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
Unlike last year, the Alaska Senate this year didn’t pull a fast one on the Alaska House of Representatives and hold the budget hostage this month. Instead, senators passed the operating budget with nearly two weeks to go before the constitutionally mandated end date for this year’s session.
The decision to not repeat last year’s drama, in which the budget was held by the Senate until it was too late for the House to make decisions, is likely a reflection of 2024 being an election year in which half of the Senate will be facing voters in August. Forcing a special session would not be a good strategy for this Democrat-dominated Senate majority.
House Bill 268 passed on Wednesday with the liberal majority voting yes, and the three conservative Republicans voting no.
In the budget, the Permanent Fund dividend amount for qualifying Alaskans follows the Senate’s own 75-25 formula, in which the government takes more from Alaskans’ Permanent Fund dividends than allowed to take by statute. The Legislature has not followed the statutory formula since Gov. Bill Walker broke the formula in 2016 and vetoed half of Alaskans’ dividends, awarding the money to state workers.
Using the Senate’s own flexible formula, fully 75% of the available funds in the Senate version go to government, and only 25% of the oil royalties available for a dividend goes to Alaskans, for a dividend this year of $1,360.
But then, the Senate added back in a novel “energy relief payment” of $220 to bring the amount up to $1,580.
The House version of the budget has a Permanent Fund dividend of $2,223, closer to the statutory formula, and no energy relief payment. The two amounts must be negotiated in a conference committee.
The governor’s budget proposed the statutory formula of $3,500 per Alaskan, but it meant using $2.3 billion in funds to do so.
During floor debate over the budget, majority member Democrat Sen. Forrest Dunbar said he supports a large dividend because he claimed he represents one of the poorest districts in the state (East Anchorage). But he called for a state income tax: “We need a broad-based tax, we need a progressive income tax, it is the most equitable way to do it. If we want to have a healthy, sustainable PFD, we cannot any longer be the only state in the country without any kind of broad-based revenue measures.”
Sen. Mike Shower, Sen. Shelley Hughes, and Sen. Robb Myers, the three-member Republican team excluded from the liberal majority, argued for a 50-50 formula for the PFD, to be paid for with either earnings reserve funds or by simply not filling state vacancies that exist.
The Senate budget has $6.5 billion in state spending, which includes the following:
$174.7 million for additional resources outside of the Base Student Allocation, the basic formula for K-12 education. This is the equivalent of a $680 increase to the funding per student, but is not baked in as a permanent item for future years.
$7.3 million in additional pupil transportation for school district increased costs;
$5.2 million for the Alaska Reads Act to help with K-3 reading;
$5.2 million for Head Start to match federal funds to serve more children;
$1.2 million for rural Public Broadcasting to enhance emergency communication capability;
$30 million for Community Assistance for FY 25 and 26 to help lower local property taxes throughout the state;
$4 million to the Municipality of Anchorage for the summer operations of the municipal homeless shelter;
$1.3 million for Central Region recruitment and hiring of highway and aviation staff to support snow removal;
$7.5 million for grants to childcare providers to increase access to services;
$15 million for in-home and personal care assistant services; and
$3.7 million to the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Rep. Mary Peltola introduced the Bristol Bay Protection Act, new legislation that would codify an agency-level 2023 Environmental Protection Agency decision to preemptively veto mining in the Bristol Bay region.
The move comes after Peltola suddenly flipped her position on the proposed Donlin Mine. Earlier in her career as a fish activist, she worked against the mine, but recently she reversed her position and now says she favors it. Her position-flipping has cost her some support in the Western Alaska region.
Although the new Pebble bill has “Bristol Bay Protection” in its title, the bill actually targets one company, the Pebble Partnership, and its project, a proposed copper-gold-molybdenum mining project that is far inland from Bristol Bay, but that is considered within the watershed of the salmon fishery.
The bill was drafted back in January, but appears to have been held for a time when it could be politically helpful.
May 1 was the day to get some media cover for other votes. In addition to this bill being filed on Wednesday, Peltola controversially voted against oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, vote sure to upset many of her constituents.
“I came to DC to stand up for fish – to make fishing and the livelihoods of our fishing communities the national issue it deserves to be,” said Peltola, in a statement about Pebble. “Whole communities rely on Bristol Bay’s watershed for subsistence and as a deeply interwoven part of their social and cultural practices. In introducing this bill, we’re moving to protect our fisheries and streams, water supply, and the deep value that these waters have had to Alaska Natives who have relied on them for thousands of years.”
The Pebble Partnership commented that the bill is bad public policy to put in law a regulatory action. It’s interfering in an active court case the State of Alaska has over the EPA decision. The Pebble Project also has its own lawsuit.
“This legislation attempts to codify what many in Alaska’s development community view as a concerning and legally questionable action by the EPA. It is poor public policy and will be of great concern to people in Alaska who support responsible development and fair process for evaluating projects. It is worth noting that Alaska’s two senators remain very opposed to this EPA action. Pebble and the state of Alaska have challenged EPAs action in court and we believe that is the best place to sort out the many policy issues generated by the EPA against the project,” the company said in a statement.
Pebble is located on state-owned land set aside for mining, but the EPA has exerted its authority through its interpretation of the Clean Water Act.
Rep. Mary Peltola, who voted “present” on a resolution to restore Alaska’s right to produce oil and gas in congressionally approved areas of Alaska, had written to her colleagues in the House earlier and asked them to vote “no.” All but five other Democrats voted “no” on the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act. Peltola voted “present.”
“I am the Democratic co-lead for this bill and voted for it in committee,” Peltola wrote to her Democrat colleagues. “However, this legislation has a significant unintended consequences that could adversely affect indigenous communities and the Arctic Ocean environment,” she wrote. She pulled her support for the bill because it nullifies the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area, which was an executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2016.
Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican of Minnesota, is the lead co-sponsor of the Alaska’s Right to Produce resolution.
Peltola’s letter to her colleagues asking for a “no” vote follows:
When the House voted on the resolution on Wednesday, Peltola was one of the last congressional members to vote on the bill that unwinds some of the 63 executive orders that President Joe Biden has made against Alaska’s oil and gas economy.
The resolution would stop Biden from shutting down the coastal oil-and-gas area of the Arctic National Wildlife Range and the 13 million acres Biden just took out of production in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
In September, Peltola had a completely different message than the one she sent to Democrat colleagues this week: “I am deeply frustrated by the reversal of these leases in ANWR. This administration showed that it is capable of listening to Alaskans with the approval of the Willow Project, and it is some of those same Inupiat North Slope communities who are the ones that are most impacted by this decision. I will continue to advocate for them and for Alaska’s ability to explore and develop our natural resources, from the critical minerals we need for our clean energy transition to the domestic oil and gas we need to get us there. We can only get to that transition by listening to the people on the ground. Finally, we can’t keep erasing our progress with every administration. I will continue to advocate for permitting reform that includes predictable timelines from the federal government, which must be a reliable partner in leasing and developing our resources.”
The original story about Peltola’s vote on Alaska’s Right to Produce Act is here:
Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola refused to commit to the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, a bill that stops the Biden Administration from locking up Alaska’s congressionally designated oil and gas leasing areas. It’s a bill that Peltola had actually cosponsored but then backed away from.
The Alaska’s Right to Produce Act reinstates the previously awarded, then Biden-canceled oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Biden ignored statutory requirements and destroyed future revenues for Alaskan Native North Slope communities.
Energy production in Alaska generated $3.1 billion in state and local revenue in 2019 and supported over 77,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Most recently, the Biden Administration locked down 13 million more acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which was set aside by Congress for oil and gas.
The resolution to reverse the Biden Administration lockup of Alaska passed the House without Peltola’s support, on a vote of 214-199. One Republican voted against it, five Democrats voted for it, but Peltola voted “present.”
Although she says she is in favor of Alaska’s economy, Peltola also endorses President Biden for his reelection, and has voted with him over 90% of the time. Since taking office three years ago, Biden has imposed over 63 executive orders and actions against Alaska, including shutting down ANWR and the NPR-A.
In December, Peltola voted with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a San Francisco Bay Area liberal Democrat’s amendment letting Biden Interior Secretary Deb Haaland delay ANWR projects indefinitely.
“Today Democrat Mary Peltola doubled down on supporting Joe Biden over Alaska. Biden’s liberal war on Alaska is Peltola’s biggest political liability and Alaskans won’t forget today,” commented National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen.
Congressional candidate Nick Begich said, “Peltola may have voted present in the House today but she’s been absent on Alaska energy, jobs, and our very future. It takes courage to be the only voice for Alaska in the United States House. That means voting ‘yes’ when it’s in the interests of our people. Once again, Peltola failed us.”
There is another election going on today, the annual Chugach Election. Given the strength of renewable energy grifters these days, this election may be just as important as the Bronson – LaFrance runoff for Anchorage mayor.
Important how? Given that Chugach is part owner of the Eklutna power station (electricity and water for Anchorage) and the largest electricity supplier for the Rail Belt, poor decisions by the Chugach board on generation will have significant, negative consequences for decades to come.
Voting started April 17 and will run through their annual meeting May 17.
Four candidates are running for two seats on the Chugach Board of Directors. The two incumbents, Sam Cason and Mark Wiggin, both endorsed by the Alaska Center (for the Environment) and the Renewable Energy Alaska Project(REAP), are running for another four year term on the Board.
Their opponents are Dan Rogers and Todd Linley.
Chugach members have been voting online since April 17 with notification via e-mail. The Chugach Annual Meeting & Election pageis a great place to start, get additional information, or to get in touch with Chugach if you have any questions. Participation is generally pretty low, with somewhere around 10% of the 144,000 members voting. Voters who turn out can have significant impact on who wins.
Challengers Dan Rogers andTodd Lindleyare running under the auspices of an outfit calling itself Vote Chugach Stability. Both candidates are engineers. Rogers has been in the electrical world for decades as an entrepreneur and businessman, co-founding one of the largest power system engineering companies in Alaska. He notes that he has “more experience with renewable systems that actually work,” and important datapoint in this election. Lindley is a bit younger, with mechanical engineering experience for the last decade.
Both candidates are pointedly non-doctrinaire on generation choices, meaning that for them it is not wind and solar to the exclusion of everything else, which probably explains the lack of endorsement for their candidacy by the Alaska Center and REAP.
By my count, the renewable energy aficionados currently hold a 5-2 or 4-3 majority on the Chugach Board. Elect these two candidates and we have a very good chance to flip the Board majority to more of an all of the above worldview. Rogers interest in “renewable systems that actually work” is both a promise and a warning given current Board’s dalliance with large solar, wind farms and decarbonization.
The choice in this election is clear. If we want an all of the above approach to electrical generation here in the Rail Belt, Rogers and Lindley are your choices. If you want solar or wind generation with all the instability and expense it will introduce into the grid to the exclusion of everything else, Cason and Wiggin are your logical choices.
Rogers and Lindley will keep the lights on while Cason and Wiggin will introduce us to the Brave New World of rolling blackouts and skyrocketing electricity prices. From here, it’s a pretty easy decision.
The rest of the world is learning the painful lesson of over-reliance on renewable energy. We don’t have to make the identical mistakes up here to learn those lessons. If we want clean energy, there are a lot of ways to get that done including multiple hydro projects (not including Watana), GenIV nukes, and natural gas). All of these are affordable and reliable, something Cason and Wiggins’ “Big Wind and Big Solar” aren’t.
Get out and vote.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor is part of a coalition of 26 states suing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over a new federal rule that takes away the constitutional rights of gun owners.
The lawsuit, led by Texas and Kansas attorneys general, was filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Arkansas and was joined by Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Florida has filed a separate lawsuit and Texas has filed its own lawsuit, with Louisiana, Missouri, and Utah. That makes 31 states altogether suing the federal government over the new onerous rule that covers all gun sales in America, even between family members.
“The right to keep and bear arms is central to our country’s history and traditions, so Congress must be careful when addressing that right through federal legislation. For that reason, current law is tailored to regulate and reach only interstate, commercial firearm sales—not small-scale sales and certainly not private sales between individual citizens. And Congress has affirmed that aim time and again through clear statutory text and express statements of purpose. Yet Defendants, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF” or “Director”) Steven Dettelbach, claim that Congress gave them authority to regulate far more broadly. Under a new rule, Definition of “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms, 89 Fed. Reg. 28,968 (Apr. 19, 2024) (“Final Rule”), ATF claims the power to reach and regulate (via an extensive licensing scheme) a citizen who makes a local sale of even one firearm to another individual, the lawsuit says.
“For more than 40 years, the relevant federal statute has already defined who is required to become a federal firearms licensee. Yet Defendants seized on a recent, minor change in that statute and effectively rewrote the entire definition. Until now, only those who repetitively purchased and sold firearms as a regular course of business had to become a licensee. But through the Final Rule, Defendants will now presume that anyone who sells or resells even one firearm with the intent to profit (no matter how little), combined with other (nebulously defined) evidence, is a firearms dealer who must become a licensee. This would put innocent firearms sales between law-abiding friends and family members within the reach of federal regulation. Such innocent sales between friends and family would constitute a felony if the seller did not in fact obtain a federal firearms license and perform a background check,” the state attorneys say in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit names the ATF, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice over the new rule that the Biden Administration finalized April 19.
The rule, the Biden Administration says, is a result of 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was voted affirmatively by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
President Joe Biden has for years yearned for “universal background check” legislation, which constitutional scholars say is unlawful. Federal law has, until now, seen the difference between firearms dealer and private sellers.
For many years, federal regulations have differentiated between firearms dealers that must have a federal license to sell firearms, and private individuals.
Bob Griffin, a member of the Alaska State Board of Education, didn’t imagine his confirmation hearing in front of hostile members of the Senate Education Committee would be friendly. But he might not have suspected that the committee, led by Sen. Loki Tobin, would grill him and make accusations against him for over 40 minutes.
Tobin, who uses the pronouns “she/her,” accused Griffin of spreading misinformation. Then, relaying rumors she had heard from education industry sources who are hostile to Griffin, she accused him of attending meetings and claiming he was a representative of the Department of Education (he is a member of the department’s governing board), and she accused him of advocating for the illegal and misuse of public funds.
Griffin took the questions one by one and answered them with civility.
“No I have never advocated for the misuse of public funds,” Griffin said.
“That’s curious to me,” Tobin argued. “You were just talking about how you’re supportive of allotments but that was just knocked down by a superior court judge as being unconstitutional usages. So it’s difficult for me to marry those two statements together.”
She was referring to a decision by Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman that eliminates funding for 24,000 homeschool and correspondence school students across the state — a decision that has been appealed to the Supreme Court.
The committee hostility to the governor’s appointee to the Board of Education may portend a tough confirmation hearing in a joint session of the House and Senate, to take place around May 10 and before the May 15 adjournment. Griffin needs 31 votes between the House and Senate to keep his (volunteer) position on the state Board of Education.
“This first-of-its-kind rule in the United States will reduce the environmental impact of civil aviation on our health and climate,” said Laurence Wildgoose, assistant administrator for the FAA’s Office of Policy, International Affairs and Environment.
The FAA says that ultra-fine carbon particles that aircraft engines produce are an inhalation concern for humans. Also, nvPM emissions can become the nucleus for persistent contrails, the line-shaped clouds behind some jet engines that may expand into broader cloudiness that may affect the planet.
The rule will cost manufacturers and ultimately the buyers, operators, and flying public. It applies to aircraft including the Boeing 777X, some Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Airbus 330, as well as some business jets and turboprops.
The costs to certify airplanes to the fuel efficiency standard could be anywhere from $800,000 to $1.4 million, according to Forbes. The FAA says planes covered by the new rule are responsible for “nine percent of domestic transportation emissions and two percent of total U.S. carbon pollution.”
The action is part of the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan that sets a vision to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050.
The federal government’s vision is that emissions will be decreased through:
The introduction of new, more efficient aircraft by airlines into their operational fleets and retirement of older, less efficient aircraft.
Development of new, more energy efficient aircraft and engine technologies by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Improvements in aircraft operations throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) by the U.S.Government (USG) and by airlines flying more optimal trajectories for reduced fuel use and contrail impacts.
Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) by the energy sector.
Electrification and potentially hydrogen as solutions for short-haul aviation.
Advancements in airport operations across the United States.
International initiatives such as the airplane CO2 standard and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Domestic policies and measures to help meet emissions targets.
Support for research into climate science related to aviation impacts.
Bidenomics, which has been hindering American prosperity and growth for going on four years, has made it all the way to the Last Frontier, and Alaskans are feeling the pain.
The president’s solution to the high inflation, slow growth, and economic unease he abetted is to keep doing what he’s been doing – hammering the same policies that caused the problems in the first place. Meanwhile, Alaska’s only member of the House of Representatives, Mary Peltola, has been voting with the president in support of these policies over 90% of the time.
Doubling down on the status quo won’t cut it. We can’t fix the economy by continuing on the ruinous path of trillion-dollar federal deficits that fuel inflation and drive interest rates higher.
Instead, we need to enact policies that enable sustainable economic growth and end out-of-control federal spending.
Inflation recently reached a 41-year high, and it has remained elevated since Biden took office. It’s not hard to figure out why.
Too much money is chasing too few goods, stoked by artificially inflated demand caused by blowout government spending.
Alaska is among the states hardest hit by Bidenomics, with a cumulative inflation rate of 19.2% since Biden took office. That amounts to additional costs of $1,217 a month for each Alaskan, or more than $14,000 a year.
Average families are bearing the brunt of the economic folly of this president and Rep. Congresswoman Peltola.
Mortgage interest rates have more than doubled. Fuel and energy costs continue to rise due to Biden’s war on fossil fuels, so critical to our state’s economy, and the unprecedented spending on a forced transition to less efficient, more expensive green energy.
Since January 2021, home heating oil is up 44%, gasoline is up 33%, and electricity and natural gas are both up 29%.
Feeding our families also costs more these days.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of staple items including chicken (up 25.95%), hot dogs (up 42%), and ground beef (up 29.4%) have soared.
That might not mean much to well-off lobbyists and politicians in Washington, but to the average Alaskan, that’s money no longer available to save for college or a new home, or just to take the kids out to the movies.
In typical fashion, those politicians want to blame everybody but themselves for the mess they’ve created.
Anti-business posturing by the president and others – accusations of “greedflation” and “shrinkflation” – is hot air intended to distract us from the real culprits: the people in charge of a government that can’t stop spending money it doesn’t have.
And while prices are going up, wages are going down.
Inflation-adjusted hourly wages are down 2.5% since January 2021. While there have been some recent real wage increases, they’ve been more than offset by a decrease in the average work week. The overall result is that since January 2021, real weekly earnings have shrunk 3.9%.
Alaskans are tired of scapegoats and excuses. We need solutions that will ensure we can feed our families, heat our homes, put gas in our cars, and have a chance at a better life in the future.
That means leaving Bidenomics behind and embracing reforms that benefit everyone through long-term economic growth and prosperity.
We need tolower inflation by ending the government spending spree that diverts economic resources away from the private sector and redirects them to the crony friends of politicians and policymakers.
We need to drive down the cost of gasoline and home heating oil by getting rid of barriers to domestic energy production.
Alaskans are famous for our resiliency. But even hearty Alaskans are struggling with an economy in which the cost of living is rising and wages are falling. With savings down and credit card debt soaring, too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck.
The economy is teetering, but the president and Rep. Mary Peltola are unconcerned. They think things are going swimmingly.
They’re not. And they won’t get better until the overspending stops and politicians start recognizing the hardships their policies have created for Alaskans.
Bethany Marcum is state director of Americans for Prosperity-Alaska. Will Burger is a senior advisor for government affairs with AFP.
The Joe Biden Administration has unabashedly waged an all-out war on America-first values by decreasing energy independence, increasing the national debt, and forcing Americans to shoulder the consequences.
We’ve all wondered: Can Biden’s harmful policies be reversed in time to save our country? According to Ashley Hayek, political strategist and executive director of America First Works, they can.
On a recent episode of STANDwith Kelly and Niki Tshibaka, Hayek addressed America’s concerns, particularly surrounding energy policies and the national debt.
“This administration, on day one, when [Biden] signed an executive order ending the Keystone Pipeline, made it very clear that this would be a war on American energy.” Hayek explained, “The fact that we are buying oil from Venezuela, which is a hostile country, is an insult to every single American, every single American worker. It’s offensive and it’s incredibly wrong.”
Hayek, executive director of America First Works, also addressed the fact that China has risen to an uncomfortably high level of control over American life, dominating our agricultural lands, manufacturing, and owning much of our national debt.
“We have all these problems, and all we’re doing is importing more problems … Not growing our country’s profit.”
However, despite the concerning state of the economy and Biden’s attack on energy policies, Hayek proposed several solutions to the issues we are experiencing. First, she recommended new presidential leadership, stating throughout her interview that Biden repeatedly has made it clear that he will not enact America-first policies.
“America should be first, always. Period,” Hayek argued.
Second, Hayek advised everyday Americans to get involved at the local level to prompt grassroots-led change. This includes presence at Assembly meetings, school board involvement, and voting in municipal elections. “There is nothing you can do that is too small that will help America,” she said.
Lastly, Hayek proposed changes to the way America generates its economy, recommending that the government stop giving handouts and start incentivizing people to work again, claiming: “It’s only going to get worse if we don’t rein in spending, reduce regulation, and allow for some growth in the country.”
If we want to see the change, we have to be the change. There is nobody coming to save us; the only ones who can save America are Americans.
If you want to hear more about Ashley Hayek’s solutions for the problems America is witnessing, you can watch her full interview on STAND on Youtube, Rumble, or your podcast streaming platform. Visit www.americafirstworks.com to find out more.
Kelly Tshibaka is the host of the podcast, TV, and radio show STAND, and the 2022 Alaska Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. She co-hosts the show with her husband, Niki Tshibaka.
