Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Home Blog Page 15

Anchorage Launches New Online Platform to Improve Municipal Code Transparency

The Anchorage Municipal Clerk has announced the launch of a new online platform for accessing municipal code. According to the Municipal Clerk, the new platform is “designed to improve usability, transparency, and the timeliness of updates for both staff and the public.”

The new system replaces the Municipality’s previous code hosting service and introduces a monthly, rather than quarterly update schedule, intended to give users quicker access to the most current municipal laws and regulations.

“This upgrade reflects our commitment to providing accurate, accessible, and user-friendly information to our community,” said Jamie Heinz, Municipal Clerk. “By improving how frequently we update the code, we’re making it easier for both staff and the public alike to find and rely on the local rule of law.”

The new code platform includes an integrated “Help” section to guide users and answer common questions.

Perini to Build Coast Guard Housing in Kodiak, AK

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $81.8 million contract to Perini Management Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corporation to design and construct the Family Housing Phase IV and Aviation Hill Water Tank at Nemetz Park Site, US Coast Guard Base in Kodiak, Alaska.

According to a press release providing by Business Wire, the project scope of work includes design and construction of 30 family housing units (20 three-bedroom and 10 four-bedroom units) in 15 duplex configurations. The project includes demolition, utilities, roads, sidewalks, and other site improvements. The project also includes the replacement of the existing 653,800-gallon Aviation Hill water storage tank and associated tie-ins to the Base Kodiak water system to support fire protection and domestic water services.

Work is expected to begin immediately with substantial completion anticipated in November 2028. The contract value will be added to the Company’s backlog in the second quarter of 2026.

About Tutor Perini Corporation

Tutor Perini Corporation is a leading civil, building and specialty construction company offering diversified general contracting and design-build services to private customers and public agencies throughout the world. We have provided construction services since 1894 and have established a strong reputation within our markets by executing large, complex projects on time and within budget while adhering to strict safety and quality control measures. We offer general contracting, pre-construction planning and comprehensive project management services, and have strong expertise in delivering design-bid-build, design-build, construction management, and public-private partnership (P3) projects. We often self-perform multiple project components, including earthwork, excavation, concrete forming and placement, steel erection, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and fire protection.

Opinion: Powering a New Future for Chugach Electric Association

Originally Published in the Anchorage Daily News on May 22, 2026

Just as Michelangelo’s finger of God reaches toward Adam’s in the Sistine Chapel— close but not yet touching— Alaska now faces a generational energy opportunity. The transformative potential is within reach. What is needed is the will to seize it.

Since Alaska statehood, energy has been the driving factor in redefining the Last Frontier from a wilderness territory to a global icon. The frontier spirit of grit, determination, acceptance of risk, and rugged independence drove a common bond among the pioneers. No truer words were spoken than those that built the trans-Alaska pipeline: “We didn’t know it couldn’t be done.”

History does not just repeat itself; it rhymes. More than 40 years later, we are stalled again on a pipeline that has been earmarked for national security. Fifteen years later, we are still debating where Cook Inlet fits into the mix via storage or imports to manage gas supply for the utilities. Each time, Alaskans came together to meet the energy crisis of the era, and this time is no different. Neither is the urgency to address affordability.

According to the Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area in April 2026, energy prices rose 22.2%. Inflation in Anchorage is trending up. Zillow is estimating the average home price in Anchorage is more than $400,000, while the average age of first-time homebuyers in the U.S. is 40. These numbers are staggering and unsustainable for the next generations that stand to inherit the result of our inaction.

Energy is central to the quality of life we know and are blessed to have here in Alaska. There should be absolutely no reason for any shortage of fuel and electricity. This is why elections matter: to pursue sound policy that future-proofs a core service in today’s society. Chugach Electric stands in the center of this conversation, serving more than 90,000 ratepayers as the state’s largest electric utility. Yet less than 12% of ratepayers vote in the Board of Directors elections.

Projects like the gas line, drilling in Cook Inlet, importing LNG and evaluating hydro all play a major role in providing electricity to customers at an affordable and reliable rate. In today’s world, generating electricity is only a small part of what is required to succeed. To meet the moment and capture opportunities, we must embrace a bold new vision: rebranding from a traditional electric utility into a comprehensive energy company.

It is not just about electricity. It is about making strategic investments in the sources of fuel and power that keep costs low for generations to come. We need leaders who are willing to challenge the assumptions, guide technical solutions through evaluation and implementation, and recognize when it is time to pivot because something is not working. The opportunity is there for the taking. With energy being a national security issue, there is urgency and priority in meeting this objective. We have to acknowledge that the energy demand needed will depend on the most reliable power sources available: coal, gas, hydroelectric, and nuclear power.

Regardless of where you may stand on the political spectrum, if you cannot afford to pay your bills, the existential threat to your family is homelessness and hunger, not atmospheric collapse.

The election for the Chugach Electric Board of Directors is May 29. If you want to reach out and grab this energy future like I do, I respectfully ask for your vote.

Todd Lindley is running for the Chugach Electric Board of Directors. He is a professional mechanical engineer with 17 years of experience in the energy industry with ExxonMobil and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. His expertise encompasses project management, maintenance and reliability, risk assessment, leadership and management. He is on the board of Alaska Gold Communications, the parent company of Must Read Alaska. For more information on his campaign, visit toddforchugach.com.

Alaska Events Honoring National Cancer Survivors Day, June 7

The following is a reprint of a press release provided by the Alaska Department of Health.

MAY 27, 2026— Groups across the state will host events in June to honor thousands of Alaska cancer survivors and show that life after a cancer diagnosis can be beautiful, meaningful, and triumphant. National Cancer Survivors Day is June 7, 2026, but events can take place throughout the month.

Over 38,000 cancer survivors live in our state, according to the Alaska Cancer Registry. National Cancer Survivors Day and the events surrounding it also recognize the contributions of families, friends, and health care providers who support survivors.

This year, events include community picnics, music and performances, telethons, support groups, and more. The Alaska Cancer Partnership is sharing details for Survivors Day events at AlaskaCancerPartnership.org/cancer-survivors-day. A few highlights include:

  • Anchorage — Several cancer support nonprofits are partnering to celebrate thriving together at the Russian Jack Park Chalet with food, music, and prizes.
  • Fairbanks — Join Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska for its 5k fundraiser along the Chena River.
  • Petersburg — Petersburg Beat the Odds will be hosting a support group meeting with lunch at the local library.

The Alaska Cancer Partnership is a coalition of organizations that supports cancer survivors and care providers with resources year-round.

The Corruption of Intellect and Will: The Crisis of Modern Society

Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor of the thirteenth century, stands as one of the Church’s most profound analysts of human nature. In the Summa Theologica (I, q. 79–83), he teaches that the intellect is ordered to truth and the will to the good. The intellect apprehends reality as it is; the will, enlightened by that truth, freely chooses what is genuinely perfective of the person. When these faculties operate in harmony, man attains his “native fullness”— the flourishing proper to a rational creature made in the image of God. Leo XIII echoes and applies this doctrine with prophetic clarity in Immortale Dei (1885): “If the mind assents to false opinions, and the will chooses and follows after what is wrong, neither can attain its native fullness, but both must fall from their native dignity into an abyss of corruption.”

Aquinas insists that error is not neutral. The intellect, when it assents to falsehood, supplies the will with a defective object. The will, in turn, habituates itself to disordered loves. Virtue becomes difficult, vice easy. Grace can heal, but the natural order itself is wounded. Leo XIII universalizes the insight: a society built on false principles— whether philosophical, political, or moral— will inevitably produce citizens whose minds and wills are malformed. The encyclical was written against the liberal claim that the State may remain indifferent to religious truth. Yet its anthropology is timeless. False opinion and vicious choice are not private matters; they corrode the common good.

Modern society offers a laboratory in which Aquinas’s diagnosis and Leo’s warning are verified daily. Consider first the realm of truth itself. Postmodern relativism, now mainstream in universities and media, denies that the intellect can know objective reality. “My truth” replaces “the truth.” Social media algorithms intensify the damage. Users are fed curated falsehoods that confirm preexisting biases, creating digital echo chambers where assent to error becomes habitual. Conspiracy theories, ideological revisionism of history, and the denial of biological sex are not mere opinions; they are false principles to which millions assent. The intellect, starved of reality, grows flaccid. Aquinas would call this a privation of its proper act.

The will suffers correspondingly. Once the mind no longer sees the good as rooted in being, choice drifts toward pleasure, power, or ideology. The sexual revolution provides the clearest example. When the mind accepts the falsehood that the body is plastic and gender is a social construct, the will is licensed to pursue hormonal mutilation, surgical alteration, and the legal redefinition of marriage and family. What Leo XIII called “an abyss of corruption” is visible in soaring rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among those who have followed this path. The will, promised liberation, finds only deeper slavery.

Political life mirrors the same pattern. Liberal democracy once assumed a shared moral framework grounded in natural law. Today, that framework has been replaced by procedural neutrality and the supremacy of individual autonomy. Laws that once protected the unborn, the traditional family, and religious liberty are dismantled because the collective mind has assented to the opinion that rights are invented rather than discovered. The will of legislators and voters then “chooses what is wrong”—euthanasia, no-fault divorce, gender ideology in schools— under the banner of compassion. The result is not greater freedom but what Aquinas would term a privation of the common good. Social trust collapses, polarization intensifies, and the state itself becomes an instrument of moral coercion against those who still affirm objective truth.

Education offers another stark comparison. Catholic schools once formed intellect and will according to the ratio studiorum and the studium generale. Contemporary secular education, by contrast, often teaches critical theory before critical thinking. Students learn to deconstruct rather than to know. When the mind is trained to see every hierarchy as oppression and every norm as violence, the will is directed toward perpetual revolution rather than virtue. The “abyss of corruption” appears in graduates who lack both intellectual rigor and moral courage—precisely the opposite of the “native dignity” Aquinas and Leo envisioned.

Even the Church is not immune. Clerical scandals, doctrinal ambiguity on marriage and sexuality, and the quiet acceptance of cultural trends within some parishes demonstrate what happens when shepherds themselves assent to false opinions. The faithful are left confused; their wills, deprived of clear teaching, falter. Leo XIII warned that when rulers and subjects alike reject the light of Christ, “the very foundations of society are shaken.” We see those foundations trembling today.

The inspired teaching of Thomas Aquinas and Leo XIII are not those of despair. Both insist that the remedy lies in the restoration of truth. The intellect must be re-formed by philosophy and theology that respect the order of being. The will must be strengthened by the virtues and the sacraments. Modern society, for all its technological splendor, cannot escape the anthropological laws written into human nature. Attempts to deny those laws produce exactly the corruption the encyclical describes: record loneliness, collapsing birth rates, ideological rage, and spiritual emptiness.

The essay of history is therefore clear. Where minds assent to falsehood— whether the autonomy of the self, the fluidity of truth, or the irrelevance of natural law— the will inevitably chooses what is wrong. Both faculties fall from their native dignity. Only a return to the objective truth of God and the assent of the human will to God’s Will can arrest the descent. In an age that celebrates choice above all, the most radical act may be the humble assent of the mind to what is true and the courageous choice of the will to follow it. Only then can persons and societies reclaim their native fullness of life.

“Do not model your behavior on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and mature.”  ~Romans 12:2

Fulford Stresses Need for Property Tax Abatement for AK LNG Project Progress

The House Finance Committee met May 26, 2026, to discuss HB 381 version T, a bill to restructure tax burdens for the Alaska LNG project.

Senior Director of GaffneyCline Nicholas Fulford presented economic models and argued for a property tax abatement of at least ten years. Fulford has worked in the industry for 40 years and has worked on multiple LNG projects worldwide. Fulford emphasized the critical need for tax burden reduction during the first ten years for the project to appeal to investors. “The first 10 years is far more important than what you do after those ten years,” stated Fulford.

When Representative Alyse Galvin (NA-Anchorage) questioned Fulford on the necessity of the 10 year abatement, Fulford replied, “The project will need 6-8 years to catch its breath” after major upfront costs.

Rep. Galvin stated the Legislature is trying to balance two priorities: affordable gas for Alaskans and increased State revenue. Fulford replied that other countries with LNG exports have negotiated domestic reservations where a certain amount of gas is set aside for domestic use and a set price (for example, $5) is agreed upon. The low cost of the domestic reservation would need to be subsidized.

After discussing several economic models with the Committee, Fulford concluded, “What is clear to me is that the project can be economic.” Fulford stated that the press often paints the project as economically unviable, which is misleading. The modeling is based on assumptions about the price of gas, the cost of the project, and the State’s tax structure. With the right tax structure, the project is economically viable.

“You need to think of the generational value for your kids and grandkids,” stated Fulford.

Rep. Galvin asked what the Legislature needs to do to get federal loans on board for the project. Fulford replied that there has been positive messaging from the federal government regarding the project. The number one thing he recommends the Legislature do is “put through a more appropriate tax structure,” especially regarding property tax. According to Fulford, removing the property tax issue is key to moving the project forward.

Community Invited to Rock Hughes Funeral, May 31

Candidate for Governor and former State Senator Shelley Hughes’ husband, Roger “Rock” Shelley, a proud Vietnam veteran, passed away this weekend. Hughes warmly invites friends, colleagues, and members of the community to attend and celebrate Rock’s life, legacy, and service.

The funeral and Celebration of Life will be on Sunday, May 31 at 2:00 PM.

Location: Northgate Alaska Church
2991 Tait Drive
Wasilla, Alaska 99654

Family, friends, and all whose lives were touched by Rock are welcome to join together in remembrance and support of the Hughes family during this time.

Must Read Alaska wishes the Hughes family our condolences and prayers during this time of grief.

Governor’s Forum Part 3: 2 Executive Orders, 5 Priorities, and a New Government Office

Candidates for Governor Dave Bronson, Edna DeVries, Adam Crum, Matt Heilala, Shelley Hughes, and Bernadette Wilson share what 2 executive orders they would use to protect life, their 5 life and liberty related priorities, and whether or not that would establish a new Office of Unborn Advocacy.

These questions were asked at the Governor’s Forum hosted by Alaska Family Council on May 21, 2026, moderated by Editor of the Watchman Joel Davidson. The forum focused on issues such as the right to life, school choice, Alaska Judicial Council concerns, Grand Jury rights, gender ideology, and election integrity.

The forum consisted of four parts: 1) questions asked by the moderator to all the candidates; 2) questions asked and answered beforehand, presented on a slideshow, 3) questions asked by a candidate to another candidate; and 3) a series of quick “yes or no” questions.

Below is the complete reprint of the slideshow presented in part 3 of the forum which consists of 3 questions asked and answered beforehand.

Question 1: Two Executive Orders to Protect Life

Q1: The Governor of Alaska is considered one of the most structurally powerful state executives
in the United States. If elected our next Governor, name the top two executive actions, not
legislative proposals, you would implement in your first 100 days to protect the unborn and help women facing unplanned pregnancies choose alternatives to abortion?

Edna DeVries

I would use an Administrative Order to set internal policies regarding life. Second administrative order would be Grand Juries
Investigations.

Adam Crum

Action 1: On Day One, I will establish an Office of Unborn Advocacy to give Alaska’s most vulnerable a dedicated voice across every state agency. This office will coordinate pro-life policy, connect women to real support and services, support and promote families, and hold government accountable to protecting life.

Action 2: The Office of Unborn Advocacy will also coordinate across government agencies to streamline, communicate and ease the burden on both putting kids up for adoption, and for supporting families that do want to adopt. This can lower the stigma for moms with unplanned pregnancies, as they will know that their child is loved and wanted.

Dave Bronson

Executive Action #1 – Launch a top-to-bottom review of state agencies to identify waste, improve accountability, and ensure taxpayer dollars are focused on core services and results. Require departments to report on efficiencies, spending priorities, and measurable outcomes.

Executive Action #2 – Direct state agencies to prioritize policies that encourage job creation, responsible resource development, and lower costs for Alaska families. Focus on improving the business climate and expanding economic  opportunity across the state.

Bernadette Wilson

1) I intend to direct the Department of Health to launch a statewide public awareness initiative focused on maternal health, adoption,
foster care opportunities, and available support services for women facing unplanned pregnancies. The campaign would prioritize rural and underserved communities to ensure women across Alaska know what resources and alternatives are available so choosing life is
backed by real support.

2) I intend to order a full review of state contracts, grants, and administrative regulations to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to
expand abortion services beyond constitutional requirements and court orders. My administration would increase transparency and
accountability by requiring regular public reporting on maternal health outcomes, adoption placements, foster care capacity, etc.

Shelley Hughes

I would issue an administrative order requiring schools to identify sensitive instruction topics that relate to values or culture. Schools would
be required to inform parents, and express parental permission would be required for student participation, ensuring schools recognize and uphold the fundamental legal authority of parents to direct the upbringing, moral guidance, and education of their children.

I will issue an administrative order to create an Office of Faith to promote faith-based initiatives, ensure Alaskans’ religious liberties are
upheld, and to empower faith-based groups and houses of worship to better serve Alaskan families. Engagement, communication, and
coordination with faith leaders across Alaska will make our communities (and our state overall) stronger.

Matt Heilala

My first executive order as Governor will establish full accountability by creating a Virtual Digital Twin of all Ratification and Review of
Regulation Change projects at the Department of Law. It is unacceptable for boards and commissions to draft and approve
regulation changes only to let them languish for months or years, or worse, disappear into the void.

Consistent with my strong support for the pro-life movement, including my testimony at the Alaska March for Life sharing how my own
mother courageously chose life despite pressure to abort, I will direct the Department of Health and Social Services to prioritize partnerships with crisis pregnancy centers and adoption services using existing resources. This executive action provides immediate practical support, counseling, material aid, and follow-up to women facing unplanned pregnancies so they can choose life-affirming alternatives.

Question 2: Priorities Pertaining to Family, Life, Liberty

Q2: Focusing on issues that pertain to family, life and liberty, list your top five priorities in order
of importance. Describe each item in your list in five words or fewer.

Adam Crum

1. Life begins at conception
2. Parents lead, government follows
3. Faith and family first
4. Freedom from federal control
5. Fathers matter. Build them up.

Dave Bronson

1. Grow jobs and Alaska’s economy
2. Lower costs for working families
3. Increase government accountability
4. Protect family and parental rights
5. Support safe and strong communities

Edna DeVries

1. Further Governor Dunleavey’s regulatory investigations.
2. Appoint commissioners with belief in God
3. Grand juries’ rights and duties reinstated
4. Install a faith-based office within Governor’s office
5. Remove all abortion funding within proposed budget

Bernadette Wilson

1. Tackle the drug/psychiatric plague
2. Education: fund students not systems
3. Audit/ DOGE state spending
4. Kickstart the private sector/economy
5. Awareness Campaign for unexpectant parents

Shelley Hughes

1. Marriage – the foundation of free society
2. Motherhood and Fatherhood – divine design for raising children
3. Parental Rights – preeminent right to transmit values
4. Religious Liberty – America’s birthright and fundamental foundation
5. Freedom of Conscience – no coercion against deep convictions

Matt Heilala

1. Defend Children and the Unborn
2. Fight the “Woke Mind Virus”
3. Champion parental rights
4. Defend individual liberties
5. Create Family Economic Prosperity

Question 3: Office of Unborn Advocacy

Q3: Kristie Noem, when Governor of South Dakota, created an Office of Unborn Advocacy within her Administration to proactively lead strategies on policy, litigation, legislative and community outreach to give unborn Alaskans a formal, dedicated voice in State Government. Will you commit to establishing a similar office if you are elected Governor? Why or why not?

Edna DeVries

This would not be my first order of business. I would use my administrative orders to
accomplish this without the legislature’s assistance. Limited government— let revival come to change people’s hearts.

Adam Crum

Yes, without hesitation, as I am a Christian and I believe every life is sacred, and Alaska’s
governor should govern like it. I am the only candidate to publicly pledge this when the
Alaska Watchman asked what candidates would do to protect the unborn. South Dakota
created this office and became the number one state in the country for fertility rate— Alaska
will do the same.

Dave Bronson

Yes. I helped found the Alaska Family Council and have spent many years supporting
family and life issues in Alaska. As Governor, my primary focus will be growing Alaska’s
economy, creating jobs, and making government more accountable, while continuing to
support policies that strengthen families and protect life.

Bernadette Wilson

To be clear, Kristi Noem did not create an entirely new government department to deal with this issue. Yes, I would support bringing on a pro-life advocate directly within the governor’s administration to monitor pro-life issues, which is what Governor Noem did. I agree with Governor Noem on these two points: expansion of government departments and bureaucracy is never the solution, and pro-life issues have been critically ignored and need to be addressed more aggressively.

Shelley Hughes

Yes, I commit to establishing an Office of Unborn Advocacy (or Office of Life) which will liaise with the Department of Law on behalf of crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life groups, parents, civil rights advocates, and houses of worship to help sustain and support pregnant women and babies. This office will highlight a critical issue and need, teach people their rights regarding life and free speech, and develop new pathways into education, healthcare, the celebration of motherhood, and the power of marriage in our culture. Life is the foundation of all these issues, and it is time that this most important issue gets front billing in our society with an entity that will help harmonize the work happening across Alaska in a synergistic way and result in stronger families.

Matt Heilala

No, I will not establish an Office of Unborn Advocacy. Protecting the unborn is simple and straightforward, as I have consistently stated in my public positions. Consistent with my commitment to shrink government size and headcount, I will advance these priorities through strong leadership and existing executive structures rather than new bureaucracy or special advisors.

Food, Health & the Future of What We Eat with Kristen Rasmussen and Brenda Josephson

1

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pcqmx-1ad1ca3

On this episode of The Social from Must Read Alaska, host Todd explores the powerful connection between food, health, and self-reliance with two expert guests: Kristen Rasmussen from the Culinary Institute of America and Brenda Josephson, Haines-based Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and author of MRAK’s popular Foodies & Foragers column.

In “Food, Health & the Future of What We Eat,” they discuss the groundbreaking Food is Life, Food is Health Summit held May 6–8, 2026, at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, California. Co-organized with Stanford Medicine, the summit brought together chefs, physicians, dietitians, and researchers to reimagine food as the foundation of personal and planetary health.

Kristen shares insights from the national perspective — including cross-disciplinary kitchens where doctors and chefs trained side-by-side, the science validating traditional food wisdom, and practical strategies for culinary therapeutics. Brenda brings the authentic Alaska voice, connecting the summit’s themes to real-life practices like foraging kelp, harvesting wild salmon, using devil’s club, and embracing subsistence living in Southeast Alaska.

This conversation celebrates food independence as a core Alaskan value. In a time of supply chain vulnerability and rising chronic disease, it affirms that hunting, fishing, gardening, and foraging aren’t just traditions — they’re powerful acts of health sovereignty and resilience. Listeners will gain validation for their lifestyle and fresh inspiration for making food truly medicine in their own homes.

Whether you’re deeply rooted in Alaska’s wild food traditions or seeking practical ways to build greater self-sufficiency, this episode bridges national momentum with frontier wisdom.

Tune in for thoughtful discussion on reclaiming control over what we eat — and why it matters now more than ever.

 

Food is Life, Food is Health Conference: https://www.foodislifefoodishealth.org/about

Kristen Rasmussen Instagram: rootedfood

 

MRAK Foodies and Foragers with Brenda Josephson: https://mustreadalaska.com/foodies-and-foragers-food-is-life-food-is-health/

 

SPONSORS:

Must Read Alaska: https://mustreadalaska.com/subscriptions/

Promo Code: thesocial10 for 10% off the ‘All In’ or ‘In For News’ prepaid annual plans

The Wellness Company: https://www.twc.health/alaska

Promo Code: ALASKA for 10% off + free shipping on every order