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Lawmakers call for outside investigation of harassment

Suzanne Downing
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CAN LEGISLATORS INVESTIGATE THEIR OWN LEADERS?

Three House lawmaker are calling on the Legislature to bring in an outside investigator to look into recent claims of harassment and how they have been handled.

House Minority Leader Charisse Millett, and Reps. Mike Chenault of Kenai and Colleen Sullivan-Leonard of Wasilla sent a request to Rules Chair Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, saying it’s time to bring in some professional help.

Reps. Mike Chenault, Charisse Millett (Minority Leader) and Colleen Sullivan-Leonard

The letter comes at a time when questions have been raised about the House Majority’s mishandling of sexual harassment of legislative staffers. Eight legislative staff members have gone on the record describing harassment by Rep. Dean Westlake.

“As more information and stories surface about the handling of sexual harassment reports made in 2017 to House Leadership, it has become clear to our offices that further examination is needed into all complaints made to and handled by the House this year. Rumors of unreported cases and secret dealings erode the trust and safety that are paramount in our workplace. Victims, and employees at all levels, deserve to know what failures existed, and that all those involved are being held responsible for their actions. Clarity in this matter can only result in improved justice for victims, increased understanding of our previous policies, and provide a clear path forward for making needed improvements and changes,” the three wrote on Tuesday.

They also wrote they first went to Legislative Council to ask for a third-party investigation, but the Legislative Legal Services advise the three to go through the Rules Committee.

Rules Chair Gabrielle LeDoux

“It would be our request that as House Rules Committee Chair, you immediately begin a process to conduct a review of all harassment reports made this year to House Leadership, and work with Legislative Council to contract with an outside expert to perform this investigation. Such an investigation would ensure that any evaluation would be free of internal biases,” the letter continued.

The letter is in response to reports that House Majority Leader Chris Tuck, an Anchorage Democrat, hid a letter that was written and given to him by a legislative staffer in March detailing harassment she had suffered at the hands of Rep. Westlake of Kotzebue. No action was taken on the complaint until the woman went public with her allegations in November.

Westlake was asked by House Democrats to resign only after the matter came to light; he has not been able to defend himself in any sort of due process.

Westlake is said to be considering postponing his resignation until after session adjourns.

Rep. Dean Westlake

Since the initial allegation came to light, no investigation has been undertaken to find out why the complaint against Westlake was buried, and who knew about it back in March. Some in the Legislature speculate that House leaders used the letter against Westlake in a form of vote extortion on HB 111, oil tax reform.

[Read: Did Edgmon, Tuck conspire to cover up Westlake complaint?]

HOUSE TASK FORCE REVISING HARASSMENT GUIDELINES

Meanwhile, today the Legislative Council Workplace Harassment Subcommittee started revising the Legislature’s Sexual and Other Workplace Harassment Policy, which was originally adopted in 2000.

The working draft is linked here, and pasted below:

Sexual and Other Workplace Harassment Policy

(Adopted by Legislative Council on January 20, 2000) DRAFT – 2017 – 2018

Purpose:

It is the policy of the Alaska State Legislature to maintain a workplace that is free of all illegal discrimination. The Legislature as an employer will not tolerate, condone, or permit sexual harassment or harassment on the basis of sex, color, race, religion, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, marital status, change in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

Employees who knowingly instigate or participate in harassment in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension or discharge. Supervisors and managers who knowingly permit harassment activity without taking corrective action will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension or discharge.

Retaliation:

It is a violation of law and this policy to retaliate against a person who has opposed practices forbidden under AS 18.80.220 – 18.80.280. No person will be subject to retaliation for having complained of workplace harassment or for having assisted or participated in an investigation of alleged workplace harassment. Anyone who believes that he or she may have been the subject of retaliation should promptly report that the retaliation to the designated staff. or who has reported or participated in the investigation of an allegation of harassment.

Sexual Harassment Defined:

The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights defines sexual harassment as:

• Unwelcome sexual advances; or

• Requests for sexual favors; or

• Verbal/Physical/Visual conduct of a sexual nature when:

1. submission to the conduct is made an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment;

2. submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for an employment decision; or

3. the conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating or hostile work environment.

Examples of sexual harassment may include, but is not limited to, a range of subtle or overt behaviors and may involve individuals of the same or different gender. Depending on the circumstances, these behaviors may include, but are not limited to unwelcome: sexual advances or requests for sexual favors; Sexual jokes and innuendo; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; commentary about an individual’s body, commentary about an individual’s sexual prowess or sexual deficiencies; leering, whistling or touching; insulting or obscene comments or gestures; displaying, communicating, or distributing sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or messages in the workplace; and other physical, verbal, nonverbal or visual conduct of sexual nature.

A single incident may or may not constitute sexual harassment. Whether an action is sexual harassment will depend on the facts and determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis. Conduct or communications that might be welcome to one person may be unwelcome to another person. Conduct or communications that might have been welcome between two individuals at one time may become unwelcome at a later time. Other conduct or communications not expressly described in the examples, but which is substantially similar to examples, may violate this policy.

Workplace Harassment:

Workplace harassment is unwelcome conduct in the form of treatment or behavior that, to a reasonable person, creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Workplace harassment includes discrimination based on a person’s protected class. Workplace harassment also includes unwelcome conduct that occurs outside of work during nonwork hours if the conduct creates a work environment that a reasonable employee would find intimidating, hostile or offensive. Workplace harassment does not include every minor annoyance or disappointment that an employee may encounter in the course of performing the employee’s job.

If You Witness or Experience Harassment:

If you witness or experience harassment and if you feel you are able to do so, you are encouraged to speak to the person who you believe is doing the harassing, point out the offensive behavior, and tell the person to stop. By taking this action you may be able to stop the harassment immediately. If it does not stop, or if you are reluctant to confront the person, you should report the problem using the procedure below. Managers and supervisors who witness or are aware of harassment must take action to stop the behavior and to report the alleged harassment to one of the persons noted in the reporting procedure below.

Reporting Procedure:

You do not have to be the person being harassed to report harassment. You may make a written or oral report of violations of the Policy on Sexual and Other Workplace Harassment to any of the following: your supervisor, manager, or director; the legislative EEO OfficerLegislative Affairs Agency Human Resources Manager; designated staff in the Office of the Senate President or the Speaker of the House; designated staff in the Senate or House Rules Committee Offices; staff in the Senate or House Minority Leader’s Office, or designated staff in the Senate or House Finance Committee Co-Chair offices. A list including the name, phone number, office number, and email address of each of the designated staff will be published on the Legislative Affairs Agency intranet site at the beginning of each Legislature.

It is important for harassment to be reported as soon as possible. Reports of harassment that are reported after a lot of time has passed are hard to be substantiated as witness tend of forget the specifics of the event over time. Another factor is that surveillance recordings are only maintained for 30 days before being copied over.

Violation of AS 18.80.220 – 18.80.280 is also a violation of the Legislative Ethics Act, and complaints may be pursued through the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics.

Investigations:

All reports or complaints will be taken seriously and investigated to determine if there has been a violation of this policy. Investigations will be performed by the Legislative Affairs Agency Human Resources Manager or their designee unless there is a conflict of interest or the appointing authority requests an independent outside investigator. Cost for the independent outside investigator will be borne by the appointing authority. When an investigatory report is completed it will be presented to the appropriate appointing authority. If an outside investigator is utilized a copy of the final report, in its entirety, will be provided to the Legislative Affairs Agency Human Resources Manager at the time it is presented to the appointing authority. The conclusion section will be presented to the complainant and alleged harasser. If the investigation reveals conduct in violation of this policy by a Legislator, the matter will be referred to the appropriate legislative body for resolution. If the investigation reveals conduct in violation of this policy by an employee, manager, or supervisor, appropriate action will be taken.

Confidentiality:

All complaints and reports will be considered confidential for purposes of public records. The Legislature will maintain confidentiality as much as possible but cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. Absolute confidentiality is not possible since through the course of an investigation the investigator will need to discuss names, places, events, and other pertinent questions with witnesses and others whom the investigator feels may add value or insight into the outcome of the investigation. However, all effort will be to maintain confidentiality to the extent possible.

Training:

Appointing authorities will ensure that each of their employees will be trained in this sexual and other workplace harassment policy at least once each legislature. This training will be in coordination of the training provided with the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics and considered required under the Ethics Act. Designated staff will be provided additional training regarding the proper way to handle a complaint once it has been received.

Discipline:

Even if a complaint is unsubstantiated corrective action may still be appropriate. Just because an action does not fit the definition of sexual or other workplace harassment does not mean that the actions are appropriate for a professional work environment. Discipline will depend on the severity of the infraction. Discipline can range from verbal warnings and training up to and including dismissal.

Elected Officials:

Investigatory reports for elected officials will be distributed as follows: • Senate majority member will be presented to the Senate President. • Senate minority member will be presented to the Senate Minority Leader with a carbon copy to the Senate President. • Senator member unaffiliated will be presented to the Senate President. • House majority member will be presented to the Speaker of the House. • House minority member will be presented to the House Minority Leader with a carbon copy to the Speaker of the House. • House member unaffiliated will be presented to the Speaker of the House.

When an investigator interviews a majority member or an unaffiliated member, the respective Presiding Officer of his/her designee may be present. When an investigator interviews a minority member the respective Minority Leader or his/her designee may be present.

Appointing Authority:

Appointing authorities for the Legislative Branch is set out in statute and/or policy as: • The appointing authority during session for house and senate employees is their respective Rules Chairman. • The appointing authority during interim for house and senate employees is their respective Presiding Officers. • The appointing authority for select staff in the finance committees are hired by their respective Finance Co-Chairmen. • The appointing authority for employees hired by a permanent interim committee is their respective committee chairman. • The appointing authority for the Legislative Affairs Agency is the Executive Director. • The appointing authority for the Legislative Finance Division is the Legislative Fiscal Analyst. • The appointing authority for the Ombudsman’s Office is the Ombudsman. • The appointing authority for the Office of Victims’ Rights is the Chief Victims’ Rights Advocate.

Westlake will skip justice on old accusation

Suzanne Downing
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Rep. Dean Westlake, now accused by a woman in Kotzebue of fathering a child with a teenager when he was in his late 20s, won’t be prosecuted, at least by the State of Alaska.

The Department of Law, in an email today, said it cannot prosecute based on the allegations of an incident that occurred in 1988; because it is legally barred by the statute of limitations that was in existence when the crime allegedly occurred.

“In this case, that would be the law that was in existence 30 years ago,” said Cori Mills, spokeswoman for the Department of Law.

“What we found in our research is that any applicable statute of limitations has long run out for allegations of sexual abuse of a minor that occurred in the late 80’s. Therefore, even if there was evidence to pursue the case, we could not bring charges this far away from the original incident giving rise to potential criminal allegations,” she said.

KTVA’s Liz Raines was the first to report on the decision.

[Read the KTVA story here.]

Whether the matter can be taken up by tribal court is another thing. Tribal courts have no known limitations relating to statutes of limitations. Earlier this year, Gov. Walker’s attorney general wrote an opinion that granted broad authority to tribes as sovereign nations, with their own laws.

“These are matters that involve the ‘internal affairs’ of tribal citizens and those that go to the core of ‘tribal sovereignty,'” she wrote.

Much of Attorney General Janha Lindemuth’s opinion has not been tested in court.

[The attorney general’s opinion is here]

Westlake has resigned because of allegations made against him by women in Juneau, particularly legislative aides who work in the Capitol.

Alaskans are getting a big break from Trump this Christmas

Suzanne Downing
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Alaskans are getting a big break from Trump this Christmas

By GAIL PHILLIPS
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Alaskans are on the verge of seeing the oil-rich coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) opened to leasing for the first time — a three-decades-long quest that was, until now, stifled by environmentalists and the blocking-and-tackling tactics of Democrats in Washington, DC.

The compromise tax reform bill agreed to this week by Congress includes language directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to offer two lease sales in the 10-02 area of ANWR within the coming 10 years.

Our own Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young won seats on the bipartisan and bicameral conference committee that successfully merged the competing Senate and House versions of tax reform and repelled attempts to strip out the ANWR provision by opponents of drilling. Sullivan, while not a member of the conference committee, has been an outspoken proponent of permitting oil and gas activity on the coastal plain.

Once the Senate and House sign off on the final tax reform package, there’s little doubt President Trump will sign it when it reaches his desk. The ANWR language is one of the biggest ways lawmakers covered the costs of reducing the corporate tax rate to 21 percent and doubling the standard deduction and child tax credits.

Before the end of this month, the 70 percent of Alaskans who, like myself, support oil and gas activity in ANWR should be able to check off one of the biggest items on our Christmas lists.

This is a big win that will help reinvigorate an economy in its third year of recession. ANWR is that giant box under the tree on Christmas morning, not a stocking stuffer.

We should remember to send a thank you card to Trump. Don, Lisa, Dan and the hundreds of Alaskans have fought long and hard to access our oil reserves under the Arctic coastal plain. The fact that Trump is in the Oval Office has been the deciding factor. Congress approved opening ANWR once before in 1995, but it was vetoed by President Clinton. Elections, as they say, have consequences.

Trump is fast becoming Alaska’s new best friend. Trump and members of his administration, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, have thrown their support behind resource development projects here and across the nation as part of the president’s plan to make America energy dominant. In addition to ANWR, the administration has offered unprecedented access to the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and is poised to unveil a proposed new five-year offshore leasing plan that is expected to include acreage in both the Chukchi and Beaufort seas — federal waters the previous administration removed from the current plan.

Opponents of drilling were quick to jump on the recent results of the Interior Department’s lease sale in the NPR-A as evidence of low industry interest in our state. The Bureau of Land Management’s offering of 16,100 square miles in NPR-A received seven bids totaling roughly $1.2 million. But critics ignore a key difference between NPR-A and ANWR. The geology east of Prudhoe Bay is far more favorable to finding another giant conventional oil reservoir than the western half.

The lack of infrastructure in the NPR-A is another reason for the poor results. It wasn’t that long ago that our federal government tried to restrict access to the reserve to helicopter-only, so its little surprise that industry is being cautious and focusing on exploring areas around existing leases.

By contrast, interest in state-owned lands on the North Slope earlier this month brought in a record-breaking $21 million, or an average bid of $110 per acre. The takeaway: interest remains high in Alaska’s resources if the geology is favorable and the access is predictable.

Another essential piece of the puzzle is state tax policy and whether it encourages outside investment. The state has made seven significant changes to the way it taxes the oil industry in the past 12 years. Tax policy and regulatory uncertainty matters a great deal to company executives who must decide how best to invest, especially in remote Alaska where it can take billions of dollars to develop a project.

We are mired in recession and confidence in the local economy slips a little more each quarter. October marked the 25th consecutive month of job losses — the same number of months of job losses that Alaska saw during the recession of the mid-1980s. The difference this time is that we have not yet found the end of the tunnel.

Amid all the doom and gloom, there is hope. Trump is setting the stage for new opportunities that could jump-start our economy. When we look back, opening ANWR will be a lasting symbol of the Trump presidency and, hopefully, the start of a brighter future for Alaska.

If we do our part with policies that encourage investment and give industry the chance to discover new oil, we can put Alaska back on the path to a sustainable economy. We must be resolute in our support for opening ANWR to capitalize on this moment. Such a significant development would not only increase throughput in the pipeline but would also likely lead to projects in other parts of the oil patch, sparking a broader economic recovery with benefits that would be felt across the state.

Gail Phillips served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1991 to 2001 and was Speaker from 1995 to 1999. She lives in Anchorage.

 

Quote of the day: Sullivan on Senate floor

Suzanne Downing
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“And opening the 10-02 area – using those high standards, the world’s highest standards, with the most advanced technology – will produce more American energy for the betterment of my state, my constituents, but for the whole country.

“Mr. President, we’re on the cusp of passing a bill that would put more money in the hands of the middle class, grow our economy, and fulfill a 40-year-long dream for Alaska. The might of America has always been and will always be in the ingenuity of our people, the ability for Americans to make decisions for themselves – to live their lives as they see fit, to build, to grow to make a better tomorrow for the next generation.

“The American dream does not have a price tag, but it can be stymied. It can be stymied and stunted by an overbearing federal government that wants to hinder the freedom of the individual, an overbearing federal government that crushes economic hope, and opportunity through over taxation or over regulation, and it does this by telling someone like Matthew Rexford – from a small village more than 5000 miles from here – that he and his people can’t make a better life for themselves and for their children by developing resources on their own land. Mr. President, that’s going to end tonight.

“At long last that’s going to change and the vast majority of Alaskans – Democrats and Republicans, native and non-native – are going to celebrate. And I believe when the American people realize and experience the positive benefits of this bill – through stronger economic growth, better jobs, more take home pay – they’re going to celebrate too. I urge my colleagues to vote for this historic legislation.”

– Sen. Dan Sullivan, speaking in favor of tax reform and unlocking ANWR, late Tuesday night in the U.S. Senate

Historic ANWR vote within inch of goal

Suzanne Downing
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One thing about the Alaska delegation: It never gives up on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 Area.

On Dec. 20, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed a $1.5 trillion tax cut that delivered on promises of both the Trump Administration and the GOP majority. Tucked into the bill was a provision Alaskans have been working toward for two generations — the “10-0-2” area to oil and gas exploration.

The strength of the Alaska delegation came to bear with inclusion of the ANWR provision in the final tax package. That provision puts the 1002 area into oil and gas production over the next few years, something that the Alaska delegation has been trying to do for 38 years, since passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) under President Carter.

A portion of the lease sale bonuses and subsequent royalties from ANWR will be revenue to replace taxes that the federal government will forgo through the tax cuts, which is how the provision made it into the historic tax bill.

[Try this tax calculator to see how much you will save]

The 51-48 vote put tax reform, Obamacare individual mandate rollback, and ANWR within an inch of the goal line. Now, due to some technical details found by Democrats, it goes back to the House for a vote, but should be final before noon today, Alaska time.

The offices of Congressman Don Young, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Sen. Dan Sullivan will hold a media availability morning. The president is expected to sign the legislation today and it will go into effect immediately.

The gallery in the Senate was filled with Alaskans well into the early morning, there to watch history in the making. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s energy committee staff was jubilant, even at 2 a.m., having witnessed what many others had tried to do for years. It took the right White House, and the right combination of senators, assigned to the right committees, to get it down.

Murkowski is chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee at the right time in history. Congressman Young is the senior member of the House of Representatives. Both were assigned to the tax bill’s Conference Committee, which hammered out differences between the Senate and House versions of the tax bill. Both were there in part to keep a close eye on the ANWR provision.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski with her Incredible Hulk scarf, celebrates with some of the staff from her Senate Energy Committee, including Annie Hoefler, Lucy Murphitt, and Brian Hughes.

During the historic Senate floor session, Murkowski wore Incredible Hulk earrings she had never worn before, and her matching Hulk scarf that she has worn in honor of the late Sen. Ted Stevens, who had also fought to open ANWR.

Sen. Stevens well known for wearing his Incredible Hulk tie when arguing for the opening of the 1002 area while in the Senate, as seen in this photo during debate on the Senate floor many years ago.

 

Sen. Dan Sullivan also addressed the Senate during debate last night, using his time to speak to the importance of lower taxes for nearly all taxpayers, and the importance of the Obamacare individual mandate rollback.

“They [Americans] are penalized for not buying something they cannot afford,” he said, just hours after returning from a trip to Afghanistan to visit Alaskan military personnel who are stationed there.

The Alaska delegation did not issue a joint statement after the Senate vote, deciding to wait until the House takes its final action. But they expect to meet with the media today to discuss the tax reform package. That press availability will likely take place at about 1 pm Alaska time.

 

Scandal widens: Mat-Su’s Democrat chair accused by women

Suzanne Downing
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Scandal widens: Mat-Su’s Democrat chair accused by women

Facebook is a rough place for men with a history of girls these days.

Such is the case with Jake Magoon, the Alaska Democratic Party chair for District 10, Wasilla, and the Mat-Su Democrats.

Magoon has been involved with the Alaska Democratic Party for some time, rising to leadership in his district, and excited about the potential of turning the Mat-Su Valley blue.

Magoon is also a math tutor.

Two nights ago, a woman who has known him for several years took to Facebook and called him a … well, if true, it’s quite serious.

She writes about what happened between her, her friend, and Magoon, when she was 15. She says that now that he is getting to be more powerful, she wants to warn others. She thinks he could use his power to take advantage of other girls.

And Brea Erwin goes into great detail in her allegation. Don’t worry, she told Must Read Alaska: She has text messages saved that back up her story.

Here is part of the accusation that has now been on Facebook for two days and has been shared over 20 times:

“When I was 15, Jake met my best friend at the time and I at a high school party. He proceeded to come to my friend’s house with us after the party, We were 14 and 15.

Jake was 23 years old.

We proceeded to talk about our lives and aspirations until he had each of us laying at his sides, with our heads resting on his chest. He would then slyly grope either of us when he thought the other was unaware. Let it be known that we both disclosed our ages from the beginning.

After that night he had a secret relationship with my best friend. They would go on dates, but limit public displays of affection. Admittedly, I was a bit jealous. Even more so, I was naive. I was unable to process that we were children and that this GROWN MAN was grooming and …”

Readers will understand why the rest is not included here. Erwin describes a specific set of events that are damning and illegal. Magoon is accused of what is a felony. He has not been charged in a court of law — these are allegations made in social media at this time.

Magoon apparently says it is not so, that he never had sex with the girl and once he found out how old she was, he cut off the relationship.

A partial clip of his response to these charges was posted on Facebook by Erwin:

 

That’s a denial, but also nearly a partial admission. Erwin says that she and her friend were not at the age when they could have given consent, and it’s a secret that she held for years. Others wondered on the Facebook feed how this man was even at a high school party.

But then, another woman came forward on Facebook and said similar things happened to her with Magoon. And other women chimed in, saying he was a creep, and more.

Must Read Alaska has reached out to the original complainant to better understand the circumstances. She said she stands by her claim and that her documentation will hold up to scrutiny.

A MORAL AND POLITICAL DILEMMA

What will the Alaska Democratic Party do with Magoon? It’s own executive director, Jay Parmley, had a history of public complaints of sexual harassment before he was even hired by the party. And yet they hired him anyway. The party called for the resignation of Rep. Dean Westlake after allegations that had been known for years finally were made public. Party leaders sat on those stories until they were forced into the open.

And a woman who used to work for the party has claimed that party leaders made her work alongside a man who had sexually assaulted her. That story is covered, in part, here.

Casey Steinau, chair of the Alaska Democratic Party, will likely have to call a meeting of the executive committee and decide if Magoon stays or goes. If Magoon says he is innocent, will the party stick by this hard-working activist?

And what of the children whom he tutors? One fledgling tutoring company in the Mat-Su has already spoken on Facebook to distance itself from Magoon. Scott Maxwell wrote:

Hi, i’m the owner of record for Northern Lights Tutoring LLC. That was a business name I registered in September but never did anything with, so i’m closing it up. Jake was involved when we first registered, but that’s about it, so any tutoring he might have done was not on the company’s behalf. Obviously, trust and safety are non-negotiables when working with young people, and I do not want to be associated with anyone who would abuse that trust, especially not like this.

To those sharing their stories – I believe you, and i’m sorry that any of this happened to you.

None of this is how Magoon sees himself. In his LinkedIn profile, he is a model citizen who describes his work with the Mat-Su Democrats with pride, and sees himself as someone who volunteers for everything.

Magoon is normally active on Facebook, but has not posted anything for several days. Must Read Alaska has left a message with him seeking comment.

Man tased in court after frustration over hunting conviction

Suzanne Downing
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By CRAIG MEDRED
CRAIGMEDRED.NEWS

To understand why a small mob of law enforcement officers converged on the Alaska state courthouse in downtown Anchorage Monday to head off what looked to be a simple hearing heading rapidly toward a full-scale riot, you have to go back more than a decade in time to some dead wolves and track forward from there the crazy saga of David Haeg.

Haeg is a man who has dwelled for years on a questionable conviction for aerial hunting. He came into a courtroom looking for some form of justice only to end up face down on the floor with six court officers on top of him in front of a crowd of screaming supporters and his sobbing daughter.

He was then tased, handcuffed and led off jail. 

But this only begins to capture the craziness of a story about state officials who might, or might not, have lied; of a state court judge, who might or might not have conspired to convict an  innocent man; and of a man who in some ways never really grew up.

At the center of all of this is Haeg, an emotional 51-year-old who never got past that stage we all go through in childhood where we think life should be fair. It’s not. At some point in time, it wrongs all of us. It kicked Haeg in the gut.

Back in 2004, Haeg helped gun down some wolves in Central Alaska because he thought that was what the state wanted. Only a year earlier, the Alaska Board of Game had approved a predator-control program calling for aerial wolf hunts.

The program quickly exploded into a public relations nightmare. Outside animal-rights activists threatened a tourism boycott. “Howl-ins” were organized in major U.S. cities as a form of protest. 

“In Alaska, the wolf wars have taken a sobering turn for the worst,” the New York Times opined on March 14, 2014. “In nearly 20,000 square miles of the state it is now legal for private citizens to shoot wolves from airplanes and helicopters. In one district the limit has been increased from 10 wolves a year to 10 wolves a day.

[Read more at CraigMedred.news]

Net neutrality comments from Alaskans: Fake?

Suzanne Downing
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Hundreds of thousands — perhaps millions — of public comments on “net neutrality” regulations are now known to be fake. Tens of thousands may be from Alaskans who don’t even know they commented to the FCC. People in Salcha, Hooper Bay, Port Lion, and Thorne Bay.

The extent of the possible fraud raises questions about the quality and veracity of the public process going forward, and deserves scrutiny.

Must Read Alaska scanned dozens of comments from “Alaskans” and found a preponderance of what look to be fakes — from addresses in Alaska that do not exist, and from people who don’t show up in any Alaska voter database. In fact, it was hard to find many that appeared legitimate, although MRAK located comments from some Juneau Democrats that we deem “probably real.” They definitely oppose the FCC freeing of the Internet.

But in Craig, Alaska, population 1,200, some 400 comments were submitted to the FCC, including one guy who used the City of Craig’s official mailing address as his own, and an 80-something woman who went into great technical detail on all things net neutrality.

That’s one savvy granny. Who knew so many people in conservative Craig, Alaska, have such a strong opinion on net neutrality?

Some commenters used fake town names, like Port Coquitlam, Alaska (the town is in British Columbia). And somehow, Deadhorse, population 25, came up with four comments to the FCC on net neutrality.

You can do your own research and see if your name was used to submit a fake comment to the FCC at this site.

What does this development mean for the public comment process for the Pebble Mine or the AK-LNG project? How can Alaskans know if real Alaskans are commenting, or if their identities are being stolen by activists from the Lower 48 to sway the public process?

The attorney general of New York has instigated an investigation. Considering the ramifications for fakery in Alaska projects on the horizon, that may be an action for Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth to emulate. She could run the data from FCC through the Permanent Fund database and determine if fraud occurred against Alaskans and their identities.

ALASKA SENATE AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS OPPOSE FCC ACTION

Alaska Senate Democrats filed a letter with the FCC on Dec. 12 opposing the federal commission’s action on net neutrality.

“The repeal of net neutrality would allow ISPs to limit access to information or force consumers and online entities to pay more to get and receive the access they need. That’s a ‘pay-to-play’ system, and it’s unfair,” said Sen. Bill Wielechowski of Anchorage. “The FCC action also puts our free speech, free press, and free association rights at grave risk.”

“Alaskans rely on internet access for work, education, and to keep in touch with family in and out of state,” said Senator Tom Begich, also of Anchorage. “Broadband should be treated as a public utility that is subject to reasonable consumer protection regulations like the rule of net neutrality.”

The news release went on to say that an unprecedented 22 million comments had been received and one million had been linked to stolen identities, with 500,000 linked to Russian email addresses.

Further, 94 percent were duplicate comments, 57 percent were from identical or temporary addresses; there were nine instances when 75,000 same or similar comments posted at the exact same second; and the top seven comments made up 38 percent of the submissions.

Those are the types of results that can be found in the Alaska comments as well, Must Read Alaska discovered.

“If the public comment process was fraudulently hijacked, the FCC should want to know that before weighing those views into its decision,” said Rep. Kawasaki. “A thorough investigation should occur, and the FCC’s action on Thursday must be postponed until we can be assured of the integrity of the process.”

A second letter from legislators was also sent to Alaska Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth, asking the State to seek the FCC’s delay in voting until the public process has been investigated. If the proposal is approved, the legislators are requesting the State file suit against the FCC.

Rather than file suit, the State may be better served by determining just how many Alaskans had a mild brush with identity theft, as the next one could be far more serious, such as voter fraud or Permanent Fund application fraud.

The FCC went ahead with its decision to open up the internet anyway, in the expectation that innovation will occur when there is less regulation.

GCI, an internet provider in Alaska, posted notices in social media saying the company has no plans to slow down service or provide faster service for premium account holders.

Breaking: Pebble gets a partner

Suzanne Downing
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2

The Pebble Limited Partnership has a partner.

CEO Tom Collier issued the following statement in response to news released today by Northern Dynasty Minerals that it had entered into a framework agreement with First Quantum Minerals to pursue an option to acquire an ownership position of the Pebble Limited Partnership, including a commitment to contribute $37.5 million dollars to PLP:

“This represents exciting news for the project. We will soon initiate the permitting and review process with a much smaller and more environmentally sensitive plan for a mine at Pebble. We are very pleased to have the financial resources to move through that process. This thorough and comprehensive process allows everyone an opportunity to express their views about Pebble.

“This initial investment by a well-established copper mining company speaks volumes about the economic opportunity Pebble represents to Alaska. Pebble development could make a significant contribution to Alaska’s economy and provide year-round jobs for Southwest Alaska. Additionally, Pebble could provide important revenue to state and local governments.

“We will continue to expand our Alaska team and engage with Alaskan firms to help us advance Pebble through the permitting process. We look forward to 2018 and more open dialogue with all stakeholders about our mine plan.”

Pebble looking to finish year on a high note

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