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Mayoral candidate Dunbar hints: Legalize all drugs

The man who some believe is the leading candidate for Anchorage mayor is pondering a country where all drugs are legal.

Forrest Dunbar, running for mayor in 2021, said on Twitter recently that the war on drugs is linked to Jim Crow laws, that collection of state and local laws that legalized racial segregation.

“It’s been said before, but it’s worth reiterating: it’s not a coincidence that the ‘War on Drugs’ as we know it really got going at the same time that formal, De jure Jim Crow was ending. This is from a Harper’s Magazine piece by Dan Baum,” he wrote, linking to the article.

[Read the Harper’s Magazine story: “Legalize it all, How to the the War on Drugs” at this link.]

“And yes, this is absolutely relevant to the anguish and conflict we are seeing in the country at the moment. Politicians have been sending police down this road for two generations now, and it has been hugely destructive for the communities where they are deployed,” Dunbar commented, linking the race riots and protests against police brutality to the war on drugs.

Dunbar, a registered Democrat from East Anchorage, serves on the Anchorage Assembly, winning reelection unopposed in 2019 and taking 91 percent of the vote in his district, with 7,938 votes.

In 2014, he ran against Rep. Don Young for Congress, losing but getting 41% percent of the vote. With Mayor Ethan Berkowitz term-limited, Dunbar filed for the mayor’s race last October. At the beginning of the year he had over $48,000 in his campaign bank account.

Eric Croft has also filed to run for mayor. A Democrat, he served on the Assembly, and started the year with a little more than $18,000 in his campaign account.

The other well-known contender in the race is Bill Evans, who served a term on the Assembly but has mainly been an attorney. Evans, who is a registered “Undeclared” voter, had just $2,100 in his year-start campaign report.

Lesser known candidates include Darin Colbry, Nelson Jesus Godoy, and Jacob Kern.

Alaska cases surge, but the ‘protest spike’ is yet to come

With Memorial Day as the demarkation between a “stay home” order and a more “open Alaska” condition, Alaska is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases that should concern health care professionals, even though they predicted it would happen. What they didn’t predict were mass gatherings.

On May 24, there were just 46 active cases of the virus in the state; by June 7 that had spiked to 169.

But the real spike could come this week, after numerous marches and protests took place around the state, exposing people to the contagion, even though many protesters wore cloth masks to protect themselves.

Chanting crowds, with most not observing the 6-foot rule, gathered in Anchorage, Palmer, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, and a few other locations in Alaska to protest police brutality. Most wore face coverings, but few had N-95 masks on, which are more protection than the cotton ones that were common. And, as with many civilians, quite a few didn’t seem to know how to delicately handle a mask to avoid contamination on hands and clothing.

Today, June 8, 2020 there are just 7 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, and none of them are on ventilators. Hospitals have plenty of room to admit the possible surge that could happen in the next few days.

And Alaska is in a good place still, in spite of the spike: The death rate for COVID-19 has been holding at 10, which is under 2 percent of all who have been know to become infected with the virus in the state, and lower than the national death rate from the virus, which is closer to 3 percent. That may be in large part because the virus has not found many victims in nursing homes in Alaska, a condition that changed last week when an Anchorage care facility reported over a dozen cases between work staff and patients.

In the latest state report, there were 19 new cases of COVID, no additional hospitalizations, and 320 ventilators available in the state for the surge that may lie ahead.

Juneau top chef coins ice cream flavor: ‘F*ck Police’

You’ve got to hand it to Beau Schooler of Juneau, a James Beard Foundation nominated semi-finalist for Best Chef in the Northwest category. He knows how to make a name for himself.

Schooler, owner of in In Bocca al Lupo and The Rookery restaurants in Juneau, has created a new blueberry ice cream he labels “Fuck the Police.”

Schooler took to social media with his creation, as he often does, but this time stirred up a lot of conversation in Juneau about whether he’s onto something righteous, or if he’s gone over the edge and is encouraging violence against law enforcement officers.

Sara Dallas, a dispatcher at the Juneau Police Department, was not thrilled to see the negative sentiment from a local business owner.

“I wonder if In Bocca Al Lupo, the Rookery and the owners will really put their money where their mouth is and take their business and homes off any response lists for alarms or calls? Or, if they are a member of the Downtown Business Association, which it appears The Rookery is, if they will resign their membership? As most of us know, the DBA regularly demand additional police services to include funding two police officers to be assigned to the downtown core area so they have someone to respond to the ‘nuisance’ folks – chronic inebriates, campers and others who ‘disrupt’ the downtown Juneau area,” she wrote on her private Facebook page. Some supported her, while others in Juneau are supporting the chef.

“Putting out an ice cream to support ‘fuck the police’ or defunding the police is a super fun stand (I guess), but how are they supporting that during their every day lives, day in and day out, both personally and professionally?” she wrote. 

The new flavor of ice cream comes a week after a coffee stand in Fairbanks destroyed the order of a customer who was wearing a MAGA hat in support of President Donald Trump

Tustumena arrives in Unalaska-Dutch Harbor with one case of COVID-19

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The Alaska Marine Highway System just can’t catch a break. The first ferry trip of the summer to Unalaska-Dutch Harbor by the M/V Tustumena arrived in port with a case of COVID-19, after a crew member tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday.

On June 6, the crew member on the Alaska Marine Highway System M/V Tustumena was notified that someone they had been in close contact with tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Transportation said in a press release.

At the time, the crew member was already experiencing mild symptoms — a runny nose, cough and body aches — but the person did not have a fever. The crew member isolated on board, and a rapid test was conducted at about 5 p.m. The test came back positive at 6 p.m.

The Alaska Division of Public Health is working to identify contacts the person had while infectious.

The ferry had a crew of 35 and no more than 60 passengers at any time during the voyage south from Homer to Dutch Harbor. The vessel has visited Seldovia, Kodiak, Chignik, Sand Point, King Cove, Cold Bay, False Pass, Akutan and Dutch Harbor before arriving in Dutch Harbor.

As of Saturday, 16 close contacts had been identified, all of whom were other crew members. All crew stayed onboard in Dutch Harbor. No passengers have been identified as close contacts.

Northbound passengers who boarded the vessel on Saturday were only on the ship briefly. The passengers were notified of the crew member’s COVID-19 positive status and disembarked the vessel at 7 p.m., with instructions to self-monitor.

Six passengers who originally boarded the vessel in Homer did not disembark the vessel in Dutch Harbor.

Medical personnel screened the AMHS crewmember and remaining six passengers prior to departure from Dutch Harbor. During transit, only essential crew will operate; the remaining crew and six passengers will self-quarantine.

No additional stops will be made along the way. After arrival to their final destination, crewmembers and passengers will be tested for COVID-19, they will then quarantine and self-monitor. 

The Tustumena had just returned to service June 2 after being in the shipyard for repairs and overhaul, and was on its first run down the Aleutian Chain.

All passengers who were onboard the Tustumena last week were asked to follow the guidance below for 14 days after they left the ship. As the investigation continues, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services will provide guidance, if warranted.

  • Wear a mask/face covering when in public.
  • Minimize their exposure to others.
  • Monitor for any symptoms including fever twice a day.
  • Get tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 if they are symptomatic and consider getting tested 7-14 days after they left the ship if they remain asymptomatic.

Tustumena sailings are canceled until further notice. Passengers with upcoming reservations will be contacted and their fare will be refunded. Passengers who have questions can contact reservations at 1-800-642-0066, Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Alaska Time.

The Tustumena is being thoroughly disinfected before returning to service. AMHS has COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place. These protocols include:

  • Reminders to passengers and AMHS employees to practice good hygiene and follow social distancing guidelines. 
  • Passenger capacity on each vessel is reduced to 1/3 to enable social distancing.
  • Passengers and AMHS employees complete a health screening form before boarding. People who are sick or have recently had contact with an infected person are not permitted to travel.
  • The CDC’s COVID-19 prevention guidance is posted on at AMHS terminals and aboard vessels.
  • Modifications to food service spaces to ensure social distancing.
  • Intensified cleaning of all areas, including routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.

Murkowski defection: Are her swamp days numbered?

By DAN FAGAN

Want to become an instant hero with the leftist media? Carry an “R” behind your name and slam our president. 

CNN headline, June 5, 2020: “This Republican senator just admitted what we’ve all known about the GOP for a while now.”

The story, written by CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza, begins, “Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the quiet part out loud.” 

Cillizza is referencing a quote from Murkowski after she was asked about former Defense Secretary James Mattis’ criticism of President Donald Trump over his handling of the police killing of George Floyd. Murkowski came as close as a politician can to admitting she’s been lying all along about how she really feels about our president. 

“When I saw General Mattis comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we are getting to a point where we can be more honest with the concern that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up,” said Murkowski. 

Cillizza pounced upon Murkowski’s stunning admission of dishonesty and lack of courage and used it as evidence that other Republican politicians don’t like Trump but are afraid to say so.  

“What Murkowski is acknowledging here: that many of her fellow Republicans and presumably, her colleagues in the Senate, have long held deep doubts about Trump and his conduct, but have lacked the courage of their convictions to speak out about those worries,” wrote Cillizza. 

Cillizza is half correct. Many Republican Senators have remained silent about their displeasure with Trump. But it’s not Trump’s perceived ineptness they don’t like. The opposite is true. Trump represents a clear and present danger to the Washington D.C. swamp.

Murkowski and other Republicans-in-name-only depend on the vibrancy of the swamp to maintain their power and influence. It’s Trump’s fearlessness and formidability in exposing and defeating the swamp that terrifies the Murkowski’s of the world. 

Murkowski, emboldened by the Mattis defection, told reporters this past week she’s “struggling” with whether to vote for Trump in the fall. There she goes again. Coming up short in the honesty department. There’s no way Murkowski will ever or has ever voted for Trump. Even if she’s claimed to have voted for Trump, it’s irrelevant, since Murkowski has already confessed to not having the courage to “be more honest” regarding the president.  

Murkowski is a prime example of how corrupt and incestuous politics has become in America. Remember her father, Frank Murkowski appointed her to his seat after he was elected governor in 2002. The elder Murkowski released a list of 40-names he would choose from to fill his seat made up of prominent Alaskans like Sarah Palin, John Binkley, Jerry Mackie, and Ben Stevens. But in the end, we learned the list was all a scam and Frank the Bank handed his powerful Senate seat down to his daughter as though Frank were King and Lisa were a princess. My friend Glen Biegel called it the most corrupt act in Alaska’s history. 

Two years after the nepotistic appointment, Murkowski armed with the sizable and considerable advantage of incumbency was elected after no prominent Republican would dare challenge her. 

Then in 2010, with Murkowski staunchly ensconced as a powerful swamp creature, conservative Joe Miller shocked everyone and beat her in the Republican primary. 

But she beat Miller by 4 points in the general as a write-in candidate after the native corporations danced around the edges of campaign finance laws and dumped millions into Murkowski’s election efforts. The oil companies, lobbyists, the non-profit cabal, the health care industry, deep-state types, and anyone benefiting from federal government bloat and largess also poured in millions to help Murkowski return to the swamp.  

Murkowski had become such a powerful swamp creature, state officials changed the election rules that year to benefit her. Murkowski’s name was prominently displayed on a list with other write-in candidates outside the polling place. That had never been done before. 

Murkowski was also helped after the media abandoned all pretense of fairness and launched an all-out jihad against Miller. Swamp creature Alice Rogoff led the charge with her website the Alaska Dispatch. Rogoff would later buy the Anchorage Daily News and use it to install Bill Walker as governor.

Now that Rogoff’s no longer a player in Alaska, Murkowski will need another swamp creature to rise when she’s up for reelection in 2022.    

Murkowski beat Miller once again in 2016 raising $5.8 million to Miller’s $600 thousand. That does not include all the PAC money spent on Murkowski’ behalf. 

But Murkowski’s swamp creature ways are in great jeopardy in the era of Trump. Trump exposed the swamp and its nastiness and politicos like Murkowski now have nowhere to hide. Trump is extremely popular in Alaska and rightly so. He’s signed legislation to open ANWR, put a stop to the EPA fighting resource development at every turn, and the president has beefed up military spending bringing more troops to the state. 

This past week Trump vowed to campaign against Murkowski in 2022. 

“Few people know where they’ll be in two years from now, but I do, in the Great State of Alaska, which I love, campaigning against Lisa Murkowski, “Trump tweeted.

“Get any candidate ready, good or bad, I don’t care, I’m endorsing. If you have a pulse, I’m with you!” Trump added. 

If Trump can help take out Murkowski, he’ll be doing Alaska and our nation a great service. Murkowski refused to approve the nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme court. It’s one of the most important votes any senator has made in recent memory. With Murkowski voting present instead of yes, she loses all claims to being pro-resource development or pro-gun rights as these issues will ultimately be decided by the high court. 

And remember, it was Murkowski’s single vote that saved Obamacare. 

What’s most troubling about Murkowski for me is her bizarre allegiance to the death culture. She’s been an unflinching supporter of the abortion industry’s quest to end the lives of innocent and indefensible children living in their mothers’ womb. Hence Murkowski’s refusal to confirm Kavanaugh. 

The swamp has been there for Murkowski for many years but, thanks to Trump, it’s lost some of its power. Hopefully, Murkowski’s days in office are numbered.  

Dan Fagan hosts a talk show on Newsradio 650 KENI from 5:30 to 8 am.

Alaska Democrats once said ‘All Lives Matter,’ now they support defunding police?

It was only six years ago that the Alaska Democratic Party announced that they supported the police because “All Lives Matter.” In fact, they took in money to allegedly support police officers.

Today, the Alaska Democrats are all-in on Black Lives Matter, the group that seeks to defund the police.

Black Lives Matter has recently adopted a new platform of defunding the police: “We call for a national defunding of police. We demand investment in our communities and the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive,” the group’s website states.

What would Ted Stevens say about Donald Trump today?

WORD ON THE STREET: CATHERINE STEVENS SUPPORTING JOE BIDEN

With Sen. Lisa Murkowski signaling her “concerns” about whether she can support the president, and with other moderate Republicans like Gen. Colin Powell now opposing Donald Trump’s reelection, some Alaskans are starting to feel like the mainstream Republican world is turning against the head of its party, against the man who redefined the Republican Party in 2016 as a well-oiled, populist machine that fights for the common American.

Like whipping cream on that pie-in-the-face for Alaskans, word on the street is that Catherine Bittner Stevens, Sen. Ted Stevens’ widow, is planning an endorsement of Joe Biden in coming days. The media has been alerted and is standing by to herald her announcement. They’ll note that Aug. 9 is the 10th year of Ted Stevens tragic death in a plane crash in Alaska.

Which brings Must Read Alaska to the burning questions:

  • What would Sen. Ted Stevens say today if asked his opinion about Trump? Would he denounce the president or would he try to work with him, flaws and all?
  • Would Sen. Stevens approve of Catherine Stevens, a longtime Democrat, implying his support for Biden?
  • Or would Stevens say, “My dear friend Joe Biden is just not right for Alaska”?

Sen. Stevens was a fierce fighter, and channeled the Incredible Hulk, wearing his famous Hulk necktie on the floor of the Senate whenever a debate or vote required him to summon his spirit animal. He had a mighty temper.

In the way that Trump is a fighter for what some conservatives think is best for America — strong borders, economy, and constitutional rights — Stevens was a tireless fighter for what was best for Alaska.

But Stevens could famously work with people from both sides of the aisle. The only Democrat he ever endorsed was Hawaii’s Daniel Inouye, but he worked with Joe Biden in the Senate, and the two men bonded; they both lost their first wives to accidents — Joe’s first wife Neilia died in a car accident in December of 1972, while Ann Stevens died in a plane crash in December of 1978.

Stevens later married Catherine and they had a daughter, Lily, who attended school with the daughter of Joe and Neilia Biden. Catherine and Lily, who lives in San Francisco, are close with Joe and Jill Biden, and when Ted Stevens died in a plane crash in 2010, Joe flew to Alaska to give the eulogy at Ted’s funeral.

But Sen. Stevens was also the kind of political operator who would not have withdrawn his support for Trump in the way that Sen. Lisa Murkowski evidently has. He would have kept an open line of communication with the Republican president, because Alaska has always done better with Republican presidents.

Joe Quesada’s comic drawing of Sen. Ted Stevens as the Hulk, a painting given to Stevens as a gift from the artist.

Also, Stevens adhered to the Ronald Reagan 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” During the Nixon impeachment proceedings, Sen. Stevens just stopped talking about Nixon after he discovered that the president had lied to him. But he kept his opinions about the president to himself.

Stevens was railroaded by the same Department of Justice that tried to railroad President Trump for the past three years. In this, he might have a great deal of empathy for Trump and his experience with the Deep State.

Political observers recall that Robert Mueller was the man who ensured that Stevens lost his election in 2008; Mueller was the author of the Mueller Report, which falsely tied Trump’s campaign to Russian interference in the 2016 elections and led to impeachment, and a failed conviction in 2020.

[Read: Robert Mueller oversaw the witch-hunt against Sen. Ted Stevens]

For Alaska, Trump is arguably the best president Alaska has had. He opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to responsible energy development. He ensured that mining companies are treated fairly by the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal regulators. He advocated tirelessly for the life-saving road to King Cove, (which has now been denied by a federal judge).

Trump likes the governor of Alaska and will take his call. He likes Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, and they can pick up the phone and call him. He’s on the outs with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, after she signaled she’ll be voting against him for president and, by inference, throwing her support to Biden.

Ted Stevens, if a senator today, would be able to call Trump. He was never an ideologue, but he wouldn’t destroy a relationship with someone who could help Alaska. He famously said, “To hell with politics. Do what’s right for Alaska.”

Biden has, on the other hand, always voted against Alaska’s interests. In 2005, he had a pivotal vote to prohibit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain from being opened for oil and gas exploration, as it had been set aside for. He said opening ANWR was a “short-sighted” solution to a larger issue of oil dependency.”

The amendment he voted for, offered by Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington State, defeated ANWR 51-49 that year.

“While we all agree on the need to lessen our dependence on foreign sources of energy, drilling in ANWR a decade from now will do nothing to address the immediate needs we have today. This is a very short-sighted, small-yield solution that will have devastating long-term effects,” said then-Sen. Biden. “Preserving what’s special about Alaska’s wilderness was one of former Senator Bill Roth’s highest priorities, and it’s one of mine, too.”

Soon, he was vice president to Barack Obama. Alaska’s ANWR stayed locked until Trump opened it up.

Whether Catherine Stevens goes through with her public endorsement of Biden is an unknown; she could just decide to stay out of the fray, or she could bring Lily, her daughter, into it with her.

With the Democratic nominating convention just 71 days away, everything is in play in this changing landscape of Alaskan politics.

As Bieling drops, District 28 GOP Primary is down to two

BUT SEAT MAY GO BLUE IN NOVEMBER WITH A FOUR-WAY BALLOT

Republican candidate Ross Bieling dropped from the Aug. 18 Primary ballot, leaving Republican voters to choose between Rep. Jennifer Johnson and challenger James Kaufman for District 28, South Anchorage.

Bieling is not out of the race for House yet. He has filed as an unaffiliated candidate for the General Election, meaning that he could make November into a four-way race.

Adam Lees, a Democrat, is the only Democrat running for the seat in the Primary. Lees, an aide to Anchorage Assemblywoman Suzanne LaFrance, will advance to the November ballot easily. He and Beiling have history; a few years ago Beiling accused Lees of stealing some of his campaign signs.

The General Election ballot will be crowded with Beiling and another nonaligned candidate: Benjamin Fletcher. That makes four for November.

And then there’s a write-in candidate as well, one Adolph (Louis A.) Garcia from Girdwood. He’s a non-aligned candidate who said he’d be a write-in for November. If history is an indicator, he might get up to 45 votes.

These extra candidates in November spell trouble for Johnston’s reelection.

In 2016, Johnston’s first run for House, she won a strong 56 percent of the vote — 5,903 votes for Johnston compared to 4,606 for Democrat Shirley Cote. There were 44 write-in names.

In 2018, Rep. Johnston won over Democrat Amber Lee with 54.23 percent of the vote in the General Election, 5,557 to 4,628. There were no nonaligned candidates on the ballot for the district that year and there were 24 write-in names.

With 344 fewer voters cast ballots in that race in 2018 compared with the presidential General Election of 2016, the results show that the margin closed a bit for Johnston — some 346 voters were not with her during her second run for the seat, or about a 3.38 percent erosion of support.

With Bieling and Fletcher peeling off an unknown number votes in November, this seat may get handed to a Democrat. It would be a slim victory for the Democrat in a district that voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton (5,423 to 4,729) in 2016, but with extra names on the ballot, this is doable for a Democrat and will most certainly end up being a targeted race by the Alaska Democratic Party.

On the other hand, Bieling has indicated he may drop out if Kaufman wins the Republican Primary. But if Johnston wins, all bets are off.

Primary candidates have until June 29 to drop from that ballot. General Election candidates have until Aug. 31 to drop.

Mandates: Anchorage quarantine rules are tighter than state’s travel mandates

BUSINESSES MAY REFUSE SERVICE TO QUARANTINE RULE-BREAKERS

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz signed Emergency Order EO-11 on Friday, which mandates a 14-day quarantine for travelers coming into Anchorage from out of state, if they have not met testing requirements prior to their arrival. This mandate is the same as the State of Alaska health mandate for travelers from out of state.

But there’s more to the Anchorage mandates, going above and beyond the state requirements:

Those who have negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in Anchorage must still minimize their contact with others. Unlike the full-quarantine class of travelers, they will be allowed to “recreate outside, use curbside delivery, and take-out but may not dine in at restaurants, or visit indoor attractions like museums, theaters, and gyms that would involve heightened contact with other people.”

Those restrictions on incoming travelers would be lifted if the travelers receive a second negative test administered at least seven days after arrival in Anchorage.

The practical effect of the Berkowitz quarantine is that all travelers from out of state will essentially be in either a strict or semi-quarantine for about seven days upon arrival.

“All individuals arriving in Anchorage from out of state must inform their hotel, rental lodging host, and/or roommates of their quarantine status or whether they are required to minimize in-person interactions. Businesses may refuse to serve people who are in quarantine or minimal-interaction status. Any traveler who receives a positive COVID-19 test result must isolate at their own expense,” the mayor’s order says.

It is unclear if this means that renters must inform their landlords as to their quarantine status, or if the quarantine notification only applies to temporary lodging and roommates.

At a press conference on Friday, Berkowitz said that the public can expect Anchorage to remain in this phase for a long period, since COVID-19 is not going to just disappear. He likened it to living in “bear country,” where people must have a heightened awareness about their surroundings. In this case, they need to keep to the protocols of face masks, hygiene, and social distancing as a new way of life, he said.

Berkowitz also warned air carriers to counsel their crew members to respect Anchorage emergency orders.

He said he had heard of more than one instance where cargo crew members were not respecting the distancing rules and were putting food service workers at risk.

“It has come to my attention that some of the restaurants, particularly in downtown, have had uncomfortable experiences with cargo crew engaging in, let’s just say, too much revelry and with too many people,” Berkowitz said.

Berkowitz said he support the Black Lives Matters protests during the pandemic and said that protesters are risking their lives for something they believe in. “I am very supportive of them. I want them to be peaceful. I want them to be safe. We can protest for social justice and maintain social distancing at the same time,” Berkowitz said, adding that he intends to take part in some of the protests.