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Biden approves disaster assistance to flood areas after spring breakup

Suzanne Downing
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Biden approves disaster assistance to flood areas after spring breakup

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the State of Alaska to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by flooding from May 12 to June 3.

President Joe Biden’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the Copper River Regional Educational Attendance Area, Kuspuk REAA, Lower Kuskokwim REAA, Lower Yukon REAA, and Yukon Flats REAA.

Assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the Bering Strait School REAA, Copper River REAA, Kuspuk REAA, Lower Yukon REAA, and Yukon Flats REAA. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

On May 13, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a state disaster emergency for the Alaska Gateway, Yukon Flats, Kuspuk, and Copper River Regional Education Attendance Area (REAA)s due to flooding.

A week later, Dunleavy added the Northwest Arctic Borough, the Iditarod REAA, Lower Kuskokwim REAA, and Lower Yukon REAA to the declared disaster areas.

Lance E. Davis was named the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments. Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.

Sparks fly at GOP debate, as Vivek Ramaswamy spars with field

Suzanne Downing
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Sparks fly at GOP debate, as Vivek Ramaswamy spars with field

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came roaring out of the gate as the first speaker during the first Republican presidential debate, held in Milwaukee on Wednesday. The crowd loved him.

“Our country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable. It’s a choice,” DeSantis said, saying that the country needs to send President Joe Biden back to the basement, reverse Bidenomics, and “We cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard, while Hunter Biden is making hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings.”

Both DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy landed some of the most powerful and well-received lines of the night, attacking Joe Biden and his economic policies that have harmed the American economy, and refraining from attacking former President Donald Trump.

In fact, it was Ramaswamy who launched the most vociferous defense of Trump, saying that under Joe Biden, the justice system has been weaponized. His statement drew a huge round of cheers from the crowd in Milwaukee.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie drew repeated boos from the Republican audience at various points that started from the moment he was introduced. He attacked Ramaswamy as a “Chat GPT” candidate and swiped at Trump repeatedly. He also delivered a strong law-and-order message, saying he would demand U.S. Attorneys pursue criminals more aggressively than Biden has.

The candidates were asked if they’d support a convicted Trump as the Republican Party’s choice. Ramaswamy immediately put his hand up, with Nikki Haley and Tim Scott following him. DeSantis hesitated before raising a hand, and Mike Pence then raised his followed by a reluctant hand from Christie.

Former Vice President Mike Pence surprised many with his strong commitment to conservative principles, including the right to life. The audience gave him a lukewarm response, although there was no outright disrespect.

As the two-hour debate continued, the leading candidates piled on Ramaswamy, who has climbed the polls recently, to the point where he is surpassing DeSantis.

“You have no foreign policy experience and it shows!” said Haley, referring to the 38-year-old candidate’s stance on Ukraine, as she and Ramaswamy talked over each other and pointed. At another point, Pence insulted Ramaswamy by saying he would repeat something for him, but more slowly.

When the eight were asked if they would support Ukraine, Ramaswamy was the only candidate to to say no.

“I think this is disastrous that we are protecting an invasion across somebody else’s border when we should use those same military resources to prevent the invasion of our own southern border,” he said. “I find it offensive that we have professional politicians on this stage that will make a pilgrimage to Kyiv to their pope Zelensky without doing the same think for people in Maui or the south side of Chicago…”

Although the topic of former President Trump came up time and again, it didn’t dominate the debate.

“We have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America. We can’t win a general election that way,” Haley said. She also attacked the Republican Party, saying Republicans drove up spending during the Trump Administration.

Christie bashed Trump and said that the former president said he would suspend the Constitution. Moderator Brett Baier had to scold the audience to stop booing.

“If folks at home want to watch a bunch of people blindly bash Trump, they can just flip the channel and watch MSNBC right now. But I’m not running for President of MSNBC, I’m running for President of the United States,” Ramaswamy said.

One unusual aspect of the debate was that perhaps for the first time in history, the candidates were asked about UFOs.

Over on Twitter, Trump held forth with Tucker Carlson in a 45-minute interview that drew more than 74 million viewers in the first hour alone.

The closing arguments of the debate itself were not just about style, but substance. Pence emphasized themes of faith in God and faith in the American people.

Ramaswamy gave the most powerful close of the eight: ” This is our moment to revive those common ideals [of the 1776 revolution]. God is real. There are two genders. Fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity. Reverse racism is racism. An open border is not a border. Parents determine the education of their children. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to man. Capitalism lifts us up from poverty. There are three branches of government, not four. And the U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedom in human history. That is what won us the American revolution. That is what will win us the revolution of 2024.”

Anchorage Assembly denies mayor library advisory board picks again

Suzanne Downing
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44
Anchorage Assembly denies mayor library advisory board picks again

All four of Mayor Dave Bronson’s nominees to the Anchorage Library Advisory Board were voted down on Tuesday night by the anti-Bronson Assembly, on a vote of 7-4.

Assemblywoman Anna Brawley led the discussion about the mayor’s choices, saying she could not support any of them because she feels they are part of a partisan plot to take away things like Drag Queen Story Hour and other controversial programs and materials at the library.

Brawley said they are part of what she called a battleground that centered on public libraries. She said believes the mayor is trying to ban books by remaking the library advisory board, which has already been stripped of its book-banning powers by the Assembly.

She recommended a no vote on all four because they would join what she sees as ” body to advance a partisan purpose.”

Listen to some of the discussion regarding the library board:

Aimee Sims, Stacey Lange, Windy Perkins, and Donna Moats had been nominated by the mayor, and the Assembly decided to postpone action from the meeting of July 25. Earlier this year, the Assembly rejected all three nominees to the Library Board.

Chief of Staff Mario Bird asked Brawley if the same rubric would be applied to nominees if they shared different views from the ones that were nominated. Assembly Chairman Chris Constant cautioned Bird that his question was not welcome.

The current Assembly has made history by repeatedly not approving the mayor’s appointments, something never before seen in Anchorage.

The nine-member board of the library advisory panel is a battleground for the Assembly, which is playing a waiting game, hoping that a new mayor will be elected in April. Meanwhile, it appears unwilling to approve any of Mayor Bronson’s nominees.

Three more members reach the end of their service in October, leaving just two members — Dennis Dupras and Doug Weimann. If no members are replaced, the expiring members may serve another 120 days, or resign.

  • Cristy A. Willer, Chair, Term expires October 14, 2023
  • OPEN, Vice Chair, Term expires October 14, 2022
  • OPEN, Secretary, Term expires October 14, 2022
  • Debra Bronson, Term expires October 14, 2023
  • Dennis Dupras, Term expires October 14, 2024
  • Alice Qannik Glenn, Term expires October 14, 2023
  • Doug Weimann, Term expires October 14, 2024
  • Teen Advisory Board Member: Vacant

The August meeting of the Library Advisory Board, which meets on the third Wednesday of every month, had to be canceled due to a lack of a quorum.

Anchorage Assembly says no to the mayor again — this time denying him library board appointees

State petitions Supreme Court to enforce Janus’ free speech ruling

Suzanne Downing
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11
State petitions Supreme Court to enforce Janus’ free speech ruling

The Dunleavy Administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the First Amendment rights of state employees, calling for greater protection of free speech rights within the workplace, as it pertains to forced dues to unions that use the money for political campaigns.

Attorney General Treg Taylor is spearheading this effort, citing concerns over current Alaska law’s compliance with the landmark 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31. This ruling established that states cannot compel public employees to financially support union speech with which they disagree.

According to the state’s legal filing, Alaska state law appears to contradict the principles outlined in Janus by mandating the State to forcibly take union dues from employees’ paychecks based solely on written authorizations received from the union.

The automatic deduction from workers’ paycheck raises questions about employees’ awareness of their rights and whether they have knowingly consented to such deductions. Furthermore, the state is required to continue these deductions even after an employee requests a cessation.

“Across the country, states will deduct dues simply because the union asserts that it has the employees’ authorization,” Taylor said.

Instances of unions compelling non-consenting employees to contribute dues have emerged since the Janus ruling. For example, in one case, over 5,000 individuals in the State of Washington were forced to pay dues despite explicit objections to union membership.

“Before we take any money from the paychecks of state employees, we need to ensure that the employees were properly advised of their rights and consented to the deduction,” Dunleavy said. “And if employees disagree with union speech, they need to be given an opportunity to opt out. Our payroll system does not adequately protect the constitutional rights of our employees and changes must be made.”

This move by the State of Alaska to seek Supreme Court intervention marks another chapter in the ongoing debate surrounding the rights of state employees and the application of Janus principles.

State workers sue union over forced union dues
A conversation with Mark Janus

Prigozhin was on passenger list of plane crash north of Moscow

Suzanne Downing
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42
Prigozhin was on passenger list of plane crash north of Moscow

Russian authorities have not yet confirmed whether the mercenary leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, was on a private jet that crashed on Wednesday. The warlord is on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list.

“In the Tver region, near the village of Kuzhenkino, a private Embraer Legacy aircraft crashed while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg. There were 10 people on board, including 3 crew members. According to preliminary information, all on board were killed. EMERCOM of Russia is conducting search operations,” according to Russia’s emergencies ministry.

Yevgeny V. Prigozhin

In June, the leader of the Wagner Group rebellion cut a deal with President Vladimir Putin and said he would exile himself to neighboring Belarus. This deal was made after his fighters came within 120 miles of Moscow in a mutiny launched against the Russian military after the Wagner Group suffered from friendly fire from Russian forces. The Wagner Group was supporting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

But the warlord was later reportedly spotted in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia.

According to reports out of Moscow this morning, eight bodies were recovered from the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino.

Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia said Prigozhin’s name was on the manifest, the state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported on social media.

Prigozhin was a close confidant of Putin until he launched the rebellion. Starting out as a hot dog seller and developing a deeply notorious reputation, he is sometimes called Prigozhin “Putin’s chef,” as he has owned restaurants and catering firms that provided meals for the Kremlin.

He is on the FBI “most wanted list” for attempting to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

The FBI claims Prigozhin oversaw an electoral interference operation by the Russia-based Internet Research Agency, a “troll farm,” which he funded and which spread misinformation via social media.

He is accused by the FBI of a “conspiracy to defraud the US by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions” of the Federal Election Commission, the United States Department of Justice, and the United States Department of State,” according to the FBI, which offers $250,000 for information that might lead to his arrest. 

Dead man walking? Prigozhin stands down, makes deal, flees to Belarus
Warlord vs. Putin: Russia rebellion underway

Governor appoints Jason Brune to Permanent Fund trustees

Suzanne Downing
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1
Governor appoints Jason Brune to Permanent Fund trustees

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced today the appointment of Jason Brune to the public seat on the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Board of Trustees.

Brune served on the APFC board when he was commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, a position he held for four and a half years before resigning earlier this month to return to the private sector.

Brune steps into the role vacated by outgoing trustee Steve Rieger. His four-term tenure on the APFC board of trustees commences immediately. It is a volunteer position.

Breaking: Dunleavy endorses Trump

Suzanne Downing
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62
Breaking: Dunleavy endorses Trump

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy endorsed Donald Trump for president, it was reported by Politico today.

“Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is endorsing Donald Trump, giving the former president the support of a governor whose state is expected to hold its nominating contest on the all-important ‘Super Tuesday’ primary date,” the publication reported.

“The endorsement comes as Trump expands his broad lead in support from Republican governors and federal lawmakers over his rivals in the GOP presidential primary. With Dunleavy’s backing, Trump has earned the support of three of the five Republican governors who have endorsed in the race. Trump has also received the support of over 80 members of Congress, more than 16 times the amount of his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,” Politico reported.

The Republican debate on Wednesday will feature eight candidate, but Trump will not be one of them. He has chosen to put together a competing event with Tucker Carlson, to be broadcast on Twitter at approximately the same time as the debate.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott will all be on the debate stage.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez says he met all the criteria for being included in the debate, but was not included on the list. Neither was Larry Elder, who also claims to have met the minimum fundraising and polling threshold.

This story will be updated.

Alexander Archipelago wolf to stay off endangered species list, Sullivan says

Suzanne Downing
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12
Alexander Archipelago wolf to stay off endangered species list, Sullivan says

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan expressed his satisfaction today over a decision made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to not list the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

The announcement comes after Sen. Sullivan wrote to USFWS Director Martha Williams, voicing his strong opposition to the potential listing.

The potential listing of the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species had raised concerns among community leaders and experts associated with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. It was widely feared that such a listing could have a detrimental impact on the local economy and community interests.

The February 2022 gray wolves in much of the Lower 48 western states were put back on the endangered list by a U.S. District Court judge, in response to actions by environmental groups objecting to their removal from the list.

“I want to commend the Fish & Wildlife Service for listening to Alaskans and abiding by the clear science in their decision not to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species,” Sen. Sullivan said. “This decision is a victory for science-based decision-making and local consultation, and a defeat for the Lower 48 radical environmental groups and their relentless war against our state and opportunities for our people. I wish more decisions coming from the Biden Interior Department prioritized science over politics and heeded the voices of people who actually feel the impacts of these decisions. Alaskans, like all Americans, deserve the right to access their lands and have jobs and economic opportunities,” the senator said.

Alexander Archipelago wolf is a subspecies of North American gray wolf. Found in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia’s coastal mainland and larger island complexes, the wolf is smaller and darker in color than wolves on the mainland. The Fish and Wildlife Service received a request from environmental groups to list it as endangered.

To determine if listing was warranted, the agency conducted a species status assessment using the best available Western science and traditional ecological knowledge of Southeast Alaska Indigenous peoples,” the agency said.

“The extensive review process found that Alexander Archipelago wolf is not currently endangered throughout its range, nor likely to become so within the foreseeable future,” the agency said. 

However, leading up to the push to try to get it listed, Scientific American boldly wrote in 2015 that the subspecies of wolf was nearing extinction, in a story headlined, “Alaska’s Rare Alexander Archipelago Wolves Nearly Wiped Out in 1 Year.”

“These are dire times for one of the world’s rarest wolf subspecies. Over the past year one of the most important populations* of Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago wolves (Canis lupus ligoni) has plummeted from 221 to as low as 60, according to data released last week. As a result, conservation groups—which have sought to protect the rare wolves under the Endangered Species Act for years—are now calling for emergency steps to preserve the few wolves that remain,” the science magazine wrote in a story that seems to have been placed by the Center for Biological Diversity, a group keen to put the wolf on the endangered list.

“Named after the southeastern Alaskan island chain, Alexander Archipelago wolves are smaller and lighter than other North American wolves, from which they have been isolated for millennia. They rely almost exclusively on a single prey species, Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis), although the wolves have been known to eat salmon a few months out of the year. Both the wolves and the deer have suffered over the past few decades as logging has eroded their island habitats,” the science-themed magazine wrote.

“Unfortunately for both species, the humans living and working on Prince of Wales Island and other remote islands also like to hunt deer. ‘I think the big problem is that some hunters see wolves as competitors for deer,’ says Rebecca Noblin, Alaska director for the Center for Biological Diversity. ‘Because old-growth logging has reduced habitat for Sitka black-tailed deer, wolves and humans are competing for fewer deer,'” Scientific American said.

Orca-strated: Eco lawsuit has win in Washington, but Alaska appeals ruling harming Southeast troll fishery
Alaska sues feds over bearded and ringed seal critical habitat designation area that is larger than state of Texas

Linda Boyle: Parents, take time to learn whether kids need Covid shots

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Linda Boyle: Parents, take time to learn whether kids need Covid shots

By LINDA BOYLE

The big push is on: Parents are being told to get their children vaccinated for Covid. 

While not opposed to vaccinations, I believe every parent or guardian should make the best decision for their children based on the science. Most parents diligently look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or their family doctor for recommendations. These are not bad sources, but they are not the only place to look.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Covid-19 shots are still recommended for anyone over the age of six months.  

Here are the data for Alaska:

Chart above shows cases by age, deaths by age of Covid in Alaska.

Note in the chart above that those under 20 years of age (orange) had 25% of the Covid cases. 

But the middle chart shows less than 1% of those who died with Covid were under 20. Of those who died, no mention of comorbidities is included. A comorbidity is usually a long-term or chronic disease or condition that can complicate another serious illness. We also don’t know if those who contracted Covid had been “vaccinated” for Covid.

In a review by scientists led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute concerning covid “vaccines,” the authors stated natural immunity is pretty common in younger populations, due to the virus being around (albeit mutating) for the last two years. Therefore, the benefit for healthy children to receive this MRNA injection may be minimal.  

The CDC announced that a new booster dose will be released by the third week in September or early October.  

That booster, the CDC said, will assist with coverage for the new mutation called ERIS, despite the fact the Covid variant has already mutated. The experts think it’s close enough that “it should” give protection.  

The government is looking at possibly giving it Emergency Use Authorization even though President Joe Biden declared the Covid Emergency over in May 2023.    

Once you have the information concerning the benefits of the MRNA injection, you must look at the potential side effects from the injection. Is the “cure” more harmful than the disease?  

It would seem so, especially for children. Healthy children have minimal risk of getting the disease and getting any complications from it. The experts only “think” might be effective against the virus that has already mutated. 

This is not science. And some of the really harmful side effects from the jab are myocarditis and pericarditis, especially in young males.  Myocarditis means inflammation of the heart and pericarditis is an inflammation in the sac surrounding the heart. These conditions can lead to long-term complications and death.

According to Dr. Meryl Nass, internal medicine physician, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC knew about the myocarditis safety issues as early as February 2021, but “hid it until they got the vaccine authorized for 12-15-year-olds in May 2021.” And then they kept pushing the vaccine on these highest-risk groups.” 

But it is difficult for one to find this information that the government wants to hide. In their “medical misinformation policy” YouTube has defined what it doesn’t want you to know.  Any information that “contradicts local health authorities” or the World Health Organization must be kept off their pages, and this includes prevention misinformation, treatment misinformation, and denial information. 

Big Pharma has hidden side-effect information until it has been forced to disclose the information.  

If you have all the information and good science to back it up, you as individuals and as parents can figure things out for yourselves and make the best decision for yourself and your children. There are resources out there for you like the Childrens’ Health Defense and Frontline Doctors.  

And specific to Alaskans, you can find current information at www.AlaskaCovidAlliance.com and our Facebook page, Alaskans Supporting Early Treatment.  

Please stay educated.  Ask questions.  Do not be fooled or manipulated.  Your children’s lives depend on you.  

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. 

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