 pm – 03/19/2020: An active-duty Airman has tested positive for COVID-19 on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The member recently returned from overseas travel and is following public health protocols while self-quarantined at his or her off-base residence.
JBER officials have ordered Health Protection Condition Bravo and are continually monitoring the situation while working closely with local, state and federal agencies.
12:50 pm – 03/19/2020: Anchorage Police Department has closed its front counter at its headquarters due to a significant drop in public visits. As a result, APD has put together resources to helping the public online and/or via the phone.
During this time, the traffic citations will be handled via paying by phone at 907-786-2429.
Subject line should be your last name and citation number. Attach these necessary documents, as appropriate:
Proof of insurance- Photo: must show you had insurance at the time the ticket was issued.
Proof of Registration- Photo: must show documents of registration from the DMV and photo of license plate with the new sticker on your vehicle.
Headlight/Taillight- Photo: must show vehicle with lights on and license plate visible.
Window Tint- Two Photos: must show entire driver side door of vehicle and include photo from front of vehicle showing license plate.
Proof of Driver’s License- Call 786-8600, ext 2.
11:30 am – 03/19/2020 – Simon Malls, owner of the Fifth Avenue Mall in Anchorage, has closed all of its malls across the nation until March 29.
“The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance and we are taking this step to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” the company wrote.
8:40 am – 03/19/2020: The U.S. State Department will announce a Level Four travel advisory instructing all Americans abroad to return home or to shelter in place because of the global threat of the coronavirus. This is its most stringent warning. Just four days ago, the department raised the travel advisory to Level 3, with strong recommendations. Under Level Four, Americans will be strongly advised not to travel abroad.
8:40 am – 03/19/2020: The U.S. embassies in Mexico have suspended routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services starting March 18, 2020, and until further notice. The U.S. Embassy and consulates will continue to provide essential consular services to U.S. citizens in Mexico as well as emergency visa services. The closure will effect the seasonal labor supply for American farms and fisheries.
11:32 pm – 03/18/2020: Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau has instituted screening for patients and visitors for symptoms of COVID-19, along with travel history and possible exposure to the virus. Families, staff, and departments in the hospital are restricting access and enforcing visitor control policy, including:
For hospitalized patients:
Limit one visitor on the units at any time.
No visitors are allowed in the Hospital from 8 p.m. – 6 a.m. overnight, unless accompanying a newly admitted patient or a maternity patient.
No visitors under age 16.
Visitation rules may be more restricted on units and floors with patients who have reduced immune systems or special populations.
Exceptions: End of life” situations, minor patients (≤18 years old) may have two visitors but this is limited to only parents or guardians, and individuals with significant physical disabilities are limited to one support person in addition to a visitor.
11:25 pm – 03/18/2020: Homer Mayor Ken Castner declared an official emergency in response to COVID-19 in Alaska and in support of COVID-9 prevention measures being implemented throughout the Borough and the State. The declaration will be effective for seven days, and then may extend if the City Council ratifies it at its meeting on March 23. The declaration creates a unified command structure with local responder agencies and South Peninsula Hospital.
4 pm – 03/18/2020: The known positive cases in Alaska increased by three on Wednesday, increasing it the total to nine. Two of the new cases are in Anchorage, one is in the Seward area. All three are travel related, with one coming from Europe, and the other two from the Lower 48.
3:30 pm – 03/18/2020: The first member of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus is Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican who represents southwestern Miami-Dade County.
2 pm – 03/18/2020:Alyeska Resort has closed the ski area for the remainder of the season. closing its ski area for the remainder of the winter season. “As of today, March 18, 2020, all Alyeska Resort mountain operations, including lifts, aerial tramway, rentals, Mountain Learning Center and restaurants will be closed. Our decision to close the resort was not easily made but we feel these measures are necessary out of concern for the health and safety of our community, guests, employees, and the surrounding communities of Southcentral Alaska,” the management wrote on Facebook.
2 pm – 03/18/2020: Canada and the United States have restricted non-essential travel across the border. Both countries say supply chains will not be impacted, but travelers going north and south for recreational or tourism purposes will be turned back. key supplies will still flow between the two nations. President Donald Trump posted a note on Twitter this morning.
12 pm – 03/18/2020: The U.S. Census has suspended field operations for at least two weeks. The Census Bureau is asking everyone to respond online at 2020Census.gov. Door-knockers will not be utilized for now. The Census will continue to accept online, phone and mail responses.
9 am – 03/18/2020:Pikka, the oil prospect hope for the Alaska economy, has been deferred by Oil Search until prices improve. Oil is in the low 20s today.
8:45 am – 03/18/2020:Seattle area is running out of masks, leading volunteers to start making them by hand for hospitals.
A group of volunteers at Providence St. Joseph Health on Tuesday started sewing surgical masks and constructing face shields with marine-grade vinyl, strips of foam, elastic bands, and double-stick tape.
8 am – 03/18/2020: Blood Bank of Alaska is low on O negative and O positive blood donors and need continual blood donations of all blood types in order to meet the need for blood in Anchorage and throughout Alaska. To meet current blood needs, 700 donations are needed in the coming weeks.
The Blood Bank of Alaska is taking donations by appointment only in order to ensure the safety of donors and staff. To donate call 907-222-5630 or visit www.bloodbankofalaska.org to make an appointment
9:25 pm – 03/17/2020: Amazon has suspended receiving nonessentials such as TVs and toys in its warehouses so it can focus on stocking household staples and medical supplies. The crush of orders forced the decision as Americans are avoiding stores and placing orders online for everyday goods.
8:25 pm – 03/17/2020: A Canadian government official told The Seattle Times on Tuesday that Canada and the US are working on announcing a mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries.
8:25 pm – 03/17/2020: Hospital systems in Seattle are reporting two dozen hospital workers have been infected with the coronavirus, putting a strain on the medical infrastructure at the heart of the outbreak in the U.S.
7:20 pm – 03/17/2020: The State of Alaska is closing all bars and restaurants statewide on Wednesday at 5 pm, except for take-out food or deliveries, as well as other closing facilities, such as bowling alleys, by order of the chief medical officer.
The Department of Health and Social Services is also suspending all long-term services and supports that occur in “congregate settings,” including senior centers, adult day services, and any site-based day habilitation or supported employment activities where individuals gather together.
5:40 pm – 03/17/2020: The Port of Alaska remains open and the shippers are on a normal shipping schedule. COVID-19 has not disrupted the arrival of goods to Alaska, according to a news release from the Municipality.
“Food and supplies are at normal levels in Anchorage, and demand is currently high, creating empty store shelves. More goods are on the way, however delays of about one week in restocking shelves may happen due to the time it will take from time of order to stocking shelves in Anchorage and Alaska. The Municipality encourages residents to be patient as store shelves are restocked.”
5:20 pm – 03/17/2020: The State Department of Health and Social Services has issued guidelines for parents whose children attend day care centers:
The department, per CDC recommendation, is advising that child care facilities stay open if they safely can do so. Health officials do not want children to be cared for by elders, because people aged greater than 60 years are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Employers are encouraged to talk to their workforce. We also know that children, while they may carry the disease, get sick from COVID-19 much less frequently than adults.
The guidance for child care centers is thus:
Follow aggressive measures to screen children for respiratory infection and do not allow any ill child into a child care center.
No child who has been outside of Alaska in the last 14 days should be allowed in a child care center.
No one who has a fever or respiratory symptoms should be allowed to work in a child care center.
Keep numbers below 10 for group settings.
Cohort kids, keeping the same group of kids together.
Adhere to social distancing (at least six feet) to limit mixing.
Spend time in well-ventilated spaces as much as possible.
Practice frequent and rigorous environmental cleaning.
No one over the age of 60 or with underlying medical conditions should be working in child care centers.
Families should consider alternative child care opportunities, if possible.
5 pm – 03/17/2020: A mobile testing station has been set up by Providence in a parking lot on Lake Otis Blvd., right next to Bernie’s Pharmacy:
Mobile testing began on Tuesday, next to Bernie’s Pharmacy, in an adjacent parking lot on Lake Otis Blvd.
3:30 pm – 03/17/2020: Johns Hopkins University says that over 100 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus in less than one month since the community spread of the virus was first reported on Feb. 26. There are now over 5,894 confirmed cases and 105 deaths, and 200,000 cases globally.
3 pm- 03/17/2020: The Alaska Democratic Party has closed its headquarters on Fairbanks Street in Anchorage. The five employees of the party are working remotely. The Alaska Republican Party, which only staffs its offices part time, could not be reached for comment.
The City and Borough of Juneau has declared an emergency, allowing it to draw in more help from the state and federal government for health and safety measures, and purchase needed emergency supplies. The resolution of Monday night will assist local business as they apply for federal loans and assistance.
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly held a special emergency meeting on Tuesday. Among agenda items was sending a letter to Alaska’s congressional delegation, urging suspension of the Jones Act. The assembly will also discuss emergency measures and the lifting of cumbersome borough code during the emergency.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is ending the reign of Mark Springer, chairman of the Marijuana Control Board. Springer’s term ends on March 1.
While showing Springer the door, the governor reappointed Christopher Jaime, a State Trooper from Soldotna. And he added Casey Dschaak of Dillingham to the rural seat that is held by Springer for a few more weeks.
Springer, of Bethel, is a vocal opponent of the governor’s overall agenda and, critics say he loathes Dunleavy’s very existence.
In addition to signing the recall petition, he has used his time during board meetings to express his hostility toward the Administration and brags about the Recall Dunleavy sticker on his coffee mug.
Springer has been at odds with his fellow board members as well as the governor. When the matter of whether to retain former alcohol and marijuana agency director Erika McConnell came up, Springer, as chairman, refused to put it on the agenda until he was forced to by other board members.
McConnell had already been “fired” by the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, to whom she also reported, but it took a vote of the Marijuana Control Board to remove her. Springer voted against her removal, but she was fired anyway by a majority of the board, with only one other vote, from board member Loren Jones, favoring McConnell’s retention.
Dschaak, the incoming member of the board, he served in the U.S. Army and works in the field of logistics in Dillingham.
The Marijuana Control Board meets next week in Juneau and will select a new chair from the members.
Readers will notice that Must Read Alaska took on a new look over the weekend. It went from a blog to a sleek news site.
Like anything, it will take some getting used to, especially on the production side of things, but will allow this one-woman news operation to have a more rapid response to events of the day.
I’ll continue to refine the categories over the coming weeks, and while I work at it night and day, want to extend my thanks to everyone who has donated to the cause of giving an alternative view of what is presented in the mainstream media.
Feel free to join in the fun and send a donation to:
Must Read Alaska
3201 C Street Suite 308
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Part VII: The People’s Constitutional Covenant and the Quieting of Title
By Michael Tavoliero
The Alaska Constitution begins with a simple but foundational truth: all political power is inherent in the people. Government exists only because the people consent to it, and it remains legitimate only so long as it protects the rights that precede it. These rights, the ability to think, choose, act, work, and build a life, come not from the State, but are God-given. The Constitution does not grant them; it recognizes them.
From this foundational principle flows Alaska’s unique system of natural resource ownership. Article VIII establishes that Alaska’s land, waters, and resource wealth are held in public trust. The State is the trustee; the people are the beneficiaries. The Permanent Fund, and the earnings it generates, are therefore not state property in the private sense; they are public inheritance, held and managed for the maximum benefit of the people.
The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) arose as the practical means by which the trust obligation is fulfilled. When the state created the PFD in 1980 and began distribution in 1982, it did so on the clear understanding that the people were not passive recipients, but beneficial owners entitled to share directly in their commonwealth. For more than forty years, the State has repeated that recognition annually, publicly, and without interruption. Through this long practice, the people’s relationship to the PFD has taken on the character of possessory right. It is a right confirmed by participation, continuity, and reliance.
A Covenant Formed Through Practice and Trust
A covenant is more than a promise. It is a mutual obligation that gains strength through continuity and trust. The PFD has become exactly that. Four decades of open and repeated practice have woven the dividend into the fabric of civic life. The PFD is a component of family budgets, local economies, school clothing and heating oil, savings and debt payments, investments and stability. The people built their expectations not on speculation, but on the State’s own unwavering conduct.
In Alaska law, this matters. Courts recognize that when people rely on consistent and affirmative government action, the State cannot reverse its position without causing injustice. This principle is known as equitable estoppel. The Alaska Supreme Court has applied it to government conduct where:
The government has made a clear and repeated representation,
People have relied on it in good faith,
That reliance was reasonable, and
Harm would result if the government were allowed to repudiate it.
Every year since 1982, the State has affirmed the PFD. Every family, every household, every child who has grown up in Alaska has relied on it. To now treat the PFD as a mere fiscal option instead of a recognized civic share breaks the covenant the State, itself, established.
The shift to the Percent of Market Value (POMV) draw was not a reform of the Permanent Fund itself, nor was it a constitutional amendment. It was a budgetary device adopted by a legislature which allowed elected officials to relabel the people’s share as a revenue source for government, reframing a trust distribution as discretionary spending. In doing so, the State reversed its own decades-long acknowledgment that the people are beneficiaries, not dependents. The device did not change the nature of the right; it merely moved the line on paper while leaving the constitutional obligation unaltered.
To allow the POMV to justify withholding the dividend is to treat mismanagement as authority and to confuse temporary fiscal convenience with rightful ownership. The covenant has already been lived. The people’s share has already been possessed. The right stands whether the legislature balances its books or not.
Practice Matures into Right
Alaska’s legal history reinforces this idea: longstanding and unchallenged practice carries legal weight.
In Ravin v. State (1975), the Alaska Supreme Court held that the right to privacy in the home was not given by government but recognized because Alaskans had long exercised it.
In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the U.S. Supreme Court held that parental authority over education was a fundamental liberty because it had been continuously exercised and socially affirmed.
In Sturgeon v. Frost (2016, 2019), the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed Alaska’s sovereign possession over its navigable waters because the State had openly and continuously exercised that authority.
These cases share one principle: rights openly lived and broadly recognized become rights the State must respect.
The PFD is no different. For more than forty years, Alaskans have received it openly, continuously, publicly, and with the State’s affirmation. This is the very pattern by which a civil right becomes established in constitutional practice.
Quantifying the Right: The Importance of the Formula
A right must have a boundary to be secure. For a possessory right, that boundary is the formula; the method that determines the amount of the dividend. The original PFD formula was not dependent on annual legislative discretion. It did not say, “if convenient.” It operated automatically once earnings were realized.
A right that can be withheld at will is not a right; it is a dependency. A share that can be diluted without consent is not ownership; it is allowance.
Thus, to preserve the people’s beneficial interest, the formula must be restored and protected. This is the constitutional equivalent of marking the boundary line around property already possessed. It is not to gain something new, but to secure what has long been held.
Quieting Title in the People’s Name
In property law, a quiet title action is used to formally confirm ownership after long, uncontested possession. It does not create the right; it recognizes and protects a right that already exists. The court declares:
This belongs to the one who has held it in fact.
The PFD has reached that stage. The people have held their share of the Permanent Fund’s earnings in fact, continuously, openly, and with the State’s acknowledgment, for over forty years. The right has matured. It has passed the threshold of mere policy and entered the realm of civic title.
To “quiet title” to the PFD is to recognize the people’s long-held beneficial ownership interest and protect it from future political erosion. It is not radical. It is restorative.
Conclusion: The Covenant Stands
The PFD was never meant to be a temporary program or a discretionary subsidy. It was designed, and practiced, as a continuing share in the commonwealth, rooted in the Constitution’s command that resources be managed for the maximum benefit of the people.
For over four decades, Alaskans have possessed that share in practice, in reliance, and in mutual trust. That possession has matured into a civic right, one confirmed by the State itself through its consistent conduct.
To secure that right, now, is not to invent or grant anything. It is simply to recognize and protect what already belongs to the people.
Check out previous articles in The Great Debate: The People of Alaska vs the Legislature:
In a significant win for consumer advocates, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has partially overturned federal regulations on labeling bioengineered foods, ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) unlawfully excluded highly refined products like sugars and oils from disclosure requirements if modified genetic material was undetectable. The court opinion, issued on October 31, 2025, stems from a lawsuit filed by grocery retailers and public interest groups, including Natural Grocers and the Center for Food Safety, challenging the AMS rules under the Administrative Procedure Act.
The court found the “detectability” standard erroneous, as it confuses the absence of genetic material with the limitations of testing methods, potentially leaving consumers in the dark about ingredients in up to 70% of genetically modified foods. The court remanded the issue to the district court for reconsideration by the AMS, which may lead to broader labeling mandates. The panel also invalidated regulations allowing QR codes and text messaging as sole disclosure options, deeming them inadequate and inaccessible, especially for those without smartphones, and ordered a prospective vacatur after party input. However, the court upheld the use of the term “bioengineered” over more common phrases like “GMO,” finding it aligned with statutory language and reasonable to avoid preemption conflicts.
The ruling could raise compliance costs for small food manufacturers, who may need to verify and relabel highly refined items, though the prospective vacatur allows time to clear existing inventory. For families, it promises clearer on-package disclosures, empowering informed choices amid ongoing debates over food transparency. George Kimbrell, legal director for the Center for Food Safety, hailed it as a “landmark victory for the public’s right to know what they eat and feed their families.”
Industry groups, including agriculture intervenors, had defended the rules, but the decision adds pressure on the USDA to revise them swiftly.
Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), predominantly linked to Mexican cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, are intensifying their grip on Alaska’s illicit drug trade, importing fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine from Mexico and the lower 48 states. Recent operations reveal a web of active networks according to official databases from the FBI, DHS, and Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS). For instance, Operation Take Back America led to charges against 39 defendants in 2025 for drug trafficking tied to transnational groups, while a 2024 bust indicted 54 individuals in a large-scale ring. Smaller operations, such as a 10-defendant group in 2023 and a seven-person network trafficking from California in 2025, underscore fragmented but persistent activity.
“The FBI, HSI, and our partners in Alaska are using a whole of government approach to protect Alaskans from transnational criminal organizations and the scourge of violent crime and deadly drugs they bring to our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
Over the past five years (2020-2024), TCO operations have trended upward, mirrored by escalating drug seizures and enforcement actions. Alaska DPS reported a 76% spike in total drug seizures from 324,766 grams in 2023 to 572,536 grams in 2024, with methamphetamine jumping 89% to 148,316 grams and fentanyl rising 13% to 93,853 grams. Arrests reached 175 unique individuals in 2024, fueling 497 court cases. FBI indictments have grown, from groups of 10-53 defendants in 2023-2024 to the 39 in 2025’s operation, aligning with national synthetic opioid trends.
TCOs are lured to Alaska by lucrative profits: drug prices soar several times higher than in the contiguous U.S. due to remoteness and transport hurdles, amplified by high demand in urban centers like Anchorage (78% of seizures) and rural areas. Alcohol bans in 96 “local option” communities spawn smuggling parallels, with seizures surging 400% to 8,504 liters in 2024.
These groups expand by leveraging mail parcels, air travel, and encrypted apps for coordination, recruiting local couriers via social media fakes, and adapting routes through cross-border networks and money laundering. The 2025 launch of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) in Alaska aims to dismantle them through multi-agency efforts.
For more information on the Homeland Security Task Force, visit FBI Anchorage.
Today, November 5, Repeal Now make a special delivery to the Division of Elections on behalf of Alaskans taking a stand against ranked-choice voting. Although initiative sponsors only needed to gather a minimum of 34,098 signatures, the number of signatures delivered to DOE exceed 48,000. This means approximately 12-13% of registered voters want Alaskans to reconsider rank-choice voting in the 2026 election.
Alaska is one of two states that operates rank-choice voting for state-wide elections. Maine was the first to implement the new voting mechanism in 2018. Alaska followed suit in 2020. 12 additional states plus the District of Columbia have authorized the use of RCV for specific types of elections, but not for state elections.
48,000 Alaskans believe removing RCV and returning to a straightforward voting system will improve election integrity, increase voters’ trust, and improve our great state. What do you think? Let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments below.
Preliminary election results for the Mat-Su Borough are in! On Tuesday, Mat-Su voters decided who would fill 2 assembly seats and 4 school board seats. 5 candidates ran as Republican (1 won assembly, 4 won school board), 2 candidates ran as Nonpartisan (1 won assembly, 1 lost school board), and 3 candidates ran as Undeclared (2 lost assembly, 1 lost school board). No candidates ran as Democrat.
Additionally, Mat-Su residents voted on four propositions. 89% of voters supported lowering property tax burdens for seniors and disabled veterans. 70% of voters rejected the addition of a 7 cent per gallon tax on fuel. A close majority of voters (56%) agreed to the annexation of existing properties in the service area to Meadow Lakes Road Service No. 27. Proposition No. 4 received zero votes either yes or no.
Here are the candidates who won and what they stand for:
Assembly District 1
Republican Michael Bowles wins 64% of the vote.
Bowles promises to promote fiscal responsibility, combat unjust property code, and generate industry growth. He expounds his three focuses:
“1. Conservative approach to government. This means ensuring fiscal responsibility rather than new taxes and debt as well as ensuring ethical conduct, transparency, and accountability is the culture throughout all Borough entities.
“2. Protect personal liberty and fight infringing property code. I will guide the Borough to utilize or reform existing code as needed to ensure personal liberty is protected for all residents and stop infringement on property owners.
“3. Support industry growth and robust infrastructure by guiding the growth of a healthy economy through private investors, not more government. A healthy economy, not taxes, builds strong infrastructure.”
Assembly District 2
Nonpartisan candidate Stephanie Nowers wins 71% of the vote.
Although Nowers did not run as either Republican or Democrat, she lists her top values as fiscal conservatism and pro-growth.
“My focus is to keep government lean, taxes low, and investments strategic, looking for smart ways to grow our economy without sacrificing the beauty, space, and freedom we love about the Valley,” Nowers states.
Assembly District 4
Republican Maxwell H. Sumnner ran uncontested and won 92% of the vote.
He lists his three main priorities:
“Fiscal Responsibility: I will work to ensure your tax dollars are spent wisely, prioritizing essential services and infrastructure while keeping spending in check.
“Property Rights: Government is meant to serve the citizens, not regulate them.
“Economic Growth: We have immense potential for growth, but we need smart policies that foster job creation, support local businesses, and attract industry.”
School Board District 2
Republican Kendal W. Kruse wins by 62%.
Kruse promises to prioritize fiscal responsibility, expansion of school choice programs, and parental rights. “Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive, and forward-thinking school district that prepares all students for a bright future,” states Kruse.
School Board District 5
Republican Brooks Pitcher ran uncontested and won 92% of the vote.
Brooks focuses on expanding Career and Technical Education, protecting parental rights, promoting American fundamentals and values, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and strengthening school safety.
“At the end of the day, I’m a parent, laboring to ensure all the students of our district are safe, well taught, and ready to succeed,” states Brooks.
School District 7
Republican Lorie A. Colee wins 60% of the vote.
Colee emphasizes collaboration with parents, school transparency and accountability, and “Alaska’s values of hard work, responsibility, and respect for one another.” Colee states: “My priority is to put students first by keeping the focus on strong academics, teamwork, and fostering both personal and social growth.”
Part VI: The People’s Possession: Alaska’s Ownership of the Permanent Fund Dividend
By Michael Tavoliero
When Alaska became a state, it inherited not only the laws of property, but the deeper moral logic behind them that ownership carries stewardship, and rights are rooted in participation. Under the Alaska Constitution, the people are the true owners of the state’s natural wealth, and the government serves as their trustee. The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is not a grant of benevolence but the continued fulfillment of that trust; an acknowledgment that the people, as beneficiaries and sovereigns, share directly in the management and benefit of the resources held in their name.
The Moral Foundation: Possession as Legitimacy
From Roman law to American common law, possession has long been the first evidence of right. The one who holds and uses property openly, continuously, and responsibly acquires a moral title that law eventually recognizes. This is not merely technical doctrine; it reflects an ancient sense of justice. Those who actively tend, improve, or sustain something become, in time, its rightful stewards.
Alaska’s people have done precisely that. For over forty years, they have received and relied upon the PFD; a tangible, recurring acknowledgment of their participation in the state’s sovereign wealth. The PFD is more than an annual payment; it is an act of civic recognition, reflecting the people’s beneficial possession of Alaska’s resources. Each year’s distribution reaffirmed a living relationship of mutual trust, open acknowledgment, and shared stewardship between citizen and State.
Adverse Possession and Its Civic Analogy
Under Alaska law, adverse possession (AS 09.45.052) allows title to property to transfer to someone who has used and occupied it openly, continuously, and without interruption for the statutory period. The purpose is practical and fair: when real-world use has been settled and visible for a long time, the law eventually treats the possessor as the rightful owner. In short, use ripens into right.
In the same way, Alaskans have openly and continuously received and relied on the Permanent Fund Dividend for more than forty years, with the full and repeated affirmation of the State. Every annual appropriation and distribution has reinforced that relationship. By any equitable measure, this long, public, and beneficial possession has matured into a civic ownership interest — not as a gift from government, but as a right confirmed through practice and trust.
While AS 09.45.053 prevents adverse possession from transferring title to state land, the principle behind the doctrine remains firmly recognized in Alaska law: long-standing, open, and unchallenged use settles expectations and stabilizes ownership. As the Court explained in Alaska National Bank v. Linck, 559 P.2d 1049, 1052 (Alaska 1977), possession that is “continuous, uninterrupted, nonpermissive, hostile, adverse, exclusive, actual, open, notorious, and visible” matures into right. And in Shilts v. Young, 567 P.2d 769, 771 (Alaska 1977), the Court stressed that these conditions exist to bring disputes to rest— to quiet title and prevent governments or others from undoing what has long been settled.
Quiet title simply means formally recognizing ownership where possession has already proven it.
Thus, even though the statute does not allow adverse possession to transfer state land, the equitable rule remains: long, open, and acknowledged possession becomes a recognized right. The people’s uninterrupted, publicly affirmed experience with the PFD satisfies that principle— a right matured through continuity, reliance, and the State’s own long-standing acknowledgment.
Extending the Principle Beyond Land
The law’s logic extends beyond real property. The spirit of adverse possession, that enduring, visible, and beneficial use creates legitimacy, applies equally to other forms of rights that evolve through practice and public reliance. Alaska’s courts have repeatedly affirmed this concept.
In Ravin v. State, 537 P.2d 494 (Alaska 1975), the Alaska Supreme Court held that the right to privacy in the home was not created by statute but was a long-exercised right possessed by the people and merely recognized by the Constitution, and that the State could not later reclaim what it had long acquiesced to.
Likewise, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925), the U.S. Supreme Court recognized parental authority over education as a fundamental liberty beyond the reach of the State, because it had been continuously and deeply rooted in social practice.
And in Sturgeon v. Frost (I & II), 577 U.S. 424 (2016); 139 S.Ct. 1066 (2019), the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed Alaska’s sovereign possession of its navigable waters, holding that long, open, and continuous state jurisdiction—grounded in historic entitlement and public use—could not be displaced by later federal claim, effectively confirming a form of sovereign title matured through uninterrupted possession.
Together, these cases confirm a consistent jurisprudence: rights long exercised, openly affirmed, and never revoked become part of the constitutional fabric. Whether over land, liberty, or sovereignty, practice ripens into principle, and principle into right.
The People’s Possession of the PFD
The Permanent Fund Dividend is not land. It is a living expression of Article VIII of the Alaska Constitution, which directs that all natural resources “be utilized, developed, and conserved for the maximum benefit of the people.” It is the distributive mechanism through which that constitutional trust is fulfilled. The Permanent Fund itself is the corpus; the people are the beneficiaries; and the State is the trustee.
For more than forty years, the people have received their share, actual, open, and continuous possession, and the State has reaffirmed that relationship through legislation, administration, and public communication. This reciprocal acknowledgment has given rise to a matured possessory right; a civic title formed through practice and reliance.
In this light, the people’s relationship to the PFD mirrors the equitable foundation of adverse possession. The people have acted as continuous, beneficial possessors of their share of the Fund’s earnings, while the State, as trustee, has administered those distributions without interruption. In equity, such possession cannot be erased by later discretion or budgetary politics. The law of property, and the morality that underlies it, does not allow title to revert to neglect once the possessor has made it their own.
The Equitable Claim and Civic Title
Though the statutes of adverse possession do not apply to State assets, the doctrine’s spirit does. It teaches that law must reconcile with reality: that possession long exercised and openly acknowledged acquires the dignity of ownership. The Permanent Fund Dividend, sustained by four decades of public reliance and legislative affirmation, embodies that principle in practice.
The people’s unbroken participation in the Fund’s earnings constitutes a de facto civic title, grounded in equitable reliance and constitutional trust. It is a right born not of grace, but of continuity earned by participation, affirmed by time, and held in the mutual stewardship of Alaska’s citizens.
Just as courts have held that adverse possession “quiets” long-settled ownership, so too must the people’s possessory claim to the PFD be quieted. It is confirmed as part of Alaska’s constitutional covenant between the State and its sovereign citizens. The PFD is not a temporary policy but a recognized expression of the people’s beneficial ownership, protected by both law and equity.
Conclusion
The people’s relationship to the PFD reflects Alaska’s founding promise: that the wealth of the land shall remain the heritage of its people. Over forty years of continuous, open, and mutual recognition have transformed that promise into living title; a civic possession as legitimate and enduring as the land itself. The moral, legal, and constitutional principles that underlie adverse possession converge here, affirming that what the people have long held, the State may not justly reclaim.
Check out previous articles in The Great Debate: The People of Alaska vs the Legislature:
Margaret sat in her modest kitchen and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if holding her own shoulders might keep her upright. She let out a slow breath that had been trapped inside her since the letter arrived last week.
Today was the day. Mayor Mathis was coming at 11:45 a.m.
Her eyes drifted to her left hand. The ring sat proudly on the third finger. Four carats of fire and light, handed down through generations. Her mother had received it from her grandmother, and Margaret always believed she would someday slip it onto her granddaughter Elise’s finger.
But that dream ended with a certified envelope from Borough Hall.
She had fallen behind in her diamond tax.
At first, she laughed when they created the Diamond Assessment Office. A new department, funded with public money, established to count and value every precious stone within the borough limits. Every household was required to report jewelry, heirlooms, even loose gemstones. The value, they said, was necessary to ensure fairness, revenue, and community benefit.
Margaret hardly noticed the early years of the tax. It began small, just a few dollars annually. Then it rose. Then it rose again. After the Ukrainian Revolution sent global diamond prices higher, the borough reassessed her ring and sent a bill she could not pay.
Now the ring that had survived wars, depressions, and a century of family celebrations would be confiscated by the government for failure to pay a tax on something she already owned.
The clock ticked across the quiet kitchen.
11:41.
She wiped down the oak table for the sixth time that morning. Birthday cakes, family dinners, grandchildren’s finger paintings, and her husband’s last breakfast all lived in that wood grain. She brewed a fresh pot of coffee and set two cups out of habit. Being gracious cost nothing.
A car door closed outside. Slow footsteps came up the porch.
There was a knock.
Margaret opened the door to find Mayor Mathis wearing a long wool coat and the kind of smile people use when pretending to be a friend. He stepped inside without waiting to be invited and glanced around the small, tidy kitchen.
“You always keep such a lovely home,” he said gently, his eyes drifting toward the ring. “May we sit?”
They did. He did not touch his coffee.
“As you know,” he began, folding his hands, “you have been behind on your diamond tax for eight months. Due to recent market fluctuations, the assessed value of your ring has increased substantially.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I had hoped for a payment plan. I have medical bills. I live on retirement income. I am doing the best I can.”
He nodded with the polite sadness of a man offering condolences after a funeral.
“The law requires that delinquent diamond taxes be settled. If payment cannot be made, the property must be surrendered as compensation. It is not personal. It is policy.”
Margaret removed the ring. Her hand trembled. A thin pale circle marked where something precious once rested.
Mayor Mathis pulled a velvet pouch from his coat. She placed the ring inside. He tightened the strings.
“There,” he said. “Your debt is satisfied.”
He rose, walked to the door, looked back at her with a soft smile, then left.
Margaret sank into her chair. The house felt larger and emptier than it ever had. A piece of her family was gone, not lost, not misplaced, not stolen. Taken.
Afterward
No one is literally coming for your ring. But make no mistake. You may have to sell your jewelry, drain your savings, or sacrifice family heirlooms just to pay a tax bill on something you already own. And if that is not enough, the government will take your home. This is not hypothetical. It is written into law in every state. Miss your property tax long enough and the very ground you paid for can be seized and sold.
A tax on property is not a tax on wealth. It is a perpetual rent you must pay simply to keep what is already yours. It punishes seniors on fixed incomes, families trying to stay afloat, and anyone whose home value has risen without their consent or participation.
Margaret lost a ring. Real people lose homes.
It is time to end all property taxation before more families lose what they have already earned, already paid for, and already own.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author, Chris Story, and do not represent the views of Story Real Estate, its licensees, agents, or employees.
Due to the rapid development of AI, people can accomplish everyday tasks with an unprecedented amount of ease. AI will write for you, check your spelling, help you develop ideas (aka thinking), compile research, create images and music, and even offer emotional support. Although AI is not intrinsically good or evil, the way individuals choose to incorporate AI into their lives does have moral consequences.
Mr. Keith Dobson recently wrote an opinion piece advocating for AI integration in the government to help citizens more easily access government data. The piece sparked robust conversation in the Must Read Alaska comments section. Mr. Dobson responded to concerned readers by agreeing that AI integration in the government could be harmful if done the wrong way. “Your caution is essential,” he wrote. “Concerns about system failure and dehumanization remind us that powerful tools can cause harm if misused.”
Although Mr. Dobson’s proposal has merit, he also admits the caution necessary to prevent the misuse of AI. While we should continue dialogue about potential AI integration in the public sphere, we must also take time to reflect on how much are we are willing as individuals to allow AI to impact our personal lives and shape our children’s minds.
I could list numerous examples of dehumanization caused by individuals’ inappropriate use of AI: a teenage boy encouraged by his AI “friend” to take his own life, a woman celebrating her engagement to her AI “fiancé,” an alarming number of students submitting AI-written essays, etc. AI itself is not the root cause of these troubling stories. AI is a tool that can be used for good, but it can also be used as an echo chamber that furthers mental illness and leads to tragedy, an artificial replacement for genuine human connection, and a shortcut that stimies kids’ creativity and intellectual development.
What is the solution? The answer to that question begins with who is responsible for the solution. The foundation of a society is the family, not the government. Rather than calling for more government oversight or pushing AI producers to better regulate their product, parents need to play an active role in helping their children develop self-discipline. Parents must set an example of the principle that human beings have free will and the power of free will comes with great responsibility. We must actively train our wills to desire good things and moderate our appetites and desires.
Our world contains innumerable opportunities for children to weaken their minds, their bodies, and their souls. Brain rot fills every corner of the internet. Excessive sugar, highly processed foods, and the couch-potato mentality are cheap and accessible. What about our kids’ souls? In popular culture today, cheating on your homework means you are “getting ahead,” working “smarter” means choosing the easiest route, objective truth is often told to take a hike, love is whatever makes you feel good, and the individual is the center of the universe.
It is not the government’s job to protect you or your children from making bad choices, whether with food or with the use of AI. The solution lies with parents. By modeling hard work, healthy friendship, genuine love, and the ability to choose what is good over what is easy, parents can cultivate self-disciple in their children and raise them to be capable individuals. AI is here and it is here to stay. The choice that remains is how much will we as individuals, not governing bodies, let AI imitate and replace human thinking, creativity, and relationships?
Senator Mike Shower served Alaska’s legislature for nearly ten years. Now, he has decided to step down from his position as Senate Minority Leader in order to focus his efforts on campaigning for Lieutenant Governor. Mike Shower joins candidate for Governor Bernadette Wilson as her running mate.
Mike Shower is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and current FedEx 777 airline captain. Mike and Bernadette maintain that Mike’s veteran experience equips him to be the Lieutenant Governor Alaska needs. Bernadette states: “As a former Air Force fighter pilot, Sen. Shower brings his experience as a Veteran who served our country for 24 years and his deep knowledge of Alaska’s strategic military importance to our ticket.”
Here is what Shower promises if Alaskans select him to serve as Lieutenant Governor: “Alaska is at a crossroads, and it is time that we seize our opportunity to bring lasting prosperity to our citizens by working with the Trump Administration to unlock our state, fix education, support our military personnel and veterans, and fully develop our incredible natural resources. As Governor, Bernadette will lead that effort and I am proud to stand with her as her choice for Lieutenant Governor of our great state.”
