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1,200 people with suspected foreign identification registered to vote in Oregon

By TOM JOYCE | THE CENTER SQUARE

The Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division  and the Oregon Secretary of State found possibly ineligible voters with voting histories who registered to vote without proving citizenship due to a data processing error at Oregon DMV.

Oregon DMV reviewed the impacted records and found 10 people possibly registered to vote erroneously; it’s unclear if they are illegal immigrants. However, it confirmed one was eligible to vote, according to a press release from the Secretary of State.

The SoS ordered 953 voter registrations inactive this week, along with 306 people last week; this means 1,259 people will not receive a ballot in the 2024 election unless they re-register to vote.

“Because of this quick response, I can assure Oregonians that the 2024 General Election will not be affected by this error in any way,” Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said. “Noncitizen voting remains exceedingly rare in Oregon and around the country. We can continue to be proud that automatic voter registration is just one of the ways we ensure eligible Oregonians have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.”

Here are some statistics on how the data processing error impacts the state, according to the release:

  • 766,756 people have registered to vote through Oregon Motor Voter.
  • 1,259 people impacted by the data processing error (0.1% of the total number of DMV records transferred).
  • 9 people potentially ineligible to vote with a voting history that were subject to the error.
  • 1.4 million records reviewed to ensure the error was corrected.

The DMV notes that this coding error happened at the start of 2021, meaning it did not impact the 2020 presidential election. It happened because that is when Oregon started accepting foreign passports and birth certificates as forms of identification for undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license.

The DMV provided records on all 1,259 people potentially registered to vote in error to the SoS this week.

“Upon receiving the data, the SoS ordered the inactivation of all voters on the list and immediately communicated to those individuals with the opportunity to re-register if eligible with adequate time to do so prior to the election,” the release said. “The last day to register to vote is Oct. 15. No individual from this group of voters will receive a ballot if they are not eligible to vote.”

The DMV incorrectly identified these people as being eligible for automatic voter registration.

The DMV has not yet explained how this error happened. It said a DMV employee may have accidentally selected a U.S. passport or U.S. birth certificate instead of a foreign passport or foreign birth certificate when entering people’s information into the state’s system “Because having a U.S. version of either of those documents means a person is a citizen, the system included them in the file DMV sent to the Elections Division,” the release said.

The Institute for Responsive Government called ODOT’s Information Systems branch to ask how automatic voter registration was going and if there were any issues, prompting the review.

“Due to the critical importance of the issue, DMV exercised due diligence and looked into the automatic voter registration process ahead of the 2024 election,” the release said.

Here are the corrective actions the DMV will take in hopes of preventing this problem moving forward, according to the release:

  1. Data entry procedure: The database drop-down menu that provides identity document options has been re-sorted alphabetically, so U.S. passport is not the first default document. This reduces the potential of selecting an incorrect document from the top of the menu as the default.
  2. Require Entering State and County on U.S. Birth Certificates: DMV staff are now required to enter the state and county for all U.S. birth certificates. Adding this step decreases the likelihood that a foreign birth certificate will be misidentified as a U.S. birth certificate.
  3. Confirmation prompt: DMV added a confirmation prompt after a U.S. passport document is keyed into the system, so DMV staff need to confirm the documentation type is accurate.
  4. Added a third step to the verification process: DMV has added a third step to the identity document verification process. The two-step process that has been in place for years is the initial check of the staff and then a re-verification of document validity by someone else. As a third step, each day, the manager also compares each transaction’s system code to its scanned document to verify the entry in the system matches the document shown. This will catch instances where one type of document—such as a foreign passport—is noted on the form, but a different type of document—such as a U.S. passport—is keyed into the system.

More information about this issue is available here.

Boise State women forfeit match against San Jose due to transgender baller

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The Boise State University women’s volleyball team forfeited their Saturday match against California’s San Jose State’s team, apparently deciding that San Jose’s decision to retain a physically imposing transgender player made it a safety issue for the Idaho players.

“Boise State volleyball will not play its scheduled match at San José State on Saturday, Sept. 28. Per Mountain West Conference policy, the Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State. The Broncos will next compete on Oct. 3 against Air Force,” the University’s team announced.

Although the university didn’t state the reason for the forfeit, it gave the exclusive statement to Outkick, a publication that routinely defends women in sports. Sources say that the team has the full support of coaches and parents in the decision.

Several players are now suing the NCAA for Title IX violations for allowing transgender (men living as women) to play on women’s collegiate teams.

Blaire Fleming, the transgender on the SJSU team, is an outside and right-side hitter. On Tuesday, Fleming dominated and extended the team’s perfect season to 9-0. With Idaho forfeiting, it’s now a 10-0 season. This is the second team that has forfeited to SJSU’s women’s volleyball team, however, as teams begin to realize the uneven playing field that they are now facing..

Fleming, born Brayden Fleming is 6’1″ and towers over the opposing teams.

Alaska Rep. Jamie Allard worked last legislative session to protect high school girls in sports from having to compete against males who identify as females. That bill died in the liberal-dominated Alaska Senate.

“Boise State’s decision to stand up for fairness in women’s sports is a testament to the integrity and courage needed to protect our female athletes. We must continue the fight to preserve women’s sports for women and ensure every girl has the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. This isn’t just about competition—it’s about defending what’s right,” Allard said on Saturday.

Linda Boyle: Meet the military doctor who stood up for our warriors and against mandatory Covid shots

By LINDA BOYLE

Everybody has a life story—some more challenging than others. Dr. Theresa Long is one of those people.  

As a homeless teenager on welfare, she joined the Army when she was age 17. Thirty years later, this young soldier became a physician and is a phenomenal flight surgeon who will soon retire from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.  

But that is just the tip of the iceberg to this story.  

Watch her speak at this November 2021 roundtable panel of Covid whistleblowers

Although diagnosed with dyslexia, Dr. Long was able to graduate from medical school. She attributes her success to her deep belief in God who has guided her on every decision. She hears Him speak and follows His guidance. 

One of her close contact with God occurred when she was an inexperienced family physician and a patient told her he was going to die. She listened to that small voice inside her head and got a surgeon in the local hospital to see him. In fact, the patient had a bowel problem that had been undetected by the military hospital—he almost died on the operating table but came through the surgery. 

Many hospital medical personnel  asked how she knew something was wrong. Dr. Long replied, “I didn’t know. God knew.”

Having earned her master’s degree in public health, Dr. Long had received specialized training in infectious diseases, which positioned her well for the 2020 year of Covid. 

Dr. Long already believed the Covid-19 virus was not a great risk to young, fit, military personnel; it was more of an issue for the older generation that had multiple co-morbidities. And the military population she treated were pilots — a relatively healthy subset.  

She became aware of the multiple side-effects her military patients were suffering from the Covid vaccine. This was in a healthy population under 30 years.   

She also knew medical and health agencies weren’t infallible. That fact became clear to her when she suffered a medical crisis following the birth of her first child.  

During a recent symposium, she cited data that speaks volumes about medical mishaps. Approximately 440,000 Americans die every year from medical mishaps.  

During the Covid pandemic, Dr. Long also saw an increase in serious medical diagnoses in healthy military members. In her research, she learned of the America’s Frontline Doctors group and others who were speaking out concerning side-effects from the shot.   

Because of her involvement with the Frontline Doctors, she was sought out by its attorneys who were challenging the shot mandates in the military. They asked her to provide sworn testimony about what she knew and where she found that information concerning shot injuries in military members. 

As any military person would know, that is a hard “moment of truth.”

Yet Dr. Long had taken the military oath that clearly states you are to obey “lawful” orders given by superior officers and the President of the United States.  

Dr. Long believed the forcing of military members to take an experimental shot that had multiple side-effects and long-term effects was unlawful. She again felt God intervening for her to do the right thing.  

She became a whistleblower, fully aware of the ramifications.  

Almost immediately after sending her sworn testimony into the lawyers who asked for it, she began to feel the military pressure. She was told to stop seeing patients immediately. Her military emails either stopped or were censored. Suddenly her presence on Facebook was literally wiped out. “The level of censorship was very frightening,” she said.

In her testimony to Sen. Ron Johnson’s Covid panel, Dr. Long stated, “No leader at the highest levels of the military has ever called me.”

She further said, “After I reported to my command my concerns that in one morning I had to ground three out of three pilots due to vaccine injuries, the next day my patients were canceled, my charts were pulled for review, and I was told that I would not be seeing acute patients anymore, just healthy pilots there for their flight physical.” 

But the response to her speaking out was not all met by the darkness of the powers to be.  

She concluded, “People are so hungry and desperate to see leaders rise up and see people tell them the truth.” 

Several current and former military officers told her she was ”a beacon of light in a world where darkness seems to be spreading.”

Because of her whistleblower protection, Dr. Long can continue to stand up and speak the truth. As much as the military would like to stop her, they can’t. She answers to a higher power.  

You have a great opportunity to hear Lt. Colonel Long’s personal story at our Annual Alaska Covid Alliance event. Come hear her speak truth to power.

We don’t have many opportunities to hear a federal whistleblower and witness someone with the courage to risk all.

This is your opportunity to listen and learn. Get your ticket at www.alaskacovidalliance.com.

And tell your military friends about this opportunity.

 “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.” —Elvis Presley, singer

Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance.

Randy Daly: Let’s get the facts straight on Rep. Carpenter’s fiscal plan for state solvency

By RANDY DALY

I am writing to address recent claims suggesting that candidate for Senate Ben Carpenter is in favor of a 2% state sales tax. This assertion is misleading and does not accurately reflect his position. Rep. Carpenter wants Alaska to have an operational fiscal plan. 

First, it is important to clarify that Carpenter introduced a bill proposing a 2% state sales tax as part of a broader fiscal reform package aimed at addressing our long-term financial challenges. This proposal is not an endorsement of the sales tax in isolation, but rather a component of a comprehensive strategy to balance state spending and revenue.

In his sponsor statement, Carpenter emphasized that the proposed sales tax is designed to be part of a structural reform package, modeled after South Dakota’s sales tax system. He highlighted the importance of a broad-based system that keeps rates low, simplifies compliance, and minimizes economic distortions.

This approach aims to maintain Alaska’s ranking as one of the lowest combined state and local sales tax rates in the nation.

Second, Ben has consistently stated that he does not support any sales tax without a broader conversation about other fiscal measures, including cuts to current spending levels. At a candidate forum in October, Ben explicitly stated that he would not consider statewide sales tax alone. He also stressed the need for a mix of solutions, including reducing state spending and finding new revenue sources.

Ben is not advocating for sales tax in isolation.

He seeks structural fiscal reform.

Third, it is also worth noting that Alaska has faced declining oil production revenue for decades, prompting several attempts to introduce a state sales tax. Ben’s proposal is part of an ongoing effort to address these fiscal challenges to ensure the state’s long-term financial stability. 

In summary, the claim that Ben Carpenter is in favor of a 2% state sales tax is a gross oversimplification of his position. His proposal is part of a broader fiscal reform package aimed at addressing Alaska’s future long-term financial challenges. Ben has consistently emphasized the need for a balanced approach that focuses on:

Reducing state spending and growing the private economy.

It is crucial for Alaskans to understand the context of his proposal to accurately understand his vision for Alaska.

Randy Daly is a Kenai resident, was in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, former member of the State Chamber of Commerce board and Kenai Chamber of Commerce board.

Three Alaska schools selected by Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Council for new workout centers

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Three schools in Alaska were chosen by the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Council to receive new “DON’T QUIT!” fitness centers.

In addition to Knik Charter School in Wasilla, Mears Middle School and Romig Middle School in Anchorage wee among the states that received the workout centers. The foundation plans to reach all 50 states in coming years.

“Three schools really embodied our mission of building a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world. I’m thrilled to announce that Mears Middle School and Romig Middle School in Anchorage, and Knik Charter School in Wasilla are all being awarded a brand new $100,000 DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers. Congratulations to all, we look forward to visiting these three schools during our ribbon cutting ceremonies this fall!” said Jake Steinfeld, Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Council, who spoke those words in the spring, and then made good on his word and attended the ribbon cutting this week in Wasilla.

Steinfeld was well known for his direct-to-consumer sales of home fitness equipment, and he spent 15 years on the Home Shopping Network promoting his Body by Jake brand.

He witnessed childhood obesity becoming an American epidemic, and made it his personal mission to change the course of that epidemic. He became chairman of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 and served until 2011 under Gov. Jerry Brown.

He was then named Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils in 2012.

Through the cooperation of public and private partnerships with companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, NIKE, and the Carelon Foundation, the NFGFC rewards brand new “DON’T QUIT!” fitness centers to elementary and middle schools that show innovative ways to promote fitness and nutrition in their schools and community. The NFGFC has already dedicated DON’T QUIT! fitness centers in 42 states by 2022 with the goal of rewarding “DON’T QUIT!” fitness centers to every state in the USA. Alaska and Hawaii both received three fitness centers each this year.

Each fitness center is financed through public/private partnerships and do not rely on taxpayer dollars or government funding. Fit Supply provides the fitness equipment to help with the foundation’s goal in building a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world.

The work is still ahead for Steinfeld. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and adolescents is nearly 20%, or nearly 15 million American youth ages 2-19 are considered obese. In Alaska, the State Department of Health estimates that one in every three Alaska youth is obese, and two out of every three Alaska adults are obese.

This week, Gov. Dunleavy and Steinfeld helped cut the ribbon at Knik Charter School, where they were able to see the new equipment firsthand.

“Physical activity not only supports mental health but also enhances learning. Congratulations to Knik Charter School, Mears Middle School, and Romig Middle School for seizing this opportunity to help students stay active and healthy!” Dunleavy said.

Judge vacates endangered designations for two subspecies of Arctic seals

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U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason has vacated the Endangered Species Act critical habitat designations for the Arctic subspecies of ringed seals and the Beringia population of bearded seals.

“The federal government uses the same tactics again and again to prevent the people of Alaska from using their own land and resources,” said Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor. “They identify an area or activity they wish to restrict, and they declare it unusable under the guise of conservation or preservation. There is no sound logic, or science, in this approach and it doesn’t account for the fact that Alaskans have shown themselves to be good stewards of this land who use it responsibly. This win confirms what we knew to be true all along.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service had designated vast areas for both seal species – each approximately the size of the state of Texas – as critical habitat.

The Court vacated the critical habitat designation because NMFS failed to explain why such a vast area was indispensable to the species survival and recovery or to account for the vast amount of habitat for the seals outside U.S. jurisdiction. The federal government also didn’t bother to consider the economic impacts of the designation, especially in light of the State of Alaska and North Slope Borough’s request to remove areas from the designation, near communities and the coast.

The Arctic subspecies of ringed seal and the Beringia population of bearded seal were both listed as threatened under the ESA in 2012.

NMFS based the listings on the predicted loss of large areas of the seals’ sea ice habitat by the year 2100. However, both ringed and bearded seals continue to occupy the entirety of their vast ranges across the Arctic and populations remain healthy.

State of Alaska biologists have collected data during the past decade, showing that both seal species are generally healthy, with robust reproductive rates, and include no indication of population declines now or in the near future (the next 25 years). Despite this, NMFS proceeded in 2022 with designating vast areas as critical habitat, adding another unnecessary, harmful layer, to the already complex federal bureaucracy in the waters off Alaska.

“NMFS has been on a path to surround the State of Alaska with massive critical habitat designations that unjustly stymie economic activity with little benefit to the species,” said Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang. “The court’s decision has stopped NMFS from designating all potential seal habitat as critical habitat regardless of whether that habitat is essential or ‘critical’ to the species. This decision brings a touch of common sense back to the ESA and will hopefully help ensure that future critical habitat designations in Alaska are more limited and designed around discrete ‘critical’ areas as they are in the lower 48.”

This case was funded through the Statehood Defense budget requested by the governor and funded by the Alaska State Legislature. The fund is designated for fighting for our statehood promises and the right to be able to manage state resources.

Bethel police arrest teen who allegedly threatened to blow up high school

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On Sept. 24, the Bethel Police Department received a report regarding a threat made by a 13-year-old student at Bethel Regional High School. The student allegedly threatened to blow up the school and shoot students.

Officers responded to the scene, where they engaged with school staff and the juvenile involved. Following a preliminary investigation, the juvenile was arrested and charged with three counts of terroristic threats. The student was subsequently transported to the Bethel Youth Facility for processing.

“The Bethel Police Department extends its gratitude to the staff at Bethel Regional High School for their prompt and effective response to this serious situation. The safety of our students and community remains our top priority. No firearms or explosive devices were located, and no students or staff was harmed,” Bethel Police Department said in a statement.

The school has about 494 students serving grades 7-12. It has about 40 teachers and 2 counselors. According to U.S. News and World Report, Bethel Regional High School’s total minority enrollment is 92%, and 71% of students are economically disadvantaged. Some 47.73% of the students are chronically absent.

The proficiency rate of the students at Bethel Regional High School is 13.18% in reading and writing, and 16.60% in math.

Al Smay: Global elitists interfere in Alaska elections more than ever as they push ranked-choice voting

By AL SMAY

Every day, new revelations expose the relentless efforts to undermine our republic. From pushing Ranked Choice Voting to attempting to cap ordinary citizens’ campaign contributions, these movements are determined to reshape our democratic landscape against our best interests.

But the most alarming development is the rise of dark money’s sinister influence in our elections.

Global power brokers like Hansjörg Wyss are pulling the strings behind the scenes, using shadowy entities like Arabella Advisors to channel enormous sums of money to influence American politics. Their money flows through shady networks, such as Sixteen Thirty, which then disperses these funds to various subgroups that exert influence over our state’s affairs.

But they don’t just want to win elections—they want to manipulate us.

Consider how the group, Building a Stronger Anchorage, used its resources to boost Forrest Dunbar’s mayoral campaign. Or how The Alaska Venture Fund boasted about halting critical mining projects in our state. Now, they’re turning their sights on changing our campaign finance laws, with the New Venture Fund spearheading these efforts.

Their strategy is clear: by imposing stricter limits on how much individuals can contribute to candidates, elite groups can exert far greater influence. Candidates, now more dependent on these elite donors, become entangled in their web of dark money, thus making them more susceptible to outside control.

Stealthily revising the electoral system and our donation processes under the guise of “equality” could dismantle our republic and usher in an era of Marxist control by placing an unprecedented amount of power in the hands of the global elite.

With groups like Arabella Advisors and individuals like Hansjörg Wyss funneling dark money into our politics, it’s crucial for us to stay vigilant and guard the integrity of our elections.

Keeping Alaska’s campaigns Alaskan begins with grassroots efforts. We must vote to keep our campaign contributions unlimited, transparent, and work to restore the integrity of our electoral systems. While the global elitist may outmatch us financially, we the voters still hold the ultimate power – should we choose to keep it.

Alvin Smay is an Alaskan resident of 70 years. He is self-employed, calling on business owners across this great State for the last 39 years to rise in defense of our Republic. He is a volunteer on the Yes on 2 campaign.

Alaska pushes back on federal overreach over health rules relating to transgenderism, gender confusion

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Alaska and Texas are leading a multi-state effort to challenge federal overreach by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by fighting a new rule that ignores existing federal law and imposes unfunded mandates on the states.

In May, the Biden Administration adopted a new final rule that directly undermines and contradicts established federal disability law by redefining “gender dysphoria” as a “disability” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

However, when Congress passed these laws in 1990, it specifically stipulated that “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior disorders,” are not considered disabilities. 

The new rule imposes sweeping, expensive, and impracticable requirements on all recipients of any type of federal health funding, including states and private healthcare providers. In some cases, the rule’s requirements are inconsistent with other federal standards for Medicaid, the Alaska Department of Law said on Friday.

“The rule is yet another example of the Biden administration attempting to subordinate state policy and fiscal judgments to the federal government. The requirements of the rule are impossible to meet and would be devastating to State Medicaid programs,” said Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor. 

“The Biden Administration is once again abusing executive action to sidestep federal law and force unscientific, unfounded gender ideology onto the public,” said Texas Attorney General Paxton. “Texas is suing because HHS has no authority to unilaterally rewrite statutory definitions and classify ‘gender dysphoria’ as a disability.”

Compliance with the Final Rule would also require fundamentally altering the State’s systems, programs, and activities as well as its sovereign administration of the state.

Alaska, Texas and 15 other states are asking the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas to set aside the Final Rule, enjoin defendants from enforcing it and declare it unlawful. The 15 states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

Read the complaint here: https://law.alaska.gov/pdf/press/240927-Complaint.pdf