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Chloe Cole, who detransitioned, to speak at Alaska Family Council dinner

Suzanne Downing
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Chloe Cole, who detransitioned, to speak at Alaska Family Council dinner

A teenager who went through a horrific experience in which San Francisco doctors “transitioned” her with chemicals and surgery to appear as a male, is now on the speaking circuit, telling America that the transgendering of minors must stop.

Chloe Cole is the featured keynote speaker at the Alaska Family Council’s Aug. 16 and 18 summer events in Wasilla and Anchorage.

Cole had a mental health crisis as a child. Doctors at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco diagnosed her with gender dysphoria when she was 9 years old, and began treating her at age 12 with puberty blockers, testosterone treatments, and a double mastectomy.

At age 16, when she realized she had been medically abused, she detransitioned and became an activist in defense of children who face the same situation. Now at the age of 19, she describes herself as a former “trans kid.” One who is on a mission to save others.

“Chloe Cole has a story to tell. She’s the victim of a woke agenda and a woke medical community, and she isn’t staying silent,” says Jim Minnery, president of Alaska Family Council. “Her story is powerful, and it’s one the Left doesn’t want you to hear – which is why we are giving you an opportunity to hear from her.”

Cole recently testified in front of Congress about the dangers of medically treating children with what the medical community and activists benignly call “gender-affirming care.” Her testimony can be heard in this C-SPAN clip:

These seasonal events by the group raise funds to support the mission of Alaska Family Council. This event does not include dinner and is more of a lecture format.

Past keynoters include well-known names such as Dennis Prager, Will Witt, Louisiana Rep. Katrina Jackson, Kimberly Strassel and Suzanne Downing. Tickets and table reservations for the Wasilla and Anchorage lectures, as well as more information about the events, can be found at this link.

Alaska Family Council is a family-centered nonprofit that believes life should be protected from the time of conception to the end of natural life; marriage is between one man and one woman as the essential element of the family; strong families are essential to a strong and healthy society; First Amendment religious liberties are critical to our freedom as a people and must be protected and defended; and that parents have a right to guide their children’s lives and to responsibly direct every aspect of their education and care.

Supporting the work of Alaska Family Council can also be done directly, even if attending the dinner is not in your plans. The link is here.

Those interested may also support Chloe Cole’s work as an activist directly through this link.

Dennis Prager packs the house in Anchorage and warns of one of the biggest threats to the country: Universities
Louisiana lawmaker to Alaskans: ‘Right to life’ is not a partisan issue

Operation Underground Railroad speaker to present at School of Government in Palmer

Suzanne Downing
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Operation Underground Railroad speaker to present at School of Government in Palmer

Tyson Wright, outreach manager at Operation Underground Railroad, is the featured speaker at 7 pm on Aug. 7 at the School of Government, a gathering of politically interested Alaskans who meet in Palmer at Real Life Church.

Operation Underground Railroad is the anti-child-exploitation group featured in the movie, “Sound of Freedom,” which has sold over 9 million tickets since its debut last month, now passing $100 million in box office revenue.

Wright started as a volunteer for Operation Underground Railroad in 2015 and is now a full-time team member.

“We go to the darkest corners of the world to assist in rescuing children from slavery and ensure ongoing aftercare, provide cutting edge tools and resources to U.S. law enforcement throughout the United States, while strengthening preventative efforts that benefit at-risk children worldwide. We will not give up and will continue to go to the darkest place until light is restored and every child is protected,” the group states on its website.

Operation Underground Railroad says it has been part of over 4,000 operations and 6,500 arrests of people exploiting children in the sex trafficking trade. More than 7,000 children have been rescued. The organization also provides robust aftercare programs for survivors that include basic support, therapy, and medical care.

“Sound of Freedom” is an independently produced movie that was financed mainly by a group of wealthy Mexicans for $14.6 million. The liberal media bashed the movie as advancing a “QAnon-worthy theory” about global child trafficking.

Even the Anchorage Daily News sideswiped the movie as a “faith-based child trafficking film,” a curious description, instead of calling it a film exposing actual crimes against children. But it has turned out to be one of the hit movies of the summer of 2024.

Liberals and media bash ‘Sound of Freedom’ as a QAnon-driven theory about cabal of global child traffickers

Murkowski, Sullivan remark on news of Chinese, Russian naval flotilla near Alaska coast

Suzanne Downing
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53
Murkowski, Sullivan remark on news of Chinese, Russian naval flotilla near Alaska coast

The Wall Street Journal was first to report that 11 Chinese and Russian warships were spotted off the coast of Alaska, not far from the Aleutian Islands.

According to the Journal, U.S. experts said it was the largest such flotilla to approach American shores. Although the ships never entered U.S. territorial waters, they were shadowed by four U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

“It is a historical first,” said Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Navy captain to the newspaper. “Given the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions around Taiwan, this move is highly provocative.”

Two of the three members of the Alaska U.S. Congressional Delegation issued responses to the report.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and longtime advocate of upgrading the military’s presence in Alaska, posted a statement on the social media platform X:

“The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together – off the coast of Alaska – is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow,” Sen. Sullivan wrote. “In recognition of this reality and our state’s unrivaled strategic location, for years, I’ve been pressing the Navy and each successive administration to commit to a greater Naval, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps presence in Alaska, more Arctic-capable vessels, and more infrastructure to host these assets, like the deep-water port of Nome.”

Sullivan reminded readers that last summer, the Chinese and Russian navies conducted a similar operation off the coast of Alaska and that President Joe Biden had a weak response.

“Given that our response was tepid, I strongly encouraged senior military leaders to be ready with a much more robust response should such another joint Chinese/Russian naval operation occur off our coast,” Sullivan said. “For that reason, I was heartened to see that this latest incursion was met with four U.S. Navy destroyers, which sends a strong message to Xi Jinping and Putin that the United States will not hesitate to protect and defend our vital national interests in Alaska.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski also issued a statement: “We have been in close contact with leadership from Alaska Command for several days now and received detailed classified briefings about the foreign vessels that are transiting U.S. waters in the Aleutians.”

Murkowski noted that Alaska is in close proximity to China and Russia.

“Incursions like this are why we are working so hard to secure funding and resources to expand our military’s capacity and capabilities in Alaska, and why our colleagues must join us in supporting those investments,” she said.

Murkowski is in Ketchikan this weekend for the Blueberry Festival and a charitable fundraiser for cancer research. Sullivan is finishing his required annual U.S. Marine Reserve training.

Rep. Mary Peltola issued no statement. She is believed to be out of the country during August recess.

Prosecutor gets protective order due to fightin’ words from Trump

Suzanne Downing
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65
Prosecutor gets protective order due to fightin’ words from Trump

On Friday, former President Donald Trump wrote on TruthSocial a statement: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

Later on Friday, the Biden Administration’s special counsel Jack Smith asked the federal judge overseeing former Trump’s most recent federal indictment to issue a protective order, saying that what Trump wrote was a threat.

Smith also said the judge needs to put a gag order on Trump, so he won’t talk about the case in public.

On Saturday, the federal judge agreed and slapped an order on Trump to shut up about any trial evidence he knows about in his upcoming election interference case.

District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling agreed with Smith, based on Trump’s prolific social media history.

“Such a restriction is particularly important in this case because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him,” Smith wrote. “If the defendant were to begin issuing public posts using details — or, for example, grand jury transcripts — obtained in discovery here, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case.”

Trump’s legal and campaign team argue that what Trump said was not a threat; it’s political speech, protected by the First Amendment. In fact, Trump said nothing about the trial in his social media post, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

“This is a fast-moving railroad without any concern for justice,” said Trump attorney John Lauro.

“The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth,” the Trump campaign said.

On Fox News, Jesse Watters, noted that such things have always backfired against the Biden Administration: “So far, Biden’s attempts to arrest Trump are backfiring. Trump is now demolishing the Republican Primary Field. The harder the Washington establishment tries to separate Trump from the people, the tighter that bond becomes.”

Trump pleads not guilty to all charges relating to 2020 election results
Alex Gimarc: Sen. Lisa Murkowski beclowns herself on Trump

CDC changes its tune, says Covid is mild, can be managed with Advil

Suzanne Downing
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18
CDC changes its tune, says Covid is mild, can be managed with Advil

Just a year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and the rest of the government made sure that anyone off-message on Covid-19 would lose their job, lose their business, and lose all their friends and associates.

The federal government also infiltrated Twitter under the previous owners, and coordinated with Facebook to cancel accounts of those with opposing views on the virus, its origin, and treatment.

Today, the CDC says that for most people, Covid is entirely manageable at home. It’s probably going to be mild, the CDC says.

“Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home. You can treat symptoms with over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), to help you feel better,” the CDC says.

The advice has changed from the agency that managed the pandemic for both the Trump and Biden presidencies.

Since 2021, at least eight doctors around the country have been threatened with penalties for spreading “misinformation” about vaccines or by suggesting treatments for Covid-19 that were not accepted by the government or governing medical boards.

For example, in Florida, the nominee for state surgeon general refused to answer the question about whether the Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective. The medical board received a complaint from a local doctor about the nominee. Although Dr. Joseph Ladapo was confirmed by Republicans, Democrats voted agains Thim because of his opposition to coronavirus mandates.

The penalties went beyond political appointments. Thousands of nurses and medical assistants lost their jobs for being independent thinkers about the Covid-19 pandemic policies.

In Hawaii, the medical board filed a formal complaintsagainst the state’s chief health officer and another doctor because they supported alternative Covid-19 treatments that the federal health officials didn’t approve.

But now, the advice is stay home, take some Advil or Motrin, get some rest, and drink plenty of fluids. That’s today’s CDC advice for “most people.”

House committee hears how military recruiting, readiness was damaged by Biden Covid vaccine mandate
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Peltola votes with The Squad against ending the three-year national Covid emergency declaration
Government’s top doctor declares loneliness an epidemic, wants to fix it
CDC’s unofficial admission: The mandates were pointless

Watch: Anchorage fans seek and find Tim Hayden, the ‘Love Your Journey’ Hagley West watchmaker

Suzanne Downing
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1
Watch: Anchorage fans seek and find Tim Hayden, the ‘Love Your Journey’ Hagley West watchmaker

Saturday was a Chamber of Commerce summer day in Anchorage. Some went fishing, others found a swimming hole, and lots of hikers hit the trails. For about 150 people, the day was devoted to tracking down a business entrepreneur from Great Britain, who left his job as to start his own watch company.

Tim Hayden, the watch entrepreneur, now has over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, over 2 million followers across his various social media channels, and part of his marketing technique for his Hagley West watches is to position himself in cities all over the world, then go live on TikTok and Facebook, giving viewers some broad clues about where to find him.

The person who finds him first, and who speaks the words “Love Your Journey” to him, wins a watch, the value of which is under $200.

But it’s not about the watch, which is a story unto itself, but about the journey for Hayden’s fans, who enjoy being part of a global game of hide and seek with someone who started a business from scratch.

At the base of a hill at Kincaid Park, Hayden started live-streaming at 1 pm on Saturday, and it only took minutes for his first fans to find him. Brother and sister Sawyer and Sophia came bounding down the hill, shouting “Love Your Journey!” They, like the others who followed, gave Hayden a big hug and expressed how happy they were to meet him.

Hayden is an out-of-the-box thinker, and has turned his line of affordable and stylish watches into a coveted item for people around the world due to his unique method of building a tribe of people who enjoy the journey of the entrepreneur, and who embrace the idea of loving the journey of life.

“The ethos of Hagley West is built on my life experiences. As a younger man I lived dedicated to ascending to the next rung of life’s ladder, forever reaching and never being satisfied. How wrong could I have been. For it’s not the goal that’s the achievement, it’s the gratitude for the time we have, the joy of the process and the love of the journey,” Hayden said on his website.

“I decided instead to celebrate the love of the journey, not just mine, but also of others. No two journeys are the same, whether they be emotional, physical, mental or spiritual: but every journey is marked by time,” he said.

Rep. Jamie Allard, pictured at the top of this page with Hayden, was one of the people who made her way to Kincaid Park, although she was not among the first two dozen to arrive. She’s been following the journey of the watch company and its founder for a couple of years, and said she has admiration for someone who can build a company from scratch and go global.

Allard gave Hayden an American flag, and chatted with him briefly about his plans for growing a nonprofit organization to give back to the community, and she also applauded him for incorporating some American Sign Language into his marketing “Love Your Journey” slogan. Allard, who is partially deaf due to her military service, not only spoke “Love Your Journey” in words to Hayden, but also made the statement in ASL.

Allard also came to the event to congratulate the two teens who found Hayden first, within minutes of his livestream start time.

For Allard, her own journey started with her immigrant parents from Chile and Italy, and continued with her service in the U.S. Army, and now as a public servant in the Alaska Legislature. The words “Love Your Journey” speak to her own experience in growing and serving, now as the state representative for Eagle River.

Rep. Jamie Allard congratulates Sophia and Sawyer, two Anchorage teens who found Tim Hayden first on Saturday at Kincaid Park in Anchorage.

The happy collection of Alaskans who gathered under the sunny skies and calm winds stayed for a group photo with the continent-hopping entrepreneur, and for individual photos afterward — all of it live-streamed from Kincaid Park to thousands of viewers around the world.

Hayden, who left the safety of a job in IT to follow his dream, is repeating events like these in every state. Although he has now checked Alaska off the list, his crew said he definitely plans on returning.

Follow Rep. Jamie Allard’s journey at her website.

Follow Tim Hayden’s journey at Hagley West, on TikTok, and at Facebook.

Follow Must Read Alaska’s journey at www.mustreadalaska.com.

PLC Mondays: Anchorage students to start an hour later every Monday

Suzanne Downing
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26
PLC Mondays: Anchorage students to start an hour later every Monday

As students return to school this month in Anchorage, they will have one hour a week less of instructional time so teachers can take part in what is called Professional Learning Communities, an hour a week when teachers can collaborate and adjust their approach to individual student needs.

Since 2016, the late Monday late start was only in effect for high schools. This year, schools for all grades will start one hour later every Monday.

The Mat-Su Borough School District began observing the PLC Monday schedule last year for all grades.

“Providing this consistent professional development and collaboration time is a valuable tool that will help teachers and school staff support and adjust to student learning needs. We believe that the hour dedicated to teacher learning and collaboration on Mondays will move the needle for student achievement and greatly benefit all ASD students. PLCs equals improved classroom experiences, which leads to better student outcomes,” the district explains on its website.

“Professional Learning Communities (PLC) is a research-based collaborative structure used by educators to continuously learn, improve, and adapt teaching methods to help improve student outcomes. ASD will be implementing this weekly 1 hour structure which will support the District’s Board goals around Reading, Math, and College, Career, and Life Readiness,” the district says.

Bus transportation will start one hour later on Mondays only. School will end at the regular time. Parents will also be allowed to drop their students off at the regular start time, and as teachers participate in professional development, other staff members will be made available to supervise early-arriving students.

Before adopting PLC Monday, the Anchorage School District hosted focus groups, numerous interviews with appropriate medical professionals, three community town hall meetings, and a survey that received 9,926 responses.  The results supported the board’s vote in moving to a different school start time model, according to the school district.

In Anchorage, school begins on Aug. 17, with pre-K and kindergarten beginning on Aug. 24.

On Mondays, elementary schools will start at 10 am and release at 3:30 pm, middle schools will start at 9:15 am and release at 2:45 pm, and high schools will start at 8:30 am and release at 2 pm.

In the Mat-Su Borough, school begins on Aug. 15, with most schools observing the PLC Monday start time of 10:15 am and release time of 3:45 pm.

It is unclear how these school districts make up the requirements to teach the state’s minimum required 180 days of instruction. One hour a week over the course of the year can add up. For Anchorage, the 16 Mondays that will have an hour subtracted from learning time adds up to 16 hours less instruction between Aug 17 and winter break. Another 15 hours of instruction are lost between winter break and the end of the school year, for a total of over 30 hours of lost instructional time.

Add that to the snow days that occur each year and there may be several days that must be made up at the end of the school year.

Schilmiller pleads guilty to soliciting murder of teen at Thunder Bird Falls

Suzanne Downing
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3
Schilmiller pleads guilty to soliciting murder of teen at Thunder Bird Falls

Darin Mitchell Schilmiller, 25,of New Salisbury, Indiana, pleaded guilty today to a single count of solicitation to commit first-degree murder related to the 2019 death of Cynthia Hoffman, near Thunder Bird Falls.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson accepted the plea on Friday.

In June 2019, 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman was murdered near Thunder Bird Falls, a popular hiking destination near Chugiak. The crime, involving a group of local teenagers, took a twist when investigators discovered Schilmiller’s involvement as the long-distant puppet master.

According to court records, Schilmiller orchestrated the plot from his home in Indiana, “catfishing” the group of teens and luring them into the act of murder under the promise of financial reward. As part of the guilty plea agreement, Schilmiller signed an affidavit acknowledging the statement of facts surrounding the crime.

Who is Darin Schilmiller and why is he part of this murder investigation?

Although there was no consensus between the prosecution and defense regarding a specific sentence, Judge Peterson has the discretion to impose a term of imprisonment anywhere between 5 and 99 years.

Sentencing proceedings are scheduled to start on Jan. 8, 2024 in front of Judge Peterson. Other charges including first and second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Schilmiller is currently being held in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections and is no longer eligible for release on any conditions.

Denali Brehmer pleaded guilty earlier this year to the actual murder. There were four other alleged accomplices to the gruesome act, in which “friends” took the developmentally disabled Hoffman on a hike, to the falls, bound her with duct tape, and shot her in the back of the head, and dumped her body into the Eklutna River.

Brehmer then sent videos and photos of the murder to Schilmiller via the Snapchat phone app.

It was during the investigation into Hoffman’s death that the child pornography was found on both Denali Bremer’s and Darin Schilmiller’s phones. The FBI says Schilmiller instructed Brehmer to sexually assault two minors aged between 8 and 15. Explicit videos of one of these acts were sent by Brehmer to Schilmiller.

Previously, Schilmiller had pleaded guilty to child pornography, which will come with separate sentencing.

Man accused of convincing others to murder teen pleads guilty to child porn
Accused of thrill killing, Schilmiller, Brehmer now indicted for child porn

Nick Begich starts stacking up endorsements for Congress ’24

Suzanne Downing
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67
Nick Begich starts stacking up endorsements for Congress ’24

Alaska Republican candidate for Congress Nick Begich has received the unanimous endorsement of the Anchorage Young Republicans and the Mat-Su Young Republicans.

Zach Young, president of the Anchorage Young Republicans said, “For this race, we saw it as a no-brainer: it’s gotta be Nick. Republicans have to unify to win — and they’re unifying behind Nick. It’s clear he’s our only shot at having a representative in DC who isn’t in lockstep with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.”

Ryan McKee, president of the Mat-Su Young Republicans, said, “Our membership doesn’t always agree on everything, but we agreed on this unanimously: Nick Begich is the ONLY candidate who is ready to defeat Mary Peltola. We were proud to support Nick in his previous run, and we’re excited to get behind him this time too — all the way!”

McKee continued, “Some might say it’s unusual to endorse this early in the campaign cycle — but they should tell that to Mary Peltola. She endorsed Joe Biden on day one!”

Begich is a third-generation Alaskan and the grandson of former U.S. Representative from Alaska Nick Begich, Sr. He is running for Congress to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Anchorage and Mat-Su Young Republicans,” said Begich. “These young Republicans are the future of our state, and I am grateful for their support. I will work hard to earn the votes of all Alaskans in this election.”

The endorsement of the Anchorage and Mat-Su Young Republicans is a significant boost for Begich’s campaign; with the endorsement of these clubs, Begich has won the support of all of the Young Republican clubs in the state, representing thousands of young registered Republicans in Alaska.

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