Now is prime bear viewing time at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, where the brownies are feasting on salmon. If you get tired of watching your home security footage, check out the bears of the season on YouTube, as they dine on Alaska’s finest protein. This is an Alaska wonder to share right now with your friends and family far away.
Find out the best time to watch live at Explore.org.
The University of Alaska Board of Regents declared financial exigency on Monday, allowing the university system to more quickly lay off faculty and staff, even those with tenure, if necessary.
The declaration will help the university as it restructures following budget cuts of $135 million in this year’s State budget.
The vote was 10-1, with Regent Lisa Parker of Soldotna the only regent voting against the declaration.
Financial exigency means that the university is in a crisis condition financially, and it must take immediate action. Normal procedures for restructuring, which can get caught in union contracts and internal political disputes, can be set aside.
University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen explained that the restructuring could involved a “new UA,” moving to one university with one accreditation, rather than three universities that have three separate accreditations.
The university could, alternately, spread the $135 million in cuts across all of the campuses and programs using a proportional approach.
Whatever the choice, the university will need to move fast, Johnsen said.
By JIM MINNERY, ALASKA FAMILY COUNCIL
The ACLU of Alaska has filed a lawsuit challenging Governor Dunleavy’s veto of just under $335,000 from the Alaska Court System’s budget. This roughly equals the annual cost for complying with a court order to pay for abortions through the Medicaid program.
Interestingly, the ACLU’s complaint starts by quoting a previous state court case known as Bradner v. Hammond (1976). In that decision, the Alaska Supreme Court opined, “The underlying rationale for the doctrine of separation of powers is the avoidance of tyrannical aggrandizement of power by a single branch of government…”
The court has often performed an essential role in curtailing abuses of power by the legislative and executive branches. But this begs the question: what happens when the single branch of government pursuing a “tyrannical aggrandizement of power” is the judicial branch? How should the legislative and executive branches respond when the court itself acts in an unlawful manner?
It’s a crucial question, because the landscape is littered with examples of judges who violated, rather than protected, our most sacred rights. Consider the Dred Scottdecision that denied the rights of African-Americans, or the Korematsuruling that upheld the confinement of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Judges are fallible, and wearing a black robe offers no immunity to the corrupting influence of power.
The crux of the ACLU’s argument against Governor Dunleavy is that his veto is a “measure of retaliation” against the court which “threaten[s] our democracy and the core system of checks and balances.” Yet a close examination of the court’s rulings on abortion reveals that it’s the unelected members of the judicial branch that threaten democratic government.
The state constitution is clear: no money may be spent from the state treasury unless the legislature authorizes it by law (Article 9, Section 13). In 1998, the Legislature exercised its proper constitutional authority when it decided that Medicaid would no longer pay for abortions, except when required to preserve the life of the mother, or in cases of rape and incest. The federal government and two-thirds of states have adopted similar limitations, so the Alaska action was hardly unique. Nevertheless, an organization that directly benefits from state abortion subsidies—Planned Parenthood—filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the legislature’s action.
In 2001, the Supreme Court struck down the Legislature’s policy. The court admitted there was no constitutional obligation to fund “elective” abortions but argued that many pregnant women needed abortions because of elevated health risks. The court cited examples such as renal disease, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and epilepsy.
Taking the court’s ruling at face value, Governor Sean Parnell’s administration adopted a regulation, and the Legislature adopted a statute, that went further than the court’s examples and specified 21 different medical conditions that would justify a state-funded abortion. This list was developed with input from medical experts. There was also a “catch all” provision at the end of the list, to allow abortion doctors to specify some other reason why an abortion might be “medically necessary.”
It didn’t satisfy Planned Parenthood. Once again, they sought to have the policy thrown out. Once again, the Supreme Court sided with Planned Parenthood and ordered the state to pay for all abortions through Medicaid. Chief Justice Craig Stowers dissented from the court’s ruling, writing: “I believe the court today fails to give respect to the legislature’s proper role but instead substitutes its judgement for that of the legislature.”
Years ago, the late Justice Antonin Scalia expressed a similar thought, but with blunter language: “A system of government that makes the People subordinate to a committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a democracy.”
So yes, separation of powers is important—and on the issue of abortion, the judicial branch is the transgressor. Whatever differences exist between the Legislature and Governor Dunleavy, they have at least two things in common: they’re both opposed to paying for elective abortions, and their authority to make budget-related decisions was acquired by winning an election.
Does the Governor’s veto send a message to the court system? Perhaps. Maybe it’s something like this: “If you think you have the constitutional authority to appropriate money, then be prepared to pay the bill.”
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 boroughs are in Alaska?
Answer: As most Alaskans know, Alaska doesn’t use the typical “county system” seen in the Lower 48. Instead, most Alaskans live within one of 19 organized boroughs. In some of these boroughs (such as Fairbanks and Mat-Su), cities also have their own local governments, while in others there is only one municipal government for everyone in the borough (such as Anchorage and Sitka).
The most populated organized borough by population in Alaska is the Municipality of Anchorage which is home to about 300,000 residents. By area, the largest organized borough is the North Slope Borough with almost 90,000 square miles of land.
About 75,000 Alaskans live in the 320,000-square mile Unorganized Borough overseen by the State of Alaska.
7/22: The Alaska House of Representatives will gavel in at 10 am. House Finance is set to meet at 1 pm.
7/22: The University of Alaska Board of Regents will hold an emergency meeting in Anchorage at 9 am. The board will be reconsidering UA’s possible declaration of financial exigency as well as discussing options for restructuring the university system. The meeting will be live streamed at this link.
7/22: The Fairbanks City Council will gavel in for a regular meeting at 6:30 pm. The agenda includes consideration of additional changes to the city budget for the upcoming year as well as a period of public comment. Full agenda at this link.
7/22: Regular meeting of the Juneau Assembly, beginning at 7 pm. The assembly will be introducing an ordinance increasing the rates for water and wastewater utilities by 4% as well as a tax hike for local hotels and motels. Read the full agenda here.
7/22: Alaska Aviation Festival volunteer meeting at 7 pm at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage. Read more here.
7/22: The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly will hold a regular meeting at 5:30 pm. This meeting was rescheduled from July 15. The agenda includes a resolution “urging the State of Alaska to raise the legal age for the purchase of tobacco from 19 to 21”. Read the agenda here.
7/22: The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service will hold a community meeting at 7 pm in Kenny Lake to provide updates about the ongoing Chetaslina and the Long fires burning in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Further details here.
7/22: Regular meeting of the Seward City Council at 7 pm. The agenda is not yet available, but likely will be at some point today on the city’s website here. Another note: If you are a Seward resident interested in running for local office, candidate filing will open today. Pick up a packet at City Hall.
7/22: Regular meeting of the Homer City Council beginning at 6 pm. The council will be presiding over the swearing-in of the new Homer Fire Department’s chief as well as discussing a potential letter to be sent by the council to Governor Dunleavy regarding his line-item vetoes on the FY20 operating budget. Find the agenda here.
7/22: Regular meeting of the Wasilla City Council at 6 pm. The agenda is set to include public comment on changes to the domestic animal ordinances as well as approval of several important appropriations for the upcoming year. Read the agenda here.
7/23: Regular meeting of the Anchorage Assembly, set to gavel in at 5 pm. The assembly will be considering a resolution in support of HB 79 which would provide a defined benefit retirement plan for state and local peace officers, an ordinance increasing the age for tobacco purchases to 21, as well as discussing renewal applications for local marijuana dispensaries. Read the agenda here.
7/23: Lunch on the Lawn outside the Anchorage Museum starting at 11:30 am. This weekly event features live music, local food vendors, and lots of family event. Come enjoy this unique opportunity to appreciate downtown Anchorage.
7/23: Palmer City Council regular meeting at 7 pm. There will be an opportunity for public testimony. Read the agenda here.
7/23: Regular meeting of the Wrangell Borough Assembly at 7 pm. The assembly will be considering several new ordinance changes as well as holding a period of public testimony. Read the full agenda here.
7/23: Alaska VA town hall in Wasilla at 6 pm. All veterans and their family members are invited to attend and share their questions and concerns with Alaska VA officials. Read more at this link.
7/23: Full hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, chaired by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Hearing begins at 10 am (6 am AK time) and will be live streamed at this link.
7/23: The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) will hold their regular summer meeting at 10:15 am in Juneau. Read more here.
7/23: Anchorage Glacier Pilots vs. Mat-Su Miners baseball in Wasilla at Hermon Brothers Field, first pitch is at 6 pm. This game will also serve as a fundraiser in support of the local “Big M” charity which supports families battling cancer. Further details here.
7/23: Regular meeting of the Sitka Assembly at 6 pm. The assembly will be voting on application renewals for two local marijuana cultivators as well as continuing their discussion of the ongoing search for a new city administrator following their termination of Keith Brady earlier this summer. Find the agenda here.
7/23: Regular meeting of the Bethel City Council at 6:30 pm. The council will be considering stricter alcohol ordinances aimed at reducing the disturbances caused by intoxication as well as voting on changes to their FY20 budget. Read the full agenda here.
Alaska History Archive:
July 22, 1902—117 years ago: Italian prospector Felix Pedro discovered gold in a small creek running through the Tanana Hills. With this news, E.T. Barnette’s small and struggling trading post—then only a year old— on the banks of the nearby Chena River rapidly grew with the arrival of other miners hoping to finally strike it rich. Fairbanks was born.
July 23, 1907—112 years ago: By the order of President Theodore Roosevelt, the Chugach National Forest was established. The nearly 7-million-acre forest covers much of Prince William Sound and a portion of the Kenai Peninsula and Copper River Valley. Five thousand bald eagles live in the forest, approximately equal to the entire bald eagle population of the Lower 48.
The Alaska Senate on Saturday unanimously approved Capital Budget items in Senate Bill 2002, introduced by Gov. Michael Dunleavy.
But then came Sunday, and a vote that went nowhere in the House, as the amount of the Permanent Fund dividend, which had nothing to do with the Capital Budget per se, became the stumbling block.
The Capital Budget passed the House 26-6 on Sunday, but then, with five votes short of the amount needed to access the funding for it, the measure failed to move forward.
Nearly $1 billion in matched federal funding is at stake for construction projects, as well as funding for rural energy subsidies, and more. The bill also contains money for this year’s Alaska Performance Scholarships for college students.
This is the second time that the House has failed to get a supermajority vote that would allow the Legislature to access the Constitutional Budget Reserve. The holdouts in the House say the Legislature must first pass a $3,000 Permanent Fund dividend, before they will allow access to the CBR. They are working one of the last levers they have to get that money into the hands of Alaskans.
The House minority is also blocking the majority from enacting what is known as a “reverse sweep.” That would usher funds back into specific state programs that had their unspent funds “swept” into the Constitutional Budget Reserve at the end of the fiscal year, due to legislative inaction.
There were several members with pre-excused absences on Sunday, including conservative members of the Republican minority: Reps. Sara Rasmussen, Mark Neuman, Ben Carpenter, George Rauscher, Dave Talerico, Josh Revak, Laddie Shaw, and Ben Carpenter.
The Legislature has been in session for the better part of 187 days this year, more than six months altogether. The current special session could run into the first week of August.
The funding mechanism for the Capital Budget is expected to be voted on again Monday during the 10 am floor session.
The Swan Lake Fire has burned 101,177 acres, but appears to be winding down. There was no forward movement in the fire on the Kenai Peninsula on Saturday. Firefighters made progress toward their suppression goals, and began mopping-up operations, while continuing the extinguishing of hot spots in the Upper Jean Lake area, according to the incident command center.
Crews began removing excess supplies and equipment from the fireline and heavy equipment is being used to remediate some of the bulldozed fire breaks that were made to stop the fire’s progress. The goal is to cover the bare areas with brush to prevent future erosion.
Today, crews are focusing on extinguishing hot spots within 300 feet of the burn’s borders . Hoses, pumps, trash, and equipment are being hauled off while aircraft continues to monitor the fire for hot spots. Minimal fire growth is expected.
Travelers on the Sterling Highway will still see smoke. For smoke forecasts, visit UAFSMOKE.
The Temporary Flight Restrictions include the western portion of the Chugach National Forest and the Sterling Highway corridor. The use of drones in the TFR and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are not permitted.
Watch firefighters create a firebreak at the Swan Lake Fire at this video:
By FORREST NABORS
I am grateful for the generosity of Must Read Alaska in allowing me to air the views of many of my colleagues on faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage in recent weeks, regarding the future of our university system.
The appearance of our positions on this venue has exposed the work of the committee, for which I am chair, to charges of partisanship.
From the perspective of some of our friends on the Left, our work is unworthy of consideration merely because our views have been posted by a publication on the Right.
Per its mandate, our committee is solely interested in contributing our part to an improved university system, and is indifferent to partisan interests on this matter. I do not even know for certain the political affiliations of more than one professor on our committee.
We appreciate the interest of journalists and politicians, left or right, in what we have to say, and we do not reflexively bend our policy views toward one political party or the other. To prove this, allow me to share some bipartisan scolding and then our position on what ought to be done from here.
The debate over the university system has been badly framed by partisans of two varieties, those who favor indiscriminate cuts on one side, versus those who favor indiscriminate funding on the other.
To those who favor indiscriminate cuts:
Regrettably, the university system was designed to depend on annual appropriations from the state government. For example, community colleges in the United States rely mostly on local public funds. In contrast, our community campuses were not set up that way, and the tax bases of their local communities are insufficient to support them.
Another example: None of our three major universities has its own endowment, and therefore all lack a key institution that ought to help them achieve greater financial independence.
In its present form, our university system is ill-prepared to handle a cut of $135 million in one blow. If this cut to state aid stands, our universities will be seriously damaged. Our best students and faculty will leave the state, weakening our intellectual heft. Programs will be shut down. Our universities might lose accreditation.
If you don’t mind that outcome, and the indiscriminate cutting continues, Alaska will become a cultural wasteland. If you think that is no great loss, check the rolls of great names that emerged from only a few hundred thousand people over the course of one hundred years in ancient Athens: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Themistocles, Aristophanes, Phidias, Pericles, Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle and many more. Athens produced those great names in poetry, politics, war, philosophy, history and sculpture because her soil was rich with culture.
Great leaders in life’s many vocations do not grow from barren soil. You enrich that soil with culture, and you do not have vibrant culture in our day without healthy universities.
Therefore, if our universities are falling short of the mark, we must improve them, not dispense with them.
To those who favor indiscriminate funding:
Money does not solve all problems. While you might feel good about yourself for supporting munificent aid to a line item called “higher education,” that is no guarantee that you will have respectable “higher education” as a result. You will not have done much good, and will probably do harm by wasting the public treasury, if you do not pay attention to how the university system uses those funds and carries out its mission. You will not merit the public virtue that you claim for yourself, if you have done nothing to address warnings of serious problems endemic to the structure of the system that you have aided.
Our committee has done our best to warn the state of Alaska that our system needs serious reform. We have argued that the system should be decentralized for the good of all our universities. (See our May report on FacultySenateReform.com.)
Therefore, if we do not reform and improve, we expose the universities to ongoing, legitimate criticism, and invite unfair political attacks, leading to harsh policies that weaken us further.
So where are we now?
The indiscriminate cutters won the last round. Their man, Gov. Michael Dunleavy, and his supporters in the legislature wanted to move the state towards a balanced budget – a laudable goal in itself – but did not think that the aftermath of the cut to the university system was their responsibility. They left the enormous problem of what to do next to the Board of Regents.
The Dunleavy coalition seems to be waking up to the fact that their victory was pyrrhic. They ought to care not only about the effects of a cut of this magnitude, for which they will rightly be blamed, but also about reform. Every perceived failing of the university system after the cut will be pinned on them, whether deserved or not, or in other words, whether the cause of that failing is attributable to the cut or to our unreformed university system. This is the brutal reality of politics.
But now news of the urgency of reforming our university system in the direction of decentralization is entering public discussion. Anybody on either side of the aisle who lays hold of reform can persuade their respective bases that, on the one hand, reform is the price that their indiscriminate funders must pay for accepting some cut, and on the other, that reform is the price that their indiscriminate cutters must pay for reducing the cut. Those arguments will provide political cover for both sides and will also facilitate the enactment of good policy.
Hopefully, the governor’s office and legislators on both sides of the aisle are pivoting away from their prior positions and are recognizing that a compromise is necessary.
Hopefully, they are seeing that the cut must be moderated, at least, and that the university system must be put on a path of reform in the direction of decentralization.
If they achieve a compromise including those two key elements, which we urge, I believe that ultimately, the indiscriminate cutters and funders will both have what they want. The universities will depend less on state aid and they will better deliver on the promise of higher education.
I don’t know if that position pleases one party or the other more. All I can say is that the members of my committee and I believe that this is the right policy for higher education in Alaska.
Forrest Nabors is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at UAA, and has served on the UAA Faculty Senate since 2012.
The cleanup of the Delaney Park Strip in downtown Anchorage took place mid-day on Friday, with most of the protest-campers and their debris gone by early afternoon. Only about 20 protesters remained.
But the protest encampment of able-bodied young men moved to Valley of the Moon Park, signs and all.
[Read: Camp Berkowitz and the “nothing to report’ mayor]
Protesters were angry about leaving the Park Strip and were verbal about a photographer documenting the exodus.
The 2019 second quarter Morning Consult poll has Gov. Michael Dunleavy maintaining a fairly high level of approval, especially considering the relentless pounding his administration has taken from Democrats and the media.
Dunleavy has a 49 percent approval rating, with 32 percent of Alaskans disapproving of him and 19 percent uncommitted.
This is improved over the first quarter of the year, when 42 percent approved, and 29 percent disapproved.
Morning Consult is a polling firm that publishes quarterly polls rating governors and senators.
Dunleavy’s net approval rating has gone from +13 percent to +16 percent this year, according to Morning Consult.
In the first quarter of the year, Dunleavy ranked second from the bottom of the list of all Republican governors in terms of popularity. His popularity has risen to 7th from the bottom.
[Read: Dunleavy net approval in Morning Consult poll]
The latest Morning Consult poll on President Trump has him at a 40 percent approval, 56 percent disapproval rating across the states.