In Alaska’s night sky between now and Dec. 25 is the annual Ursids meteor shower, which produces between five and 10 meteors per hour.
The Ursids is a minor meteor shower made up of debris from the comet Tuttle. This year it peaks on the night of the 21st and in the morning of the 22nd, the darkest 48-hour period of the year in Alaska, and will be seen best just after midnight and away from ambient light or aurora borealis, although the waning moon may obscure some of the fainter meteors.
The Ursids are associated with the constellation Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Dipper, which is where the shooting stars may appear to emerge. It is the final meteor shower of the year visible in the northern hemisphere.
The Senate advanced legislation that will cost hundreds of billions of dollars by eliminating what is called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). It’s a double-edged sword for Alaska unions and Democrats (and some Republicans) in the Alaska House and Senate.
Many public-sector workers’ Social Security payments are drastically reduced because of the WEP and GPO. If they get a pension or defined benefit, their Social Security payment gets a big haircut, although this financial penalty only impacts a portion of public sector retirees who meet certain requirements in terms of longevity of public service.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has co-sponsored legislation repeatedly since she was appointed to the Senate to end the penalties that impact Alaska public workers more than any in the country. She celebrated the victory Friday, while highlighting the massive support from union leaders in Alaska:
“I have been working on the Social Security Fairness Act for as long as I’ve been representing Alaska in the United States Senate,” Murkowski said. “There is no doubt that Congress has taken too long to address this inequity, but I am grateful to the diligent bipartisan work of my colleagues to help us finally get this over the finish line. This legislation takes care of Alaskans who have dedicated years of service to our communities, serving in integral roles such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Hardworking public servants should not be denied the benefits that they paid for because of their career choices, and I’m relieved that this longstanding injustice has been remedied.”
Unintended consequence – defined benefits for state workers
The new law will invalidate one of the most often-repeated arguments that unions and Democrats in Alaska are making to return defined benefits to certain employees in the state. They have said that defined benefits are necessary because of the federal Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.
Defined benefits for state workers is expected to be front-and-center in the coming Alaska Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats and union-aligned Republicans.
In fact, many of the same people fighting for a return to state defined benefits in Alaska were quoted in Murkowski’s press release:
Joelle Hall, president of Alaska AFL-CIO: “The Alaska AFL-CIO and all of its affiliated unions are elated with the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. The GPO/ WEP provisions have existed for far too long impacting the lives of thousands of Alaska workers and their heirs. Punishing public employees and their heirs for dedicating their lives to their community is wrong and we want to thank Senator Murkowski for her long-standing support for fixing this policy that has hurt so many families.”
Heidi Drygas, executive director of ASEA/AFSCME Local 52: “Today’s vote is incredibly welcome news to thousands of Alaska’s current and former public employees who have been unfairly punished simply for their public service. We thank Senator Murkowski for her leadership on this critically important issue for our membership. So many Alaska families will breathe easier tonight knowing they will receive the full retirement that they deserve. Thank you to the thousands of AFSCME employees and retirees for their decades of persistent advocacy on this issue.”
Sean Kuzakin, president of Public Safety Employees Association Local 803: “Alaska’s law enforcement personnel have worked too hard and put too much on the line in service of our communities to not receive their fully deserved Social Security benefits. I’m relieved that this long-standing injustice has been corrected and grateful to Senator Murkowski for her support for Alaska’s public safety employees.”
Dominic Lozano, president of Alaska Professional Fire Fighters: “Alaska’s firefighters applaud Senator Murkowski for standing up for public workers across Alaska,. For too long the federal government has been withholding portions of our social security benefits unfairly. Senator Murkowski understands the importance of this legislation and has been advocating for Alaskans since she started in the Senate. Retirees throughout Alaska know the importance of this legislation as well as future generations of Alaskans who will now receive their full social security benefit.”
Kathy Simpler, director of National Education Association-Alaska: “Passage of H.R. 82 is historic and will immediately make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of former military members, public servants and educators. We’re grateful that Senator Murkowski has been fighting alongside Alaska’s educators on this issue for her entire career in the US Senate.”
Paul McIntosh, president, National Active and Retired Employees Association:“More than 17,000 former public servants in Alaska, and over 2.8 million nationally, are unfairly penalized by WEP and GPO. With this Senate vote, backed by Senator Murkowski, we will finally receive the full benefits we earned through our hard work. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will be forever grateful for Senator Murkowski’s leadership in the effort to repeal WEP and GPO, which NARFE has been advocating for 40 years.”
None of the Alaska union leaders mentioned that they will now drop their push for the costly defined benefits for State of Alaska employees, pensions that would impact city, borough, and school district employees across Alaska.
The State of Alaska still owes at least $6 billion to the former defined-benefit recipients who were enrolled in the program before it was discontinued in 2006 and replaced with a defined-contribution system, similar to what is found in the private sector.
More details
The WEP was enacted in 1983. It trims or drastically cuts Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government for employment not covered by Social Security.
Alaska, a state that has a massive government workforce, has thousands of retirees impacted by the provision.
Likewise, the GPO, which was enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government.
Together, these provisions reduce Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million American workers and retirees, Murkowski’s office said.
The bill had the support of all Democrats in the Senate, and 24 Republicans, including Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance.
The bill now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it. It will cost nearly $200 million over a decade and will increase the risk of Social Security being insolvent by the mid 2030s.
A government shutdown was avoided late Saturday as a pared-down temporary funding package headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. In the end, the 1,500-page funding package, which had been packed with Democrat-driven spending was whittled down to 118 pages by the U.S. House, keeping the government open until March 14.
The continuing resolution was expected to be signed by Biden Saturday and the Office and Management and Budget put a hold on government shutdown preparations.
“In addition to preserving pay for our brave men and women in uniform, the continuing resolution I voted for tonight includes an important $110 billion disaster-relief package,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan. “My team and I worked hard to include language that will specifically help our communities dealing with serious natural disasters, like the devastating flood in Juneau and landslides in Southeast. That being said, I believe that the process by which these last minute government funding bills are negotiated is fundamentally broken. President Trump was right to call attention to the initial bill—1,500 pages, written behind closed doors, and released with just hours to review. In the new Congress, I will be pressing my colleagues for a return to regular order in crafting a budget, a process that will better serve Alaskans and all Americans.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, “There is never, ever a time when a government shutdown is a good thing for Americans or Alaskans. I’m relieved that cooler heads prevailed and a needless shutdown was avoided. Additionally, I was able to secure several critical provisions that will help Alaskans, including a desperately needed $300 million that will refill our fisheries disaster account, ensuring that our hardworking fishermen will have the support they need to get back on the water.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson had introduced a massive 1,547-page continuing resolution that had been negotiated with Democrats, but was given to Republican members with only hours for them to read it before voting on it. The conservative House members voted with the Democrats to kill it, and President Donald Trump, along with tens of thousands of people using the X social media site, condemned the entire process. For the first time in history, Americans had the ability to shape, in real time, a funding bill.
That public pressure, led by Elon Musk, who is in the Trump inner circle and has the role of rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse in government, resulted in a “skinny CR, that cut almost all Democrat demands. It passed the House late Friday afternoon, and passed the Senate on Friday night.
“This America First legislation delivers much-needed relief for Americans devastated by the hurricanes and our hardworking farmers, and it sets up President Trump to start delivering on DAY ONE,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Cranberries and oranges have long been classic staples on our holiday tables, providing color and flavor to Christmas celebrations. The scent of these familiar flavors has the power to bring back fond memories of times past.
Christmas Cranberry Orange Cake combines two favorite holiday foods for an innovative take on the conventional pound cake, using cream cheese, fresh cranberries, and whole oranges. Enjoy its distinctive taste on its own or paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Just one bite can transport you back to simpler times when cranberries and popcorn were popular holiday decorations and we were excited to find oranges in our Christmas stockings.
This pound cake variation calls for simmering oranges on the stovetop for more than an hour. Although this process for softening the oranges is time-consuming, the citrus scent that fills the air is pleasant, evoking nostalgia long before the cake emerges from the oven.
Food is more than just sustenance; it evokes shared memories, emotions, and experiences with others. Enjoy this recipe and the opportunity this holiday season to slow down and make new traditions with delicious food and irreplaceable time spent with loved ones.
Christmas Cranberry Orange Cake
1-½ cups of fresh cranberries (rinsed) 2 small oranges 2 ½ cups of sugar 8 ounces butter (room temperature) 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature) ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons almond extract 5 large eggs (room temperature) 2 ½ cups of flour
Glaze (Optional) ½ cup powdered sugar 1 small orange ¼ teaspoon butter
Preparation: Thoroughly wash the oranges under cool water with a vegetable brush. Place the oranges in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 1 ½ hours until the oranges become soft. Remove the oranges from the water and purée in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Simmer oranges ready to pureePureed oranges
Allow the pureed oranges to cool to room temperature while you prepare the cake batter.
Preheat the oven to 315°F.
To prevent sticking, prepare a 10-inch bundt pan by thoroughly applying butter and flour, then tap the pan upside down to remove excess flour.
Classic bundt pan, floured.
Using a mixer, cream the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, and almond extract until smooth. Add flour and eggs to the creamed mixture by alternating between adding flour and one egg at a time, taking care to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the puréed oranges and mix until combined. Gently add the final ingredient by folding in the cranberries by hand.
Add cranberriesBakeCool and turn onto plate
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan by gently spooning the batter into the pan. Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake it for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the batter bakes thoroughly and the cake turns golden brown. Take care to not over-bake.
Cool in the bundt pan for 15 minutes, then turn over onto a cake plate. This cake is moist and delicious as is, but a glaze can be added, if desired.
Optional Glaze: This glaze is extremely light, brightening the cake with a subtle sheen. Rinse a small orange in cool water and use a vegetable brush to thoroughly clean it. Then zest the orange.
Zest the orange
Squeeze and juice the rest of the orange. Place a small sauce pan on low heat and combine the powdered sugar, butter, and juice from the orange. Stir until the sugar dissolves in the orange juice and all ingredients blend together. This will only take a few minutes. Remove from the heat and add the orange zest.
The glaze will be thin, apply with pastry brush.
The glaze will be very thin. Apply it to the cake using a pastry brush. The mixture will provide more than enough glaze to completely cover the top and sides of the cake with a sweet finish.
Decorating Tip
Decorating the cake with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs adds a festive touch. The link below contains a recipe for making frosted cranberries and twigs.
Brenda Josephson is a Haines resident. She holds degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Business Leadership from the Culinary Institute of America and an MBA with a specialization in Strategic Planning from Heriot-Watt University. She enjoys spending time fishing, foraging, and savoring Alaska’s abundance of natural and wild foods with her family.
In a statement made about the U.S. Department of Education wrongfully attacking Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy came out and said it: He believes the U.S. Department of Education should be dismantled.
Must Read Alaska reported on the matter earlier, describing how the federal government has finally admitted Alaska’s distribution of Covid-era relief money was not a problem after all:
Since MRAK’s report, Dunleavy has issued a statement:
“Today marks the end of a saga the Biden-Harris administration started that was a tremendous waste of time and resources. From the very beginning, it was clear that the U.S. Department of Education’s allegations were meritless. Alaska was not going to back down because we knew we were right,” he said. “On the bright side, this saga is a wonderful case study of the U.S. Department of Education’s abuse of power and serves as further evidence for why I support the concept of eliminating it.”
Commissioner of Education Deena Bishop also weighed in: “It is a triumphant day for Alaska’s students, as our Maintenance of Equity battle with the US Department of Education has ended, and Alaska’s stance on the matter has been vindicated,” Bishop said. “After standing firm behind our Legislature’s bipartisan funding formula, which has been repeatedly independently acclaimed as one of the most equitable in the nation, the federal government has finally conceded, admitting what we knew all along -we are putting the children of Alaska first.”
Maintenance of Equity was a Biden provision inserted into the American Rescue Plan Act intended to ensure low-income local school districts were not disproportionately cut if a state reduced education funding, Dunleavy explained.
On one hand, the federal government had alleged Alaska provided too little funding to some urban school districts, implying Alaska provided disproportionately too much funding to rural districts.
On the other hand, the formula Alaska used to determine funding amounts is one that the U.S. Department of Education had already approved.
Further, the governor’s office explained, Alaska did not cut education funding. If a school district received a lower funding amount, it was due to a drop in student enrollment.
The Education Department, a massive bureaucracy that skims tax dollars that should go to states, failed to understand the “hold harmless” provision of Alaska’s funding formula.
In Alaska, if a district’s enrollment drops more than 5%, the district does not immediately see a change in funding. Instead, the hold harmless provision allows the state to continue funding the district with amounts that step down over time. This is a benefit to school districts that prevents drastic changes in funding amounts and allows districts time to plan for a new level of funding based on changes in enrollment.
E”D attempted to strong-arm Alaska into providing more funding to certain urban districts, although ED changed its demands on the dollar amounts and even which districts were allegedly owed the funds.
Some Alaska legislators, such as Sen. Loki Tobin, chair of Senate Education, latched onto the federal demands in their attempt to increase the base student allocation formula at any cost and lambasted the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development’s leadership, even though testimony to the Senate Education Committee from a national expert supported the State of Alaska’s position.
Earlier this year, Dunleavy vetoed an addition to the budget that had been made by the Legislature to resolve the dispute with the federal government.
“I swore to uphold the Constitution of Alaska when I was elected,” Gov. Dunleavy said.“As long as I am Governor, I will continue to enforce the statutes of the great State of Alaska, regardless of what unelected bureaucrats demand.”
On the Friday before Christmas, the Biden Administration withdrew its Title IX changes that his administration had adapted to force schools to allow boy athletes to compete in girls’ competitive athletics. School districts that refused would lose federal funding for all programs.
Across the nation, parents have been in revolt over the change made to Title IX by the Biden Administration in 2023. Title IX was originally passed in 1972 to ensure that girls had a level playing field in athletics, supported by funding, equipment, and coaching. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was one of the bill’s biggest champtions.
But recently, with gender confusion occurring at younger and younger ages, the increasing trend of boys deciding that they are girls and competing against girls has become a national conversation, and was likely a factor in the 2024 election cycle.
“The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is withdrawing the notice of proposed rulemaking entitled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams” published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2023. The proposed rule would have amended the regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX),” the file says.
Rep. Jamie Allard of Eagle River has been at the forefront of the fight for girls in Alaska.
“I’ve been listening to Eagle River residents and Alaskans across the state. A vast majority of Alaskans want our girls to have a fair playing field. Now that the Biden Administration has come along recognizing this, perhaps our ‘girls in sports’ bill can get passed this session,” she said.
Alliance Defending Freedom has also been active on the national level, fighting for girls.
:Women and girls deserve to compete on a level playing field, and the U.S. Department of Education has taken a step in the right direction by withdrawing this proposed change, said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Legal Strategy Jonathan Scruggs. “As the withdrawal admitted, many Americans voiced their opposition to the rule change and there are many pending lawsuits related to protecting women’s sports—including a comment submitted by Alliance Defending Freedom and multiple lawsuits brought by ADF to protect women’s sports. The decision to withdraw the proposed sports rule merely reflects the views of the vast majority of Americans who believe that women’s sports should remain reserved for female athletes.”
The fight to protect women’s sports from gender ideology is far from over., Scruggs said.
The Biden administration has attempted to insert gender ideology into Title IX by its general Title IX rule adopted earlier this year, the Biden administration has repeatedly told courts that Title IX alone requires schools to admit men into women’s sports, and activist groups across the country have filed numerous lawsuits to force females to compete against males, he explained.
Why Biden stealthily withdrew his trans regulations is not clear, but he may fear losing at the Supreme Court.
“That is why Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to fight to preserve women’s sports for women and why the U.S. Supreme Court should grant review in two pending cases, B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of EducationandHecox v. Little, where lower courts required women to compete against males. So, while today represents a victory, there is still much work left to do to ensure women have fair play and equal opportunity in athletics,” Scruggs said.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy unveiled news that he has an executive order he plans to sign that would create a new department: The Alaska Department of Agriculture.
In a press release he said the department’s mission is to bolster the agricultural capacity of Alaska, and create more economic activity and food security.
Currently, there is a Division of Agriculture in the Department of Natural Resources, but a new department creates a new cabinet member.
The executive order will be introduced on the first day of the upcoming legislative session on Jan. 21.
Alaska imports about 95% of its food products.
“The COVID pandemic was a wakeup call. It revealed how much Alaska had become dependent on functioning supply chains and how quickly a disruption at West Coast ports could wreak havoc in Alaska,” said Dunleavy in a statement. “The Department of Agriculture’s mission will be to provide expert support for new and established farmers and ranchers and administer programs that improve Alaska’s food security. This will also grow the state’s economy with new jobs and commercial activity. I look forward to working with lawmakers in the upcoming session on this plan for future economic growth and greater food security for all Alaskans.”
The new department will continue all functions currently carried out by the Division of Agriculture but will be better positioned to effectively carry out its mission, his office said.
The move has the support of the Alaska Farm Bureau and the Alaska Food Policy Council.
“Reestablishing the Alaska Department of Agriculture under the Executive Branch demonstrates Governor Dunleavy’s ongoing commitment to Alaskan agriculture,” said Department of Natural Resources Commissioner John Boyle. “As a top recommendation of both recent [Alaska] Food Security Task Force reports and a longstanding policy priority of agricultural stakeholders such as the Alaska Farm Bureau, a department dedicated to ensuring stronger strategic alignment with the agriculture industry will result in more focus and attention to Alaskan farmers and ranchers.”
Dunleavy made no mention of the new department when he unveiled his 2026 budget last week.
Unless rejected by a majority lawmakers, the Department of Agriculture would be official on July 1, 2025, the start of the 2026 fiscal year.
The announcement by the governor came with no fiscal note. The budget for the Division of Agriculture in Fiscal Year 2024 was $6,891,400.
A new department would require a new commissioner and at least one deputy commissioner and other positions. They’ll be in charge of Alaska’s biggest agricultural crop: Cannabis.
Earlier in his administration, Dunleavy created a new Department of Health when he split Health off from the Department of Health and Social Services.
With only hours to spare, a divided House of Representatives passed a stop-gap spending bill that keeps the government open. The bill now goes to the Senate for its approval and the president for his signature. The process has until midnight Friday, Eastern Time, but in fact the term “government shutdown” is not accurate, as much of the government would remain open even if the bill didn’t pass on time. Essential workers’ paychecks would be delayed, however.
The House vote was 366 to 34. Alaska’s Rep. Mary Peltola voted in favor of the American Relief Act, as the bill is titled, although she had voted no on earlier versions. The bill needed two-thirds majority to pass.
The bill was cut down from over 1,500 pages to 118 pages did not include a debt limit increase that had been requested by President Donald Trump.
A comparison between the original bill and the final bill as passed by the House on Dec. 20, 2024
Without question, the public weighing in on X/Twitter created pressure on lawmakers. Democrats in the House seethed that Elon Musk, who owns X, had so much influence in the process.
This crazy lady screaming about "President Musk!" is the most powerful Democrat in Congress on all things US federal budget. She was Chair of the House Appropriations Committee for the first 2 years of Biden & has been the #1 Democrat there since the GOP won the 2022 midterms. pic.twitter.com/NQZr3WxRxD
Party City, which has one store in Alaska, is closing its doors due to financial pressures, in large part because of inflation, according to CNN, which was reporting on an internal memo received by company executives Friday.
The chain of 850 stores has a location in the Mountain View neighborhood in Anchorage, where it sells birthday party supplies, baby shower favors, Halloween costumes, and seasonal decorations.
Some corporate employees were told that Friday is their last day, and there would be no severance pay for them. It’s unclear when each store will close but the memo from CEO Barry Litwin said, “Unfortunately, it’s necessary to commence a winddown process immediately.”
The chain, which is the largest of its type in America, filed for bankruptcy protection in January of 2023, and came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September of 2023, having had over $1 billion in debt cancelled in the bankruptcy proceedings. It had closed 80 stores over the course of two years, between 2022 and 2024.
The news comes one day after it was announced that Big Lots, a discount retailer, is closing all of its locations. It has no stores in Alaska.
