The Kenai Peninsula Republican Women’s Club held a winter brunch at the Cannery Lodge on Sunday, giving out a number of awards, all of which were meant to be humorous.
The club gave former Alaska Republican Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock, pictured above, its Volunteer of the Year award. Although he is an associate member of the club, Babcock is always volunteering for whatever is needed, whether it’s security or cleanup.
Others who won awards were:
Senator Peter Micciche won: Peacemaker of the Kenai Peninsula Award
Rep. Sarah Vance won: Most Abandoned Cars Removed in District 31 Award
Rep. Ben Carpenter won: Most Jeffersonian in Philosophy and Word Volume Award
Rep.-Elect Ron Gillham won: Largest Hat on a Campaign Sign Award
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce won: Most Assertive…Even When it Matters Award
After Rep. Carpenter accepted his award, he made it clear he does not want the governor to be recalled. The Kenai Peninsula is a stronghold for the governor.
Jill Schaefer, past president of the club, emcee’d the event with Sen. Peter Micciche giving out the awards.
A stark reminder of the capriciousness of Mother Nature visited neighboring Haines last week.
Record-breaking rainfall triggered a massive landslide that destroyed multiple homes and left two residents missing and presumed dead. Flooding , high winds, and limited daylight hampered search efforts.
The Haines Borough requested helicopter backup from the Coast Guard and National Guard and some residents of Beach Road were evacuated by boat as conditions remained unstable and adverse weather was predicted to continue.
Approximately 50 displaced families, roughly 10 percent of Haines’ population, were sheltered in emergency housing while awaiting word on when they might safely return to their homes.
Governor Mike Dunleavy signed a disaster declarationthat covered storm damage throughout Southeast Alaska, while the search continued in Haines for the two missing residents which was ultimately suspended.
The declaration activated the State of Alaska Public Assistance program designed to help communities, government organizations, and certain non-profits repair utilities, public buildings, roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure damaged in a disaster.
Residents and southeast neighbors rallied to help the community as well. Tlingit and Haida Central Council, Capital City Fire/Rescue, Juneau Mountain Rescue, the Alaska State Troopers, the Red Cross, and the U.S. Coast Guard were among other organizations sending personnel, resources, and expertise to assist.
A K-9 unit from Juneau-based SEADOGS responded on scene with 3 dog teams to aid search efforts. These teams are equipped with radar that can determine how deep the debris pile is. A helicopter in Juneau was fitted with specialized equipment to photograph the slide zone.
Following on the heels of the pandemic, this deluge hit Haines, and other Southeast communities that suffered less damage, particularly hard.
Haines, especially, will need support in recovery efforts even while being mindful of pandemic mandates and precautions. COVID-19 has upended the economy and government resources are stretched to the limit. Its effects have severely hamstrung the many local social service agencies and organizations that react and assist in events such as these. Their funding has largely dried up and many face extreme financial difficulty.
This type of event usually occurs only once in a great while, but it demonstrates the necessity for preparedness on an individual and community level. Without the type of organizations and expertise being brought to bear in this situation, the impacts could be far worse.
It also illustrates the wisdom of conserving resources, especially financial resources, in preparation for an unforeseen event – whether a pandemic or a natural disaster such as occurred in Haines.
Nationwide, voters contributed huge sums of money to political campaigns recently (over $50 million combined on Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat and over $100 million on some Lower 48 Senate elections). Surely, we can all dig a little deeper now and donate to the local first responders and social service agencies that form Alaska’s most effective and cost-efficient safety net in time of disaster.
And can our state and local governments also reassess their funding priorities in this next budget cycle? Any number of government grants and programs at the community, state, and federal level are simply, inarguably, not essential. Perhaps it’s time to prepare for the next pandemic or natural disaster by fortifying our current infrastructure, facilities, and programs to better weather the next unforeseen event.
The City of Haines, T&HCC and The Salvation Army have all started disaster funds. You can also donate to Juneau Mountain Rescue, SEADOGS or directly to two local Haines organizations:
Haines Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 849, Haines, AK 99827
Haines Salvation Army, PO Box 550, Haines, AK 99827
As time marches on and memories fade, it is often easy to be distracted from the lessons we learn when disaster strikes. Our priorities drift away from the things that really matter and we spend our money and time on the things that don’t.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970.
A report by an economist at the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming says President-elect Joe Biden’s promised ban on oil and gas development on public lands would severely harm the economies of eight western states.
Timothy Considine released his findings in “The Fiscal and Economic Impacts of Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Lease Moratorium and Drilling Ban Policies,” on Monday, providing a depressing economic forecast for the states the states that have significant energy production from federal lands.
Considine produced the report under contract with the Wyoming Energy Authority, which is funded by the State of Wyoming.
Over the next four years, the human cost of fulfilling Biden’s campaign pledge would be:
An average of 72,818 fewer jobs annually.
Lost wages would total $19.6 billion
Economic activity would decline $43.8 billion
Tax revenues would drop $10.8 billion by the end of Biden’s first term in Alaska, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
By 2040, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would decline by $670.5 billion and average annual job losses would exceed 351,000 across the West.
The study says that Alaska, which ranks eighth in both oil and natural gas production on America’s public lands, would lose $226.4 billion in GDP over the next 20 years.
Between 2021 and 2024, a drilling ban would eliminate in Alaska:
3,334 jobs on average each year
$1.4 billion in oil and natural gas investments
production valued at $1.5 billion
$383 million in tax revenue to the state
$2.1 billion in GDP
$964 million in wages.
The eight states provide over 97 percent of federal onshore production. If Biden closes off public lands to oil and gas, as he has promised, over the next 20 years the nation would experience:
Average annual job losses reaching 351,555 by years 2036 through 2040
GDP dropping by $670.5 billion
Oil and natural gas investment plummeting $389 billion, leading to a loss of $502.6 billion worth of production
The elimination of $159 billion in state tax revenues and $300 billion in lost wages.
The Municipality of Anchorage has officially taken the Golden Lion Hotel off the tax rolls, by purchasing it for $9.3 million.
The hotel, located at 36th Avenue and New Seward Highway, will become the Alaska Center for Treatment, focusing on services for alcoholics, according to the acting mayor.
The Acting Mayor’s Office said the repairs on the buildings will be funded using $15 million from the sale of ML&P to Church Electric, making the overall capital investment as much as $24 million. A request for proposal will be issued for someone to run the center.
The hotel is part of three properties the city is purchasing to provide a suite of services to homeless, vagrants, and substance addicted persons in Anchorage, a plan that started under Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and that is continuing under Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson. Other buildings to be purchased are America’s Best Value Inn & Suites in Spenard, which has 100 rooms that are to be used to house homeless, and also has office space for an expanding workforce of social service employees.
The municipality doesn’t seem to have a plan for how to pay for the operations and maintenance of the new Alaska center for Treatment, which has been the subject of extensive protests by citizens throughout the summer and fall.
The State Security Office has been notified by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that some versions of a system monitoring software the state uses is being exploited by “malicious actors.”
Those malicious actors are believed to be Russian spies, or foreign intelligence workers, as they are being called. SolarWinds Orion products have been attacked by Russian hackers all over the United States.
On Monday, all State of Alaska departments that have SolarWinds Orion products, versions 2019.4 through 2020.2.1 HF1, on their network were instructed to immediately disconnect or power down the products from their networks.
The State Security Office said that until it gets the Windows operating system rebuilt and reinstalls the patched SolarWinds software, departments are prohibited from rejoining the Windows host operating system to the “enterprise domain.”
Additionally, information technology officers in the State of Alaska have been instructed to block all traffic to and from hosts, external to the enterprise, where any version of the SolarWinds Orion software has been installed.
On Sunday, CISA issued Emergency Directive 21-01 that calls on all federal civilian agencies to review their networks for signs of compromise and disconnect or power down SolarWinds Orion products immediately.
“The compromise of SolarWinds’ Orion Network Management Products poses unacceptable risks to the security of federal networks,” said CISA Acting Director Brandon Wales. “Tonight’s directive is intended to mitigate potential compromises within federal civilian networks, and we urge all our partners—in the public and private sectors—to assess their exposure to this compromise and to secure their networks against any exploitation.”
Since at least March, Russian hackers have inserted malicious updates into IT management platforms, hitting the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and Homeland Security, as well as a security firm called FireEye.
SolarWinds has hundreds of thousands of clients. On Monday, the company told the Security and Exchange Commission that at least 18,000 were potentially attacked.
Both FireEye and Microsoft have accounts of what the threat entails. It appears that is so vast that no one really knows the extent of it.
Attackers used Orion software as a door into computer systems, where they were able to steal administrative tokens, and then go in and out of the system with data.
SolarWinds said in a statementthat hackers had managed to alter the versions Orion, a network monitoring tool, that were released in March and June.
“We have been advised this attack was likely conducted by an outside nation state and intended to be a narrow, extremely targeted, and manually executed attack, as opposed to a broad, system-wide attack,” SolarWinds wrote.
Donald Trump Jr. was spotted by Juneauites at McGivney’s sports bar in downtown Juneau, where he was waiting out weather so he could go on a hunting trip on Admiralty Island with local guide Keegan McCarthy, owner of Coastal Alaska Adventures.
It was part of a trip auctioned off in February — a Sitka black-tailed deer and duck hunt in Southeast Alaska, which sold for $150,000, the proceeds going to Safari Club International, a nonprofit hunting organization.
Trump Jr. is the author of “Triggered, How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us,” published last year and debuting on the New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller List.
He is a son of the president who has been active on the campaign trail for his father for the last year and who has become a well-known social media warrior for conservatives.
Former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman will moderate a webinar on Dec. 18 on the topic of the Mayflower Compact.
November marked the 400th year anniversary of the signing of the Mayflower Compact and the landing of the “Pilgrims and Strangers” at Plymouth Rock, in present-day Massachusetts.
Their faith in God, pursuit of religious freedom, and commitment to overcome differences and work together were foundational for their fledgling colony in the New World. Webinar attendees will learn about the background, journey, sacrifices, and purpose for the Pilgrims coming to America.
Scholars and authors Peter Wood and Lawrence Reed will discuss the unique content and timing of the Mayflower Compact, and its influence on the founding of our country and writing of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution more than 150 years later.
The program is designed for students, parents, public officials, teachers, and clergy to be reminded of why and how people desiring to be free have created and prospered under representative democracy, the proper role of faith, why these are important, and worth defending.
The event is sponsored by Eugene Harnett and Loren and Carolyn Leman. Register and attend at: 1620webinar.com
More about the speakers
Peter W. Wood is President of the National Association of Scholars, a network committed to academic freedom, scholarship, and excellence in American higher education. In addition to his scholarly work, Wood has published hundreds of articles in print and online journals. He is an anthropologist and author of the recently published book, 1620: A Critical Response to the 1619 Project.
Lawrence W. “Larry” Reed is President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, former president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan, and former university economics professor. Mr. Reed has spoken widely and authored nearly 2,000 columns and articles in newspapers, magazines and journals in the United States and abroad. He recently wrote, The Mayflower Compact: As an Idea, America Began in 1620, Not 1776. His books include, Was Jesus a Socialist?
As 2020 comes to a close, and not too soon for me, I am encouraged that a vaccine for the China virus is finally being distributed. President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed is a phenomenal achievement of will and focus that was only possible because of American exceptionalism.
While not everyone may want to be vaccinated, those who do and those who need it due to high risks, age, or underlying health conditions, will happily welcome this ability to become inoculated.
Which brings me to the aerospace industry. The achievements of aviation over the past century are incredible. From hot air balloons; to piston powered planes; to the 1950’s gilded era of commercial aviation; to the magnificent flying machines of the 21st Century; humanity has enthusiastically pursued flight.
Craig E. Campbell
Now, albeit set back a bit by the China virus, commercial aviation has opened up the world to travel and is as commonplace to most as riding a bus or train used to be.
The 21st Century will be the century of space. It will take its place in history as the time when humanity establishes settlements on the Moon and Mars, mines asteroids for precious metals, and explores beyond our galaxy to find answers to the existence of the Universe. These are exciting times for galaxy explorers.
Throughout the 1960’s the United States dominated space exploration, surpassing Russian Yuri Gagarin’s historic feat of being the first human to fly in space when he orbited the earth on April 12, 1960. I had the honor of visiting the Russian Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, outside Moscow and touring the Gagarin Museum. I was astonished at the unsophisticated technology used to accomplish his historic flight. It confirmed to me that if one has the conviction to succeed, they can.
Under the dynamic leadership of President John F. Kennedy, the United States dedicated itself to becoming the premier space nation. So started the Mercury program, led by Alan Shepard’s flight into space on May 5, 1961. Between 1961 and 1963 Project Mercury launched six times, each with a single American astronaut orbiting the earth.
This was followed by the Gemini Project, launching two man crews into orbit ten times between 1963 and 1996. The Apollo Program culminated President Kennedy’s goal of landing on the moon, when Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.
America proved it could energize a nation to become the world leader in space exploration. As of today, the Russians still have not landed a person on the moon.
Following eight years of rudderless Obama Administration leadership at NASA, President Trump reinvigorated the passion for space exploration. Today, NASA is led by a space visionary, Jim Bridenstine.
I know Jim. He was a fighter pilot, Director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, and represented Tulsa in the US Congress prior to becoming the NASA Administrator. With Jim at the helm, all things are possible.
He has refocused NASA on returning to the moon and is passionately working with private sector aerospace companies to support exploration flights to Mars. Under Jim’s leadership, NASA is aggressively pursuing the Armetis project, to return a person to the moon in the next few years. And time is of the essence, we must not stumble.
Our prime competitor, China, is rapidly developing a comprehensive space program and already has sent a lunar landing module to the moon to collect samples. In fact, two weeks ago China became only the second nation to place their national flag on the surface of the moon. They have announced their intention of also being the second nation to land a person on the moon by 2036.
Now is no time for the US to withdraw from space exploration. The Chinese space program is our most significant competitor and will determine which nation gains the benefits of outer space.
This is the dawn of private sector space operations in America which will ensure our role both in achieving historic accomplishments, as well as gaining the financial benefits.
SpaceX has demonstrated the capability to reuse launch boosters, resupply the International Space Station (ISS) with cargo, and now has used the Dragon capsule to be the first private company to deliver American astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX is now focused on reaching Mars with the first human landing by 2024.
Think bold and you can accomplish miracles.
SpaceX is not alone. Blue Origin is developing the New Shepard launch system that will deliver astronauts to the moon’s surface using the new Blue Moon lunar lander. As stated by Blue Origin “our road to space opens the door to the infinite and yet unimaginable future.”
Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Rocket Lab, and other companies are actively pursuing private sector launch vehicles to place satellites into orbit around the earth.
The exciting part is that the private sector has demonstrated both the ingenuity and financial capabilities to do what historically has been solely within the government domain.
This is exciting for America and great for Alaska. The Alaska Aerospace Corporation operates the state-owned Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) on Kodiak Island. Operating without state general funds, Alaska Aerospace maintains one of the most modern launch complexes in America. With America regaining leadership in space, PSCA has an opportunity to attract an aerospace industry to our state. We must not let this pass.
As we look to diversify our economy, the aerospace industry should be a focused effort. Providing an optimum trajectory to place satellites into highly elliptical, polar orbit, PSCA offers an ideal location to attract the space industry for private sector companies looking to have global coverage of communications, imagery, and navigation.
With the strong military operations in Alaska, we also offer the US government a secluded, efficient, and cost-effective option to provide an alternative launch facility to US Government owned and operated Vandenberg AFB in California and Hawaii’s Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility.
The question that must be asked is whether President-elect Biden has the vision and fortitude of President Kennedy to continue President Trump’s leadership in making America a global leader in space exploration, or will he return us to the Obama days, being content at having Russia and China the global leaders in space, gaining superiority over American innovation, reaping the economic potential, and threatening our national security.
It’s time to make the Last Frontier, America’s Gateway to the Final Frontier.
Craig E. Campbell served on the Anchorage Assembly between 1986 and 1995 and later as Alaska’s Tenth Lieutenant Governor. He was the previous Chief Executive Officer and President for Alaska Aerospace Corporation. He retired from the Alaska National Guard as Lieutenant General (AKNG) and holds the concurrent retired Federal rank of Major General (USAF).
John Binkley, Judy Eledge, and Randy Ruedrich cast their votes in Juneau today as Alaska’s three electors, in the next step in the presidential election. All three Alaska electoral votes went for Donald Trump.
Lieutenant Gov. Kevin Meyer spoke briefly and introduced the three electors, who then signed their votes and then got up and left.
There was no color guard, no reception, and no ceremony with the Alaska Flag Song, but at least the restaurants were open in Juneau. It was the COVID-19 version of the Electoral College in Alaska.
Binkley is a former state senator and is an Alaska businessman who bought the Anchorage Daily News; Judy Eledge is president of the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club; and Randy Ruedrich is past chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.
The Electoral College nationally has now formally elected Joe Biden as the nation’s next president, with 306 votes. He needed 270 to win.
The Electoral College results will be tallied by Congress in a joint session on Jan. 6. Vice President Mike Pence will preside. Inauguration Day is Wednesday, Jan. 20.
