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Miss Gay Alaska America crowned in Juneau

Suzanne Downing
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23
Miss Gay Alaska America crowned in Juneau

The first-ever Miss Gay Alaska pageant on Nov. 18 went off without a hitch in Juneau, organized by promoter and Juneau drag queen artist Gigi Monroe.

Miss Gay America bills itself as an event “WHERE BOYS ARE BOYS…AND FEMALE IMPERSONATION IS AN ART!” according to its website.

It’s a pageant not for gays so much as for drag queens, which come in all types of men who impersonate women.

Lamia Monroe of Anchorage won the title of Miss Gay Alaska America after a two-night competition event at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. Monroe works at Mad Myrna’s in Anchorage, a nightclub popular with the LGBTQ+ community.

Juneau wins top gay award, third year running

Of the five contestants, two will proceed to the national competition. Roughly 30 states hold drag queen pageants that are part of the Miss Gay America organization, which itself was founded in 1972. Stage named Miss Guise (Richard Jay Carter) will join Lamia Monroe at the national competition, Jan. 16-19 in Little Rock, Ark.

On Monday, Nov. 20, the White House press secretary made a special note of it being Transgender Remembrance Day.

“Now, today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we grieve the 26 transgender Americans who were killed this year.  Year after year, we see that these victims are disproportionately Black women and women of color.  No one should face violence, live in fear, or be discriminated against simply for being themselves,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, spokeswoman for President Joe Biden.

“As the President said, there’s still more to do to meet the promise.  And it’s why this administration has taken urgent action to strengthen rights and protect the safety of transgender Americans and all LGBTQ+ Americans. As we mourn the loss of lives that have been taken too soon, we must also recommit ourselves to never stop fighting until all Americans can live free from discrimination and also from hate,” she said.

Native Movement targets Alaska teens for time alone with famous drag queen
Southeast Alaska State Fair goes burlesque with drag queens this year

Murder suspect’s complaint: ACLU sues Corrections Department over Muslim skullcap discrimination

Suzanne Downing
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26
Murder suspect’s complaint: ACLU sues Corrections Department over Muslim skullcap discrimination

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has filed a class action lawsuit against the Alaska Department of Corrections for the denial of religious accommodations for Muslim people detained at Anchorage Correctional Complex.

William Jamal Gary has been in pre-trial custody at ACC on charges of murder since February 2022. Gary is accused of shooting and killing Kaupoe Magalei Jr., 30, inside Al’s Alaskan Inn, a bar on Old Seward Highway in Anchorage on Feb. 27, 2022. There are three charges against him, including first degree murder.

Gary says he is a practicing Muslim and is bringing the class action on behalf of all current and future Muslims detained at ACC.   

He says the prison staff have refused him permission to wear his kufi, which is a type of skullcap, and have refused to accommodate his prayer needs, and made anti-Muslim comments towards Gary.

Islamic law does not require followers to wear a kufi at any time, including prayer; it is considered optional.

The ACLU says the actions of the department violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and “has unconstitutionally infringed on equal protection guarantees and religious freedom rights under the U.S. and Alaska Constitutions.

“Throughout his life, he prayed daily on a prayer rug and maintained regular practices in accordance with the Hadith – an Islamic text with instructions on how to live one’s life,” according to the ACLU.

Originally, Gary and other Muslim detainees were permitted to wear a kufi in all parts of the prison. But Anchorage Correctional Center staff has, has, for over a year, required them to have their heads uncovered outside the housing unit, citing security reasons, despite Gary offering to have his kufi searched, according to the claims made in the lawsuit.

The ACLU argues that other facilities allow inmates to wear religious headwear. Gary has refused to attend doctor’s appointments for an injured hand unless he can wear his kufi outside of his housing unit.

Similar lawsuits around the country have led to prison reforms that allow the wearing of religious headwear such as kufis.

Other details surrounding ACC staff’s denial of reasonable accommodations can be found in the complaint.

Juneau State and CBJ offices closed due to blizzard

Suzanne Downing
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12
Juneau State and CBJ offices closed due to blizzard

A blizzard dumping inches of snow every hour in Juneau has closed the State of Alaska office buildings in the Capital City. Schools are closed for the day after lunch, according to the Juneau School District, which posted a note that says, “Due to increasing winds and blowing snow in much of the Juneau area, the district will be closing early.” Elementary schools will let out at 1 pm, middle schools at 1:30 pm, and high schools will release students at 2:15 pm.

The City and Borough of Juneau has also closed its offices for the day, including those in Douglas.

Due to high winds and low visibility, CBJ Downtown and Douglas offices and facilities will close at 11:00 a.m. today, Monday, November 20.

Affected facilities include City Hall, the Downtown Juneau Public Library, Juneau-Douglas City Museum, Treadwell Arena, the Permit Center, and Zach Gordon Youth Center.

Capital Transit is running on winter routes, with service suspended on Cordova Street, Franklin and Fourth Street downtown. For more information, visit juneaucapitaltransit.org.

It’s the first big major weather event of the winter season for Juneau, which could get up to 15 inches of snow today.

In addition to heavy snow and wind causing difficult travel, there’s an avalanche alert for the slide-prone Thane Road, issued by the Alaska Department of Transportation: :Strong winds combined with heavy snowfall at higher elevations will significantly increase the avalanche hazard above Thane Road the next few days.” The road may be closed on and off as the department tries to mitigate any avalanches.

Texas Gov. Abbott joins Dunleavy in endorsing Trump for president

Suzanne Downing
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23
Texas Gov. Abbott joins Dunleavy in endorsing Trump for president

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined six other sitting governors who have endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election.

The endorsement came as Trump returned to the U.S.-Mexico border at Edinburg, Texas on Sunday to give support to Texas National Guard soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety officers, and the other service members trying to provide border security.

“I’m here to tell you that there is no way, no way that America can continue under the leadership of Joe Biden as our president. We need a president who’s going to secure the border,” Abbott said, as he introduced the former president.

“We need a president who is going to restore law and order in the United States of America, not letting these criminals run ransack over the stores that you see images of almost nightly,” Abbott said. “We need a president who is going to restore world peace, as opposed to this outbreak of warfare under Joe Biden. We need Donald J. Trump back as our President of the United States of America. I’m here to officially proclaim my endorsement for Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States of America again!”

Trump said the nomination meant a lot to him. He now has seven of the 26 sitting Republican governors in his camp, or 27% of all the Republican governors.

“You’re not going to have to worry about the border anymore, governor. You’re not going to have to worry about the border in Texas or Arizona or anywhere else,” Trump said.

During the three years of the Biden Administration, more than five million arrests of illegal immigrants have been made at the porous and uncontrolled border. The migrants are coming from all over the world, including the Middle East. Abbott is preparing to sign SB4, allowing state or local law enforcement to arrest anyone illegally crossing the border and allocating $1.5 billion to border security in Texas.

Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security initiative has made him an enemy of the Biden Administration.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska had endorsed Trump three months earlier than Abbott, and is said to be in line for a cabinet position if Trump wins the presidency in 2024. Other sitting governors who have endorsed Trump include Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, and Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi.

Lieutenant governors and Secretaries of State who have endorsed Trump include these 10:

  • Will Ainsworth, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
  • Andrew Bailey, Attorney General of Missouri 
  • Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
  • Mark Hammond, Secretary of State of South Carolina
  • Delbert Hosemann, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi 
  • Burt Jones, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
  • Mike Kehoe, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
  • Frank LaRose, Secretary of State of Ohio
  • Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas
  • Mark Robinson, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
Breaking: Dunleavy endorses Trump

Updated: Two dead in murder-suicide at Dimond-Old Seward Walmart

Suzanne Downing
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30
Updated: Two dead in murder-suicide at Dimond-Old Seward Walmart

Nov. 21, 2023, 1 pm update: Initial indications are that 29-year-old Saina Fa’atoafe fatally shot an adult woman in the Walmart parking lot and then took his own life.  No one else was involved, police said. Since this is a domestic violence-related crime, the woman victim’s name will not be released by police.

Anchorage Police responded to reports of a shooting at the parking lot of Dimond Walmart at about 5:11 pm on Sunday. Police found an adult female and an adult male dead of gunshot wounds.

Police asked people to avoid the area. The shooting suspect or suspects have not been found and the store has been closed for the evening, with a crime scene that extends across the parking lot. Officers said they have cause to believe this is an isolated incident and found a firearm at the scene.

Earlier in the day, a man was found shot dead in downtown Anchorage. At 3:14 am, Anchorage Police mid-shift officers responded to the area of North Bragaw Street and Thompson Avenue, where an adult male victim was located outside and transported by fire department medics to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased.

A suspect in that shooting has been detained, police reported.

This story will be updated as details are known.

Passing: Les Spickler, Juneau civic leader, 1930-2023

Suzanne Downing
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5
Passing: Les Spickler, Juneau civic leader, 1930-2023

Former longtime Juneau civic leader Les V. Spickler died Nov. 4, 2023 in Olympia, Wash. at the age of 93.

He was born in Hemet, Calif. July 21, 1930 and grew up in Chehalis, Wash., graduating from Chehalis High School in 1948. 

Les married his High School sweetheart Betty Gifford in 1949. He worked for Northern Commercial Company in Washington which brought the couple to Juneau before statehood, in 1959.

He helped form Alaska Pacific Assurance Company and lived in Anchorage, Boise, and Snohomish. He began his final career with New York Life in 1983. His son Scott joined him in 1984 and his daughter Linda in 1987. He enjoyed helping his clients, many who became long time friends.

Les served on the Juneau School Board, was president of the Bartlett Memorial Hospital Board, was active with the State Chamber, and Rotary Club. He served on the Alaska Pipeline Education Committee where he travelled across the country promoting the Alaska Pipeline Construction Project.  

He shared his great sense of humor throughout his life with his many friends in Alaska and Washington. If a suggestion was made to him and he responded, “That’s a good idea, I’ll think about it,” that was his polite way of saying thanks, but no thanks.  

In 2003 Les retired and he and Betty moved to Tumwater, Wash. Les continued to be an an active member of his Homeowner’s Association. He enjoyed sports and was an avid Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies fan. He enjoyed attending many Chehalis High School football and baseball games. 

He was preceded in death by his parents Samuel and Mary Spickler, and his wife Betty, sons in laws Dennis Egan and Jim Vigesaa. 

He is survived by his sister Arlyss Bell, daughter Linda Egan, his daughter Teri Vigessa, his son Scott (Sandy) Spickler, his daughter Coral Spickler, granddaughter’s Jill (Sandy) Egan-Vergano, Leslie (Tyler) Malstrom, grandsons Patrick (Kellie) Rhodes, Kyle (Stacee) Spickler, Kasen (Amanda) Spickler and ten great-grand children. 

“He was a wonderful Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, and husband to Betty. Most of all he was a terrific role model and we will miss him dearly,” the family wrote.

At his request, there will be no services. Friends are welcome to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Betty or a charity of their choice.

Utqiagvik says ‘so long’ to the sun, but Deadhorse has a few more days of sunlight to go

Suzanne Downing
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17
Utqiagvik says ‘so long’ to the sun, but Deadhorse has a few more days of sunlight to go

The sun has set in Utqiagvik for the winter, and will not be seen over the horizon for another 65 days.

For the month of November, America’s most northern community has lost a total of six hours as it headed into the Big Dark, more than a month before the official start date for winter. The sun rises again on Jan. 23, 2024.

Southeast of Utqiagvik is Deadhorse, also above the Arctic Circle, and the work center for Prudhoe Bay oil fields. The sun will set there on Nov. 24 for the winter.

Airport view to the south in Deadhorse on Nov. 19, 2023 at 3:44 pm. Photo credit: FAA camera.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, 96, passes

Suzanne Downing
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18
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, 96, passes

Just two days after entering hospice care, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of President Jimmy Carter, has died. She was 96.

The Carter Center said she died at home in Plains, Georgia. Born in 1927, Mrs. Carter was recognized as a leading advocate for mental health, a cause she advanced during her long life as the wife of a Georgia governor and president.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said in a statement released by the Carter Center. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

The Carters, lifelong Democrats, were married for 77 years. In 2000, they visited Alaska to commemorate the 20th anniversary of President Carter’s signing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which Alaskans call ANILCA. The Carters both fly-fished in Lake Clark on that trip, as they had all over the world; both were experience fly-fishers.

They were also world travelers, and made many diplomatic missions through the Carter Center, which they founded to advance human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. The center, associated with Emory University, focuses on resolving conflicts, enhancing freedom and democracy, and improving health.

President Carter entered hospice care at home in February after health issues, including a brain tumor. Rosalynn entered hospice care just two days before she died.

Former President Carter, who signed ANILCA in 1980, brings in hospice care

Biden on the brink of 81, tries to cheat nature

Suzanne Downing
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63
Biden on the brink of 81, tries to cheat nature

President Joe Biden turns 81 years old on Monday. He was 78 when he became the oldest presidential candidate to be elected, and last November became the only president in American history to turn 80 while in office. On average, presidents have been 55 years old when they have taken their oath of office.

If reelected, Biden would be 82 years old at the beginning of his second term, and 86 at the end of the term, should he survive until January, 2029, the end of the next term.

At the same time, former President Donald Trump is no spring chicken. He is 77 years old, and will turn 78 in June, the same age that Biden was when he became president in 2020. Trump is the Republican’s leading contender for nomination to the 2024 General Election ballot.

According to the White House physician’s report, issued in February, “President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.” But old age is quickly becoming his biggest achievement, and it comes up time and again as a national security concern.

Biden is increasingly seen as a liability to down-ballot candidates. Even the Alaska Democratic Party has stopped referring to him in any of their communications, and in swing states, Democrat candidates are not requesting Biden’s endorsement or appearances at campaign events.

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, posted on X/Twitter: “What he [Biden] needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?” adding that “the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.”

In an interview with columnist Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, Axelrod said, “I don’t care about them thinking I’m a prick — that’s fine,” Axelrod told Dowd, responding to reports that Biden had called Axelrod a prick. “I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong, because they’re not.”

Axelrod also said the president has a real problem if he thinks he can “cheat nature.”

Biden already has set the record for the oldest president to be elected. The top 20 list shows that Donald J. Trump was the second-oldest, followed by Ronald Reagan:

146Joe Biden78 years 61 days
245Donald J. Trump70 years 220 days
340Ronald Reagan69 years 348 days
49William Henry Harrison68 years 23 days
515James Buchanan65 years 315 days
641George H. W. Bush64 years 222 days
712Zachary Taylor64 years 100 days
834Dwight D. Eisenhower62 years 98 days
97Andrew Jackson61 years 354 days
102John Adams61 years 125 days
1138Gerald R. Ford61 years 26 days
1233Harry S. Truman60 years 339 days
135James Monroe58 years 310 days
144James Madison57 years 353 days
153Thomas Jefferson57 years 325 days
166John Quincy Adams57 years 236 days
171George Washington57 years 68 days
1817Andrew Johnson56 years 107 days
1928Woodrow Wilson56 years 66 days
2037Richard M. Nixon56 years 11 days

The youngest president ever sworn in was Theodore Roosevelt, who was nearly 43 when he became president; he had been vice president to William McKinley, who was assassinated on Sept. 14, 1901.

In general, the age of presidents has continued to get older, although Barack Obama was 47, and Bill Clinton was 46 at the time of their inaugurations.

Biden forced to become a write-in candidate in New Hampshire
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