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 many Alaskans voted for Gov. Michael Dunleavy?
Answer: A total of 145,631 Alaskans voted for Michael Dunleavy in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Gov. Dunleavy received more votes than any other candidate for governor in Alaska history excepting Gov. Sean Parnell, who received 151,318 votes for governor in 2010.
8/12: Regular meeting of the Fairbanks City Council at 6:30 pm. The council will be considering five marijuana licenses up for renewal, as well as one application for onsite consumption. There will be period of public comment on these items. Read the agenda here.
8/12: Regular meeting of the Seward City Council at 7 pm. The agenda is not yet available, so you’ll want to check back on the city website here.
8/12: The scheduled meeting of the Wasilla City Council has been cancelled.
8/12: Filing period closes for the October 1, 2019 municipal election in Juneau. If you are planning on running for local office this fall, make sure you get your paperwork in by day’s end. Read more here.
8/12: Special showing of the PBS Molly of Denali TV show at Noel Wien Library in Fairbanks. Read more here.
8/12: The Homer City Council will gavel in for a regular meeting at 6 pm. The council will hold public testimony on several ordinance changes including a new requirement for a biennial city budget. Read the full agenda here.
8/12-8/13: Do you live in Skagway? Democratic state lawmakers Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Rep. Sara Hannan will hold town hall meetings to hear concerns from constituents. Read more here.
8/13: Regular meeting of the Bethel City Council at 6:30 pm. This week’s agenda includes continued discussion of a potential October ballot measure regarding a ban of alcohol sales in Bethel, read more here.
8/13: The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation will hold a public hearing in Anchorage at 3 pm. Further details here.
8/13: Copper River Clean Up in Chitina, hosted by the Copper River Watershed Project. Meet at the Chitina DOT Wayside at 10:30 am to participate. All who attend will also receive a free t-shirt. Further details here.
8/13: Fly Tying Clinic at the Wasilla Veterans Center starting at 5 pm. This is a free event, and no prior experience is required. Read more here.
8/13: Monthly meeting of the Alaska Sports Car Club will take place in Anchorage at 7 pm. Members, non-members, and anyone in between is welcome to attend, read more here.
8/13: Fairbanks Republican candidates BBQ at the Pioneer Park wilderness pavilion starting at 5:30 pm. Come out and meet some of the talented Fairbanksans running for local office this fall. Call 907-378-8369 for further details.
8/13: Alaska wild berry identification workshop at the Alaska Botanical Gardens in Anchorage. Begins at 6 pm, read more here.
8/13: Regular meeting of the Palmer City Council at 7 pm. There will be a period for general public comment. Find the meeting agenda here.
8/13: Regular meeting of the Sitka Borough Assembly at 6 pm. The agenda this week includes further discussion of the borough’s ongoing search for a city administrator following the termination of former administrator Keith Brady earlier this summer (which you can read about here). Find the meeting agenda at this link.
8/13: Alaska Fly Fishers board meeting in Anchorage at the BP Energy Center starting at 6:30 pm. Further details here.
8/14: Taste of Alaska fundraiser for Congressman Don Young’s 2020 reelection campaign at 5:30 pm in Anchorage. All interested must RSVP to 907-563-4314.
8/14: Fundraiser to re-elect Fairbanks City Mayor Jim Matherly from 5:30 pm – 7 pm. Will take place at 3190 Riverview Drive.
8/13-8/15: Summer conference of the Alaska Municipal League. Local leaders from across the state will descend upon the city of Soldotna to network and share the very important work they do. Read more about the conference at this link.
Alaska History Archive:
August 12, 1869: William H. Seward, whom had just left office as the 24th U.S. Secretary of State, gave a speech to an expansive crowd in Seward, Alaska. Less than two years earlier, on October 18, 1867, Seward had helped orchestrate the Alaska Purchase from Russia for $7.2 million. The National Archives has a copy of the speech available for viewing at this link.
August 14, 1967: The Chena River overflowed into the city of Fairbanks after two days of exceptionally high rainfall, creating what became to be known the Great Fairbanks Flood of 1967. During the two days prior (August 11—August 13), Fairbanks was smothered with the heaviest rainfall in the city’s history. Thousands of locals were displaced from their homes and found refuge at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ campus, which sits at a higher elevation than the rest of town.
While supporting Don Young is a great idea, it seems that the Congressional delegation has forgotten that when he served as Governor, Bill Sheffield was a virulent Democrat partisan. I have never attended a fund-raiser at his residence and never will.
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