On April 30 — Fentanyl Awareness Day — Alaska State Troopers arrested 45-year-old Sean Mobley of Wasilla, on charges connected to the November death of 16-year-old Alena Toennis. Mobley is charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter, and Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the First Degree.
That controlled substance was fentanyl.
According to a statement released by the Alaska State Troopers, the months-long investigation conducted by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation determined that Mobley provided fentanyl to Toennis and later abandoned her on a trail in Wasilla while she was experiencing an overdose. Toennis died as a result of the fentanyl overdose.
The investigation began on Nov. 15, when the Alaska State Troopers were notified at 7:21 am that a female was found deceased on a powerline trail in Wasilla. Evidence at the scene suggested her death was suspicious, and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation assumed responsibility for the case. Her body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Nov. 18, the body was positively identified as Alena Toennis, and her next of kin were notified. The following day, the Alaska State Troopers provided an update indicating that there were no traumatic injuries found during the autopsy. Investigators spoke with all involved individuals, including the person last seen with Toennis.
At the time, troopers stated that they believed the incident was isolated and not random, and they were not requesting assistance from the public. They also noted that forensic and toxicology results would be crucial to charging determinations.
On April 30, troopers arrested Mobley, who has been remanded to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility. The case is being prosecuted by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions within the Alaska Department of Law.
A legislative resolution voicing strong support for the long-envisioned Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (AKLNG) Project cleared a key hurdle this week, passing the House Resources Committee with overwhelming backing, save for one dissenting vote from Anchorage Democrat Rep. Zack Fields, who described the hopes for the project as “delusional” during the committee hearing.
Fields said he doesn’t want to give the world the impression that the project is actually going to move forward and he worries that the resolution makes the Legislature look “delusional.”
Here’s what Fields, former union labor organizer who is endorsed by the major labor unions in Alaska, said:
House Joint Resolution 18, which now moves to the House floor, is a formal appeal to President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Douglas Burgum, and Congress, urging federal agencies to take all necessary steps to expedite the AKLNG Project, and calling it essential to Alaska’s economic future, American energy independence, and national security.
According tothe resolution, the AKLNG Project has moved from concept to credible investment thanks to recent developments in permitting, financing discussions, and rising international interest.
Proponents cite President Trump’s second-term executive order “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” signed on his first day in office, and his recent remarks before Congress as signs of high-level federal commitment. Just this week he met with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and the expected topic was the gasline.
“This isn’t just good for Alaska — it’s vital for America,” the sponsor statement reads, arguing that the project would create thousands of jobs, generate billions in revenue, and bolster U.S. strategic influence in global energy markets. “It provides energy independence, strengthens national security by offering our allies alternatives to adversarial energy sources, and reinforces the U.S. as a reliable energy exporter on the Pacific stage.”
Despite Fields’ objections, the resolution is expected to garner broad bipartisan support on the House floor and among Alaska’s congressional delegation. Backers like Gov. Mike Dunleavy say federal momentum, particularly under the Trump administration, has brought the project closer to realization than ever before.
Commenting on the proceedings, Brett Huber, speaking on behalf of Power the Future, said he was glad to see the resolution pass the committee with such strong support, but he detected a note of partisanship from Rep. Fields.
“The Alaska gasline should be a no-brainer for anyone who cares about jobs, energy security, and common sense,” said Huber. “It’s disappointing — but sadly not surprising — that Rep. Fields would rather grandstand than support a project that benefits every Alaskan. Apparently, asking him to rise above partisanship is a bridge too far.”
The sponsors of the resolution are House Minority Leader Rep. Mia Costello and Representatives George Rauscher, Cathy Tilton, Bill Elam, Kevin McCabe, Frank Tomaszewski, Rebecca Schwanke, Chuck Kopp, Julie Coulombe, and Dan Saddler.
HEX Cook Inlet LLC and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority inked the loan documents that will advance a $40 million drilling program in the Cook Inlet. The agreement supports a broader $50 million revolving line of credit for Furie Operating Alaska, LLC, operator of the Kitchen Lights Unit and a wholly owned subsidiary of HEX Cook Inlet.
The financing deal is a major step forward in addressing the regional demand for natural gas and will help Southcentral Alaska close its looming supply gap. The 2025 drilling program is expected to create up to 100 jobs during peak development phases and add five permanent positions post-completion. Furie is using the Spartan-151 jack-up rig, leased from Hilcorp Jack-Up Rig Company. In mid-April, Furie announced that the Spartan-151 rig had been moved from the rig tenders dock in Nikiski to the Julius R platform in the Kitchen Lights Unit. Drilling was expected to commence as early as mid-April to address potential shortages in Southcentral Alaska by the 2025/2026 winter
“This is more than a drilling project — it’s an investment in Alaska’s energy independence, economy, and workforce,” said John Hendrix, President and CEO of HEX Cook Inlet LLC. “Finalizing this agreement allows us to move ahead confidently, knowing we’re backed by a partner that shares our vision for long-term development and local impact.”
The collaboration in in line with AIDEA’s role in facilitating responsible resource development and long-term economic growth in the state.
“AIDEA is proud to partner with HEX on this impactful project,” said Randy Ruaro, AIDEA executive director. “This investment supports not only gas production but job creation, skill development, and long-term energy reliability for communities across Southcentral Alaska.”
Furie Operating Alaska has invested over $900 million in Cook Inlet to date and significantly increased its share of the region’s gas production — up 50% between December 2024 and February 2025. With the deployment of the Spartan 151 jack-up rig, Furie continues to assert its role as a key player in Alaska’s energy sector.
Furie is the only 100% Alaskan-owned oil and gas production company in the state.
On Thursday, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved an amendment to House Bill W000821, which mandates the immediate resumption of quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales on federal lands, aiming to revitalize domestic energy production.
The amendment, introduced by Congressman Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, requires the Secretary of the Interior to promptly resume quarterly lease sales in compliance with the Mineral Leasing Act.
It stipulates that lease sales must be conducted immediately upon completion of all legal requirements and says that each fiscal year, the secretary of Interior must conduct a minimum of four oil and gas lease sales in states with available federal lands, including Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Nevada.
In these sales, at least 50% of all nominated parcels that are available and eligible must be offered. If a scheduled lease sale is canceled, delayed, or results in a high percentage of unbid parcels, a replacement sale is mandated within the same fiscal year.
The amendment represents another reversal of Biden-era lockdowns in oil and gas producing states that have the vast majority of federally controlled lands.
The bill, with the approved amendment, is scheduled for further discussion in the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 6. If it advances, it will proceed to the full House for debate and a vote.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating government funding of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.
As NPR and PBS have become “woke,” according to the administration, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, through which the outlets receive taxpayer funding, must abide by principles of impartiality, Trump directed the corporation and all agencies in the executive branch to stop funding the organizations to “the maximum extent allowed by law.”
Americans have many more news options today than in 1967, when the corporation was founded, and if tax dollars are going to go toward public broadcasting, it should be totally nonpartisan, according to the executive order.
“At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage,” the order reads. “No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize.”
The administration described the outlets as “entities that receive tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds each year to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news’” and listed “examples of the trash that has passed for ‘news’” at the organizations in communications it sent out Friday morning.
NPR said the Declaration of Independence contained “flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies” in 2021, a year before it replaced its typical Independence Day reading of the founding document with a conversation about equality, according to the administration. The administration also criticized the outlets for promoting “gender-affirming care,” featuring drag queens in children’s programs and certain views on race and “white privilege.”
The executive order will likely be challenged in court, as many of Trump’s executive orders have been so far, for breaches of executive authority.
The president has signed over 140 executive orders thus far in his second term.
Reps. Sarah Vance, Justin Ruffridge, and Bill Elam defended their vote in favor of the controversial House Bill 57, which they called a “significant education measure that aims to strengthen Alaska’s public schools while delivering on key commitments made to constituents.”
In a press release on Thursday evening, the three explained their votes.
“Originally introduced as a narrowly focused bill to prohibit cell phone use in classrooms—a policy strongly supported by parents, educators, and school boards—the legislation was later expanded by the Senate into a broader education package. The updated bill now includes a series of substantive reforms and funding increases aimed at improving student outcomes,” the press release said.
“We want to be transparent with our constituents about why we supported this legislation,” the three said in a joint statement. “While HB 57 is no longer a simple bill, it presented a meaningful opportunity to move Alaska’s education system forward.”
Key provisions in the final version of HB 57 include:
• A permanent $700 increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA)
• A 10% increase in student transportation funding
• Charter school reform to expand access and oversight
• A class size cap to reduce overcrowding
• Reading proficiency incentive grants to promote early literacy (dependent on a new tax being signed into law)
• Support for vocational and technical education in secondary schools (dependent on a new tax being signed into law)
“Education funding is the single biggest issue before the Legislature this year,” said Rep. Vance. “We had a choice: make real progress now or risk walking away with nothing. I chose progress.”
The legislators emphasized that while not every reform they advocated for made it into the final bill, the package includes significant strides they believe are in line with many of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s education priorities.
“I gave my word to support education funding that puts students first — and I meant it,” said Rep. Ruffridge. “My vote today reflects that commitment.”
Rep. Elam added, “Is it everything we wanted? No. But it’s a strong, balanced package that reflects thoughtful compromise and keeps our promise to students, families, and teachers.”
In wrap up, the Kenai Peninsula House delegation said it remains committed to ensuring that every education dollar is tied to real results that prepare Alaska’s students for success.
Early on Thursday, the Valley Republican Women of Alaska club issued a rebuke to all Republican legislators who voted for the bill, while ignoring the bill offered by the sitting Republican governor. On the Amy Demboski Show on Thursday, Demboski pulled no punches either, criticizing the Republicans who voted for the bill for caving due to feeling the pressures of the election cycle.
Senate Joint Resolution 49, aimed at blocking President Trump’s tariffs, failed to pass in the US Senate on Wednesday after a deadlocked 49-49 vote.
The resolution, led by Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and supported by a mostly Democrat group that also included Republicans Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, sought to terminate the national emergency declaration Trump used to impose 10% reciprocal tariffs on most US trading partners.
The resolution had little chance of advancing in the House due to a new rule protecting Trump’s tariffs.
The White House had warned the senators that Trump would veto the measure, arguing it would undermine national and economic security. The failed vote coincided with new economic data showing a 0.3% decline in US GDP, raising concerns about the tariffs’ economic impact.
“Today, I voted in support of SJR 49, which would terminate the President’s national emergency declaration regarding our trade deficits with countries around the world. Bilateral trade deficits do not constitute a national emergency, nor do they qualify as an ‘unusual and extraordinary’ circumstance needed to unlock authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. We have a lot more work to do to reclaim Congress’s constitutional power over tariffs, but this resolution is a step in the right direction,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The “step in the right direction” failed, however, to must enough votes to make progress. Congress has the constitutional authority over tariffs as found in Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution, whereby Congress has the power to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises” and to regulate commerce with foreign nations. This includes the authority to impose tariffs, which are, in fact, taxes on imported goods.
But Congress has delegated some of this authority to the president through various laws, such as the Trade Act of 1974 and the Tariff Act of 1930. These laws allow a president to adjust tariffs under specific circumstances, such as national security (e.g., Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962) or trade negotiations.
While the president can exercise this delegated authority, Congress retains the ultimate constitutional power to legislate tariffs and can override or modify presidential actions.
The unusual case of Wagoner v. Dahlstrom et al. is scheduled for trial on May 12 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
The plaintiff, Emalee Wagoner — born Emmanuel Cancel — is a biological male who says he identifies as female. Currently incarcerated at Goose Creek Correctional Center, a men’s prison, Wagoner is serving a 40-year sentence for multiple child sexual abuse convictions.
He is now suing the State of Alaska for allegedly failing to provide “gender-affirming surgery” while he serves his prison term.
The lawsuit names former Alaska Department of Corrections Commissioner Nancy Dahlstrom (now Lieutenant Governor) and other DOC officials, alleging deliberate indifference to Wagoner’s “serious” medical needs, particularly treatment for gender dysphoria.
In 2017, Cancel legally changed his name to Emalee Wagoner, but he has remained incarcerated in a male facility. The lawsuit, filed in 2018, seeks damages, declaratory relief, and injunctive relief. Wagoner claims repeated denials of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from 2016 through 2022, in violation of what he says are medical standards for treating gender dysphoria.
Court documents reference the 2017 Gender Dysphoria Clinical Care Guide and assert that the DOC failed to enforce policies ensuring necessary care for transgender inmates. Wagoner argues this inaction exacerbated his condition, led to self-harm, and constituted a violation of his Eighth Amendment rights.
At one point, he attempted to castrate himself, allegedly to gain transfer to a women’s prison or to seek early release.
The defendants, including Dahlstrom and former DOC Health and Rehabilitation Services Director Laura Brooks, maintain that they were not deliberately indifferent. They point to the 2017 care guide and the implementation of Policy & Procedure 807.23 in July 2022 as evidence of efforts to address gender dysphoria within the prison system.
One of the legal questions before the court is whether vaginoplasty — a surgery that constructs a vaginal canal using penile or other tissue, such as colon tissue — is medically necessary in Wagoner’s case. Such procedures, which can cost between $20,000 and $100,000, are among the most complex and controversial forms of gender-affirming care. While some legal precedents exist, such as Edmo v. Corizon, Inc. (2019), which found the denial of surgery unconstitutional, the current case will test those boundaries further.
Notably, the court documents and filings refer to Wagoner as female. However, for biological accuracy, this article refers to Wagoner using male pronouns.
Wagoner’s criminal record raises additional complexities in the case. As Emmanuel Cancel, he was indicted in 2011 on 45 counts related to the sexual abuse of minors. Victims ranged in age from 7 to 20. According to court documents, Cancel threatened to kill his victims if they disclosed the abuse. Prosecutors say he heightened their fear by boasting of fictional murders, using physical violence, and supplying them with drugs — including marijuana, crack, and methamphetamine — to coerce their silence.
“Wagoner would tell the children stories of all of the murders she committed and how she would dispose of the bodies in order to elevate the fear experienced by the children. In addition, the children thought this threat was legitimate due to the level of violence Wagoner displayed in the household, including slamming the children’s heads against the wall, whipping them with a belt, and beating their mother. She also provided them with marijuana, cocaine, crack, and meth as a bribe to keep them quiet,” the State brief explains (embedded below).
“From the date of her arrest in 2011 until around August 2016, Wagoner continued to identify as a man and made no claims as to a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. However, starting in August 2016, she started to communicate with her then-alleged fiancé that she was contemplating attempting to perform a self-surgery by cutting off her penis and genitals. It appears that the motivation for this was either to be released from prison or to be transferred to a women’s prison. In August 2016, she attempted self-surgery. Initially, she claimed that it was an accident. Later, she changed her story and claimed that she was attempting a gender-affirming surgery. On one other occasion, Wagoner re-injured her penis which required elevated medical attention at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center,” the State asserts.
After his purported efforts at self-surgery, Wagoner began to demand gender-affirming care in the form of everything from breast augmentation to voice alteration therapy, and finally testicle and penis removal and construction of a vagina, the State explains. The State Department of Corrections, beginning in 2017, tried to accommodate some of Wagoner’s demands, after diagnosis of his gender dysphoria by a third-party provider.
“These efforts, increasing in concert with Wagoner’s regular appointments with the facilities’ mental health staff, initially included medication, the provision of feminine hygiene products to Wagoner and ensuring the availability of certain cosmetics, feminine undergarments, and grooming devices through the commissary. During this time, Wagoner was often less than cooperative and declined to follow the recommended treatment plan,” the State explains.
Wagoner’s complains that despite multiple requests for treatment and five documented denials of HRT, the DOC refused to provide transgender-related care unless his condition became “life-threatening.”
Wagoner now seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction requiring the DOC to provide medical and mental health treatment in line with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards –guidelines that the Trump Administration has criticized as lacking scientific rigor.
The current case draws parallels to the 2019 Ninth Circuit decision in Edmo v. Corizon, Inc., which ruled that denying gender confirmation surgery to a transgender inmate violated the Eighth Amendment.
Last week, the Justice Department reversed actions taken under the Biden Administration regarding gender dysphoria claims by inmates who claimed a constitutional right to transgender surgeries provided by taxpayers.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, now headed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, withdrew a prior statement of interest in Doe v. Fuller v. Georgia Department of Corrections and submitted a new statement of interest in Fuller v. Georgia Department of Corrections. The filings, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, address claims brought by inmates seeking taxpayer-funded, elective surgeries as treatment for gender dysphoria.
Last month, Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance held a naming contest to name the city’s various snowplow equipment. She announced the winners, as Must Read Alaska wrote about in this report, which features the growing outdoor-living community in downtown Anchorage:
Must Read Alaska has written about downtown vagrancy and about the elaborate greenbelt shantytowns popping up all over Anchorage.
Urban trails are unsafe and downtown streets are smeared with human excrement. At night, walkers must be careful to not stumble over bodies.
But at least we have fun names for the snowplows in Anchorage: The Berminator, Taylor Drift, Blizzard Wizard, Luke Sidewalker, and Bladey Gaga. For whatever reason, no one offered Duck-Duck, Here Comes the Truck.
In the same civic spirit, we bring you a chance to name the homeless sprawl of tents and tarps along the Glenn Highway across from Davis Park. It’s a scene that’s not on LaFrance’s radar but can be viewed by commuters every day.
Here are some photos of the growing shanty encampment and what it looked like Wednesday:
Anchorage vagrant camps
Suggestions that have come in already include “Camp Trashmore” and “Camp It’s Complicated.”
Put your suggestions below, but keep it clean, not trashy, like these tarps and stolen whatnot decorating the Glenn Highway.
