By KOBE RIZK
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.
6/3: A great day for viewing the famed bore tide in Turnagain Arm. The bore tide tables online are in disagreement — either the wave is set to arrive at Beluga Point at around 3:30 pm, followed by its arrival at Bird Point half an hour later, or it arrives at Beluga Point at around 5 pm, and Bird Point at 5:30ish. Timing is even more approximate than we thought, so arrive early. Weather: High of 64 degrees with a good chance of bore tide surfers. Note: Spring tides like this one come right around the new moon, with the highest variation between low and high tides.
Can’t make it? Live vicariously here:
6/3: Juneau Assembly will begin at 7 pm in the assembly chambers. Ordinances and budget appropriations set to be considered by the Assembly at this meeting appear at this link.
6/3: The Alaska LNG Project Advisory Committee holds a meeting in Nikiski at 6 pm. The public is invited to attend this meeting, and the committee will hold a period of public testimony. More info here.
6/3: Down Memory Lane: Educational conversation with former UAF Museum Director and Professor Aldona Jonaitis. Event is free and begins at 7 pm in the Murie Auditorium.
6/3: Anchorage Chamber of Commerce has its 26th Annual Military Appreciation Luncheon. This is a registration-only event, more details here.
6/3: The Federal Subsistence Board holds a public hearing regarding a proposal to close federal lands in Unit 13 to the hunting of moose and caribou, with the exception of qualified subsistence users. Testimony may be given in person or over the phone. Visit this link for details.
6/3: The North Pole City Council will hold a regular meeting at the council chambers. Agenda includes approval of the 2019-2020 City of North Pole Healthcare Plan as well as a new advertising contract. Agenda packet here.
6/3-6/10: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in Sitka. The Council oversees the 900,000 square miles composing Alaska’s Exclusive Economic Zone, primarily managing the harvesting of groundfish such as cod, pollock, and halibut. More info here.
6/4: The Valdez City Council will gavel in for a regular meeting at 7 pm, following their 6 pm work session. Click here for the full agenda.
6/4: The Sitka Summer Music Festival will begin, set to run the entire month of June. Visit this link for more details.
6/4: 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote Celebration hosted by Anchorage Republican Women. Will take place at the Delaney Park Strip Veterans Memorial. Visit this link for more info.
6/4: The Alaska Army National Guard will hold a community recruiting event in Anchorage from 11 am – 4 pm. Free BBQ and outdoor sports games will take place, and all are invited to attend. Facebook event here.
6/4: Regular meeting of the Anchorage Assembly. The assembly will be considering several ordinance changes, including property sales by competitive bid and alterations to city trash disposal policies. Gavels in at 5 pm in the assembly chambers, read the full agenda here.
6/4: Lunch on the Lawn at the Anchorage Museum. Tuesday will be the first happening of this weekly summer event featuring outdoor family activities and live music. Free admission, food truck lunches available for purchase.
6/4: Mat-Su Borough Assembly regular meeting at 6 pm in the assembly chambers (located in Palmer). View the detailed agenda packet here.
6/4: The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will hold a regular meeting at 6 pm in the Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers. The assembly will hold public testimony on the FY2020 budget, as well as a proposal to levy a 12 percent tax on temporary lodging in the borough. Visit this link for more info.
6/4-6/6: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency will hold public hearings regarding their proposal to significantly expand restricted airspace surrounding Clear Air Force Station (located approximately halfway between Nenana and Healy). Visit this link for meeting locations and information.
6/7: Deadline to submit photos to Senator Dan Sullivan’s Frontier in Focus photo contest. Send photos of your best Alaskan summer scenery to Senator Sullivan at [email protected].
ALASKA HISTORY ARCHIVE:
June 3, 1997: Alaska politician John Butrovich dies in Fairbanks at 87 years old. Butrovich was born in an Interior Alaska mining camp in 1910, and served in the Alaska Territorial Senate as a Republican for fifteen years. In 1958, he ran for Alaska Governor, but lost to Democrat Bill Egan. He later served for another 15 years in the Alaska State Senate.
June 3-4, 1942: Battle of Dutch Harbor takes place, killing 43 Americans and injuring 50. The battle began with an aerial attack from the Japanese Navy on the Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Fort Mears in Dutch Harbor, though the cloudy conditions on this day prevented many of the Japanese bombers from ever reaching their target. This event signified the start of the Campaign for the Aleutians of World War II.
June 4, 1989: Tuesday is the 30th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests in China. These protests garnered worldwide attention when the communist-controlled Chinese military intentionally used lethal force to kill hundreds of protestors blocking the military’s path through the Chinese capital of Beijing. Some one million Chinese citizens participated in the protests, calling for expanded democracy and basic protections such as freedom of speech and of the press.