The three Alaska electors who will cast Electoral College votes for Alaska will be doing the formalities in Anchorage rather than Juneau this year.
The choice to move the event to Anchorage was made by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. Sources said she thought having the Electoral College vote in Anchorage would draw more media attention to the signing, which is usually a low-key event.
Attendance is by invitation only as space is limited. Electors are able to invite four guests. Invitations have gone out to certain people to attend the Dec. 17 event at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, on the second floor in the K’enakatnu 6 boardroom. The building is at 600 W. 7th Ave. in Anchorage.
Electors in each state meet on the same day — Dec. 17 — to select the president and vice president, reflecting the popular vote of their state. Each state has a specific number of electoral votes, with California having the most, at 54, a reflection of the population. Alaska shares the bottom spot with states like Vermont, South Dakota, North Dakota, District of Columbia, Wyoming, and Delaware — all with three electoral votes each.
Being an elector is considered an honor and the individuals are chosen by the political parties. In states where Kamala Harris won the majority, such as California, the electors will be from the Democratic Party. In states like Alaska, where Trump won, the electors will be from the Republican Party.
In 2020, the electors were John Binkley, Judy Eledge, and Randy Ruedrich.
Alaska’s electors for 2024 are Rick Whitbeck of Anchorage, Ron Johnson of Mat-Su, and Eileen Becker of Homer.
Overall, Trump won 312 electoral votes while Harris won 226. Trump needed 270 electoral votes to win.
Learn more about the Electoral College process at this link.
The Biden Administration announced it will hold a congressionally mandated lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 Area, which was an area set aside in law for oil and gas. The sale is required by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
But the Interior Department, after canceling all of the lawfully allowed leases to date, has actually shut down all but one quarter of the 1002 area. The department will auction just 400,000 acres, which is the minimum required by the 2017 law, that mandated the department conduct two sales before the end of 2024.
During the Donald Trump Administration, there were nine leases issued, but the Biden Administration came into office and the president immediately suspended all nine in 2021.
Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Biden Administration is acting illegally: “But the most insulting aspect of BLM’s announcement today is the agency’s claim to have ‘consulted with Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations’ on this Record of Decision. Having spoken with the leaders of these entities, I can report that nothing is further from the truth. The Biden-Harris administration has never given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities—just like the Biden-Harris administration refused to even meet with Alaska Native leaders when promulgating their illegal NPR-A rule. Cancelling Alaska Native voices continues under the Biden-Harris administration, but don’t hold your breath for the mainstream media to write that story. The good news is we will soon be working with the Trump administration which, unlike Biden-Harris, has a proven traNickck record of responsible oil and gas production and Alaska resource development, and respects the voices of the Iñupiat people of the North Slope.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy was equally miffed at the end run by the Biden Administration: “The Biden administration has cloaked its latest sanction on Alaska as a lease sale in ANWR. The truth is this lease sale is designed to fail. It limits exploration to the largest extent possible while trying to pass it off as following the law passed by Congress to offer leases that have a legitimate chance of success. The upside here is that in a matter of weeks the Trump administration will come into office and prioritize safe oil and gas development that provides stable and secure energy. Alaska’s four yearlong nightmare ends January 20th.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski did not offer her thoughts on the matter, offered thoughts on Tuesday afternoon in a statement: “For the past four years, Interior has done everything it can think of to undermine responsible development on the Coastal Plain, ignoring federal law and those who actually live on the North Slope to upend the reasonable program the Trump administration put in place in 2020. The ROD does not reflect statutory requirements, the preferences of most local residents, or the needs of our nation, but it’s a fitting finale for an administration that has routinely allowed Iran, Venezuela, and other adversaries to produce their resources, regardless of the consequences, while attempting to shut everything down in Alaska.”
Rep. Mary Peltola said nothing.
The Biden Administration is moving with legally questionable steps to hogtie the leases, as it has from Day One of the administration. For the Trump Administration to start over, it could take years to set up a lease framework for what would be an economically viable investment for companies.
The Congressional Budget Office monthly report shows that since the federal government’s fiscal year started in October, the budget deficit is already $622 billion, which is 40% higher than it was at the same time in 2023.
At this rate, the federal government will be running an annual budget deficit of $3.7 trillion by September, 2025, the highest ever.
It’s part of the financial damage that President Joe Biden is leaving the Trump Administration, which starts Jan. 20.
Overall, the U.S. debt is now over $36 trillion. That’s the amount that the country has borrowed from foreign governments, institutions, and citizens who invest in U.S. Treasury bonds. Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Luxembourg are the countries that own the majority of U.S. debt. Every taxpayer in America owes at least $209,000 for this spending of borrowed money.
Just two months into the fiscal year, Biden appears to intent on making America’s fiscal catastrophe worse. He traveled to Angola a week ago to announce another $600 million in new financing for infrastructure in that country, part of $4 billion the Biden Administration has sent to Angola for the rail and port projects connecting Angola to Zambia.
The Alaska Division of Elections finished the recount of Ballot Measure 2, and just six votes were changed, not nearly enough to alter the overall outcome. The attempt to repeal ranked-choice voting has failed by a margin of 743 votes.
Part of the recount, which was done by sending the ballots through the Dominion scanners again, included a hand count of a random precinct from every district.
The citizens trying to get Alaska to return to regular primaries and general elections were up against $15 million in dark money from outside Alaska, money that was used to convince Alaskans that ranked-choice voting is somehow more fair, and money that was used to chase absentee ballots and deliver the win for the liberals who designed the system for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, so that she will not have to face Republican voters in a normal primary.
Phil Izon, who was a leader of the ballot initiative to undo the ranked-choice system, says he is prepared to try again, because it’s apparent that many voters were not coerced by the millions of dollars of dark-money ads don’t agree with the system that is designed by and for leftists. He will be filing a petition application with the Division of Elections soon with what he hopes will be a more successful campaign.
In another recount that is now complete, winner Elexie Moore for the House District 28 seat made vacant by Rep. Jesse Sumner, has retained her win, after second-place finisher Steve Menard had requested a recount. Menard was behind by 12 votes, and after the recount he still trailed, but by 9 votes.
It’s better to be lucky than good. It’s best to be both. Our new congressman got elected on merit, and he’s lucky to be a member of the 119th Congress. The next two years will be the most exciting time of his life, and the most productive. I admit I’m a little jealous.
He’ll be treated well by the Republican leadership. He took a seat away from the Democrats, and they want to see him to keep it. And they know that developing Alaska’s resource wealth is a key not only to energy dominance, but to the overall health of the American economy. Prosperity is good politics.
It’s true, I believe, that he has yet to develop any rapport with President Donald Trump. He lost to Mary Peltola two years ago only because of the vainglorious Sarah Palin, who was a Trump candidate.
Trump only endorsed him this year after he beat the candidate Trump did want, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. But it is in the mutual interest of both men that the other succeed, and self-interest will be enough for a good working relationship.
Talk about an interesting time to be a member of the House Majority! For a while, at least, it looks like a 217 to 215 split, which means any one Republican defection can deny the Speaker a majority. It’s hard to imagine any Republican Congressman actually doing such a foolish thing, but any collection of 217 politicians will contain a few odd ducks. Actually, more than a few. For an old pol like me, this is great entertainment.
Every day seems to bring something new to get excited about. Take NASA, for instance, the organization that got us to the moon. If you’re old enough, you vividly remember where you were and who you were with when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon. I was in a tiny apartment on West 27th in Spenard, watching a little black and white TV with the original Fritz Pettyjohn and his wife. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life.
Those were the glory years of NASA, but it’s been more or less a boondoggle ever since. It’s been captured by Boeing, the company that builds planes with exploding doors.
But it’s got a new boss, Jared Isaacman, a big customer of Elon Musk. He paid Musk for a ride on a SpaceX rocket and got to do a spacewalk. What a guy! He’s going to have a $20 billion budget to play with, and I think he’s going to use it to help Elon get to Mars.
Aside from seeing an Article V Convention, and walking my granddaughter down the aisle, my dearest wish is to see a man land on Mars. I like pointing out Mars in the night sky and telling my grandsons that it is not a star, it’s a planet, like Earth, and some day they will see a man walk on it.
That’s one day, and one announcement, about one federal agency.
What a brave new world it may be!
Nick will be in the middle of all of this. What’s curious is that his grandfather, Nick Begich I, was in the same position 54 years ago. He was as good as Nick III, but he didn’t have any luck. He died with the House Majority Leader, and Speaker-to-be, Hale Boggs in a tragic airplane crash somewhere in the Chugach range/Prince William Sound area. What a waste!
If you’re a Christian, you might just believe that Nick I is in heaven watching all this, and he’s very proud.
Fritz Pettyjohn was a prosecuting attorney for the City of Ketchikan, Alaska in 1973 and served in the Alaska Legislature in the 1980s. He blogs at ReaganProject.com
I recently wrote an additional version of Alaska’s Flag song, in consideration of the recently failed legislative attempt to add an additional verse to our traditional State song.
It seems that when attempting to alter historical icons, there is always the potential to create controversy and division from those who love and want to keep them just the way they are.
So it was, with the proposed second verse of Alaska’s Flag song. It was controversial and a legislative attempt to officially add it to the song ultimately failed.
I have performed our State song hundreds of times over the years with guitar or piano, and wherever in the world that was, people said it was one of the most beautiful state songs they had ever heard. Simple and strong. A true masterpiece.
However, those calling for a second verse had a point: The only reference to any people in the song was to “sourdough” miners, invariably mostly white and newcomers, the only requirement for the designation at that time was having survived one Alaska winter. There was no reference to Alaska’s first people, our Native population. So, a writer penned a verse to correct this omission. The problem was, while more inclusive, it was almost completely unsingable. Many people tried but it just didn’t work.
While referencing our Native population and the design of our flag by a “Native boy” it is actually a bit more complex than that. While Benny Benson was an Alaska Native, his mother, Tatiana, was Aleut/Russian and his father was a Swedish fisherman, more reflective of the diversity of our Alaska population of today. And the state song also had no recognition of all the other wonderful people that make up our state.
So, rather than try to suggest a change to our iconic Alaska’s Flag song, I have written a completely new song, not to replace but to complement it; to capture the natural beauty of our state, but also to pay respect to all of our people, especially when we stand united together.
So many forces today try to divide us by race, politics and seemingly just about everything else. These forces see some short-term advantage to this approach, but overall it is destructive to Alaska and someone needs to say something about it. I have done so here and I hope you enjoy it.
Verse 1
Alaska’s flag, long may it mean to me
Our rivers strong, our mountains, the deep blue sea
But when I see our people
Standing together proud and free….
As can be
That’s when I feel, those 8 gold stars
Shining down on me (refrain: shine on)
Verse 2
We work the sea and land
Kids and parents hand in hand
No matter your race
I only see your smiling face
And when they try to divide us
We reach deep down inside us and see
What can be
When we stand as one, under the midnight sun
That great North star will always shine on me. (refrain: shine on)
4/4 time, moderate Latin tempo and feel
Intro: E G#m7 F#m7 Am7
Verse: E G#m7 F#m7 B X2
Bridge: A Am E C# F#m B
Outro: E G#m7 F#m7 Am7
A fitting tribute to Benny Benson
He was a wonderful man. He spent his early years as an orphan in the Jesse Lee home in Unalaska. While I lived there in the 1980’s and was mayor, I visited the home, which is now a private residence.
There, upstairs, I saw Benny’s locker with his name still engraved on it, just as he left it. The Jesse Lee home moved to Seward and so did Benny, where he received an education and learned many life skills. He designed Alaska’s flag there and graduated from high school in 1932.
Benny returned to the Aleutians, trapping and selling furs on the international market, and worked as a diesel mechanic in Seattle before returning to Kodiak where he raised his two daughters as a single father, using the skills of cooking and sewing he learned at Jesse Lee. He later used those sewing skills to sew and autograph Alaska flags presented to every newly crowned Miss Alaska.
Benny broke racial barriers as well, being the first Alaska Native to be initiated into the Kodiak Elks Club, despite strenuous objections by the Elks regional headquarters in Seattle due to race. He died, at 58 years old of a heart attack.
Benny stated the reasons and meaning behind his design of the Alaska Flag:
The deep blue background representing the sea.
The Dipper’s constellation, Ursa Major, the Great Bear because of its strength.
The Great North Star to guide the future of Alaska. The North Star is particularly symbolic since it was an actual guide for travelers for centuries, ‘O’er land and sea, a beacon bright’ in the words of the song. Since the North Star stands directly over the North Pole and the other stars appear to revolve around it, you readily know where North is. And its distance over the horizon indicates your latitude. It was many years later that a double mirrored sextant and accurate timepiece allowed for the calculation of longitude. And even much later for Loran stations and the satellite GPS systems we now take for granted. Yet, even to this day, the North Star remains a powerful symbol for all Arctic people as we look North to the Future.
Paul Fuhs grew up in Anchorage, attending Denali Elementary, Central Junior High and graduated from West High in 1967. He was enlisted in US Army Military Intelligence, MOS 97 Delta, and a North Vietnamese linguist during the Vietnam War era, 1969-1971.
While the Anchorage Assembly prepares a ballot question for April to get voters to approve a 3% sales tax, it’s already flush with money.
Among the jobs it is seeking to fill is a “marketing assistant,” range 10, for the Anchorage Public Libraries.
The job pays up to $26 an hour and is open to the general public and any current municipal employee.
And it’s covered by the public employee union: “This position is represented by the Anchorage Municipal Employee Association (AMEA) and is subject to the provisions of the current agreement between the Municipality of Anchorage and the AMEA,” the job listing says.
There is no library director at this time, although Elizabeth Nicolai, the assistant director, is serving as acting director of a library system that has been the subject of much public criticism for pushing gender ideology on children through Drag Queen Story Hour and books about gay sex placed prominently at a child’s eye level.
Anchorage libraries, as with those in some places in the Lower 48, have become homeless shelters and drug-use sanctuaries during the day, and some traditional users of the libraries no longer feel safe.
In 2022, a woman was stabbed in the back at the main Loussac Library and permanently injured in her spine by a man who was later released by a judge because he was found to be not competent to stand trial.
In other cities, surface tests have been conducted in public libraries and have shown that many surfaces are contaminated with drugs like methamphetamines and fentanyl. In Colorado, the Boulder Public Library suddenly closed in 2022 after meth had been detected in public areas. Denver metro libraries are spending tens of thousands of dollars to clean up meth residue in their bathrooms, according to the Colorado Sun.
With Anchorage libraries being used by drug abusers, there may be actual health hazards associated with going to the library. But instead of testing surfaces to ensure safety of patrons, Anchorage is going to focus on marketing the libraries as places for the public to take their kids.
Here is the general job description:
“The Marketing Assistant supports the development of marketing materials, social media content, short form videos, and participates in public engagement opportunities, that help grow library usage and develop a positive relationship between the Anchorage Public Library (APL) and the community. Under the direction of the Marketing Supervisor, the Marketing Assistant is responsible for: developing original content for both print and digital projects using Adobe programs and web-based services; producing engaging creative content for all APL’s social media platforms, representing the department at various outreach events virtually and/or in-person; contributing ideas for future marketing campaigns; other duties as assigned.”
Find this and other Anchorage city jobs at this link.
The Marine Corps veteran who put a chokehold on a violent subway druggie has been found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Daniel Penny had already on Friday been found not guilty of manslaughter. But the judge instructed the jury to deliberate the second count, which was criminally negligent homicide. The Monday verdict means he is not guilty in the eyes of the law.
The issue has electrified the nation, as some felt it was a racial issue. Penny is white and the perpetrator, Jordan Neely, was black.
Outside the courtroom, protesters shouted that there will be violence as a result of the verdict: “If we don’t get no justice, they don’t get no peace,” which some saw as a threat against jurors. As with George Floyd, who died in 2020 during an encounter with police, some have made Neely into a type of martyr, and painted Penny as a racist vigilante.
According to body cam footage from a New York Police officer, Neely had a pulse when medics and officers responded, but they didn’t give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation out of fears of contracting hepatitis from him, a known drug abuser.
A group of Juneau residents, including geologists, energy specialists, engineers, and concerned homeowners, have formed in the past few weeks to try to get the government to act on the seemingly annual disaster that is happening to neighborhoods near Juneau’s Mendenhall River, where catastrophic flooding is becoming the norm.
After a flood from an ice dam lake at the Mendenhall Glacier washed away homes in 2023, the city Assembly sat on its hands and did essentially nothing. The Assembly was too busy spending $50,0000 to lobby voters to approve a new city hall during that October’s election, instead of addressing the crisis along the river. The voters said no to the city hall, and the city did not act on the flood crisis.
The flooding was even worse in 2024, when the ice dam once again burst and hundreds of homes were inundated, impacting thousands of Juneau residents.
Juneau Flood Solution Advocates was born to tackle the issue head on. Studies don’t require federal permits, they say. The studies should already be done by now.
One of the group’s first public projects is an explanatory documentary film produced by Noah Tether that was just launched on YouTube, “Frozen Waters Unleashed.” In it, solutions are explored that have contained the flooding on the Chena River in Fairbanks, with a look at how the same solutions could be applied to the Mendenhall River.
Juneau Flood Solution Advocates is also calling for a town hall meeting in advance of the Juneau Assembly’s regular meeting on Dec. 16, which may be a decision-making meeting about more actions to protect homes and lives. The group wants the city to schedule the town hall meeting first to get the information out to the public about the decisions that may be made on Dec. 16.
“The purpose is to allow for a conversation including questions and answers about the upcoming ordinance. We are waiting for the city’s response. You can email the city, and your assembly and ask for the Juneau FSA Townhall. Many requests give power to our voice, so please consider writing to the city this weekend. We are also preparing for the public comment time at the assembly meeting on Monday, December 16th. We are looking for volunteers to speak. Can we count on you? Please let us know. Respond to [email protected] and tell us you will help,” the group advised on its website, where more information and resources can be found.
