U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan sent Must Read Alaska his views on ranked-choice voting and why is is voting Yes on Ballot Measure 2:
“The stakes in this upcoming election couldn’t be higher and Alaskans have a real opportunity to elect strong Republican leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for hard-working families, defend our state’s critical interests, and stand up to the Biden-Harris administration’s far-left policies harming our communities and our way of life. With so much on the line, now is the time to do everything we can to ensure strong voter turnout on Election Day,” he said.
“I urge every Alaskan to make their voice heard by voting, bringing a friend, family member, or neighbor to the polls, and helping spread the word about the important issues we’re facing, Sullivan said.
“Alaskans will also face a critical question on Ballot Measure 2 –– to decide whether ranked choice voting should remain in Alaska. As I’ve stated before, I am voting Yes on Ballot Measure 2 to repeal ranked choice voting and encourage Alaskans to join me. Like many others who did not support ranked choice voting in 2020, I still believe this new election system has created unnecessary confusion among voters,” he said. “By returning to our previous election system, I believe we can restore confidence in our elections and reaffirm one of the bedrocks of our democracy: one person, one vote.”
Ballot Measure 2 undoes the scheme caused in 2020, when Outside dark money convinced Alaskans to adopt a controversial voting method called ranked-choice voting. This year, Ballot Measure 2 asks voters if they want to return to normal elections. Over $13 million in dark money has been spent by the Democrats and their operatives who are trying to prevent normal elections.
On Tuesday, our nation brings the 2024 election cycle to a close. People have poured their hearts into campaigns and candidates, ballot initiatives, and bond issues. No matter what the outcome, emotions will run high on Tuesday night. Whether your family is celebrating or in need of solace, there is no better way to nurture them than with some delicious old-fashioned comfort food.
Tomato soup and a grilled cheese are my go-to comfort foods. The simple soup and sandwich combo evokes memories of my childhood, warming me up after a cold day. The most enjoyable part was always the generous amounts of cheddar cheese on the grilled bread, which melted onto the plate. Dipping the sandwich into the tomato soup enhanced its decadence, creating a harmonious blend of flavors that soothed both body and soul.
Taking a break to savor some homemade comfort foods is a wonderful way to unwind and appreciate the small things. Tomato soup is a basic dish with a variety of options. I especially enjoy a roasted tomato and red pepper variation that uses fresh vegetables.
If the idea of roasting fresh vegetables for soup overwhelms you, below this first recipe is a simple tomato soup recipe using common pantry staples. Continue reading toward the end for that basic recipe.
All the right stuff: Ingredients for Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients:
2 pounds of ripe tomatoes
5 large red peppers
6 tablespoons of butter
2 large onions (yellow are preferred)
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
4 cloves garlic minced
6 cups of bone broth, stock, or bouillon of your choice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for extra spice)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for extra spice)
For garnish: sour cream and basil, parsley, or cilantro
Makes about 3 quarts (approximately twelve 1-cup servings)
Start by cleaning and cutting the red peppers into strips, then cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut side up on a sheet pan. Melt half of the butter (3 tablespoons) and drizzle over the vegetables. Place them in a preheated oven set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until the red peppers are tender and the tomatoes start to dry.
Roast the tomatoes and red peppers in an oven.
While the red peppers and tomatoes are roasting, dice the onions and melt butter in a large sauce pan. I use a 3 1/2-quart enameled pot for this purpose. After melting the butter, add the diced onions and salt, then cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelize into a light golden color. This will take about 20 minutes more or less.
Carmelize the onions.Add roasted tomatoes and red peppers.
Add the minced garlic to the onions and cook for one to two minutes until the garlic starts to soften and become aromatic. Then add the roasted tomatoes and red peppers to the caramelized onions and garlic.
Next, add the broth or stock to the onions, tomatoes, and red peppers. You can use any type of broth or stock, such as beef, chicken, or vegetable. I use moose bone broth for soups and stews.
Add broth to vegetables.
Next, blend the ingredients until you achieve the desired soup consistency. If you have an immersion blender, this step is simple. While a regular blender can serve the purpose, it requires transferring the hot ingredients into the blender before returning them to the pot for the final simmer.
Blend it all up, taking care not to burn yourself with hot ingredients.
The final step is to add the other seasonings. Add black pepper and paprika to the soup. Add the optional cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes for a spicier taste. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down and simmer for ten to twenty minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Taste the soup to check if it needs additional salt or other seasonings and adjust it to taste.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro. My preference is to use cilantro on the roasted tomato and red pepper soup. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich and enjoy!
The roasted tomato and red pepper soup is a delicious twist on a classic comfort food. If you prefer to prepare a basic tomato soup, you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Here’s my take on a classic:
Basic Tomato Soup
Basic Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
2 each 14 ounce cans of tomatoes (I use fire roasted tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of butter
1 medium onion
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 to 2 cups of bone broth, stock, or bouillon of your choice
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for extra spice)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for extra spice)
For garnish: sour cream and basil or parsley
Makes about 1 quart (approximately four 1-cup servings)
Start by cutting the onion and melting butter in a small sauce pan. I use a 1-quart enameled pot for this purpose. After melting the butter, add the onions and salt, then cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelize into a light golden color. This will take about 20 minutes more or less.
Then add the canned tomatoes and one cup of broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered with a slightly ajar lid, for 45 minutes. The simmering time is important because it diminishes or eliminates any unpleasant aftertaste that commercially canned tomatoes may have.
Next, blend to puree the ingredients. If the soup is too thick, add more broth until you achieve the desired consistency.
The final step is to add the other seasonings. Add basil, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to the soup. If you prefer a bit of spice, add the optional crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down and simmer for ten to twenty minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Taste the soup to check if it needs additional salt or other seasonings and adjust it to taste.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil or a few flakes of dried basil leaves. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich and enjoy.
If tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches do not appeal to you, try a large bowl of moose stew with sourdough toast. Most Alaskans have their own special way to prepare this comforting cold weather staple. I look forward to sharing my recipe in a future post.
Brenda Josephson is a Haines resident. She is an accounting and tax professional, real estate agent, professionally trained chef, and advocate for good governance. She spends her time fishing, foraging, and savoring Alaska’s abundance of natural and wild foods with her family.
The Valley Republican Women’s club held a candidate convoy rally in the valley Saturday. They had a great time crisscrossing the valley from Palmer to Wasilla. After the event a group of participants went to the local Noisy Goose restaurant for lunch.
The “tolerance” of the Left was once again on display. One vehicle had Trump signs on it as it was parked at the rear of the establishment. A worker about to come on shift happened to be sitting in his car and noticed an individual placing a nail under the tire of the vehicle with the Trump signs. Video was taken as the man walked toward another vehicle with flags and signs on it.
The Palmer police were called and promptly responded. The man left the parking lot after noticing he was being watched, although Palmer police intercepted the man, Charles Davis IV, not far from the restaurant; he was found to have nails in his pockets. The investigation is ongoing in what appears to be a politically motivated crime.
In Fairbanks over the weekend, the windows of the building housing the Interior Republicans were shot out, and last week a home and car in Anchorage were vandalized with the word “TRAITOR” and a Swastika, in apparent response to the Trump signs on the house.
Of course, these crimes pale in comparison to the assassination attempts on Donald Trump’s life over the past few months.
Alaska’s position on the national stage is critical for our Nation’s national security and energy independence. Developing Alaska’s vast natural resources is more crucial than ever if we want to continue fighting towards energy dominance.
Under the Biden/Harris Administration we have seen increasing restrictions on resource development, particularly in Alaska. Congresswoman Mary Peltola, my Democrat colleague, is taking an approach that threatens to stifle these critical industries, risking thousands of jobs and pushing energy prices higher for Alaskans already facing economic challenges.
As a Vice Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I am committed to fighting for rural America and supporting policies that aim to unleash American energy.
Alaska and her vast natural resources are no exception.
In Congress, Peltola has supported restrictive policies that put rural America last.
Oddly, she was the only Western Caucus member to vote against the Lower Energy Costs Act. This key, bipartisan legislation was championed by the Western Caucus and would have slashed red tape and allowed American workers to responsibly produce our abundant natural resources while lowering energy costs for hardworking Americans.
I have seen first-hand how the Biden-Harris Administration has targeted Alaska from day one and has sought to lock up the state’s resources.
That’s why I sponsored Alaska’s Right to Produce Act thatwould have nullified the Administration’s executive action which blocked oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum-Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).
When the legislation came before the House, Peltola cynically became a “co-sponsor” of the bill for nothing more than political theater and she refused to vote for the legislation, urging her Democrat counterparts to oppose.
This alone should outrage Alaskans.
It is unfortunate that Peltola has refused to stand up and support commonsense legislation that would advance many of the priorities of the Western Caucus and champion rural America.
Peltola’s top-down policies often overlook the needs and voices of those who know our state best – its residents.
On Tuesday, Alaskans have the opportunity to choose a candidate who understands the importance of developing Alaska’s natural resources and be a critical voice for our state.
In stark contrast, Nick Begich understands that there is no better jurisdiction than Alaska to harness our abundant naturalresources that will open the door for energy independence and economic renewal.
Nick Begich’s vision for Alaska is one of opportunity and economic growth, ensuring that we can leverage our resources responsibly. Sadly, Peltola’s approach risks curbing our economic potential and jeopardizing the livelihoods of countless Alaskans.
It is time to elect leaders who will champion our state’s interests and put Alaskans first.
I urge my fellow citizens to stand with Nick Begich as we work together to secure a prosperous future for Alaska.
Pete Stauber is in his third term in U.S. Congress. He represents Minnesota’s 8th congressional district in northeastern Minnesota.
It’s in the books: The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has agreed to settle with the ACLU and the Northern Justice Project over a frivolous lawsuit concerning possibly indecent books on the shelves in borough school libraries.
But the district didn’t settle without having its say in the matter, and expressing its distaste for the law fare being committed. The ACLU and Northern Justice Project’s demand for money in exchange for dropping the case reveals the strategy the groups are using to take money from taxpayers, the district said.
“This tactic of filing a case, garnering headlines, and then seeking attorney’s fees from the very organization you sued is problematic for the Board and the District. The School Board and the District firmly believe no errors were made and the judge’s order in August seems to support this belief,” the district wrote.
“We also believe a trial on the merits would establish that the Library Advisory Committee thoughtfully and carefully reviewed each title. However, the ACLU and the Northern Justice Project knows it will cost the District far more to take the case all the way through trial. Unfortunately, this tactic works,” the district continued. The School Board and the District have a duty to prioritize the funds they receive on educating children, and not defending themselves against lawsuits.
Thus, the district will pay the Northern Justice Project and the ACLU $89,000 to end litigation “that would have cost much more than that to defend through trial.”
“In exchange for money paid to The Northern Justice Project and the ACLU, the parties have agreed to forgo further litigation and leave in place the final decisions made by the library advisory committee, the School Board, and the Administration, the district wrote.
The ransom paid by the district to the groups ends the hostage taking … for now. For groups that grift, there’s always another way to extract money from the public.
The case started in 2023, when the school district responded to concerns brought by parents and the community about lascivious books that librarians were pushing on children in the school libraries. To address the concerns, the School Board and the administration established a process to review whether certain titles could be considered criminally indecent under Alaska law.
The School Board and the administration commissioned a Library Citizen Advisory Committee to review the 56 books that had been challenged. The 11-member Committee was not under the control of any person or the School Board.
From August 2023 to June 2024, the Committee met once a month to discuss the books each member read the prior month.
During the meetings, the committee discussed each book and made recommendations to the School Board on two questions: (1) whether a book was obscene; and (2) if not, what grade levels should have access to the book.
The District publicly noticed each meeting, and all meetings were broadcast live on a local radio station. Voting results were made public on the District’s website. The Committee unanimously recommended to the Board that seven titles be permanently removed from circulation because they met the standards for criminal obscenity.
That’s when the ACLU and the Northern Justice Project, whose attorney Savannah Fletcher is now running for Senate for Fairbanks, jumped into action, filing a lawsuit that claimed the District’s review process violated the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Notwithstanding the discovery of obscene material, in January 2024, the ACLU and Northern Justice Project sought to stop the work of the Committee, at one point referring to the process as a sham.
Despite the litigation, the committee completed their book reviews in July 2024.
Ultimately, the Administration—at the final direction of the School Board—removed seven books from circulation and ensured that other books were shelved at the age-appropriate libraries.
By July of 2024 the Administration had already begun reshelving the books not found to be criminally indecent; a process that was completed before school began.
In an August 2024 order, the Federal District Court instructed the School District to complete its review of any outstanding books and confirm that the district had reshelved works that were not deemed to be criminally indecent in nature by the Library Citizen Advisory Committee. The
The district was easily able to comply with this order because that was, in fact, what had already been done with the exception of a few titles.
The judge, Sharon Gleason, did not mention anything at all about the seven books that had been found to be criminally indecent and only asked that the District confirm that the other books had been reshelved. Gleason’s decision has created federal control over school libraries, overstepping local control.
Perhaps recognizing they could not show the School Board members, the Administration, or Library Advisory Committee held impure and unconstitutional motives, the Northern Justice Project and the ACLU approached the District asking to settle the case outside of court.
“The District believes the plaintiffs filed a case, recognized that they would not prevail, and then asked to recoup attorney’s fees from the MSBSD instead of pursuing their case,” the district said. “We ask the public to visit https://www.matsuk12.us/librarycommittee to explore in greater detail the great work of the 2023-2024 library advisory committee. The Board and the District are glad to have this distraction of a lawsuit behind us and are grateful to the members of the Library Advisory Committee for their work in making libraries safer for students.”
Meanwhile, the ACLU and Northern Justice Project were able to pay their rent and heating bills for another year — compliments of the taxpayers.
Either rocks or a BB gun were used to break windows of a commercial building in Fairbanks that is being rented by the Interior Republicans group, as they work to advance Republican candidates this election.
The vandalism occurred over the weekend, said Seth Church, owner of the building. Damage to the three windows directly beneath the offices that had Republicans posters in the windows will cost between $15,000 and $20,000 to replace, he said.
Church, who rented the rooms upstairs to the Republicans, has made a report to police. He said it’s never happened before and he suspects it is a politically motivated attack.
In Anchorage, a home that had Trump signs on it was vandalized with spray paint and the homeowner’s car was painted with a Swastika symbol last week.
Voters wanting to know if the ballot they mailed in to the Alaska Division of Elections or gave to a voting center in outlying areas have no easy way of finding out if their ballot was logged in as received. The only official way is to call the Division during its busiest time of year, and the division already appears short-staffed.
Must Read Alaska, however, can help you.
As we have done in the past, we have the latest ballot-received report and can check for your ballot.
Send your name, (first and last) and your voting address to [email protected] and we’ll respond as quickly as possible with the information. This is not an automated service but will take a human (this writer) going through the ballots-received list.
We realize it’s important to readers and their peace of mind and will do our best to keep up with demand. Thank you in advance for your patience.
In the farthest north major city in North America, voters took advantage of a mild-weather Sunday, when temperatures were in the mid-20s, to line up and mark their ballots in the general election. Some of them waited in line for an hour before they could start the voting process.
In fact, when the Fairbanks election office opened at noon, there were already 200 people in line. The Sunday early voting went until 4 p.m., and will start again Monday at 8 a.m., ending at 5 p.m.
After that comes Tuesday, Election Day.
The Fairbanks-based Interior Republicans will be holding an election watch party on Tuesday evening, starting at 6 p.m. at the Westmark Hotel’s Gold Room.
Voters were equally enthusiastic in Wasilla on Sunday, where the line was occasionally as long as 300 people. In Anchorage at the Bogard Road election office, well over 100 people were lined up outside the building at 25th Ave. and Gambell St. at about 2 p.m.
At the midtown voting center in Anchorage and in Wasilla, the lines to vote are long on Sunday. Polls are open until 4 p.m. on Sunday at theregional voting centers.
The line at the Bogard Road election office was 300 people at one point on Sunday. In Anchorage, at the Gambell Street office, there were at least 100 people in two lines. Many were standing (and bouncing to stay warm) out in the cold.
The mood was happy and people were patient in the Valley as they came to take part in the 2024 general election. By voting early, they’re clearing the way for any older voters who tend to show up on Election Day and may not be as able stand out in the cold.
In 2020, the highly unusual “Covid year election,” the early vote and absentee in-person early vote was 80,915 ballots, a record. Must Read Alaska is projecting that the 2020 record will be broken this year in the early and absentee-in-person votes.
