The MRAK Almanac is your place for political, cultural, and civic events, events where you’ll meet political leaders or, if you are interested in getting to know your state, these are great places to meet conservative- and moderate-leaning Alaskans.
Alaska Fact Book:
Question: How much coastline does Alaska have?
Answer: One of Alaska’s most impressive geographic features is its immense coastline. Our state has 6,640 miles of coastline, over half of all of the coastline in the United States, and more than the entire coastline of the contiguous states (the Lower 48). The next time you meet someone from Rhode Island, you might remind them that their “Ocean State” motto really belongs to Alaska.
7/15: House Finance will meet in the Anchorage Legislative Information Office starting at 11 am, with public testimony beginning at 2 pm and ending at 7 pm. They will be meeting every day of this week and may physically be in a LIO near you (Fairbanks and Wasilla are on the schedule), so be sure to read their full schedule here.
7/15: Official premiere of Molly of Denali on PBS and PBS Kids. The American-Canadian animated series is the first children’s show broadcasted nationwide with an Alaska Native as the lead character. What’s more, these kids know how to solve conflict. Read more about this milestone here.
7/15: Girdwood Board of Supervisors will meet in Girdwood at 7 pm. Read more here.
7/15: Want to serve your community? Filing opens for elected offices in the Fairbanks North Star Borough (assembly and school board). Read more about how to run for office at this link.
7/15: Deadline to apply for the vacant seat (Seat C) on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. Application must be turned in at the borough offices no later than 5 pm. Read more here.
7/15: The Homer Public Library will hold a virtual guided recreation of the Apollo 11 mission, presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Great for kids and adults alike. Starts at noon. Further details here.
7/15: Do you live in House District 33? Rep. Sara Hannan will hold a town hall at 5 pm in the Douglas Public Library. A good chance for constituents to share their comments or concerns with one of their legislators.
7/15: Regular meeting of the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission at noon via teleconference. The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss the plan moving forward in response to Gov. Dunleavy’s recent line-item vetoes of the FY2020 budget. There will be a chance for public participation. Read more about the meeting here.
7/15: The University of Alaska Board of Regents will hold a special meeting in Fairbanks at 1 pm. The purpose of this meeting is to consider the possible declaration of financial exigency for the university system and to make necessary plans to accommodate UA’s recent budget reduction of $135 million. The meeting will be live streamed at this link.
7/15: The North Pole City Council will hold a regular meeting at 7 pm in the council chambers on Snowman Lane. There will be an opportunity for public testimony. Read the full agenda here.
7/15: 5 pm is the deadline for entry into Fairbanks’ Golden Days Parade which will take place on Saturday, July 20. If you want to enter a float or vehicle, visit this link to register.
7/16: Marine Transportation Advisory Board meeting in Anchorage at 10 am. The board will discuss general cost cutting measures and reform of the Alaska Marine Highway System for the coming year. Read the agenda at this link.
7/16: Regular meeting of the Delta Junction City Council at 5 pm. Read the agenda here.
7/16: The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources (the Chair is Sen. Lisa Murkowski) will hold a business meeting at 10 am in Washington D.C. to discuss proposed legislation, a total of 23 pending bills. Read about them at this link. The meeting will also be live streamed here.
7/16: Do you live in House District 19? Representative Geran Tarr will hold a town hall and BBQ dinner for constituents at 5:30 pm. Read more at the Facebook link here.
7/16: RMG Real Estate Summer Fest at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, starting at 5 pm. Bring the whole family for a night of food, live music, and outdoor fun. Free to attend, learn more at the Facebook page here.
7/16: Lunch on the Lawn outside the Anchorage Museum at 11:30 am. There will be live music, food trucks, and fun for the whole family.
7/16: Regular meeting of the Valdez City Council at 7 pm. The council will be considering the license renewal for marijuana retailer Herbal Outfitters as well as considering changes to the local traffic code. Find the agenda here.
Alaska History Archive:
July 15, 1741—278 years ago: Alexei Chirikov, of the Bering expedition to Alaska, saw land for the first time since leaving mainland Russia a month before. It is likely that the land Chirikov saw was Prince of Wales Island in Alaska’s Southeast region. The day after, the crew saw a towering peak larger than any other they had seen on their journey—it was named Mount Saint Elias soon afterwards.
July 15, 1923—96 years ago: After two unsuccessful swings, President Warren Harding drove the Golden Spike into a stretch of railway north of Nenana. After years of hard work, the 470-mile Alaska Railroad was finally complete.