After four years of snubbing, another First Lady of the United States is on the cover of Vogue.
The elite women’s magazine skipped over First Lady Melania Trump, after it had printed Michelle Obama the cover three times, and Hillary Clinton had been on the cover twice.
Just five months into her husband’s presidency, Jill Biden was revealed today as the August cover.
Read Look who made the cover of Vogue Mexico – Quannah Chasinghorse
Kataluna Enriquez, a biological male, has beat 21 female contestants and is the new Miss Nevada USA. Enriquez will compete in the Miss USA pageant Nov. 29. Enriquez competed in the pageant at the South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Sunday,
Enriquez, 27, is said to be the first transgender to ever compete for the national title.
For the Nevada competition, Enriquez wore a sequins gown of rainbow colors. Miss Nevada USA was born and raised in Las Vegas and began transitioning to female appearance at age 14. Enriquez is also the winner of the Miss Silver State pageant.
Madison Edwards was crowned Miss Alaska USA 2021 on May 8 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa during a virtual pageant event. Like Enriquez, she will compete for the national title at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Read: Drag queen story hour teaching Native kids how to be gender fluid in Anchorage
By WAYNE HEIMER
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure / What give one man pain brings another man pleasure / The best example of this in my life / Is me and the guy who married my ex-wife. -Anonymous
The proof I’ve found of this truism is that Acting Regional Director for the National Park Service, Greg Dudgeon, has been promoted to one of the “plum” jobs in the National Park Service.
Dudgeon will be the superintendent of Mt. Rainier National Park. This position is based in Seattle, and oversees one of those well-established National Parks where the petroleum-clad, well-behaved urban environmentalists go to commune with nature while assiduously avoiding participating in it.
The NPS news release says Dudgeon’s “. . . ability to work collaboratively with partners to preserve Park resources makes him a great fit for this job.” Nothing could be more accurate. In his new position, Mr. Dudgeon won’t have to resist cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, deal with the nettlesome problems of subsistence, or cope all that much with a clear Supreme Court decision that says the Park Service can’t do whatever it wants on navigable waters. Also, he won’t have to put up with unruly Alaskans like Jim Wilde and John Sturgeon. This change to a more traditional park should suit Mr. Dudgeon to a T. The new job seems a great fit for Greg because he has been an exemplary protectionist manager for the NPS in Alaska. He will simply have to “protect Park resources” and values at Mt. Rainier.
As we learned at the NPS “pre-100th anniversary” party a few years ago, the NPS mission has three parts. They are “stewardship, public education, and research.” “Stewardship” is bureau-speak for protection of the National Parks. For me this raises the question, “Protection from what?” The obvious answer is protection from human uses.
When the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was first proposed, it was clear the perceived need was protection of Alaska’s “Crown Jewels” from human uses. The result was a singular focus on protection. Other parts of the NPS mission in Alaska are insignificant compared to protection. Research, albeit mostly biologically esoteric does happen, but doesn’t change much. Public education is primarily protection-focused NPS dogma recited by trained rangers. Aside from Denali National Park, relatively few visitors actually make it past park headquarters in Alaska. Still, rigorous protection of Park “values” as well as lands and resources, is the obvious priority.
Dudgeon’s service in Alaska was marked by an intense “stewardship” emphasis. This emphasis gave us the Jim Wilde incident and the John Sturgeon case on the Yukon River.
All Alaskans should be grateful that Dudgeon’s minions cited John Sturgeon for his use of Alaska’s navigable waters. The results of that citation were two unanimous decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court that the state manages navigable waters. Governor Dunleavy recently had to tell the Park Service (and other feds) that he’s serious about enforcing Alaska’s right to manage its waters. They didn’t like hearing it.
The NPS news release lauding Dudgeon’s ability to work collaboratively with partners and communities is baloney. It’s what you’d expect to hear from an Interior Department headed by a “stewardship-focused” leader where a tree-spiking eco-terrorist has just been nominated to direct the Bureau of Land Management. Dudgeon may have been the least cooperative of all NPS officials during his tenure in Alaska.
One example I witnessed was Dudgeon’s arbitrary shutting down the late-season wolf trapping season in Yukon Charlie Preserve because a state wolf control program had purposefully lowered wolf numbers outside the preserve to help recovery of the Fortymile Caribou Herd (which provided Alaskans with several millions of dollars worth of red meat last year).
Although the wolf harvest there had been one wolf every couple of years, Dudgeon closed the season. When asked why, he referred to a waterfowl harvest model from the Central Flyway in the lower USA. Based on that model of duck harvest, Dudgeon said he could not risk the loss of a single wolf to Alaskan trappers in the Yukon Charlie Preserve.
That’s extreme “stewardship.”
Also on Dudgeon’s watch, federal regulations banning biologically insignificant, traditional Native subsistence harvest practices were passed (over state and local protests) on federal lands in the Arctic. Congressional review was required to overturn that decision on refuge lands.
The NPS had abitrarily done it earlier in Gates of the Arctic Park, and even Congress could not revoke that biologically unnecessary, hyper-protectionist regulation, which had to have involved Dudgeon’s support as Regional Director for Alaska.
I’m glad the NPS has decided to reward Dudgeon with a cushy promotion where his talent for protection from human uses will be appreciated more than in Alaska.
Sadly, the fact that the Department of Interior would reward a record like Dudgeon’s with praise for his ability to work with others probably shows that the Department of Interior remains singly “stewardship-focused” when it comes to Alaska.
Sen. Dan Sullivan recently called for President Biden to withdraw his nominee for Director of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) because of her membership in an eco-terrorist organization. If President Biden ignores Sen. Sullivan and the Senate confirms Tracy Stone-Manning as BLM Director, we’ll know that Alaska has no friends at the top of the Interior Department or the Biden administration.
This may call for even more stringent action from Gov. Mike Dunleavy to stop the “stewardship mania” which has infected the Department of the Interior since the first Earth Day.
Wayne E. Heimer has been watching, reporting on, and participating in Alaska’s battle with “the feds” for about three decades. This experience defines his perspective.
Air Cargo News has whittled the list for the title of “Cargo Hub of the Year,” and Anchorage made the cut.
In addition to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Brussels Airport Company, Budapest Airport, and Changi Airport Group (Singapore) are finalists for the competition. The winners will be announced in London at Heathrow Airport on Sept. 16 at the industry’s annual convention.
The Ted Stevens International Airport emerged as the fourth-busiest cargo hub in the world, according to Airports Council International, which also cited Anchorage as the fastest-growing cargo hub last year, which saw an increase of 15 percent cargo traffic to 3.2 million metric tons.
The top 10 air cargo hubs in 2020 had an average increase of 3 percent to 30.5 million metric tons.
“The gain [at the top 10 hubs] can be attributed to the increase in demand for online consumer goods and pharmaceutical products and personal protective equipment,” ACI said in a statement in April.
Memphis International Airport has become the top cargo hub globally, replacing Hong Kong. Memphis is the home of FedEx, the world’s largest freighter fleet.
The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that ruled against a school district that provided gender-specific bathrooms and prevented transgender youth from using the bathroom of their choice.
The win is theoretical, since the person who filed the case was a sophomore at Glouster County High School when he filed the lawsuit against the school board in 2015. He had changed his gender identity three years earlier, when he was 12.
Gavin Grimm, now 22, was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. He said in a statement through the ACLU, “Being forced to use the nurse’s room, a private bathroom, and the girls’ room was humiliating for me, and having to go to out-of-the-way bathrooms severely interfered with my education. Trans youth deserve to use the bathroom in peace without being humiliated and stigmatized by their own school boards and elected officials.”
When the Supreme Court declines to hear a case, it doesn’t set a precedent, but with the Fourth Circuit opinion standing, public schools in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina will be required to accommodate transgender youth in the bathrooms of their choice.
Grimm, who filed the suit in 2015, has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. He was issued a replacement birth certificate by the state of Virginia, with his preferred gender as male and he has undergone major surgeries, including a double mastectomy.
Grimm is now a transgender activist and professional speaker represented by a talent agency. He can be booked for live or virtual speaking engagements for between $5,000 and $10,000, and now lives in Berkeley, Calif.
Read: Transgender indoctrination of young taking place at Alaska Native Heritage Center
The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage is getting in on the drag queen indoctrination of children craze. On Saturday, it hosted a drag queen story hour, with plenty of children in attendance. The event featured three drag queen performers reading children’s books aloud and dancing for the children.
One of the drag queens had the advertised stage name of “Ivanna Kishacok.”
Readers may have to read that several times to understand the sexual innuendo.
Later social media posts advertising the event removed the stage names of the drag queens, who were men dressed as women, somewhat grotesquely. Much of the event is captured on Facebook on the pages of the @NativeMovementAlaska account.
“Since time-immemorial our Indigenous cultures holistically valued our People in support of their well-being, including fluidity of gender concepts. This collaborative event celebrates gender equality through inclusive activities connecting traditional values to the present. Come celebrate with us, all genders, at this family-friendly event hosted by Native Movement and the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We also invite you to attend and if you complete a survey about your experience you will receive a $50 gift card! (1 per family),” the Alaska Native Heritage Center wrote in its invitation.
The event was paid for by taxpayers: “Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government,” the center wrote.
SAMHSA is a federal agency dedicated to mental health and substance abuse treatment.
In addition to reading books, the men pranced and danced for the children in a way that can accurately be described as burlesque.
Does the “effective date clause” on legislative bills mean what the founders of the Alaska Constitution intended, or can the governor ignore the clauses and just start spending money on July 1?
The Democrat majority in the House had said everywhere on social media that the governor should disregard the effective date clause on the budget, while the governor says that doing so would violate the Constitution. Without the Legislature’s affirmative action to adjust the effective date, a bill goes into effect 90 days after it is passed.
Alaska’s Attorney General decided that since there was a dispute between the legislative and executive branch, it was for the courts to decide.
The House Democrats blinked, and returned to Juneau to pass a legitimate effective date clause, which may show just how concerned they were about the court decision going against them. For the first time in memory, a government shutdown would have been blamed on the Democrats, something they were not prepared to face.
Now, Alaska’ Attorney General Treg Taylor said that, although the July 1 government shutdown has been averted with the actions in the House today, he will continue to press for an answer from Superior Court, since the situation is likely to arise again.
“While we are pleased that a government shutdown has been averted, the important legal question remains—does the operating budget need a July 1steffective date passed by two-thirds of each house? This has implications for years to come, and it is much better to decide the issue before it arises again in the future with another potential shutdown,” said Taylor. “Getting an answer before the budget process begins again next year would ensure that everyone knows the actual legal impact of failing to pass a July 1st effective date.”
Oral arguments on the matter are scheduled for noon on June 29, although the parties are currently discussing next steps, the Attorney General said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the budget, HB 69, can now go to the governor’s desk, and he has said he will review it. He has signaled he will sign it so the government doesn’t shut down. The governor has a few bad choices:
Whatever the governor decides, it’s sure to play into the next election cycle. The governor faces reelection in 2022, if he chooses to run.
On the Must Read Alaska Show on Monday, Rep. Ben Carpenter of District 29-Nikiski, said that pressure from the business community had an effect on many members of the Republican minority to vote for the budget, even with the lack of a fiscal plan. He said that pressure appeared to be effective.
Carpenter said that the “Sense of the House” agreement to return to Juneau in August to develop a fiscal plan is a document that was based on the honor system, and there is no guarantee the House Majority will deal in good faith in August. Even during Monday’s convening of the House, the Democrat majority tried many maneuvers to trick the Republicans into voting for something they had not agreed to during negotiations.
Anchorage Mayor-elect Dave Bronson announced today that former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell will be his chief of staff, and former Assemblywoman Amy Demboski will be the new city manager when he is sworn into office on July 1. Campbell has been a key member of his transition team since Bronson was elected and is a former columnist for Must Read Alaska.
Bronson introduced several other people joining his administration, including:
Retained Directors:
Previously announced:
Amy Demboski, the new municipal manager, is currently the deputy commissioner at the Department of Commerce in the Dunleavy Administration. She is a former assemblywoman for Chugiak-Eagle River and has a business management education and background.
Bronson will be sworn in at 8 am on July 1 at a ceremony that will be a fundraiser for Beans Cafe. He will have a ceremonial swearing in that evening on the Delaney Park Strip, when an inaugural block party is planned for 5-9 pm, with the swearing in at 5:30 pm.
A press conference is being planned for July 1, during which he will outline key priorities for the mayor, said volunteer Communication Director Matt Shuckerow.
Over the weekend, the Office of Information Technology at the Anchorage Municipality radically changed the Muni.org website.
No longer is the Assembly link on the front page, nor Elections, nor Police and Fire, nor the Mayor’s Corner.
Instead, the front page emphasizes Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
The Anchorage Muni.org website now pushes AQD’s Twitter front and center on the page, and to the side, pushes the acting mayor’s Facebook feed. Presumably this will soon reflect the leadership of the elected mayor, rather than the acting one.
The old page has not only been taken down, it is no longer accessible in the web archives commonly known as the “Wayback Machine.” The municipality’s archives appear to have been scrubbed.
One of the big features of the new page is the vaccination box, which tells visitors what percentage of Anchorage has been vaccinated, and how that stacks up to the acting mayor’s 70 percent vaccination goal.
Mayor-elect Dave Bronson will be sworn into office on July 1.
