The vessel Dusky Rock, anchored offshore at Sandy Beach on Douglas Island has become the scene of three deaths within the span of three days.
Sandy Beach is a popular recreation area in the heart of the Douglas town center, right across Gastineau Channel from Juneau.
On May 31, a 34-year-old female reported the discovery of her friend, 51-year-old Curtis Edwin Anderson, deceased on board the vessel.
Investigations revealed no indications of foul play surrounding Anderson’s death. His body will undergo an autopsy at the Alaska Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage, and his relatives were notified.
On June 2, at approximately 6:19 p.m., Juneau police received another report related to the Dusky Rock.
This time, a concerned individual informed authorities that he had heard a dog howling on the Dusky Rock and ventured out to investigate. He stumbled upon the lifeless body of a female on board.
Police and response workers confirmed the presence of two deceased females on board the boat. No other individuals were on the vessel, nor is it clear why the dog was there.
Authorities towed the vessel from Sandy Beach to Aurora Harbor, where Capital City Fire and Rescue conducted a thorough examination for the presence of harmful fumes and concluded that none were detected.
The deceased individuals have been identified as a 34-year-old Juneau woman and a 28-year-old Juneau woman.
Notably, the 34-year-old woman was the original complainant who reported Curtis Edwin Anderson’s death on 31st May. The next of kin for the 34-year-old have been informed, while police are still in the process of notifying the family for the 28-year-old female.
Although foul play has not been discovered during the preliminary investigations, police said that the use of controlled substances might have played a role in these fatalities. Both bodies will be transported to the Alaska Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for autopsies to determine the cause of death.
Anderson had many prior run-ins with the law, including criminal offenses such as assault, driving under the influence, trespassing, and violating conditions of release, all going back to at least 2011.
The Dusky Rockis listed as a 35-foot fishing vessel that according to databases was originally built for William T. Council, the late husband of former Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, who had also served as the mayor of Juneau and a state representative.
As long ago as 2012, it was used in halibut fishing. It’s unclear who the owner of the vessel is today, but the deck is littered with crab pots.
A study in the scientific journal Human Reproductioncompared the birth rates of states during the Covid pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
The red (Republican-leaning) states trended toward higher live birth rates, while blue (Democrat-leaning) states saw their live birthrates decline, the study reported in April.
The researchers explored the impact of public perception of the Covid-19 pandemic on fertility rates, researchers found a significant correlation between the degree to which states or regions took the virus seriously, feared the virus, had a lot of anxiety about the future, and subsequent fluctuations in their fertility rates.
The study suggests that political leanings played a role in shaping the perceived threat of the virus, with Democratic-leaning states and Washington, D.C. exhibiting a higher level of concern compared to their Republican-leaning counterparts.
For example, Utah, South Dakota, and Idaho birth rates went up, while New York, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. went down.
San Francisco mirrored the liberal drop in childbearing during the recent pandemic. The Bay Area had an 18% decline in births in early 2021, right when early pandemic babies might have been born, compared to a 15% decline in California in general for the pandemic year of 2021.
Alaska and Hawaii are not found in the study, but a separate look at Alaska’s birth rates show a continuous drop for many years, one that continued through the Covid pandemic years of 2020-2022.
Since 2015, Alaska’s live births have dropped by over 17%. Unlike red states of South Dakota, Utah and Idaho, the downward trend was unchanged during the waves of pandemic lockdowns and mandates. Alaska is currently in the longest stretch of declining birth rates since the state began keeping records in 1945.
In general, liberals are not having nearly enough children to keep up with conservatives. This makes it no surprise that San Francisco has a birthrate of 3.6 per 1,000 compared with Anchorage at nearly 12.66 live births per 1,000, and Fairbanks at 13.35, according to Statista.
“The political right is having a lot more kids than the political left,” observed Syracuse University social scientist Arthur Brooks, in 2006. “The gap is actually 41 percent.”
The U.S. birth rate shows that 100 conservative adults will have 208 children, while 100 liberal adults will have 147.
If birth rates during Covid pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 are any indication, then Alaska is an anomaly among the red states.
Alaska, where the birth rate keeps dropping, voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 by a margin of 53%. Adding Trump votes together the other conservative candidates on the General Election ballot in 2020 (Libertarian Jo Jorgensen, and Constitution Party Don Blankenship), the conservatives won 55.5% of the presidential votes in Alaska. But the babies are just not showing up in the 49th state, like they are in other conservative states.
In a landmark decision on Thursday, the United States Supreme Court established a new definition concerning limits on the right to strike under federal labor law.
The case, Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local Union 174, focused on whether an employer could legally sue its employees’ union under state law for demonstrable damages resulting from a strike.
The court’s ruling departs from the traditional application of federal labor law, which the Teamsters said was “settled law.”
The case involved a group of concrete mixer drivers employed by Glacier Northwest, which operates in South Seattle and other places in Washington state. On the day of the strike, several drivers showed up for work and allowed the company to load the trucks they were driving with concrete. However, the drivers then returned their trucks to Glacier’s headquarters and walked off the job, leaving the concrete to set into stone in the trucks. It cost Glacier Northwest an enormous sum to safely and legally dispose of it.
Glacier Northwest then filed a lawsuit against the Teamsters for what it claimed was the “tortious destruction” of its property—the spoiled concrete—during a strike.
The Washington Supreme Court had dismissed the case, citing the principle of “Garmon preemption,” which generally prohibits the application of state law to labor disputes covered by the National Labor Relations Act.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters introduced a new interpretation of the Garmon preemption doctrine.
Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Brett Kavanaugh, argued that the Teamsters’ strike was not protected by the National Labor Relations Act and, therefore, Glacier had the right to sue the union for damages in state court.
The decision was 8 to 1, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting. Jackson’s dissenting opinion voiced concern that the court’s ruling had expanded the scope of Garmon preemption beyond its intended purpose, potentially undermining the protections afforded to workers under federal labor law. This was Brown Jackson’s first solo dissent with the court.
As a result of the Supreme Court decision, the case will be sent b ack to the state court for further proceedings. The ruling could have significant implications for future labor disputes, as it establishes a broader framework for determining the limits on the right to strike under federal labor law.
Lawyers for the Teamsters said this changes nothing:
“Although we’re disappointed in today’s result, the Court’s opinion leaves intact both the federally protected right to strike and the basic framework for determining when labor disputes should be decided by the National Labor Relations Board instead of state courts. First, the Court rejected Glacier’s attempt to effectively overturn the 1959 decision in Garmon, which says that federal labor law preempts state lawsuits that challenge conduct even arguably protected by the NLRA. Second, the Court rejected Glacier’s attempt to adopt a novel subjective test that would have stripped strikes of protections whenever strikers intend to cause employers economic harm; it instead maintained current law, which strips federal protections for strikers only when they stop work without taking objectively reasonable precautions to avoid foreseeable, aggravated, and imminent harm to employer property. Third, the National Labor Relations Board maintains its primary role in deciding the actual facts of labor disputes and whether, under the actual facts, federal labor law protects strikers and their strikes.
“At the end of the day, nothing in this decision will stop workers from exercising their federally protected rights to strike when necessary to achieve better wages, benefits, and working conditions. In this particular case, Glacier has found a way to prolong its meritless lawsuit by artfully pleading allegations the Court today found sufficient to get past a motion to dismiss. But we’re confident, based on the extensive record developed in this case by the Labor Board from January through March 2023, that the Board will find Teamsters Local 174’s strike in this case was protected based on the actual facts, not just Glacier’s allegations.”
Pride Month is in full swing across the state. After a burlesque performance for children in Soldotna last year upset many in the community, the Pride in the Park event returns on June 3, for another year of queer expression, including drag queen performances “for all ages.”
Last year’s performance drew outrage from those who felt it was inappropriate to have burlesque shows that targeted children, which the event did, according to video and photos taken by residents. Parents tried to have the Soldotna City Council set up some guidelines, but the council refused to take action, in spite of an overwhelming number of people who pleaded with the city to establish standards for public park performances.
During last year’s event, one drag queen performer was dressed in a nude-colored pair of leggings, with a thong over it, and a skirt that barely covered his bottom, giving him the appearance of near nudity. Dressed as a woman or pre-teen, he bent over suggestively and shook his thonged bottom at the audience. The drag queen performers drew the children closer to the state.
Watch the segment of the drag queen show on our Facebook link.
The June 3 event appears to be doubling down on drag and other festivities celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexuals, and other forms of sexuality and gender expression. The events start at 11 am.
At the start of Pride Month, the Department of Defense has canceled drag queen shows on bases across the world.
Shows that had been previously scheduled at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Ramstein Air Base in Germany are now canceled, according to military officials who spoke to various members of the media. The directions came down from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin,
The show at Nellis Air Force Base was first reported by NBC News.
Austin was grilled by the House Armed Services Committee earlier this year, when news of the drag queen shows became known.
On Thursday, Austin issued a statement in support of Pride Month: “As secretary of defense, I remain dedicated to making sure that our LGBTQ+ personnel across the joint force can continue to serve the country that we all love with dignity and pride — this month and every other one.”
The Bureau of Land Management announced Friday that it is claiming another 4,500 acres inside the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest.
Public Land Order No. 7922 will take land that is being exposed with the receding of the Mendenhall Glacier, and ensure that it belongs to the federal government. Without the land order, the ownership of the land might be ambiguous.
The agency said it’s part of the Biden Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which seeks to lock up 30% of American land by the year 2030.
The Mendenhall Glacier, one of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The glacier is located in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, which is home to a seasonally bustling visitor center, scenic hiking trails, and breathtaking viewpoints.
The U.S. Forest Service requested the 20-year withdrawal to ensure the long-term viability of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area and to facilitate future Forest Service facility development, but no other development.
Staking a federal claim may also prevent a local tribe from declaring ownership of the land, which would cause complications for the Forest Service, as it will want to build a new visitor center. The current one doesn’t have a good view of the glacier, as it has receded so much. The action also prevents the State of Alaska from laying claim to the emerging lands.
“The withdrawal of these lands reflects our commitment to protecting our natural treasures and ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy the splendor of the Mendenhall Glacier,” said the Bureau of Land Management. “This action is consistent with the America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030.”
The boundaries of the withdrawn area include parts that were previously covered by the Mendenhall Glacier, which has been steadily receding since the end of the last mini-ice age in the 1700s.
According to the State of Alaska, the state’s glaciers are among the fastest melting glaciers in the world, with Alaska experiencing twice the rate of warming compared to the rest of the country over the past several decades.
Officials predict that the Mendenhall Glacier will retreat from the existing visitor center’s view by 2050.
The newly established withdrawal aims to protect areas that are becoming accessible as the glacier recedes.
As the glacier retreats, it opens up new ecosystems, leading to increased sightings of salmon, bears, and other wildlife. The withdrawal of the newly exposed lands will help preserve these unique habitats, natural resources, and the area’s pristine setting.
The decision to withdraw the lands is in line with the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area 2019 Master Plan, which was specifically developed to address the ongoing changes caused by the glacier’s retreat. The plan not only capitalizes on new opportunities but also addresses the anticipated increase in visitation over the next 20 years while providing a long-term vision for the next 50 years.
The withdrawal, which went into effect with the publication of the Public Land Order, will remain in place until June 2, 2043.
The Anchorage Police Department is celebrating Pride Month, and in a social media post has referred residents to a local nonprofit associated with the gender transition movement.
Identity Inc. engages in helping youth make the “transition” from one gender identity to another.
In material published on its own website, the gender identity group says that although hormone treatments are “off label” for gender transition purposes, they have been used safely for years, a claim that is disputed by some who have gone through the treatments and suffered long-term consequences.
Identity Inc has published consent forms on its website to assist pre-teens in their gender identity change, starting with hormone treatments. The consent form presents itself as an authoritative document that has several places for youth and guardians to sign.
The Anchorage Police Department joins other law enforcement arms, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations, in making June a month that focuses on gender, rather than public safety.
In a significant development, the Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor announced that a nationwide settlement has been reached with Indivior Inc., the maker of Suboxone, a widely used medication for treating opioid addiction.
The settlement, amounting to $102.5 million, involves 42 states, and Alaska’s share will be approximately $1,065,000.
The legal action against Indivior Inc. was initiated in 2016 when the states collectively filed a complaint alleging that the pharmaceutical company had engaged in illegal practices to manipulate the market for Suboxone.
The complaint claimed Indivior had sought to eliminate competition from Suboxone tablets in favor of the film version, thereby attempting to secure a monopoly in the opioid addiction treatment market. The trial for this case had been scheduled for September 2023.
Attorney General Taylor said, “This has been a long case. It shows that the state Attorneys General are united and committed to making sure that there are consequences for drug companies, and other companies, that try to game the system at the expense of consumers.”
The agreement, subject to approval by the court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, obligates Indivior Inc. to make a combined payment of $102.5 million to the participating states. Additionally, the company is required to adhere to specific injunctive terms that include the disclosure of all citizen petitions submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the introduction of new products, and any changes in corporate control. These measures aim to ensure that Indivior refrains from engaging in similar misconduct as alleged in the initial complaint.
Joining forces with Alaska in the settlement are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
By ERICK CORDERO GIORGANA, BETHANY MARCUM, AND CARMELA WARFIELD
The first regular session of the 33rd legislature adjourned on May 17, with a one-day special session on May 18.
Thirty-one bills were passed by both bodies, and as of this writing, one was vetoed and three were signed into law.
The first expedited the appropriation of state and federal funds to address backlogs in public assistance processing, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The second bill allows for the development of carbon offset projects and carbon management initiatives on state lands, and is intended to create new private sector jobs and new revenue sources for the state.
The thirdrepeals future sunset dates for the Renewable Energy Fund, a grant program established by the legislature in 2008 to support the development of renewable energy projects in Alaska.
As for the remaining 27 bills passed in 2023, readers should remember that the governor maintains veto authority and nothing is final until signed (or passed without signature) into law.
The total number of bills passed during this first year of the two-year legislature is comparable to numbers passed in the first year of other recent legislatures.
Legislators made positive progress towards increasing opportunities for economic prosperity in our great state by passing a billthat repealed the requirement that applicants for an Alaska Commercial Driver’s License to hold a regular Alaska driver’s license for at least one year before they can begin the process of obtaining a CDL. Given that comprehensive, federal-required safety and training standards are in place for obtaining a CDL, this bill removed a redundant barrier to workforce development.
On the health care front, there was progress but no resolution on direct health care, an important free market reform. The Senate passed a rather distorted version of a direct health care bill but the House did not vote on it. The other significant health care policy, certificate of need repeal, didn’t make notable headway.
Over 20 bills related to taxation were introduced, mostly to create new or increase current taxes. Alaskans will be relieved to know that none passed – yet. But all are still in play for a potential special session and for when the Legislature reconvenes in January 2024.
An outstanding bright spot was the passage of a billthat prevents state and municipal governments from closing gun stores and shooting ranges during disaster emergency declarations while other retailers remained open. This would be enforced statewide and give Alaskans peace of mind that they can defend themselves and provide for their families and communities, especially during unprecedented times of emergency.
Alaska Policy Forum was discouraged to see the outcome of the special session vote on the most important task of the legislature, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The legislature irresponsibly authorized spending of $8.06 billion in state funds, which is almost 10% more than last year’s state-funds budget, and 4.5% more than our Responsible Alaska Budgetrecommendation.
Part of that appropriation includes the largest ever one-time increase in education funding—a blank check of new money for school districts which are still sitting on millions of dollars in federal Covid-related funding, and which have no accountability in place for Alaska’s last-in-the-nation academic outcomes.
Even so, this was preferable to a billaimed at increasing the annual base student allocation. Although amendments to the bill were offered to direct the increased education funding to teachers and classroom instruction, and to improved student outcomes, these amendments were not adopted.
We have written extensively on the critical need to improve student learning outcomes statewide. We strongly encourage legislators who want funding increases to include policies that give teachers the support they need to implement improvements and early literacy laws effectively, and to require improved learning outcomes for Alaska’s children.
There is some good fiscal news: the budget won’t be hit this year with hundreds of millions of dollars more in defined benefits pension costs—those bills received an immense amount of attention but none passed—yet.
Election policy is certainly in the news, but not so much in Juneau. With over 30 election-related bills filed, including three which would repeal ranked-choice voting, it was expected there would be hearty consideration. Unfortunately, there was very little activity on these bills.
While introducing and passing legislation is not necessarily an indication of a policymaker’s effectiveness, we thought it would be interesting to look at the data.
Overall in 2023, 361 bills were introduced; individual legislators introduced 265, while committees introduced 96. A total of 31 bills passed both chambers. Many of the committee bills that passed were requested by the governor (Note: our analysis reflects only actual bills, not resolutions).
Number of Bills Passed by Individual Legislators
Number of Bills Passed by Committees
Here are a few data highlights:
Legislators who introduced 10 or more bills:
Representative George Rauscher (R): 14
Senator Cathy Giessel (R): 11
Representative Andy Josephson (D): 10
Senator Scott Kawasaki (D): 10
Representative Stanley Wright (R): 10
Legislators with the most bills passed:
Representative Mike Cronk (R): 2
Representative Justin Ruffridge (R): 2
Legislators who did not introduce bills:
Senator Bert Stedman (R)
Representative Josiah Patkotak (I)
Freshmen introduced 30% of all bills
Following is a breakdown of how many bills were introduced by individual legislators within their respective chambers.
There is a great deal of work to be done before the legislature gavels in next January for the second session. Alaska Policy Forum is working every day to make the case for fiscal restraint and freedom with policymakers, and supporting it with top level research, policy papers, testimony and educational events, to execute our mission: to empower and educate Alaskans and policymakers by promoting policies that grow freedom for all.
Erick Cordero Giorgana, Bethany Marcum and Carmela Warfield are with Alaska Policy Forum,established in 2009.
