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Franklin Graham calls on the Church to respond to Alaskans’ needs

Suzanne Downing
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12
Franklin Graham calls on the Church to respond to Alaskans’ needs

FRANKLIN GRAHAM HAS BUDGET MESSAGE FOR THE FAITHFUL

As the keynote speaker for the 2019 Alaska Governors Prayer Breakfast in Anchorage, Rev. Franklin Graham had a message that included a faith-centered way of addressing the State of Alaska’s budget crisis.

His core themes included the importance of reconciling with God and not settling for “normal faith or one that keeps Christ only on the edges of our lives.”

Graham,  the CEO of the relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, then called on the faithful to fill in the gap to help the poor and suffering across the state. It’s something Christians are called to do by the Gospel, he reminded the gathering at the Dena’ina Convention Center.

“Some would say that it’s the governor and the State’s responsibility to care for everyone. But actually, God’s Word makes it quite clear that it’s our job as Christians to take care of the widows, the orphans and those who are hurting,” Graham said in his sermon.

“With tight budgets, we have a unique opportunity as a church to help fill some of the social gaps that may be in our community,” Graham said.

Graham described how the church has historically had that role, but in the last 100 years, people have come to expect government to take on more and more of social services.

He acknowledged the brokenness of the world, with poverty, addiction, constant strife, and despair that is found in Alaska and across the globe.

“There is one thing government can do — build the roads, defend our state, and those kinds of things. But when it comes to caring for the widows and the orphans and those who are hurting, the church can do it better than the government any day, I promise you that,” he said.

Graham went on to encourage the faithful to speak to the Office of the Governor to see what more can be done in communities by faith-based organizations and churches.

[Watch the entire prayer breakfast on Facebook at this link]

The 66-year-old evangelist and missionary, who is known for not shying away from political commentary, first came to Alaska in 1971, and returns every year to his home on Lake Clark. Samaritan’s Purse has an office in Soldotna, where it has several airplanes, pilots, mechanics, and other staff stationed.

Every summer the organization, based in Boone, N.C., leads constructions projects around Alaska — sometimes in response to disasters, such as the 2009 Yukon and Kuskokwim River floods, and sometimes for the purpose of building up the faith culture in villages.

The group is currently building a church in Ruby and another in Dillingham, he said. It has a global presence and works side-by-side with governments and church organizations to rebuild after natural or manmade disasters.

Graham spoke at the Dena’ina Convention Center, to a crowd of 1,100 people. Gov. Michael Dunleavy also spoke to the crowd, which received him warmly.

“I am blessed. I’ve got  a wonderful wife of 31 years, and three beautiful daughters who are doing well, and we’re so proud of them. When you are in politics or any endeavor that you find yourself in the public light … there are some people who may not agree with you. I said that to somebody the other day, and they said ‘Do you read the paper at all?’ and I said, ‘Not really.'” The audience laughed with him.

Gov. Michael Dunleavy poses for a photo with a group attending the Governors Prayer Breakfast on March 23.

“[Prayer] is going to be one of the most crucial elements that I’m going to I need over the next several weeks,” he said, acknowledging the intense debate that is occurring in Juneau and across the state over the state government’s budget, which has been exceeding its revenue for several years.

Our children must read by age 9

Suzanne Downing
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8
Our children must read by age 9

By JODI TAYLOR
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Right now, Alaska’s public-school children are ranked dead last in the nation in fourth-grade reading proficiency, a key indicator used to measure academic success. In terms of school years, they are up to a full year behind their counterparts in other states.

This means many of our fourth graders cannot read Charlotte’s Web or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

While it may seem like such a simple, basic issue, the ability to read is actually the foundation of a child’s educational success; the value of reading cannot be stressed enough.

By not guaranteeing that grade-school students become proficient readers, we are failing our children. We must do everything in our power to ensure that every child is able to read well enough so that when they enter middle school and begin learning harder material, they can read to learn. Through the third grade, students learn to read. As they enter the fourth grade, they read to learn. If a child does not develop this skill, he or she will also fall behind in social studies and science. Word problems in math will be unsolvable, navigating the rich world of literature impossible, and communicating complex ideas in written and spoken word unthinkable.

Students who cannot read well almost never catch up and their future is in peril. Statistics compiled by groups like ExcelinEd are sobering. Students who cannot read by the end of the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. High school dropouts make up 75 percent of food stamp recipients and 90 percent of those on welfare. Nearly 85 percent of teenagers in the juvenile justice system cannot read to learn and seven out of 10 adult prisoners cannot read above a fourth-grade level.

Evidence-based research shows that a strong reading initiative can make a big difference. The Alaska Policy Forum supports a “Read by 9” policy, which provides a common sense and proven solution. It starts by making sure kindergartners know the A-B-Cs and the sounds they make. Strategies, guided by science, focus on developing critical skills through the third grade so students can read with ease, understand the material, and are starting to think critically.

We need to implement a system of instruction that places a heavier emphasis on making sure our children leave third grade with the ability to read. We want each child entering the fourth grade to do so with confidence and with the skills he or she needs to learn.

As a final safeguard, students unable to read proficiently at their grade level may be retained and given an extra year of enhanced instruction so that before promotion to the next grade, they can learn to read well. Because learning to read is so important and catching up so difficult to do, students must be proficient readers before they move on to more difficult materials.

Regardless of where they go to school, every child deserves the opportunity to reach his or her full potential and to fully embrace the American dream. Let’s work together: parents, teachers, administrators, and policy makers to ensure that Alaska implements the Read by 9 reading initiative so that all our children can read to learn and love to learn.

Jodi Taylor is an Alaska Policy Forum Board Member, a life-long Alaskan who attended public school, an entrepreneur at heart, and mother of five children.

 

UAS forum focuses on ‘modern journalism’ and ‘fake news’

Suzanne Downing
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7
UAS forum focuses on ‘modern journalism’ and ‘fake news’

The Juneau World Affairs Council presents its annual World Affairs Forum at the University of Alaska Southeast next week, on the theme of “Modern Journalism: The Role of News Media in a Changing World.”

A Gallup poll last June revealed that Americans estimate 62 percent of the news they see in newspapers, on TV and hear on the radio is biased, 44 percent of it is inaccurate and 39 percent is misinformation.

The Juneau World Affairs Council says that if people don’t agree with a story, they tend to label it “fake news,” and that people who turn to news from social media sources are getting their news from “echo chambers of social media, perpetuating their pre-existing biases.

“Key politicians call journalists the ‘enemy of the people” and many of their constituents embrace the sentiment — with very real consequences for our nation and the world. We hope to consider a number of issues, including media ownership, the thinning line between news and opinion, and tools to help consumers become more media literate,” JWAC wrote.

The schedule of lectures focuses on themes that may demonstrate the very bias that has turned many conservatives away from mainstream media.

One of the keynote presenters, UAS Professor David Noon, specializes in research that includes the “social construction of race and gender. More recently, Dr. Noon has written about the use of World War analogies in contemporary political rhetoric, cold war historical memory in the fiction of Don DeLillo, and the work of neoconservatives and Christian prophecy writers in the war on terrorism,” according to his bio.

Does the line-up of speakers and topics inherently favor mainstream media and public broadcasting? Read on and leave your comments below.

Here’s the schedule and descriptions of the lectures:

Friday, March 29

Session I

2–3 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Whipped into a Frenzy: Anti-Media Violence in American History and the Perilous Course Ahead — with David Noon

Donald Trump — whose image owed much to tabloid and credulous media attention in the 1980s — has cultivated a uniquely hostile relationship with the mainstream press in the four years since launching his campaign for the presidency. His rhetorical denunciations of “fake media” and journalists as “enemies of the people” have been accompanied by quite real dangers endured by reporters and staff who have been targeted for violence at rallies, through the mail, and in their offices. Anti-press violence has an extensive history in the United States, one that long predates the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump. What should we know about that past, and how does the relationship between presidents, violence, and popular culture help us to make sense of our troubling contemporary media environment?

Session II

3:15–4:15 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Disinformation, Misinformation, and “Fake News”: Understanding and Responding to the Challenge of False Information in the Digital Age — with Geysha Gonzalez

Recent events have revealed that both state and non-state actors are capable of carrying out malign information operations against democratic countries. Targeted disinformation campaigns can interfere not only in elections but our entire political discourse, often seeking to damage the foundations of democratic societies. This session will focus on defining and unpacking the problem and offering democratic solutions for civil society, governments, and platforms to address this challenge.

Session III

4:30–5:30 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

NO GOING BACK — News Media’s Painful Pursuit of Digital Native consumers — with Brian O’Donoghue

Traditional news media filled a well-understood role, holding officials accountable and, by and large, functioning as gatekeepers against misinformation. The breakdown of revenue models supporting newsgathering leaves a generation self-defined by social media exposed to manipulation by increasingly partisan channels and other special interests. A discussion weighing opportunities opened by the low cost of entry in today’s digital media circus against disturbing lessons from the classroom.

Session IV

7–8:15 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Gloom and Doom: The Media’s Role in Public Disengagement on Climate Change — with Elizabeth Arnold

It’s really bad. It’s really really, bad. — Repetition of a narrow narrative that focuses exclusively on the impacts of climate change leaves the public with an overall sense of powerlessness. Arnold addresses this problem after studying five years of national media coverage of climate change in the Arctic, and argues for journalism that provides a more representative view of the challenges posed by a warming climate — reporting that includes responses and innovation, adaptation and resilience.

Saturday, March 30

Session V

10–11 a.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Deflecting Digital Disinformation: The Inoculating Influence of Procedural News Knowledge — with Erik Bucy

This talk reviews the importance of mainstream media knowledge and its use as a bulwark against, and inoculating influence on, the digital disinformation that is polluting the world’s media systems. Most media literacy efforts promise too much and deliver too little. Focusing on this teachable resource can give educators and policy makers a useful tool in combating the rising tide of fake news and propaganda that is choking and confusing democratic discourse.

Session VI

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Trolls, Sockpuppets, and Bots, Oh My! How Political Campaigns Have Dealt with Fake News and Propaganda Efforts — with Jessica Baldwin-Philippi

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, pundits’ and journalists’ debriefings of why Trump won and why Clinton lost have taken on a variety of topics, from claims about Clinton’s campaign being too data driven and not message-focused, to post hoc revisions of Trump’s digital prowess. The most enduring and continually returned-to retrospective has been the story of Russia-sponsored propaganda efforts led by sock puppets and bot armies. While propaganda efforts and cyber security remain necessary areas of focus, they are, in many ways, an extension of practices that digital campaigns have been dealing with for years. This talk will discuss the longer histories of trolling, sock puppets, and bots in campaign communication and internet culture, that can contextualize 2016, as well as our current political moment looking ahead to 2020.

Session VII

1–2 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Balance in a Bonkers World. The Imperative for a Solutions-Based Approach to Environmental Reporting — with Tafline Laylin

The media is desperately in need of a reboot, especially where environmental reporting is concerned. Every day the science becomes more clear: our planet — and all of its inhabitants — face extreme peril. Humanity’s continued existence is no longer guaranteed, and yet our global attention is consistently hijacked by shallow, inflammatory discourse. With 10 years of covering environmental news behind her, Tafline Laylin argues that journalists have a duty to present solutions to the myriad challenges we have created. Beyond bombastic headlines about the latest natural disaster, which often paralyze the reader’s ability to act, we need to outline the path to constructive, regenerative change — and get back to balance in this bonkers world.

Session VIII

2:15-3:15 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Ownership, Markets and Journalism Quality — with Stephen Lacy

More than a dozen studies during the past three decades have found that circulation, audience, and profit are positively related to the quality of an outlet’s journalism, as defined by professional standards and consumer demand. Many factors go into shaping journalism quality, but key in this process are the resources invested in a newsroom. These resources depend on the strategies pursued by the journalism organization and the market factors (competition and demand) that interact with those strategies. This presentation will examine how ownership, market forces and quality helped to shape current conditions in journalism and how they might influence the future of journalism.

Session IX

3:30–4:30 p.m. | UAS Egan Lecture Hall

Panel Discussion led by Stephen Lacy

With all eight of our guest speakers again taking questions from the audience.

The JWAC/UAS World Affairs Forum is sponsored by UAS, AEL&P, Coeur Alaska Kensington Mine, Haight & Associates, Sealaska, and Wostmann & Associates, with support from KTOO, the Ramada by Wyndham hotel, and MRV Architects.

A full schedule and more information about each speaker are available at on the Juneau World Affairs Council website.

Juneau spoke: ‘We want taxes, less dividend’

Suzanne Downing
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55
Juneau spoke: ‘We want taxes, less dividend’

FIRST HOUSE FINANCE HEARING BRINGS DOZENS TO MIC

If Juneau has any say in it, there will be a progressive state income tax, smaller or no Permanent Fund dividends, and government that is about the same or bigger.

Sixty-eight people testified Friday night in the first of the House Finance Committee’s series of traveling public hearings that will pop up across the state this weekend.

Some said that the Dunleavy budget was amoral, that it would force them to leave the state, and that they support funding for education, health care, and ferries.

Friday’s hearing occurred on a beautiful Spring evening in Juneau, and some speakers noted that they thought twice about coming to testify on such a rare evening, when many would choose to enjoy the lengthening days. But they came to the Capitol anyway, out of love for the way of life they have and concern for their family’s future.

Helen Alten of Haines said that if the budget cuts go through, her family will have to move from Haines because her job as the director of the Haines Shelson museum would be cut, and she’s the sole supporter of her family, which includes her disabled husband who cannot work. Lesley Lyman, a retired teacher, likened the budget cuts to hacking up a human body, and Marc Wheeler, a business owner, said he could already see the effect of threatened cuts on his coffee shop, as uncertainty clouds the horizon. Heather Parker was concerned that people won’t have access to health care and will actually die.

“This is a self-created crisis, and there’s a solution. Invest in Alaska,” she said.

Many of those who testified expressed appreciation for the opportunity to voice their opinions on the budget proposed by Gov. Dunleavy, which matches the actual revenues the state has, and is $1.6 billion smaller than the budget paying for state services in the current fiscal year.

The hearings continue around the state this weekend according to this schedule:

Ketchikan: Saturday, March 23 from 12-3 p.m. in Ted Ferry Civic Center, 888 Venentia Avenue, Ketchikan

Mat-Su: Saturday, March 23 from 12-4 p.m. at the Mat-Su LIO, 600 E. Railroad Avenue, Wasilla

Bethel: Saturday, March 23 from 2-5 p.m. at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, 401 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, Bethel

Kenai: Saturday, March 23 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Soldotna Sports Center, 538 Arena Avenue, Soldotna

Anchorage: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at the Anchorage LIO, 1500 W. Benson Boulevard, Anchorage

Sitka: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at Centennial Hall Assembly Chambers, 330 Harbor Drive, Sitka

Fairbanks: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at the Fairbanks LIO, 1292 Sadler Way, Suite 308, Fairbanks

UAA Eagle River campus lease won’t be renewed

Suzanne Downing
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4

FALL CLASSES WILL MOVE TO ANCHORAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDINGS

The University of Alaska Anchorage’s Chugiak-Eagle River campus is on the short list for closures as the university system as a whole faces a 17 percent cut to its overall budget.

UAA Chancellor Cathy Sandeen said in a notice today at the UAA website that the lease won’t be renewed for fall classes, although spring and summer classes will continue. In the fall, the university will turn to Anchorage School District facilities in Eagle River, she said.

“UAA is committed to maintaining a presence in Eagle River, however, we have decided not to renew the lease on the existing Chugiak-Eagle River Campus building. Spring and summer classes will continue as planned in the building, but beginning in fall 2019 UAA will offer classes in available Anchorage School District facilities in Eagle River.

“Understandably, you may be concerned about what the course offerings will be and where those classes will occur. We are working through the details of this change and will share updates with you as we have them.

“We appreciate your understanding and look forward to a smooth transition,” she wrote.

Last month, Sandeen gave a speech to the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, in which she said the university would maintain its presence in the district, but she didn’t commit to the actual building.

Dunleavy, Edgmon take their debate to Twitter

Suzanne Downing
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9
Dunleavy, Edgmon take their debate to Twitter

WHO NEEDS TOWN HALLS WHEN YOU HAVE #AKLEG?

Gov. Michael Dunleavy has taken a new tone on Twitter, an indication he’s taken over the messaging platform from his more circumspect communication team and is now sending out the messages himself, sometimes with capital letters, and now with the hashtag #DoYourResearch to what is known to be the true liberal hangout of social media platforms. Who knew Dunleavy could tweet like a Trump?

The discussion took off from there…

 

 

Not to be outdone, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon sent his pointed message directly to the governor on Twitter today:

And finally, the House Republican Minority managed to get a word in edgewise this afternoon, telling everyone they look forward to working with the House Democrats as soon as they finish playing with last year’s budget.

 

Ferry study proposals extended to April 2

Suzanne Downing
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7
Ferry study proposals extended to April 2

HOUSE MAJORITY PUTS TEARFUL VIDEO UP ON FACEBOOK

The Department of Transportation extended the deadline for a “request for proposal” to come up with options for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The original deadline of March 11 brought only one respondent, but other entities said they would respond if the timeline was more than the 10-day window they were given. The new deadline is April 2.

The winner of the RFP will provide a detailed report by Oct. 15 recommending changes to the Alaska Marine Highway System — privatizing, selling it off, or “identify potential reduction of the state’s financial obligation and/or liability as related to the AMHS.”

The state’s fare structure for the ferries currently only recovers 35 percent of the cost of running the service. Low passenger and vehicle ridership has made the AMHS an increasingly expensive system to operate, with the state subsidizing per-passenger trips at $4.78 per mile.

The Alaska Marine Highway System could keep the ferries afloat by charging passengers the actual cost of running them.

The governor’s budget, which cut ferry spending by 75 percent, has brought howls of protests from coastal communities, and prompted Rep. Louise Stutes to have the House Majority press office produce a Facebook video that romanticizes the ferry-bound lifestyle.

The video, paid for with State funds, includes wistful music, footage of disabled ferry passengers, and an up-close vignette of a child who is crying about the loss of the ferry system. A voice asks, “It is so easy to take away from us. Why?”

Watch Rep. Louise Stutes’ ferry video here.

 

This weekend: House Finance takes Capitol to the people

Suzanne Downing
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1
This weekend: House Finance takes Capitol to the people

REP. CARPENTER: WHY NOT DO THAT EVERY YEAR?

The House Finance Committee’s schedule for public hearings in communities outside of Juneau were announced earlier this week.

“While the committee typically holds public input hearings in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, the proposals contained in the governor’s budget this year would fundamentally change life for many Alaskans: everything from the university and K-12 schools to the Alaska Marine Highway System and Pioneer Homes are slated for deep cuts under Governor Mike Dunleavy’s proposal,” the House Democrat-led coalition stated in a press release.

“Given the historic nature of the decisions before policymakers and the fact that our savings accounts have been spent down, the committee is going above and beyond to listen directly to Alaskans. The hearings are the first of their kind in Alaska’s history.”

Rep. Ben Carpenter, Nikiski

Rep. Ben Carpenter of Nikiski used that Majority statement as a launching pad to promote moving the Legislature altogether:

“Our state has invested a significant amount of resources into top-of-the-line teleconferencing equipment to allow people around Alaska to participate in the legislative process,” said Carpenter. “Rather than add my name to the long list of legislators traveling to these events at the taxpayers’ expense, I’ll be participating via our state’s teleconferencing system.”

He noted that the House Finance Committee announced their series of meetings in stages, after hearing the plans of the governor’s plans to hold community conversations around the state. The governor has a packed schedule of public meetings, radio shows, and other appearances that began on Wednesday in Juneau.

[Read: Governor begins public meetings on budget]

“While I disagree with the amount of public money being spent to promote political agendas ahead of the governor’s events, Speaker Edgmon and the Majority do appear to have recognized the impracticality of Juneau for most legislative meetings,” Carpenter said in his statement to the press. “If this is the Majority’s attempt to start moving the legislature to the road system, I’ll consider it money well spent.”

[Read: Dueling roadshows as governor, House Finance head to communities]

Carpenter also mentioned the pending ballot initiative, “Equal Access Alaska”, which aims at moving the legislature to the road system. That initiative awaits approval by the lieutenant governor to move forward to the signature-gathering stage.

“I’ll be supporting the pending initiative, should it be approved by the Lieutenant Governor, and I’m glad to know that so many of my colleagues are ready to support moving legislative business to the road system.  The people have been denied access to the public process for too long,” Carpenter said.

The House Majority advertised its Anchorage hearing by noting the “PROPOSED BUDGET WOULD CHANGE LIFE IN ALASKA.”

HOUSE HEARING SCHEDULE

The schedule of the public hearings by the House Finance Committee are as follows:

JUNEAU: Friday, March 22 from 5-8 p.m. in Room 519 of the Alaska State Capitol, 120 4th Street, Juneau

KETCHIKAN: Saturday, March 23 from 12-3 p.m. in Ted Ferry Civic Center, 888 Venentia Avenue, Ketchikan

MAT-SU: Saturday, March 23 from 12-4 p.m. at the Mat-Su LIO, 600 E. Railroad Avenue, Wasilla

BETHEL: Saturday, March 23 from 2-5 p.m. at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, 401 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, Bethel

KENAI: Saturday, March 23 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Soldotna Sports Center, 538 Arena Avenue, Soldotna

ANCHORAGE: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at the Anchorage LIO, 1500 W. Benson Boulevard, Anchorage

SITKA: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at Centennial Hall Assembly Chambers, 330 Harbor Drive, Sitka

FAIRBANKS: Sunday, March 24 from 2-5 p.m. at the Fairbanks LIO, 1292 Sadler Way, Suite 308, Fairbanks

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