Update: There are three known dead in the landslide, one is a child; three are missing –– two adults and a child.Rescue efforts are difficult due to continuous sliding, with the slide being about 500 feet wide. Rain on Monday totaled about three inches in Wrangell. Dozens of homes are still without power beyond the slide zone.
A major landslide at about destroyed homes in Wrangell on Monday around 9 pm. Troopers and other agencies responded to the slide near Mile 11 of the Zimovia Highway. Three are known to have died, and three are missing. Three homes were in the direct path of the slide.
“A preliminary survey determined that three single-family residences were directly in the path of the landslide. The first responders started a hasty search to look for survivors. The body of one deceased individual was located during the search. Multiple individuals are believed to have been within the slide area when the landslide occurred and are believed to be missing. The Alaska State Troopers have assumed command of the search and rescue effort,” Troopers said in a statement Tuesday morning. Two minors and an adult are still missing, as of Wednesday morning.
Wrangell landslide. Photo credit: Alaska Department of Transportation.
A major winter storm has been battering Southeast Alaska with torrential rains in southern portions and snow in Juneau and northern Lynn Canal. Juneau’s Thane Road has been under an avalanche alert during this weather event.
“Our local search and rescue team is working with the Alaska State Troopers, USCG, USFS, local contractors, city staff and DOT in a concerted effort to sift through and clear debris. A large-scale search and rescue effort cannot be done at this time as the site is extremely hazardous and unstable. A state geologist will have to come in to assess the site to ensure conditions are safe before proceeding with a full-scale effort,” the City of Wrangell wrote on Facebook.
“We ask that public direct all important questions/concerns/inquiries to Mason Villarma, Interim Borough Manager at (360) 981-1010. If you are calling to report a missing person, please call the Wrangell Police Department at (907) 874-3304. We will provide periodic updates of our ongoing search and rescue mission. The next update will be at 9am AKDT.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a verbal disaster declaration on Tuesday. Dunleavy said, “Rose and I are heartbroken by this disaster and we pray for the safety of all those on site and offer all the resources our state has available.”
The main slide measured about 200 feet wide, and was active throughout the night. Water taxis are being used available to help those on the south end navigate to the other side of the slide area. Zimovia Highway is closed to all highway traffic south of 6-Mile, the state Department of Transportation announcement said. Trident Seafoods is offering its bunk house for emergency housing, and businesses around town are offering free food, coffee, and shelter. Schools are closed on Wednesday.
The Department of Transportation is bringing in additional personnel and drone equipment Tuesday from Juneau. This story will be updated.
All-American swimmer Riley Gaines made her first visit to Alaska over the weekend, speaking to enthusiastic crowds who cheered her courage in standing up for female athletes.
The 23-year-old graduate of University of Kentucky has become a hero to those who see the absurdity of allowing men to compete as women, and she has become a villain to those who dismiss biology in favor of gender fluidity while screaming “Transwomen are women!” to anyone who opposes them.
Riley’s trip to Alaska was made possible by Alaska Family Council, a Faith-based organization that advocates for traditional family values and common sense. Alaska Family Council arranged for her to appear at Mountain City Church on Friday, an event open to the general public which drew a crowd of between 250 and 300 people.
On Saturday, the Tennessee native spoke to a private audience of 70 at the Captain Cook Hotel’s Quarterdeck, and on Sunday morning about 50 people joined Riley for breakfast with Alaska Family Council’s own Pastor Cheston McCrea, providing a Biblical message.
Both crowds greeted her with the cheers she deserves as the first college woman athlete to speak boldly against the invasion of men into the women’s sports arena. Introducing herself to the assembled, Riley established her bonafides as a subject matter expert by humbly listing her impressive accomplishments: Southeastern Conference First Team American; SEC record holder; Team Captain of the University of Kentucky Women’s Swim Team; SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year; and Olympic trials qualifier.
Quite the accomplishments, but it was another event that catapulted this courageous young woman into the headlines – and into the storm.
At the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming championships, Riley tied Will Thomas for fifth place in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event.
Thomas, who swam on the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania under his birth name Will, decided he was a woman, switched his first name to Lia, and was allowed to switch to the women’s team.
At the trophy presentation ceremony following the race, it was Thomas who was photographed with the fifth place trophy. Riley described the series of events that followed by admitting that she tends to say the first thoughts that pop into her head. In this case, it was Why is Thomas getting the trophy?
The first answer provided to her was that they were going in chronological order, which made absolutely no sense. If that meant they were going alphabetically, then Gaines should come before Thomas.
Prodding further for an honest answer, something Riley is good at, she was finally told by an NCAA official that it was their preference that Thomas was to be photographed with the trophy and that preference was not to be challenged. To which Riley said, “Isn’t this exactly what Title IX was meant to prevent?”
The anger and unfairness of it all led Riley to speak out. The recent graduate changed her plans to attend dental school so she could make her story known and help put an end to the lunacy that allows boys and men to invade girls’ and women’s sports.
Her stance has been met with the zeal and misguided passion that comes with challenging the any newfound leftist orthodoxy. They threw drinks at her, called her every vile name imaginable, spit at her, and tried to ban her from speaking on college campuses. When she appeared at San Francisco State University earlier this year, Riley was physically assaulted and forced to barricade in a room for four hours while the self-proclaimed tolerant and enlightened pounded on the door and screamed names and threats towards her.
Riley was able to make light of this dark event, saying the men who hit her were wearing dresses and, thankfully, didn’t hit hard enough to hurt her. But there is another troubling part of this incident that should concern everyone: Riley had police protection with her, so she asked them why they weren’t doing anything about the situation. The police told her that they were to consider the protesters, made up of LGBT people and their supporters, to be allies and to treat them as such. These protesters, Riley reported, were also calling the police pigs and fascists.
It is difficult to believe these incidents occur and people can be so blind to their absurd senses of logic, but it’s also difficult to believe why this issue of protecting women athletes from invasion by men athletes is an issue in the first place. It should never come to this. We should not have to appeal to athletic associations, school boards, legislatures, and the United States Congress to take action to protect girl athletes from boy athletes.
Unfortunately, that is the state of our society today. Fortunately, 23 states – including Alaska! – have now taken steps to save girls’ sports for girls. While Alaska’s protections are not in statute, they were still applauded by Riley. Hopefully, we will have enough legislators that are willing to stand up for common sense, biology, and female athletes. Riley pointed out Senator Shelley Hughes, who attended Sunday’s event, as the Alaska legislator who spearheaded a (failed) bill to save girls’ sports.
Also in attendance were several young female athletes, some of whom asked questions of Riley, looking for advice on how to respond when confronted with similar situations. Riley was gracious with her time, posing for pictures, signing autographs, and chatting with the athletes and other guests who look up to her for taking a strong stand for what is right.
Riley brought her husband Louis with her to Alaska. Her legal last name is now Barker, but her notoriety came under her maiden name, so that is why she still goes by Gaines for her public appearances. The two of them are overly and unfairly good looking – a real life Ken-and-Barbie couple, but they’re also good-natured people who are having to put up with physical threats by cretins who publish their home address. Yet Riley remains steadfast and undaunted.
She never expected or wanted this to be her life’s mission, but she will not back down. She is encouraged by those who support her, and her desire to continue on and do even more is propelled by those who oppose and attack her.
Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council and a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska. He is thankful for an inspiring and courageous young woman like Riley Gaines Barker.
A young man who swam competitively for three years in college as a man, then underwent transgender treatments and switched to the women’s team, has set a new record for New Jersey’s Ramapo College.
The man, who is now a senior going by the name Meghan Cortez-Fields, took first place and broke the school record in the 100-yard butterfly at a meet that brought six colleges together for the Cougar Splash Invitational in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
Cortez-Fields also took first in the 200-yard individual medley and second in the 200-yard butterfly. He won at least one heat in three of the four women’s meets this year, according to Ramapo News.
Ramapo College’s Instagram account quickly posted a congratulatory note about his win, but then deleted the post after women’s athlete advocate Riley Gainescalled out the college for discriminating against women.
“Ramapo College swimmer in NJ goes from less than mediocre male swimmer to a record smasher competing against the women. Hm, where have we seen this before? #SaveWomensSports,” Gaines wrote on social media.
Last year, transgender Lia Thomas smashed the NCAA freestyle, after having competed at a mediocre pace for three years as his biological gender for University of Pennsylvania, then switching to the women’s team and becoming the school’s champion swimmer, and most notorious trophy taker. He tied Gaines for fifth place, but the NCAA decided to give the fifth-place trophy to Thomas. Gaines has become a crusader for girls and women in athletics since that experience. She was in Anchorage last weekend to continue her public speaking tour and raise the issue of fairness for women competitive athletes.
Beginning in 2024, Alaska legislators and their staff will have use of newly remodeled apartments in a building across from the Alaska Capitol that was donated to the Legislature.
The new rental policy approved by the Legislative Council on Friday will allow legislators and staffers to rent studios starting at $1,100 a month or one-bedroom apartments for $1,600 a month. The tenants will be allowed to have dogs and cats in their apartments. It was a split vote, with some legislators not comfortable with putting pets in the building. Some legislators on the council do not support the entire concept of legislative housing owned by the Legislature.
Last December, the Legislative Council approved $6.6 million in renovations to the Assembly Apartments, as they were once known. That was a 20% increase over the $5.5 million estimated costs for renovations set in the summer of 2022 for the more than 30 apartments that have been created in the building, which was once apartments, then became lobbyist and other office, and now is returning to apartments. The building was given to the Legislature in 2021 by the Juneau Community Foundation, which also gave the Legislature $2 million for a renovation allowance.
With the renovations completed, legislators and staffers won’t be struggling just to find a place to live in the capital city. The proximity to the Capitol Building means tenants can get by without cars during the 90- to 120-day sessions. And the private sector can rest easy knowing that government housing has been provided to government workers through philanthropy.
Finding adequate housing in Juneau is a challenge at any time of year, but especially during late spring to fall, when the tourism season is in full swing. With housing now provided by the citizens of Alaska, the Legislature can soon more easily meet beyond the 90-day statutory limit for sessions, or the 120-day constitutional limit. Legislators won’t have to free up their apartments for incoming tourism workers.
In fact, by owning its own housing, the Legislature can have all the special sessions it wants, and collect all the per diem that goes with it. Legislators who don’t live in Juneau make $307 per diem. Special sessions typically are held without a full complement of legislative aides.
The rental policy gives priority to legislators based on their seniority, and remaining units would be made available to legislative staff, with those who have served the longest having priority.
On Nov. 16, the Alaska Public Offices Commission held a hearing on campaign-related complaints that have recently been filed with the commission.
In the afternoon, the complaint I filed against Rep. Jennie Armstrong was heard by the commission. During the hearing, Armstrong accused me of weaponizing the process unfairly.
That is Rep. Armstrong’s opinion, but what is true? Here are the facts on what is happening and why:
– Campaign finance laws were written and passed by both Democrat and Republican legislators.
– Campaign finance laws apply equally to both Democrat and Republican legislators.
– The Alaska Public Offices Commission does not have the staff to audit and enforce these laws on individual politicians.
Accountability and enforcement is reactive, not proactive. A citizen files a complaint, then APOC staff investigates and responds. The matter is usually referred to the commission itself for judgment.
Increasingly in recent years, high-profile Democrat operatives like Scott Kendall (Representative Armstrong’s Lawyer) and Paula DeLaiarro (Representative Armstrong’s filing consultant) have been filing APOC complaints against conservative political opponents in the races they work on.
For example, in the 2020 election cycle Paula DeLaiarro filed complaints against Rep. Lance Pruitt, a Republican. He was fined $19,716.
This year complaints (being represented by Scott Kendall) are currently pending against former Senate candidate and ranked-choice voting opponent Kelly Tshibaka. APOC staff have identified up to $23,000 in potential fines, although the commission has yet to finalize their decision and the outcome is still pending.
A reasonable person would call a process “weaponized” if it only applied penalties and accountability to one side and not the other.
On average, Democrat politicians violate campaign finance statutes as often as Republican politicians. In recent years, we have been seeing judgments against Republican politicians but not Democrat politicians. This is not because APOC staff are partisan actors, this is because complaints are only being filed against Republican politicians. Republicans are not filing complaints against Democrats at anywhere near the same rate.
It is very important to me that APOC does not become weaponized. In order to ensure that the process is nonpartisan, enforcement must be as equal as possible. I will personally be filing complaints against Democrat politicians who have violated state statutes until enforcement levels are nonpartisan and equitable. We must have a level playing field with APOC.
I deeply regret that I must do this, but it is critically important for the Democratic process that campaign finance laws are equally and fairly applied.
I have more complaints pending, as well as complaints that I have drafted, which I hope I will not need to submit.
Jay McDonald is a citizen of Anchorage and a political activist.
With Ravn ending a couple of its Kenai routes at the end of October, and Grant Aviation picking up some the slack, Kenai Aviation sees opportunity in its home turf, but it will mean ending service to Homer.
Kenai Aviation will focus its energy on the Kenai aviation needs at the end of December. Aleutian Airways will pick up the Homer routes that Kenai Aviation serviced, in a cooperative agreement between the two airlines, the announcement said.
“Facing increased demand and the challenge of connecting more people to more places, we recognize that the current flight services must evolve. Kenai Aviation is rising to met this challenge head-on, adapting our offerings to not only meet, but exceed the expectations of our community’s travel needs,” the company said in an announcement on social media.
When Ravn scaled back in Kenai, Kenai Aviation said it would add 14 more flights per week. Meanwhile, Aleutian Airways had added several flights to Homer this fall.
“In a collaborative effort that celebrates the best of Alaskan air service, Aleutian Airways will now take the controls for the skies of Homer. Their proven excellence in aviation ensures a seamless transition, while we at Kenai Aviation set our sights on expanding and refining our core routes. This change is a win-win for our community and air providers alike, ensuring top-tier service no matter where you’re traveling,” Kenai Aviation said on its website.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, has obtained 112 pages of Secret Service records related to the discovery of cocaine inside the Biden White House.
The records, received through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reveal detailed information about the incident, which occurred in July 2023 in the West Wing of the White House.
– The records describe the discovery of a white powdery substance, later confirmed as cocaine, in a West Wing phone locker on July 2, 2023. The cocaine was discovered while the Biden family was at Camp David for the Fourth of July weekend, but after Hunter Biden had been in the area.
– DHS withheld 34 pages in full, citing the “foreseeable harm” standard and/or the Privacy Act. This suggests that the disclosure of these pages could harm interests protected by legal exemptions.
– The documents include investigative photos, a Secret Service crime scene examination report, and emails regarding the incident. The cocaine was found near the West Executive entrance of the White House.
– An incident report details the involvement of the Secret Service Crime Scene Search Unit, the DC Hazmat team, and the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate in handling the substance, initially undetermined.
– The investigation, lasting 12 days, revealed the substance as a mixture of cocaine and sodium bicarbonate. However, DNA tests did not identify the individual responsible for the cocaine’s presence in the White House. A July 10 email indicates that no identifiable prints were found on the bag.
– A July 3 email from a person in the Technical Security Division whose name is redacted states: Starting time Approx 1745 [5:45 p.m.] UD [Uniform Division] advised of a small ziploc bag approximately less than 1″ in by 1″ in the cell phone lockers by [redacted] was confident it was drug related thus the phone call to UD CRIME SCENE.”
– The report states that on July 14, the cocaine was logged for destruction.
An email from the division mentions the initial discovery and assessment of the substance.
A report from the U.S. Secret Service Foreign Missions Branch confirms the identification of the substance as cocaine by the FBI laboratory.
Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the situation. Fitton expressed skepticism about the administration’s inability to determine the individual responsible for bringing cocaine into the West Wing, highlighting the lack of detailed documentation on the investigation’s progress.
The newly released documents raise questions about security and conduct within the White House. The lack of identification of the responsible individual and the incomplete documentation of the investigation suggest potential gaps in internal security protocols or a coverup.
Judicial Watch is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability, and integrity in government, politics, and the law. Judicial Watch advocates high standards of ethics and morality in our nation’s public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. Judicial Watch fulfills its educational mission through litigation, investigations, and public outreach.
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.
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.
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.
