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.
Angela Carini (blue, female) abandons fight against Imane Khelif (red, male) a few minutes into fight /1 pic.twitter.com/yOIvZkDaow
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
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sand Point rattled communities across southwestern Alaska on Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings, evacuations, and a flurry of political grassroots efforts on the topic of the public broadcasting.
The earthquake, which struck at 12:37 pm about 54 miles south of Sand Point, prompted a tsunami warning stretching from Kennedy Entrance to Unimak Pass, including Sand Point, Cold Bay, Kodiak, and the Homer Spit. By 1:50 pm, the National Tsunami Warning Center had downgraded the warning to an advisory after detecting small tsunami waves, none of which were expected to cause significant flooding.
Although no serious damage was reported and the situation quickly stabilized, the alert lit up social media in a different way.
As people grabbed their go-bags and headed for higher ground, a few turned to their phones not just for evacuation information, but to push a social media post for federal public broadcasting funding. Volunteer KMXT Kodiak radio host Mike Sirofchuck was among those who seized the moment, posting on Facebook during the warning:
“Right now is an excellent time to call Dan Sullivan and reminde [sic] him why public radio is an essential service in our community,” he wrote. “7.3 earthquake in Sand Point; Tsunami Warning issued. KMxT broadcasting up to the date essential information.”
Sirofchuck, who is often seen trolling Republican lawmakers, included the Capitol switchboard number and urged followers to contact Alaska’s Sen. Dan Sullivan to support continued federal funding for public broadcasting. The rescissions vote-a-rama was already underway in the Capitol at the time of the tsunami.
Yet, the irony was hard to miss: Most Alaskans learned of the tsunami alert not through the radio waves, but through automatic alerts sent directly to their mobile phones. Emergency text messages, part of the wireless emergency alert system, reached residents in affected areas within minutes of the earthquake.
In Homer, the mayor issued an “all clear” shortly after 2 pm, while Anchorage remained outside the warning zone altogether. People were advised to stay away from beaches and docks as a precaution, with reports of small waves and light currents but no widespread damage.
The incident reignited a perennial debate in Alaska, where rural communities embrace public radio, but residents everywhere increasingly depend on smartphones for emergency updates on weather, earthquakes, road closures, and even tsunamis.
With congressional votes underway to slash federal public broadcasting dollars, Wednesday’s tsunami warning became an unexpected and momentary rallying cry for supporters of local radio, whether or not they were tuned in when the alert came.
No further tsunami threats are anticipated, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
The Terrorist Screening Dataset is a watchlist that contains the names of over a million suspects who pose a threat to the United States. It was conceived in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks and is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the use of multiple law enforcement agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection.
When most people think of how a terrorist might attempt to penetrate the U.S. interior, their thoughts understandably gravitate toward the southern border. But in 2023,85 percent of all land-based encounters with individuals on the terrorist watchlist occurred along the Lower 48’s northern border with Canada, according to an analysis by the Wilson Center.
The United States-Mexico border gets most of the attention, and that makes sense, considering how porous it has been over the years, functioning more like an international highway for people and drugs than a boundary between nations. There is ample reason to take seriously growing security concerns, not least because our border with Canada is the longest land barrier in the world, spanning more than 5,500 miles of mostly rough and remote terrain, making it increasingly attractive to traffickers and terrorist threats.
Although it has changed, the initial demarcation with our northern neighbors has its roots in the American Revolution. The same treaty that ended the war with Great Britain also created the boundary between the nascent United States and the British Empire in North America. Today, it encompasses more than 8,000 monuments, seven states, an equal number of Canadian provinces and one territory. The part of the northern border that separates Alaska from Canada consists of a stretch of land greater than 1,500 miles long. For comparison, the southern border with Mexico is only 400 miles longer. And yet, the Alaska-Canada border receives just a fraction of the resources and attention that its counterpart does.
It’s true that comparatively more drugs like fentanyl enter America through the south than the north. However, that does not change the fact that Alaskan boroughs have become hotspots for drug activity.
Through what it coined the “Disproportionality Index” (DI), the Manhattan Institute devised a system that allows for a comparison between a county’s proportion of large fentanyl seizures against its proportion of the national population for 2023-2024. A score of 1.0 means that the number of seizures is proportionate to the local population, while a score lower than 1.0 indicates fewer seizures than expected, and a score greater than 1.0 indicates more seizures than expected. Of the three counties or collections of counties along the northern border with an average DI greater than 1 were Juneau and Ketchikan, which the institute concluded is “suggestive of Alaska markets possibly being supplied from Canada.”
Notably, 2023 was the year that Alaska witnessed its highest number of opioid overdose deaths, the majority of which were attributed to fentanyl. That marked a nearly 40 percent increase over the previous year and the largest percent increase of any state during the same period. The staggering death toll has spurred various campaigns to raise awareness, such as Sen. Dan Sullivan’s “One Pill Can Kill” initiative.
“A single deadly dose of fentanyl fits on the tip of a pencil,” Sullivan says in an educational video released as part of the campaign. “Seven out of every ten pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.”
On Wednesday, the Trump administration signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which reclassified the drug as a Schedule 1 substance, placing it in the same category as the government’s most restricted substances. That’s good news for America, and great news for Alaska, which has been fighting an uphill battle out of the national limelight against the drug.
The legislation will also enable law enforcement to go after drug traffickers by shutting legal loopholes that had previously provided them with a measure of protection. In a statement to Must Read Alaska, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the agency is focused on identifying the source of the problem.
“The FBI remains focused on disrupting and dismantling transnational organized crime groups whose actions violate the laws of the United States and bring harm to U.S. citizens, wherever and however these crimes may occur,” said Chloe Martin, the public affairs specialist for the FBI in Anchorage. “We urge anyone who witnesses illicit drug trafficking or human trafficking activity in Alaska to contact the FBI.”
You may provide an anonymous tip to the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441, 1-800-CALL-FBI, or online at tips.fbi.gov.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday to express her opposition to the proposed federal rescissions package, which seeks to cancel roughly $9.4 billion in previously approved government spending.
The package, supported by President Donald Trump, targets $8.3 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion in domestic programs, including funds allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Murkowski, criticized the proposal for undermining commitments already made by Congress. She raised concerns about the potential impact on communities that had been counting on this funding for infrastructure, public services, and other local priorities.
“It’s not that I don’t think we should be doing more when it comes to ensuring that we’re working to get our levels of spending down,” she said, although she has no history of attempting to reduce spending and a long history of supporting increased spending.
“But I also think we need to be doing more as legislators, more as lawmakers, more as senators when it comes to our own authorities, our constitutional authorities, when it comes to the power the purse. We do rescissions. We do rescissions in our annual budget bills, in our own appropriations bills, in fact, bills we are working on right now as appropriators. We’ve got a series of markups that are going to be coming up this week, we had some last week. We do this. We look to provisions that have been included in the budgets, we look to programs, we look to rescind. We do that as legislators. There’s a good reason I think we haven’t seen a successful rescissions package before the senate for in almost 33 years. It’s because we’ve recognized that hey, that’s our role here,” she said.
She spoke to not knowing which specific accounts could be impacted and said she wanted more clarity from the Administration. And she lamented she hadn’t gotten enough information about global health programs that would be cut. Then she strongly defended the Corporation for Pubic Broadcasting.
“You don’t need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” She said if public broadcasting is biased, that could be addressed in a different way, although she has never suggested this before.
It was five minutes of, essentially, her opposition to Donald Trump, who was elected by 54.4% in Alaska in 2024.
Murkowski was one of three Republicans who tried to block the package from coming to the Senate floor. Vice President JD Vance had to come into the Senate chambers and break the tie to move it forward. With Senate Democrats largely unified against the measure, its passage remains uncertain.
A final vote on the rescissions package is expected later this week.
We are lawmakers. Our responsibility is to legislate, not to shrug our shoulders and take direction from the White House. pic.twitter.com/gf6rGYQCY1
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) July 16, 2025
We are being inundated with messages and misinformation stating we need to just spend even more on our K-12 education system to get better student outcomes.
This misinformation comes from various parts of the Education Cartel: local school boards, local school administrators, the NEA-AK, the American Federation of Teachers, the Alaska Association of School Boards, the Alaska Council of School Administrators, the Coalition for Education Equity, and others.
Note that all these vocal supporters of increasing K-12 funding benefit directly and indirectly from this additional funding. In effect, the State of Alaska and local governments are funding these voices of “raise the BSA.”
Let’s look at three state senators who have voted for increasing the Base Student Allocation and voted for overriding the governor’s veto of raising the BSA. To them, more funding is the answer to improve Alaska’s K-12 system. And it seems to them that more funding is never enough. The goalposts get moved: They just need more, and they don’t want any accountability to measure success. They don’t want to measure the return on investment.
How are the students in Sens. Loki Tobin’s, Bill Wielechowski’s, and Forrest Dunbar’s districts doing on the standardized state tests, the AKSTAR?
How much are we spending on the schools in these three senators’ districts?
Here is a chart showing the schools in Sen. Tobin’s district (District I), the per student costs, and the average student AKSTAR results:
The above data show that the lowest performing elementary schools in Sen. Tobin’s district (Mountain View, William Tyson, Fairview, and North Star) have the highest per student funding. There is a direct relationship between more funding and lower student achievement in these specific schools. Then why would Sen. Tobin want more funding? Would she want the AKSTAR schools to go down?
On the other hand, two of the highest performing elementary schools, (Aurora and Orion) have the lowest per student cost — nearly $10,000 less per student than Mountain View Elementary School.
Another strong supporter of more K12 funding with no accountability for results is Sen. Wielechowski (District K). Let’s see how the schools in his district fare for spending and student outcomes:
The above data show that Senator Wielechowski has some of the lowest performing schools in the Anchorage School District. This is nothing new. For many years these schools have been the lowest performing schools. What has Sen. Wielechowski done to improve his district schools?
His current solution is to throw more money at the problem without demanding accountability for results. He also voted to raise the BSA and voted to override the governor’s veto that would decrease the increased funding in the Anchorage School District a mere $4.3 million. Mind you, there is still an increase in funding, just not as much as the cartel desires.
Does Sen. Wielechowski really believe that increasing the per student funding of $32,180 for Nunaka Valley Elementary School would ensure that more than 30% of its students could read at grade level?
He hasn’t ever insisted on any accountability for the extra spending so we shall never know if there is a correlation between student achievement and that spending increase.
Now let’s look at the schools in Sen. Dunbar’s district (District J). Dunbar also voted to increase the BSA with no accountability. Here are the per student costs and student test scores for those schools:
A very bright shiny school in Dunbar’s district is Northern Lights ABC school. This is one of ASD’s lottery schools. One must win the lottery to get their child into this great school. Trouble is, not every parent wins the lottery, and their children are relegated to the lower performing neighborhood schools.
Northern Lights’ students perform well above average in the AKSTAR tests. Maybe that’s because it uses Saxon Math and phonics in its curriculum. One wonders why other ASD schools don’t replicate these programs to teach their students. Teachers love to teach at Northern Lights because the students are behaved, motivated, and want to learn. The curriculum also works for the teachers and the students. Finally, parents are involved in this great school.
Note that less than 17% of the students in Airport Heights, Lake Otis, Williwaw, and Wonder Park elementary schools are proficient in reading.
Even worse, less than 14% of the students in Clark Middle School are proficient in reading. What will they do when they enter high school? Or are the other 86% of students destined to fail?
Dunbar believes that more funding is needed to help these students read at grade level.
What if parents in all these schools received at least one-third of the per student funding in the schools and chose the best education fit for their children? Maybe they could choose correspondence school. Maybe they could choose a private school. Maybe they could independently home school. Just maybe these students could really succeed in life.
The bottom line: More funding is not the answer to improve Alaska’s K12 system. Two years ago, the Alaska Reads Act passed into law. That’s when we learned that our university system was not teaching reading skills as a basic tenet of elementary school teacher’s curriculum.
Since then, the University of Alaska has added the science of reading to its elementary teacher program. And as bad as our reading scores are, they are improving.
The state cannot continue to throw more money at a broken system and expect different results. We must make targeted reforms that will improve our student outcomes.
The governor has called a special session in August to inform legislators what other states did to fix their underperforming schools. We need to open our minds and learn from others what works well to increase student achievement.
If we continue to focus on input (money) and not on output (student outcomes), then Alaska will continue to be mired in the morass of mediocrity while other States succeed in educating their children.
David Boyle is an education writer for Must Read Alaska.
Former Alaska US House Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat who sat for two years in Congress, has yet to announce her political plans for 2026, but the money has been dripping in from far beyond Alaska.
According to her latest Federal Election Commission filing, Peltola raised over $90,600 in the second quarter of 2025, an unusually large haul for a politician who is not currently in office and has not declared her candidacy for any race.
But wait: Almost $54,000 of that is from a fundraising list that she sold to a fundraising company based in Lincoln, Nebraska. She sold donors names and phone numbers. She sold their addresses and giving propensity scores.
She received $8,500 in PAC contributions from the Cache Pac in Virginia and the SD PAC of Washington DC gave her $5,000 in this reporting period. In terms of individual donors, she only raised $28,000 and had to refund over 20% of it ($6,000).
Most of her individual donations came from East Coast donors, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, D.C., fueling speculation that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is being successful in rallying Democratic support for Peltola to take on Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan next year. Further underscoring that speculation is that her expenditures show several meetings at the National Democratic Club in the past three months.
Alaska political observers have been buzzing for months about Peltola’s next move. She has stayed quiet about her intentions, but behind the scenes, top Democratic operatives at the national level are urging her to challenge Sullivan, who is up for reelection in 2026.
It’s important to note that before the final count was tallied in November, Peltola refiled for the House seat and is still considered an active candidate on paper.
Others believe Peltola may have her eye on the open governor’s seat, as Gov. Mike Dunleavy is term-limited.
However, under federal campaign finance law, the funds she has raised can only be used for a federal race — meaning the House or Senate.
She has spent money from her federal account and only has $78,531 cash on hand. Many expenditures were for apparent meetings in Juneau, and Washington, DC. Here’s a snapshot of a few of those meetings:
She also spent tens of thousands of dollars on travel to and from Washington, DC, and has several undisclosed expenditures that are simply listed as her American Express card.
During the first quarter of the year, Peltola has a negative in the net contributions reporting at FEC — she had to refund more money than she took in during the first quarter.
If she chooses to run for governor, Peltola would have to start fresh with state-eligible funds. If she runs for Senate, she enters the race with a modest start in fundraising.
Meanwhile, in the House race, Republican incumbent Congressman Nick Begich has already raised more than $800,000 this year, with over $1.25 million cash on hand. Given Begich’s strong fundraising performance and the fact that he is seen as a rising star in Washington, political insiders say it’s increasingly unlikely Peltola will attempt to reclaim her old House seat.
The clock is ticking. By this time next year Alaska ballots will already be printed and on their way in the mail to overseas voters. The deadline to file for office is next June 1, meaning Peltola will be making a decision soon.
For now, her fundraising is unimpressive, depending mostly on the selling out of her donors names, addresses, phone numbers, and propensity for giving.
Congressman Nick Begich of Alaska announced a blockbuster campaign fundraising total of over $800,000 in the second quarter of 2025, setting a new record for off-year fundraising by any US House candidate or incumbent in Alaska history.
With more than $1.25 million cash on hand, Begich’s campaign now holds a financial edge that surpasses benchmarks set by former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who posted monstrous political cash hauls in her previous election cycle.
The second-quarter total for April through June 2025 more than doubles Begich’s own second-quarter performance from just a year ago, when he raised $311,000 during the 2024 race, in which he unseated Peltola, despite being outspent by her by more than 427.5%.
The second quarter in 2024 had been Begich’s best of the election cycle at the time, with a 44% increase over his first-quarter 2024 figures. Now, his 2025 pace is breaking new ground for Alaska’s US House races, and even he may have a hard time topping that during the third quarter, now underway.
Begich also set a first-quarter record earlier this year.
In stark contrast, Peltola raised $375,000 in the first quarter of 2023 and reported lower cash on hand in the second quarter of 2023 than Begich currently holds in the corresponding non-election year quarter.
Even more impressive is how his campaign has done compared with his peers in Congress. Based on the 2023–2024 cycle data, the average House candidate raised around $100,000–$150,000 in the second quarter of off-year 2023, with incumbents in competitive races raising closer to $200,000–$300,000. Begich’s campaign has this year attracted far more than that.
Begich’s $800,000-plus in the second quarter of an off-year puts him at a strong advantage at a time when Democrats are in disarray and have struggled to find a competent or marginally acceptable candidate to oust him.
The Alaska Department of Law announced on Tuesday a step toward expanding public oversight of government by launching a new process that allows citizens to request investigative grand juries to examine suspected systemic wrongdoing by public officials or entities.
This effort establishes a more accessible and transparent pathway for citizens to bring forward evidence of misconduct affecting public welfare or safety. The initiative includes a dedicated webpage, procedures and policies, and designated legal staff to review citizen-submitted requests.
The move follows a 2022 ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court, known as SCO 1993, which amended Alaska’s criminal rules to clarify the role of investigative grand juries. Under those rules, the Alaska Attorney General is tasked with reviewing citizen requests to determine whether they meet the legal threshold to warrant a grand jury investigation.
Attorney General Treg Taylor emphasized the constitutional foundation of the program, pointing to a key provision in Alaska’s Constitution which guarantees the right of grand juries to investigate public welfare matters.
Taylor said the formalized process ensures that “every Alaskan’s voice can be heard when it comes to safeguarding our community and holding our government accountable.”
The investigative grand jury process is distinct from criminal grand juries. While criminal grand juries are typically initiated by prosecutors or jurors to consider indictments in criminal cases, investigative grand juries are focused on examining broader issues related to public safety or governance when requested by citizens. Once convened, these panels have authority to subpoena witnesses, review documents, and take testimony under oath. After completing their work, grand juries can issue public reports—subject to judicial review—that highlight findings and recommendations.
The newly created webpage hosted by the Department of Law contains detailed guidance on how Alaskans can petition for an Investigative Grand Jury, including the criteria their request must meet and the application process. Citizens are now able to review the standards being applied, track the status of their submissions, and challenge outcomes if necessary.
The Department of Law noted that if a citizen request involves alleged wrongdoing within the department itself, a neutral prosecutor will be assigned to advise the grand jury, ensuring impartiality.
This formalization of the citizen-initiated investigative grand jury process comes amid increasing public interest in government accountability, following years of public disputes over the use of grand juries in Alaska. Legal observers point to recent debates surrounding judicial oversight and public transparency as factors pushing the Department to clarify procedures.
While the policy shift does not alter the grand jury’s authority, it creates the first structured and public-facing mechanism to petition for such investigations since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. The department characterized the launch as the “first phase” of its ongoing work to uphold constitutional rights and pledged continued improvements.
Weeks before the start of the new school year, Anchorage School District Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt issued a scathing letter to staff and families on Tuesday, sharply criticizing state and federal leaders over what he described as a “coordinated failure of leadership” that is forcing widespread layoffs and service cuts across Alaska’s largest school district.
In the letter, Bryantt announced that ASD had begun issuing more layoff notices and reassignments district-wide, attributing the disruption to “unstable decision-making, delayed funding, and systemic negligence” from both Juneau and Washington, DC
“This letter is not just an update. It is a warning, and a call to action,” Bryantt wrote. He signed the letter, “In solidarity and resolve.”
According to Bryantt, ASD is reeling from a combination of a federal funding freeze and recent state budget increases that were trimmed back in a move he apparently did not see coming.
On July 3, the US Department of Education froze nearly $46 million in federal grants to Alaska schools, including more than $14 million earmarked for Anchorage. The abrupt freeze, Bryantt said, strips funding from essential services, which he describes as after-school programs, special education, English learner services, and Alaska Native student services.
He then blamed Gov. Mike Dunleavy for vetoing some of the massive increases that legislators had passed in education funding.
The administration is also pursuing regulatory changes through the State Board of Education that would cap how much local governments can contribute to their public schools, potentially draining millions more from Anchorage classrooms.
“This is not a coincidence. It is a pattern,” Bryantt said. “These decisions reflect a coordinated failure of leadership that disregards the will of Alaskans and jeopardizes the foundation of our public schools.” It seems that no one is smart enough to lead but Bryantt.
Bryantt detailed how ASD had already eliminated 42 central office positions, cutting over $30 million in salaries and services, drawing down reserves below policy minimums, and increasing class sizes. Even these measures, he said, were insufficient to absorb the latest wave of cuts.
“These are not abstract policy outcomes. They are real people. These are real losses. And students will feel the difference when they walk into school in August,” the superintendent warned.
Bryantt’s letter was sent with the Aug 2 special session in mind, where he hopes the Legislature will override the governor’s vetoes.
“This is what happens when systems fail students,” Bryantt wrote. “We are not just managing a crisis. We are resisting the slow dismantling of public education in Alaska.”
The letter concluded with a rallying cry to the Anchorage community, vowing that the district “will not be silent” in the face of what he called reckless governance decisions.
In a rare victory for the conservative minority, the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night passed an ordinance to rein in vagrant encampments on public lands, marking a sharp shift in the city’s approach to the growing crisis of vagrancy and drug addiction that has enveloped Alaska’s largest city.
The Assembly passed AO 2025-74, an ordinance that makes it illegal to camp on public property within city limits. The measure passed by a 7-5 vote, handing a win to those wishing to restore law and order in parks, trails, and other municipal spaces.
Under the new law, unauthorized camping is now classified as a Class B misdemeanor, meaning violators can face police action, fines, and even jail time. Enforcement set to begin within 30 days. Anchorage Police will be tasked with removing campsites and citing individuals in violation of the law.
The measure passed with support from Assembly Members Scott Myers, Keith McCormick, Zac Johnson, Daniel Volland, Yarrow Silvers, Jared Goecker, and Kameron Perez-Verdia. The remaining five members of the Assembly, including Assembly Chairman Chris Constant voted against it, expressing concerns about criminalizing homelessness without guaranteed shelter for all. Many of those living out-of-doors are doing so because they do not like the structure of shelters, which have rules of conduct.
Proponents of the ordinance argue it restores public access to parks and trails that have increasingly become semi-permanent encampments. Recently, the city removed 744,000 pounds of debris and stolen goods from Davis Park, one of the worst encampments. Many trails and parks are no longer safe in Anchorage for unarmed women or unaccompanied minors.
The ordinance requires the city to monitor shelter capacity and availability. Enforcement actions, including citations and removals, must be accompanied by tracking and annual reporting to the Assembly.
Anchorage officials are leaning on recent legal precedent to back up the ordinance. In their legal justification, they cite the US Supreme Court’s recent decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which upheld the right of local governments to enforce anti-camping laws as long as shelter options exist and the laws regulate conduct rather than targeting status as homeless.
