A creative writing professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has reached out on social media to the world’s most popular comedians, begging them to report on recent budget cuts to the University of Alaska system.
In numerous posts on Twitter over the course of many days, writing professor Sara Eliza Johnson calls the governor and legislators “fascists” who are anti-education.
Johnson sent her Twitter messages to comedians John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah and the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, pleading with them to “cover” the downsizing of the university.
Johnson also notified television newscasters Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes of MSNBC to enlist them in the cause of fighting the budget cuts.
Johnson teaches a variety of creative writing classes, including “Arguing Across Contexts” and her specialty, which is poetry.
“Sara Eliza Johnson’s Bone Map charts a dreamscape that mixes elements of folk tale into mysterious itineraries through the commingled fringes of the world of sacramental animals and a frail humankind,” according to her website.
The State of Alaska budget has been cut 12.5 percent from the proposed budget of former Gov. Bill Walker, and approximately 7 percent from the actual spending of the last fiscal year. Programs developed during the oil boom years have been trimmed or eliminated as the state struggles to live within its means. The University of Alaska system budget has been trimmed by 17 percent, which will lead to layoffs in the days ahead as the system is forced to restructure its offerings.
MORE STATE LAND TO BE SOLD OVER THE COUNTER THIS MONTH
That 5.2-acre parcel near Mount Rich — a little piece of magnificence in that photo above? It went for $16,000 last week during the state’s annual land auction that took place on July 10. Eighty-two Alaskans had winning bids for 832 acres of land in 87 parcels across the state in an Alaskans-only opportunity to buy property at auction.
The bids totaled $2.1 million according to the Department of Natural Resources. And the department was happy with the sale.
“We were excited to see so much interest this year, and happy to be a part of putting Alaska lands into Alaskans’ hands,” said Rachel Longacre, chief of the state land sales section in the Division of Mining, Land & Water. “Many of the bids were above fair market value, which clearly shows Alaskans’ strong desire to become landowners.”
Parcels were sold in Southeast, Southcentral, Southwest and Interior Alaska, with a lot of interest in parcels in two new subdivisions: the Forest Highway in Yakutat, and the Sage Subdivision near McCarthy. Some parcels went for well above the minimum bid amount, while others were only slightly above.
About 130 parcels not sold at the auction will join the list of other parcels available for sale to Alaskans and non-residents in an over-the-counter offering, starting July 24 at 10 a.m.
DNR offers competitive, in-house financing for land purchases for up to 20 years for land sold by auction or over the counter.
And the State of Alaska offers Alaska resident veterans a once-in-a lifetime discount of 25 percent on the purchase of state land.
The web page for each Auction/OTC parcel provides an estimate of the purchase price with the veterans’ discount for that parcel.
Information on the upcoming sales, including a listing of parcels available for purchase, is available at the division’s land sales website, or on pages 119 and 124 of the official state land sales brochure.
Apparently, the tar-and-feather threats are out, for now. Doxing is in with the far Left in Alaska, as they look for ways to harass and punish legislators.
The “Save Our State” movement has some explaining to do:
Last week, those who oppose Gov. Michael Dunleavy and his budget trimming ways turned up the heat, cranked up the volume, and left their good manners at home. They occupied, vilified, and threatened lawmakers who don’t agree with them. For the Left, it was just another day at the office.
In their social media echo chamber, they cursed the governor, called Republicans names, suggested violence, and published the private cell phone numbers of lawmakers whom they consider enemies. The Democratic Socialists of America-Anchorage were effective in getting lawmakers harassed from as far away as New York by people who are clearly not their constituents.
DSA even posted the governor’s private cell phone number and encouraged people to call and harass him and thrifty Republicans who are in favor of rolling back government spending.
The Democrats hung banners on bridges and overpasses — banners that are not suitable for children, and not legal.
Banner in Juneau hanging from the bridge.
Even Rep. Harriet Drummond, a Democrat lawmaker from mid-Anchorage, got into the profane spirit of things, by posting a social media post that shows just how coarse the Left has become:
On the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage this weekend, there is an “occupation,” taking place.
It is the continuation of the occupation that took place in Wasilla earlier in the week, when anarchists took over the lawful gathering of elected officials, sitting in the lawmakers’ seats and screaming throughout the proceedings.
Some of the groups participating also took over a meeting of the Department of Interior in Fairbanks this winter and drowned out the participation of others.
The press release from the Delaney Park Strip “occupiers” came from none other than Kati Ward, who was the political director for the failed Walker/Mallott gubernatorial ticket.
THE RHETORICRATCHETS UP
Nona Dimond, a Juneauite who formerly worked as an aide to Sen. Gary Stevens, posted this graphic, accusing Republicans of being political terrorists:
But have they gone too far?
Chris Dimond, husband of Nona and also a former candidate for House, thinks they have and is trying to tamp down the rhetoric:
“Late last night someone reached out to me for some assistance regarding the doxing of the “22” the governor and his chief of staff. Initially I found it all very funny. After all, these folks seem to have “shut down” in regards to listening to constituents and other Alaskans who are weighing in on the current situation. Hell, they seem to have shut down in regards to doing their jobs, and upholding their oath of office,” Dimond wrote. ” of those things may very well be true.”
“Unfortunately, the doxing that has taken place has only created a bigger mess,” Dimond wrote.
He then went on to describe how talks had been taking place between Republicans who are meeting in Wasilla, lawmakers who are meeting in Juneau, and the governor. And how the doxing had thrown a monkey wrench into those talks.
An example of the Left’s social media prowess.
“The doxing has resulted in further eroding trust and the ability to hold meaningful discussions. Some of the “22” and/or the governor are now blaming the group working in Juneau for releasing that info. This will just further break down the ability for the 3 groups to work to find a solution to the current situation…Unfortunately this doxing has ruined trust, and more importantly it has resulted in threats of violence, physical harm and even death threats (against all 3 groups). This is not productive, it is not how government functions and it is not who any of us are, or should ever be as Alaskans,” Dimond wrote.
Democratic Socialists want you to understand their vision.
“These threats have been extremely unnerving for all. It is resulting in fear, lack of trust, and for some it likely gives them an excuse to walk away from the negotiating table and others it may be creating a victim complex,” he wrote.
What Dimond failed to comprehend is that the Democratic Socialists of America-Anchorage are only temporary friends of the Democrats in Juneau. Their goal is not to override the vetoes, but to create chaos, and in the end, they’ll go after Democrats just like they go after Republicans. The DSA are authoritarian communists at heart.
The DSA folks are not letting this crisis go to waste, and they’re working with the tacit approval of those in power — like Rep. Drummond, who is acting as if she is one of the DSA faithful, and certainly not using her office to call for civility.
Chris Dimond, organizer at Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters,did use his position of influence. He went on to ask for people to throttle back the rhetoric, and he asked people to be respectful.
“I know our emotions (on both sides) are running at full throttle right now but we have an obligation as citizens to engage with our government in an appropriate manner,” Chris Dimond wrote. We absolutely should be showing up and protesting, writing letters, calling their offices and so forth. We should not be harming, threatening to harm or engaging in any other conduct that leaves our neighbors scared and feeling unsafe. Believe me, I’m fucking angry right now, and the temptation to engage in that manner is strong, but I’ve been reminding myself that I ran for public office last year, and had I won, it would be me and my family being threatened, insulted and attacked. I would not want that, my family would not deserve that.”
No. he would not deserve that. His wife Nona would not deserve that. But the Twitter handle of Devilsmile thinks it’s just the thing.
More social media threats of violence.
“Elected officials need to hear from us. Make it productive tho,” Dimond wrote. “Make it respectful, make it honest and heartfelt. Also, don’t trash legislative staff, they have a job. to do, and families to feed. Some staff may vehemently disagree with their bosses, but are in an unenviable position of having to decide between a paycheck to feed their families and a roof over their heads, or the unemployment line (what YOU would do in that situation is irrelevant as it is not you in that situation…also, PLEASE don’t compare this statement to the nazis statement “I was just doing my job” as this is not the same situation or comparable in any way),” Dimond wrote. He seemed to understand that equating Republicans with Nazis is a bridge too far.
Manners of the Left may be seen in their banners.
“The only threats any legislator or elected official should be receiving is the threat of someone looking to unseat them from their elected position…through the election process,” Dimond wrote.
Then, he proceeded to blame those who have been doxed for creating the problem:
“This part of my thread is for the “22.” Please stop blaming and accusing your coworkers in Juneau for this doxing. I believe you have wildly underestimated what Alaskans truly think and believe. My suspicion on the release of your phone numbers: look to your friends and neighbors, look to your staff and former staff. You are hurting Alaskans, your friends and neighbors, it is most likely those people you personally have a connection with who have released your personal info.”
Dimond didn’t get his memo of caution out in time for his fellow union brother Vince Beltrami, head of the AFL-CIO in Alaska.
Beltrami huffed and puffed to an “energy reporter” at Alaska Public Media’s “Energy Desk” that:
And with that sentence, the head of the AFL-CIO just admitted that this is all about partisan politics, and that he’ll blow the “red” house down with his big blue army of public employee union workers.
On Nov. 30, Alaska’s southcentral region experienced a magnitude 7.0 earthquake ranked as the second most damaging in our state’s history.
But better preparedness, improved building standards, and faster response all worked together to help mitigate the impacts. Alaskans were rightfully proud of their resilience and orderly response to this event.
Gov. Dunleavy’s $440 million in vetoes of the Legislature’s budget, adding to the $190 million in cuts passed earlier by the Legislature, also generated shockwaves throughout Alaska. Virtually no sector of the budget or geographic area of the state was spared.
The public reaction was immediate, seismic and unconstrained.
This brought into sharp focus the ramifications of the governor’s plan to pay a full statutory Permanent Fund Dividend – estimated currently at $3,000 per person at a cost of $1.9 billion annually.
The Legislature has been unable to override some or all of Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes since 45 of the 60 legislators were required to reach agreement. This was an unlikely scenario given the differences that had surfaced throughout the regular session.
Lawmakers gaveled in Monday, July 8, for a 30-day special session called by the governor. Presumably, they were to consider funding for the Permanent Fund Dividend and pass a capital budget – since neither were decided before legislative adjournment on June 13.
But that’s in limbo, since the Legislature couldn’t agree on the location of the special session – Juneau or Wasilla. The governor specified in his special session call that the location would be Wasilla. A majority of the Legislature decided to meet in Juneau while some legislators met in Wasilla. A court may decide this as the Legislature and the Governor each believe they have the right to determine the location of this meeting.
At this point, it’s hard to see how this will play out. Both sides have legitimate concerns that deserve to be addressed. But the divisions run deep and, in many cases, are philosophical in nature.
The ugly truth remains…over the past decade, Alaskans have squandered their savings instead of preparing for the inevitable. Living beyond our means has led to our current situation.
It’s useless now to point fingers or wring our hands.
Even if an eventual agreement is struck between the Governor and the Legislature to reduce the PFD amount to half the Governor’s request, all the cuts now proposed (or an equal amount in taxes or savings) will be needed to pay for it.
Many contend it makes no sense to pay for a Permanent Fund Dividend with an income tax.
So, it’s likely we’ll be facing additional cuts at the state level next year, requiring more belt-tightening before the state budget stabilizes.
Municipalities should recognize this and plan accordingly. Some have already begun.
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced that Anchorage property taxes probably will be raised.
In the fastest-growing area of the state, the Mat-Su Borough wisely cut $12 million from its budget, yet no job layoffs are anticipated.
Facing a school debt reimbursement reduction of $3.7 million, Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon said the city plans to use restricted budget reserves to cover that shortfall temporarily. Juneau’s borough assembly scheduled a meeting on July 22 to discuss possible long-term solutions to mitigate state budget cut impacts.
Hopefully, the Juneau Assembly will take a balanced approach that includes budget reductions in less essential programs and services and continues their review of tax policy – in particular, the exemption of sales tax collections on retail sales by nonprofits.
Without matching Mat-Su Borough’s growth, Juneau’s current demographics (flat population and state job losses) cannot absorb significant state or local tax increases that would only make housing less affordable and economic development less viable.
Postponement or scrapping of large scale non-essential projects will be necessary. In Juneau, this includes, specifically, a new $26 million performing arts center which recently requested $7.5 million in city funding. Coupled with $17 million in proposed repairs/upgrades to Centennial Hall convention center and a desire for a new $26 million city hall, it would be irresponsible to consider tax-hiking projects like these in this unstable budget environment.
We can’t control Mother Nature, and even though we are the Capital City, we can’t call all the shots.
But we can prepare for the challenges ahead.
Juneau’s city leadership has been fiscally responsible in the past and we should expect them to remain so as these budget tremors continue.
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. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in local and statewide civic organizations.
Once Alaska was home to the toughest, most adaptable people on the planet. And then the white folk showed up.
Since then it’s been pretty much all downhill, starting with the barely audible flow of a meandering river that braids into gurgling riffles that become roaring rapids until finally all that water turns into a massive waterfall of whine.
Of course, it’s never going to recover. How could it when it’s dead?
D-E-A-D
Now here’s some free advice if you believe this nonsense: Leave.
Leave now. Abandon the rotting carcass of Alaska while you can. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass. The state has grown a surplus of whiners and wimps.
Go. You won’t be missed in the least.
Meanwhile, if you decide you’re going to stay, shut up and get to work.
This is what Alaskans used to do. This is what was called “the Alaska spirit.”
If you think the cuts are going to hamstring state government, as some do, go find yourself a good candidate to run against Dunleavy in the next election and start organizing a base of support to get her or him elected.
Some free advice on that, though.
Broad-based support is what wins elections, and you don’t build it by calling everyone who disagrees with you in the least dirty names.
There are likely to be a fair-sized number of Alaskans living in the zone between “Dunleavy went too far” and the “Legislature didn’t go far enough.”
Almost a quarter of the workers in Wyoming – 24.9 percent – hold government jobs. Alaska is at 24.6 percent. California, for comparison sake, is at 15.2.
As the fifth largest economy in the world, Californiais lucky to boast a lot of private sector jobs. Alaska has a high percentage of public-sector jobs in part because there hasn’t been much business growth despite relatively low taxes on businesses and workers.
Just when you think you’ve seen the worst year of government in Alaska, you find out you were wrong. The last four years were awful. We had a fiscal crisis but nothing was being done about it. There were attempts to raise revenue, but even if they had succeeded, it wouldn’t have come close to solving the problem.
Examine the attached graph, the most important one for the year, and you’ll see what every legislator knows. If you use the Permanent Fund dividend to fund government, you lose it in two years.
If you use the Earnings Reserve balance then you get about 10 more. If you then implement taxes you won’t get more than a few years (Walker’s attempt would have only raised $700 million).
The natural increase of government (a conservative 4 percent in this graph) will outpace the increase in revenue. This is what Gov. Michael Dunleavy realized when he was looking at the budget issue. It’s impossible to fix our budget based on revenues alone. If you try, you’ll just bankrupt the State in about a dozen years. You’ll then lose the University, all the retirement plans and all of those other programs you might love.
This explains why more cuts have to be made because, to get to a sustainable budget, you have to make a lot of cuts over the next few years.
The governor is making the hard decisions on how to get there and is taking a lot of heat for being laser-focused on his campaign promise to fix this fiscal situation. It may be enough to cost him a second term, but that shows the courage he has to face the problem.
Now comes the irony. The Legislature is split in two factions. There is the anti-governor faction who want to repeal all of the cuts and not pay anything close to the statutorily mandated dividend, and they are fighting the governor every step in a way that mirrors the national level politics.
An example of this is their push for an unconstitutional forward funding of education, which left no real funding in the budget for education.
Then there are those who want some to none of the vetoes repealed and want to work with the governor to solve the problem. They had tried to amend in funding for education but it was rejected by the other side.
The governor called the special session to deal with the undone Permanent Fund dividend issue, and to give them a chance to repeal the line-item vetoes. The irony is because the anti-governor group has decided to break the law and meet somewhere else than the governor chose, they don’t have enough legislators in attendance to overturn the vetoes.
After the cuts came out they should put their heads together and come up with a compromise to restore a bunch of the cuts and fund a full dividend. The governor made such large cuts that it made for an obvious compromise. What the anti-governor group has done is to “cut off their nose to spite their face”. Sometimes in politics you just have to compromise to get important stuff done.
So now we have all the vetoes in place, a capital budget that has no funding and we have no dividend. Legislators are talking about amending something into the capital budget, but that can also still be line-item vetoed, so they have to get three-quarters of themselves to agree. Since a few members have been thrown out of the caucus because they stood for rule of law, it’s going to be pretty hard to get that agreement now.
One of the biggest mistakes of the last administration was cutting the Permanent Fund dividend for three years. That took over $2 billion out of the economy in a recession, so this governor is pushing hard not to replicate that mistake.
A deal will have to be made, so when you’re writing all those emails and letters to the legislators, you might want to ask them to act more maturely and make some kind of deal that will work for everybody.
Email the House Minority to thank them for standing for rule of law and letting them know that you are OK with some veto or partial-veto overrides, as long as they make the trade for a full PFD.
We finally have a governor intent on solving the problem. We just need a legislature that acknowledges the issue and will rise above childish nose-thumbing to solve it.
Lance Roberts is an engineer, born and raised in Fairbanks. He is a former member of the FNSB Assembly.
As the legislators walked into the Wasilla Middle School gymnasium to take their seats on Friday morning, the audience stood and cheered. And cheered. And cheered.
To the 200 conservatives who had come to support the 18 lawmakers who stayed in Wasilla rather than flying to Juneau, these elected Alaskans were heroes, and they received the heroes’ welcome.
On Friday, unlike Wednesday, security was beefed up in the gymnasium, with Wasilla police at every door and legislative staffers standing on watch.
Wednesday’s spectacle of the takeover of the meeting by unruly radicals didn’t repeat — no protesters were present on Friday.
Instead, every seat was filled with a supporter of the legislators who stayed in Wasilla. It was standing room only. The area for the legislators was cordoned off, and signs warned that no firearms or backpacks would be allowed — this was a middle school, after all.
The prayer was not disrupted on Friday, as it had been on Wednesday. The Pledge of Allegiance preceded a vocal performance by Adele Morgan of the Alaska Flag Song, and everyone cheered before taking their seats to observe democracy in action.
Sen. Mia Costello stood at the podium and announced the obvious: There was no quorum, but she reiterated that those present believed that the Special Session was to take place in Wasilla, where the governor had called it, which is why they all had determined to follow the law.
She said that negotiations were continuing with the governor and the two thirds of the Legislature that has been meeting in Juneau.
Meanwhile, in Juneau, both the Senate and House held separate technical sessions, with nine House members present and four Senate members present.
Their efforts to override the governor’s vetoes had failed and most members had left Juneau for the weekend. The Senate and House are adjourned until Wednesday.
The Democrat-led Majority in the House and the Senate leadership issued a press release on Friday that listed fall-out expected from the vetoes. They predicted dire consequences, such as:
The University of Alaska will meet Monday to start down the path of declaring financial exigency, effectively a bankruptcy proceeding, which could lead to hundreds of job losses, campus closures, and rushed liquidation of assets. Exact steps to deal with the $135 million reduction need to be identified by July 30.
Scholarships were abruptly revoked from 12,000 of the most qualified students in the UA system, many of whom lack resources to attend college otherwise.
Alaska’s most financially vulnerable elders who rely on Senior Benefits Program payments are doing without food and medication: 1,742 people with $942 monthly income or less lost out on a $250 payment as a result of the vetoes.
The Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage is ending its day service, which provides case management and a clothing room for homeless people.
Nonprofit grant recipients are starved of resources, leaving service providers facing dire choices. Hospice of Anchorage, for example, is unable to bathe and feed dying people.
In mid-August, DOT will be forced to stop work on some highway projects already in progress during summer construction season, including on the Sterling Highway.
Without a compromise, there will be no Power Cost Equalization benefits this winter, dramatically increasing energy prices on rural residents.
The $444 million cut represents a 12.5 percent cut to the budget presented by Gov. Bill Walker, which had grown larger than the spending plan of the previous year.
Gov. Dunleavy has said that budgets must come into alignment with available revenues, and that Alaskans should get the full Permanent Fund dividend they are promised under Alaska law.
TRUE PURPOSE IS TO MINE THE DATA OF PETITION SIGNERS
A group funded by a special interest group called Future North PAC has announced it will attempt to recall Gov. Michael Dunleavy.
The group started a website earlier this year but lists no details of the organizers. A search in Alaska Public Offices Commission shows Adam Lees as the treasurer.
Lees was associated with a caper in 2016, when candidate Ross Beiling posted on Facebook that he had photos of Lees tearing down Beiling’s campaign sign. He was a field organizer for the Alaska Democratic Party and is an aide to Anchorage Assemblywoman Suzanne LaFrance. The Future North PAC address is the same as Lee’s mailing address.
The group announced it will try to recall the governor because of his vetoes of some $440 million, which represents 12.5 percent of state spending.
But those who sign the petition to recall Dunleavy are being duped — their names and contact information are being mined.
The group has no intention of trying to gather an ungodly number of signatures — north of 70,000 spread between every district in the state is needed to even take it to the ballot. But it’s not likely to even get that far, because the group has no legal grounds for a recall.
What the group is doing is data mining for the 2020 election season ground game for Alaska Democrat candidates and the Democrat who has that party’s nomination.
Every signer on the petition will be fair game for targeted messages for the Democrats to excite the anti-Dunleavy (and anti-Trump) base against candidates the Democrats will target in the House and Senate.
The Dunleavy recall petition is the easiest way to get addresses, emails and phone numbers of those who disagree with the vetoes. And the group is sophisticated enough to know that now is the best time to try to find those motivated people who will sign the petition. They’re striking while the iron is hot.
On the group’s website, DunleavyLied.com, the authors plead with readers to be sure to follow and support the political blogs of Dermot Cole, Alaska Landmine, AKLedger, and MidnightSunAK, all of which are anti-Dunleavy and anti-conservative operators.
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: Is it true that there are more caribou than people in Alaska?
Answer: Yes. According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, there are 32 known herds of caribou living in Alaska. The total population of these herds is estimated to be over 950,000 individual animals. Recent data shows that there around about 737,000 people in the state, meaning that caribou outnumber humans by around 200,000. The Western Arctic Caribou Herd is by far the largest herd in the state with some 300,000 animals. Fish and Game allows for approximately 22,000 caribou to be harvested by hunters each year.
7/12:Interior Alaska GOP weekly luncheon in Fairbanks. Guest of honor this week is Bryce Ward, mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Lunch is at Denny’s at 11:30 am.
7/12: Juneau Summer Block Party at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center. Begins at 5:30 pm. There will be outdoor live music, games, and local food vendors. Bring the family.
7/12: The Regulatory Commission of Alaska will meet in Anchorage at 9 am. There will be an opportunity for public testimony. Read the agenda here.
7/12: A series of Occupy to Override rallies are expected in Anchorage’s Delaney Strip Park starting today. Hosted by Defend the Sacred AK, the same group that organized the occupation of Wasilla Middle School last Wednesday. Visit the event’s Facebook page here.
7/12: 3rd annual North Pole Food Truck Festival, one of the largest events of the year in North Pole. Entrance is free, and there will be many local food vendors with unique and delicious fare for the whole family to enjoy. Starts at 5 pm outside the North Pole Worship Center next to Sourdough Fuel.
7/12: The University of Alaska Task Force on University Structure will hold a special meeting in Anchorage at 9 am. The task force will be meeting in room 107 of the Lee Gorsuch Commons. No public testimony will be heard, but the public is welcome to attend.
7/13: Anchorage Young Republicans (AYR) fundraiser and executive board elections. Bring a friend to this free event and get to know fellow young conservatives in the Anchorage area. More information at this link.
7/13: Arctic Lightning Airshow at Eielson AFB near Fairbanks. This is the first time there has been an air show at Eielson in several years, so don’t miss out on the chance to see our country’s finest in action. There will be demonstrations of the new F-35, the F-22, the F-16, and several others. Gates open at 8 am and wheels are up around noon.
7/13: Tired of weeds that don’t belong in Alaska? Participate in the 8th annual Invasive Weed Smackdown in Palmer. Meet at the downtown pavilion at 10 am and spread across downtown pulling weeds until around noon. Immediately followed by the Midsummer Garden and Art Fair. Learn more here.
7/12-7/13: Annual Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm Strawberry Festival in Palmer. Come enjoy this year’s strawberry harvest with the whole family. There will also be hayrides, frozen lemonade, and live music. Tickets are required, visit this link for more details.
7/12-7/13: 2nd annual Alaska Yoga Festival in Ester, about 10 minutes outside of Fairbanks. Last year, the festival attracted over 100 participants and they are hoping to grow this year. Yoga classes will be taught on the hour from morning till night. No prior experience required, visit this link to register.
7/12-7/13: 16th annual Copper River Salmon Jam in Cordova. Join the Cordova community to celebrate a magical time of year complete with blooming fireweed, fresh salmon, and live music. Further information at their Facebook page here.
7/14:Golden Days River Regatta in Fairbanks. Watch teams float down the Chena River in makeshift rafts and vote for your favorite. Float starts at 11 am in downtown Fairbanks, read more or register a team here.
7/14: Drag races at the Alaska Raceway Park in Palmer starting at 10 am. Races will be running all day. Ticket purchase is required, more details here.
7/13-7/14:Downtown Market & Festival in downtown Anchorage—largest outdoor market in Alaska. Runs from 10 am to 6 pm.
7/13-7/14:Yard Sale at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage from 9 am to 3 pm. Come out and support the zoo by purchasing animal care items, holiday decorations, and vintage zoo items that are no longer needed. Read more here.
7/10-7/14: 34th annual Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River. There will be rides and amusements for the kids, vendors, live music, and a talent show. Most entertaining of all is the Slippery Salmon Olympics, an annual tradition. Sponsored by the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber. See the full schedule here.
Alaska History Archive:
July 12, 1959—60 years ago: The cornerstone of Alaska Methodist University (now APU) was officially dedicated in a ceremony outside Grant Hall. Alaska Methodist University was founded with a priority of Alaska Native education in mind, and offered its first classes in the fall of 1960. In 1978, it was renamed Alaska Pacific University but still retains its Methodist affiliation. Today, around 500 students attend APU.
July 14, 1868—151 years ago: By a vote of 113 to 43, the United States House of Representatives passed the appropriation needed to purchase Alaska from Russia. The price had been previously agreed upon—$7.2 million or about 2 cents per acre. Anger over the purchase of “Seward’s Icebox” continued from years after the U.S. gained the territory, but subsided nearly immediately when gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896.
