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Rematch: Both Trump and Biden have the delegate counts needed for presumptive nominees

By STEVE WILSON | THE CENTER SQUARE

Former President Donald Trump picked up 59 delegates after winning Georgia Tuesday, and with another victory in Mississippi and an expected win in Washington state, he will exceed the necessary delegate count to become the presumptive Republican nominee.

President Joe Biden also won enough delegates Tuesday to secure the Democratic nomination, setting up a likely rematch of 2020 between the two. Nominations are not official until the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer.Trump was the last remaining GOP candidate and won with 84.4% of preliminary results in Georgia, with 75% of votes counted. He defeated a group of challengers that included former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who both suspended their campaigns in recent weeks.

The former president needed 1,215 delegates to become the nominee, and victories in Georgia and Mississippi plus a projected win in Washington put him at 1,228, according to several national media outlets. 

Biden won Georgia with a 95.3% victory in the Democratic primary with 72% reporting.

“Four years ago, Georgia Democrats put President Biden and Vice President Harris in the White House, and tonight, we showed we’re ready to send them back for four more years,” said U.S. Rep. and Democratic Party of Georgia chairwoman Nikema Williams in a news release. “There is a clear choice before voters in November: President Biden, who is fighting for progress every day for Georgia families; or Donald Trump, who has nothing to offer except hate, division, and a personal vendetta.

“The road to the White House runs directly through the Peach State. Georgians made our voices heard at the ballot box – we delivered tonight for President Biden, and we’ll deliver again in November.”

Georgia will hold its primaries for Congressional seats on May 14, so the presidential races took center stage on Tuesday.

Legislature only lets Dunleavy cut four advisory boards, keeps eight in place

The Alaska Legislature met in joint session on Tuesday to vote on resolutions denying Gov. Mike Dunleavy several executive orders that would have dismantled some bureaucratic layers of government.

Dunleavy made 12 executive orders, listed here, in January. They went to the Legislature, where many of them were met with skepticism from special-interest groups. Midwives didn’t want to dismantle the board certifying midwives, and barbers and hairdressers wanted their board kept in place. Massage therapists also wanted their own board.

Of the 12 advisory boards on the chopping block, the Legislature only agreed to dismantle only four: The Recreation Rivers Advisory Board, the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board, the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, and the Safety Advisory Board were disbanded.

The other eight were preserved by the Legislature, including an order to split board of the Alaska Energy Authority away from the board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, so it would have its own dedicated energy board. Right now the two agencies share a single board.

“The purpose of the executive orders was to check the growth of government and improve efficiency. Therefore, the Dunleavy administration will continue to forward executive orders that streamline government and make it more efficient,” the Governor’s Office said in a statement.

Report: Alaska Airlines technicians called for an inspection the day before door plug blew

On Jan. 4 — one day before a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight that was climbing out of Portland, Ore. — engineers and technicians had heard of enough problems that they wanted the aircraft to come out of service for inspection and maintenance, according to a report by the New York Times.

Instead, the airline chose to keep the Boeing 737-9 MAX in service. It did, however, change the schedule so it would not fly over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, but the airlines decided to keep it in service for three more flights, before pulling it into a maintenance hangar.

“Before the plane could complete that scheduled sequence of flights and go in for the maintenance check, the door plug blew out at 16,000 feet, minutes after embarking on the second flight of the day, from Portland to Ontario International Airport in California,” the newspaper reported.

In other related news, a whistleblower who raised concerns about sloppy manufacturing at the company’s 787 Dreamliner factory in South Carolina was found dead on Saturday, in what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

John Barnett, who first filed a complaint with the U.S. Labor Department in 2017 under the AIR21 Whistleblower Protection Program, was in Charleston for a deposition related to his complaints about safety and quality, according to the BBC.

Dunleavy appoints three new judges

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy today filled Alaska Superior Court judgeships in Sitka, Bethel and Juneau. The judges were selected from a group of individuals nominated by the Alaska Judicial Council.

Dunleavy’s judicial appointments are:

Amanda Browning has been appointed to the Sitka Superior Court. Judge Browning has been an Alaska resident for 12 years and has practiced law for more than 18 years. She graduated from Roger Williams University Ralph R. Pappito School of Law in 2005 and is currently a district court judge in Palmer. 

William Montgomery has been appointed to the Bethel Superior Court. Judge Montgomery has been an Alaska resident for 12 years and has practiced law for 11 years. He graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 2010 and is currently a district court judge in Bethel.

Larry Woolford has been appointed to the Juneau Superior Court. Mr. Woolford has been an Alaska resident for over 52 years and has practiced law for more than 25 years. He graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 1998 and is currently in private practice in Juneau.

Anchorage ballots are in the mail

The Anchorage Municipal Clerk’s Office announced that 206,727 ballot packages were being mailed out March 12 to qualified registered voters. Voters can anticipate receiving their ballot package in the mail by Tuesday, March 19, the Clerk’s Office said.

There are about 242,000 voters in the Municipality, which means the Clerk’s Office did not mail ballots to more than 35,000 voters who had undeliverable addresses.

In addition to the mayor’s election, three members of the school board are up for reelection or replacement, and a number of bond initiatives are looking for votes.

Anchorage Mayoral Candidates

​​​Popp, Bill – Filed 1/12/2024

Tuck, Chris – Filed 1/12/2024

Colbry, Darin – Filed 1/12/2024

Craig, Breck – Filed 1/17/2024

Darden, Dustin Thomas House – Filed 1/12/2024 

Danger, Nick – Filed 1/12/2024

Di Grappa, Jenny – Filed 1/26/2024

LaFrance, Suzanne​ – Filed 1/19/2024

Bronson, Dave​ – Filed 1/23/2024

Isley, Phil – Filed 1/25/2024​

Anchorage Assembly – Seat A – District 2 – Candidates (1-year term)​

Littlefield, Mark H. – Filed 1/18/2024 Replacing Kevin Cross, who resigned

Anchorage School Board Candidates

School Board – Seat E

Higgins, Pat​ – Filed 1/12/2024 LIBERAL INCUMBENT

Schuster, Kay – Filed 1/12/2024​

School Board – Seat F

Frank, Angela​ – Filed 1/23/2024

Wilson, Dora – Filed 1/12/2024 LIBERAL INCUMBENT

School Board – Seat G

​Pohland, Chelsea – Filed 1/26/2024

Jacobs, Carl – Filed 1/12/2024 LIBERAL INCUMBENT

Ballots must be postmarked or dropped in a secure drop box by April 2.

Alaska gyms in spotlight after indecent exposure at one, man in women’s locker room at another

On Feb. 10, Anchorage Police responded to an Anchorage residence regarding an indecent exposure claim that had been made. 

Police said the parent at the home told them that a man, identified later as 41-year-old Natchez J. Dunlap, had exposed himself in front of a juvenile under the age of 16. 

The crime had reportedly taken place in the hot tub at Alaska Club South located at 10931 O’Malley Centre Drive approximately 30 minutes before officers were called by the parent. 

Dunlap had left the club prior to police notification.

According to the parent, the Alaska Club had reviewed the footage of the incident and indicated to her that they would not report it to the police; however they would revoke his gym membership. The parent did contact police; the video corroborated that the man was fondling himself in front of the girl.

The social media post that the parent made after the alleged incident at Alaska Club South.

Detectives from the Crimes Against Children Unit began an investigation and on March 11, 2024, detectives obtained a felony arrest warrant for Dunlap for the charge of indecent exposure in the first degree. 

Dunlap is aware he has the warrant but has not turned himself in. Efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful thus far, police said.

Dunlap is reported as six feet tall, 190 pounds with brown eyes and black hair that is dyed a shade of blonde.  The police do not indicate his skin color, but it is dark, according to the photos provided by police and by the parent. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call Police Dispatch at 3-1-1 (option #1) or 907-786-8900 (option #0).  To provide information anonymously, you may do so online at www.AnchorageCrimeStoppers.com.

Natchez has a history of felony-level arrests in Alaska.

Meanwhile, a Fairbanks woman who went to Planet Fitness in Anchorage reported there was a man in the women’s locker room who was shaving. She was uncomfortable and approached him verbally to let him know he did not belong in the women’s locker, and also told the staff. The man allegedly told her he was a queer male and would not leave. The staff was unresponsive to her request, she said.

Patricia Silva told her story on Facebook in a video:

Planet Fitness took away the membership of a Michigan woman several years ago after she complained about a transgender woman in the locker room. She was told that Planet Fitness has a “no judgment policy” that allows people to use locker rooms based on “their sincere, self-reported gender identity.” So far, Silva has not had her membership revoked, but may self-revoke it, and was warning other Alaskans to watch out for their children in gyms.

The Planet Fitness gender ideology statement can be found at this link.

Sullivan: Biden’s budget puts U.S. deeper into dangerous territory, weakening national security

For the fourth year, President Joe Biden has sent Congress a budget that cuts defense spending. It comes at a time when the Chinese Communist Party announced another 7.2% increase in their defense budget.

Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairman of the International Republican Institute, responded to Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request:

“Since President Biden assumed office, global chaos has spread, with the dictators from Russia, China, and Iran acting with greater impunity. In each of those four years, President Biden has proposed inflation-adjusted cuts to defense spending.

The budget significantly underfunds key enabling capabilities for the Pacific; cuts a submarine after the Department of Defense said the industrial base needed stability and budget growth; fails to maximize production rates of more than a dozen key munitions; decreases the purchase rate of tactical fighters; and slow the development and purchase of missile defense programs.

“This latest budget proposal thrusts the United States into even more dangerous territory—it puts the United States on track for our defense spending to drop below three percent of GDP for only the fourth time since World War II, which occurred in the years following the end of the Cold War,” Sullivan said.

“The President proposes using budget gimmicks and accounting tricks to spend billions above spending caps for non-defense programs, but makes significant cuts to, among other programs, the Missile Defense Agency and our submarine fleet, and slashes new orders of fighter jets—including F-35s. Meanwhile, he’s funding more than one hundred million dollars to cater to his far-left base—including a diversity, equity, and inclusion office in the Pentagon that has nothing to do with winning wars and lethality.

“If there ever was a time for this White House to reverse course on these weak defense proposals and deter global aggression, it is now. Jimmy Carter did this in his last year in office. We need our Commander in Chief to lead,” Sullivan said. “We need a defense budget that reflects global threats—with real increases, not cuts, that improve our military readiness, and project strength, not weakness, in an increasingly dangerous world.”

Robert Hur defends report on Biden’s memory, handling of classified documents

By BRETT ROWLAND | THE CENTER SQUARE

Special Counsel Robert Hur told the GOP-led House Committee on the Judiciary that his report was fair in both its assessments of President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents and his memory issues.

Hur defended his 388-page report in his opening statement on Tuesday before the Judiciary Committee.

“There has been a lot of attention paid to language in the report about the President’s memory, so let me say a few words about that. My task was to determine whether the President retained or disclosed national defense information ‘willfully’ – meaning, knowingly and with the intent to do something the law forbids,” Hur said. “I could not make that determination without assessing the President’s state of mind. For that reason, I had to consider the President’s memory and overall mental state, and how a jury likely would perceive his memory and mental state in a criminal trial. These are the types of issues prosecutors analyze every day. And because these issues were important to my ultimate decision, I had to include a discussion of them in my report to the attorney general.”

Hur said given his assignment, it was important to show his work and how he reached his conclusions. 

Read Hur’s report at this Judiciary Committee link.

“My assessment in the report about the relevance of the President’s memory was necessary and accurate and fair,” Hur said. “Most importantly, what I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe. I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly. I explained to the attorney general my decision and the reasons for it. That’s what I was required to do.”

Jury acquits Tallon Westlake in first-degree murder of father; other charges remain

Although a grand jury indicted Tallon Westlake for first degree, second degree, manslaughter, and evidence tampering in the death of his father, former Rep. Dean Westlake, an Anchorage jury acquitted him Monday on the first degree murder charge. The jury was hung on the other charges, however.

The death of Dean Westlake, who briefly represented District 40 out of Kotzebue, occurred Aug. 20, 2022, in what has been reported as a dispute over Tallon’s refusal to leave an apartment owned by Dean’s girlfriend on Rovenna St. in Anchorage.

Tallon was reportedly behind in rent and was being evicted by his father on behalf of his father’s girlfriend. Just before 7 a.m., Anchorage police received a call and arrived at the apartment with medics, who found Dean dead.

Officers said when they arrived, there were blood marks on hallway walls, kitchen cabinets, on Dean Westlake’s hands and feet, and on Tallon Westlake’s clothes. There was also a strong smell of bleach and evidence, including a mop, of an apparent attempt to clean the floor of blood. A bloody towel was found in the car outside, which belonged to Tallon.

Dean Westlake, age 62 at the time of his death, was elected in 2016 and resigned from the Legislature in 2017, after women in the Capitol accused him of sexual harassment; it was at the height of the #metoo movement, a time during which women were making lots of public accusations against men. It later became public that he had fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl in 1988, when he was 28 years old, which would have been indications of a sexual crime.

Dean was the Democrats’ pick to replace Barrow’s Rep. Ben Nageak, who chose to caucus with Republicans; at the time Republicans were in the majority and the Anchorage campaign team at Ship Creek Group was working to flip the House to Democrat control. Dean Westlake was one of the group’s first clients.

Tallon, now 38, faces the other charges, and the state may open a new trial, but won’t be able to retry him on first-degree murder. He is still in custody but his attorneys may ask for him to be released on bail and the state may ask for a retrial on the second-degree, manslaughter, and evidence-tampering charges.