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Kenai teachers union elects new president after sex-scandal

Suzanne Downing
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9
Kenai teachers union elects new president after sex-scandal

After the recent president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association was arrested for child sex abuse, former KPEA president LaDawn Druce has been elected as the new head of the teachers union on the Kenai Peninsula.

The announcement was made by the KPEA on social media last week, revealing the outcome of a special election.

Druce begins her one-year term as the head of the KPEA on June 20. She takes over from Tamra Wear, who has served as the acting president since May 22.

The election was called following the dismissal of former president Nathan Erfurth, who faces charges of sexual abuse of a minor.

The KPEA’s executive board, consisting of nine members, unanimously voted on May 22 to remove Erfurth from his position and appoint Wear as the acting president pending a special election.

The process for selecting the interim president began in late May when the association started accepting nominations. Among the candidates was Amy Dawn, a dedicated individual who has worked for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District for 12 years. Dawn currently serves as the association’s rights chair and represents Soldotna on the executive board.

Union members were given the opportunity to cast their votes between June 1 and June 15, with both Druce and Amy Dawn, a longtime union member, vying for the position.

Druce’s election marks a new chapter for the KPEA, as it navigates through the aftermath of the recent controversy. Her experience, dedication, and commitment to improving the educational landscape on the Kenai Peninsula are expected to guide the union towards a brighter future.

As she assumes her role as the head of the KPEA, Druce is expected to address the pressing issues facing the local educational community, advocate for the rights and welfare of teachers, and work collaboratively with stakeholders to enhance the quality of education provided to students.

The Kenai Peninsula Education Association and its members are looking forward to the leadership of LaDawn Druce, trusting that she will usher in a renewed sense of unity, stability, and progress for the teachers’ union in the region.

Governor vetoes $202 million out of budget, keeps overall increase to 1%

Suzanne Downing
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25
Governor vetoes $202 million out of budget, keeps overall increase to 1%

Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the 2024 budget on Sunday, vetoing about $202 million in spending, which includes about $145 million in operating budget spending and $56 million in capital budget items for 2024, a fiscal year that begins July 1.

Since 2019, Dunleavy has kept the budget increases to about 1% per year, or a 4.5% increase overall since he has been governor.

When the governor proposed the budget, he asked for a full statutory Permanent Fund dividend for Alaskans, which would have been around $3,900. He didn’t get that from the Legislature, which cut the dividend by about two-thirds of what Alaska Statute calls for in the formula. The dividend is now set at about $1,300.000

The governor can’t add money back to the budget he received from the House and Senate just last week, he can only make cuts.

He cut about half of the additional spending for education that was put into the budget. The increase in education spending was $175 million, or about $680 per student. The veto is about $87 million, which leaves a per-student increase of about $340.

The vetoes resulted from a thorough evaluation and consistent application of the priorities of the Dunleavy Administration to grow savings and ensure fiscal stability, the governor’s office said.

“This budget is a responsible path for Alaska’s financial future,” said Dunleavy. “Budgets should reflect the values of Alaskans; the FY24 budget accomplishes that. We continue to invest in public safety, public education, and economic development. While this is a responsible budget for FY24, I look forward to working with lawmakers and Alaskans to establish a long-term, sustainable fiscal plan.”

From FY19 to FY24, there’s been an $81 million increase and 187 new positions in the Department of Public Safety.

Also in that timeframe, the state has seen a $75 million increase in support for the Department of Corrections, a 45% increase in criminal prosecution support, a $65 million increase to Department of Education, and a $194 million increase in the capital budget, which includes priority items like $5 million for marketing Alaska business.

The Dunleavy Administration’s fifth state budget highlights:

Public Safety

Protecting Alaskans has been Governor Dunleavy’s top public policy priority since taking office in December 2018. His public safety budget reflects his unwavering commitment to protecting all Alaskans from crime.

  • An operating budget UGF increase from FY23 of $26 million
  • 34 new positions total, 31 full-time permanent positions, and three new non-permanent positions
  • A capital budget of $13.5 million for 
  • Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) modernization
  • Fairbanks post remodel and expansion
  • Training academy maintenance and updates
  • Investigative and forensic electronic equipment
  • Patrol vessel and motor replacement
  • Classroom and offices in the Department of Public Safety Bethel Hangar. 

Public Education

  • Increased funding for the Alaska Reads Act
  • $87.4 million in additional K-12 funding outside of the formula.
  • An increase to the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program partnership of $5 million. 
  • $1.5 million for Career and Technical Education Incentive Grants
  • $1.5 million for Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Certification Support
  • $1.5 million for the Head Start Program to Provide Grantees with Additional Matching Funds
  • $19.6 million for School Major Maintenance

Economic Development

  • $5 million capital appropriation to Commerce for Statewide Marketing and Economic Development Initiative
  • $5 million one-time increment for Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
  • $2.5 million one-time increment for Tourism Marketing 

Veto list:

HB39_HB41_Veto_Summary_6-19-2023Download

Click here for Office of Management and Budget FY24 budget documents.

In terms of capital budget items, the governor preserved the repair line item for the Palmer Library, which suffered a collapsed room last winter due to snow and ice.

Are Americans boycotting companies for being too ‘woke’?

Suzanne Downing
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30
Are Americans boycotting companies for being too ‘woke’?

As American companies begin to express political leanings, they are taking a beating from American consumers.

Sixty-six percent of Americans who answered a survey said they had boycotted a company over political issues — mostly because companies were too liberal.

According to a poll conducted this month by the Trafalgar Group, nearly 41% of Americans boycotted a company for taking a public progressive or “woke” stance.

On the other side of the political equation, 24.5% of Americans have boycotted a company due to its publicly known conservative politics.

Another 34.7% of Americans said they don’t take part in such marketplace boycotts.

The poll was conducted June 5-9 among 1,088 respondents who were likely general election voters.

Of those who were declared Republicans, 68.4% had boycotted a company for being publicly woke. Twenty-six percent of Republicans said they didn’t take part in such boycotts.

Of those who were declared Democrats, nearly 15% had boycotted companies that were publicly woke. But 45% had boycotted companies that were conservative or that espoused Make America Great Again values. Forty percent of Democrats didn’t take part in such boycotts.

Trafalgar asked another question: With the public backlash against companies like Bud Light and Target, do you believe businesses should continue to promote political themes during pride month, or should businesses seek to be neutral on cultural issues?

Democrats — 48% of them — said that companies should continue to promote political themes, and 37% said companies should be more neutral.

Republicans took another approach — less than 6% said companies should get political, while 82% said companies should stay out of political themes.

The poll results are at this link.

Target, Bud Light, now North Face? Transgender and drag queen marketing leading to stocks slipping

Wasilla man captured after home invasions, sexual assaults in Soldotna

Suzanne Downing
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17
Wasilla man captured after home invasions, sexual assaults in Soldotna

A series of home invasions and sexual assaults that alarmed residents in the Soldotna area came to an end with the arrest of Michael Ingersol, a 35-year-old resident of Wasilla.

Alaska State Troopers, along with the Soldotna Police Department, Anchorage Police Department, and Hooper Bay VPSO, collaborated in an extensive search and investigation stretching from Soldotna to Anchorage, Bethel, and Hooper Bay, that led to Ingersol’s capture.

The incidents took place on June 11, 2023, when the Alaska State Troopers responded to reports of a home invasion and sexual assault by an unknown assailant in the Soldotna area.

The investigation revealed that the suspect bypassed the locked front door of an apartment and sexually assaulted the victim while the person was asleep. The victim confronted the intruder upon waking, leading to the suspect’s swift departure.

Later that day, a second victim reported a similar experience, describing the same suspect entering an unlocked apartment on the opposite side of Soldotna. Once again, the suspect fled after being confronted by the awakened victim.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation was brought in and eventually identified Ingersol as the perpetrator of the assaults. With investigators from Soldotna, Anchorage, and the Mat-Su Valley on the lookout for Ingersol, the search intensified.

On June 14, the Anchorage Police Department located Ingersol in the Anchorage area, but he managed to evade capture by fleeing in a vehicle.

On June 15, Alaska State Troopers discovered that Ingersol had fled to Bethel before making his way to Hooper Bay.

It was there that village public safety officers and troopers in Hooper Bay apprehended Ingersol on June 16 at approximately 6 pm. Ingersol was subsequently remanded to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.

Ingersol now faces multiple charges, including Sexual Assault II, Sexual Assault III, Burglary I (two counts), and felony eluding. Authorities urge anyone with additional information or potential victims to come forward and assist investigators in their ongoing efforts. Individuals who can contribute to the case should contact the Alaska State Troopers at 907-262-4453, referencing case AK23058989.

This was not Ingersol’s first serious encounter with law enforcement. In 2014, he led troopers on a high-speed chase during which he hit two troopers with his vehicle.

At the time, Ingersol, who attended Wasilla High School, had outstanding felony warrants for probation violations and was on felony probation. Troopers responding to a woman’s request to remove Ingersol from her residence, and got out of their vehicles to confront him as he was leaving the property in a blue Ford Taurus.

Ingersol accelerated his vehicle toward the troopers, striking them before fleeing the scene. The two troopers got back in their vehicles and gave chase, but he eluded them. They then both drove themselves to the hospital, where they were checked out and found to be bruised but not debilitated.

A Wasilla police officer caught wind of the incident and was on the lookout for Ingersol, who was now a fugitive of the law. The officer spotted Ingersol in his vehicle, and gave chase. That chase exceeded 100 mph and went all over the Wasilla road system. The police officer wrote at the time that after finally getting Ingersol to stop, ” “I then ordered the driver … to shut off the engine of the vehicle while having the driver at gunpoint. I then noticed the vehicle had back up lights on and the vehicle backed up and sped off at a high rate of speed through the parking lot.”

After a pursuit, during which Ingersol ran red lights to escape, he was eventually apprehended.

Quintillion wins $89 million federal grant to extend fiber optic cable

Suzanne Downing
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30
Quintillion wins $89 million federal grant to extend fiber optic cable

Quintillion, the Alaska telecom company that suffered a fiber optics line break at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean this month, has won a major grant of $89 million from the “National Telecommunications and Information Administration Middle Mile Fund.”

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Quintillion provides middle-mile services for last-mile service providers in the Northwest Arctic and North Slope regions, as well as along the Dalton Highway corridor from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks.

Quintillion is the only telecommunications operator to have built a subsea and terrestrial fiber optic cable network in the U.S. Arctic. It’s a provider of high-speed broadband networks, satellite ground station, and cloud service connectivity.

The NTIA grant will facilitate a multi-year project to lengthen the subsea broadband infrastructure connecting Nome to Homer, with the aim of bolstering Alaska’s currently tenuous broadband network infrastructure.

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan hailed the grant as an essential step.

“This award comes at a critical time for Alaska,” said Murkowski.

Sen. Sullivan said, “The lack of internet access in Alaska was a driving force behind my work on the broadband provisions of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.”

Last week, thousands of Alaskans along the north and northwest coast experienced partial or total internet outages due to a damaged fiber cable. Customers as far south as Bethel are feeling the crunch, as they have slow or no wireless phone or internet service, since the June 11 cut. Some are transitioning to Starlink satellite service or using analog where they are able.

The Quintillion project, funded through the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, will, lengthen the existing network and complete a ring of connectivity, which may reduce the last-mile cost of connecting unserved or poorly served areas to the internet.

Alaska received 8.88% of the $1 billion NTIA middle-mile funds. This is the largest federal fiber buildout award ever for Alaska, sources told Must Read Alaska.

Cell service out in northern part of Alaska due to subsea fiber break

Column: We need committed dads to quiet our cultural chaos

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Column: We need committed dads to quiet our cultural chaos

By DR. KEVIN ROBERTS and DELANO SQUIRES

Dads across America are receiving something this Father’s Day that we have never sought but desperately deserve: vindication.  

The social engineers who have shaped the past 60 years of American social policy assumed a check from the government is an adequate replacement for a man in the home. Worse, a new generation of radical elites has spent the past decade trying to destroy the sex binary altogether.  

But the evidence is clear: Father absence is associated with higher rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, youth crime, and substance abuse. Conversely, children who grow up with both parents are more likely to attend college and less likely to live in poverty or go to prison.  

Those who have used law and culture to dismiss biology and undermine the role of fathers are wrong. Dads do matter. 

Read the rest of this column at The Federalist.

Anchorage Assembly approves $2.4 million payout on navigation center

Suzanne Downing
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44
Anchorage Assembly approves $2.4 million payout on navigation center

The Anchorage Assembly is approving a settlement payout of nearly $2.4 million, requested by Mayor Dave Bronson, to contractor Hickel Construction for work and materials for a navigation center for homeless people. Assembly members Karen Bronga and George Martinez voted against paying the outstanding bill.

The work had been completed without official approval by the Assembly, although it had earlier approved the concept and initial expenditures. Hickel was ready to go to court to collect the money for the work done in good faith.

According to Assemblyman Chris Constant and the Anchorage Daily News, the $2.4 million is going to hit Anchorage homeowners in the form of increased tax bills, and they want taxpayers to blame it on the mayor.

In reality, the additional cost from this settlement will be less than half a percent of the total property tax revenue that Anchorage collected in 2022 – which was around $600 million. The legal fees that the Assembly has run up since Bronson took office are likely to have a bigger impact on property taxes, along with the purchase of the Golden Lion hotel for $9.5 million to create a drug rehab facility — something done under the administration of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.

Critics point out contend that had this navigation center been built and operational during the previous winter, the cost savings by addressing homelessness would have been significant.

Instead, homeless were housed for a third year at the Sullivan Arena, which taxpayers built for an entertainment venue.

The Bronson administration has estimated that the Sullivan Arena that every five months of operation of the Sullivan for homeless shelter for those who cannot follow the rules of structured shelters would cost between $1.7 million to $3 million, depending on the number of homeless housed.

Assembly Member Kevin Cross, a proponent of finishing the navigation center, said it is “, “The navigation center is “probably our most realistic for the amount of people that can service, that we can have in place before cold weather.” If the Assembly doesn’t act soon, “then the reality is we’re just going to be opening the Sullivan Arena back up,” he said.

Bronson’s administration estimated the cost for the construction of the navigation center to be $12.2 million. Operating it could cost $7.9 million a year. The money to complete the project appears to have been siphoned off by the Assembly for other uses, and so there seems to be no path forward for the navigation center at this juncture.

“I don’t deny that it could possibly do good in our community if it’s a well-planned facility, but it’s not going to solve our staffing needs for social workers or for treatment beds. It’s not going to solve our need for housing, which is the solution to homelessness, and it’s not going to solve all of our need for the winter,” said Assemblyman Felix Rivera, who has opposed the navigation center all along.

Due to the Assembly’s refusal to work with the mayor, the materials for the project, already purchased, shipped, and received by the municipality, are gathering dust in a warehouse in Eagle River – -a facility built for city equipment but now repurposed as a makeshift shelter for materials that were intended to shelter humans.

Meanwhile, some members of the Anchorage Assembly are exploring purchasing and assembly homeless shacks called “pallet homes,” which have been dubbed “sugarcoated slave shacks” by critics who oppose them in Seattle and other places, because they are government-constructed slums that resemble those in third-world countries, such as Soweto, South Africa.

Humanitarian crisis: Anchorage warehouses homeless navigation center materials; Assembly refuses to build it or pay contractor for materials

Dodgers dodge, honor anti-Catholic hate group a full hour before first pitch, as protesters gather outside

Suzanne Downing
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115
Dodgers dodge, honor anti-Catholic hate group a full hour before first pitch, as protesters gather outside

The Los Angeles Dodgers were mired in controversy on Friday night, presenting an award to the anti-Catholic hate group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, made up of gay men demeaning Catholic nuns by dressing up as members of a holy order, mocking Christ.

The team’s decision was met with widespread criticism, with a crowd of several thousand gathering outside the stadium to protest the team’s ugly statement.

The Dodgers attempted to take the event out of the public eye by scheduling the award ceremony event by scheduling it just over an hour before the first pitch, while only a meager crowd of approximately 300 people was in attendance.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a self-proclaimed activist organization, have long been associated with provocative demonstrations and offensive actions directed towards the Catholic Church.

Their selection for an award ceremony by the Dodgers drew strong rebuke, especially considering the team’s recent history of capitulating to pressure from far-left activists.

Critics argue that the Dodgers’ decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence contradicts the team’s own code of conduct, which states the team upholds respect, inclusivity, and fostering a positive community.

The game between the Dodgers and the Giants drew the usual attendance, although critics online posted photos of an empty stadium; the stadium was indeed nearly empty when the ceremony for the hate group took place.

The San Francisco Giants won the game 5-7, and the final headcount released by the team was 49,074, slightly higher than its average of 47,800.

L.A. Dodgers to honor anti-Catholic trans-activist ‘bigots’ at home game
Trevor Project founder who advised Anchorage on gay items was member of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Vandals burn chemical swastika into lawn of Mountain City Church

Frontiersman, Anchorage Press gets new publisher: David McChesney

Suzanne Downing
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11
Frontiersman, Anchorage Press gets new publisher: David McChesney

David McChesney joined Wick Communications as publisher of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in Wasilla, the newspaper group reported in a press release on Friday. His first day is June 19.

Unmentioned in the press release is that McChesney is also the new publisher for the Anchorage Press, which went entirely online this year, serving the extreme leftist reader in downtown Anchorage, while the Frontiersman serves the most conservative part of the state with print editions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

In the words of former Anchorage Press and Frontiersman editor Matt Hickman, “alternative weeklies are newspapers targeted at an audience that tends to be younger, more interested in the arts than money, spends more time walking or biking than in cars while on their way to coffee shops and bars, which, conveniently, is where you find publications like ours distributed most. Alt-weeklies are meant to advocate for the disenfranchised and disrupt the status quo. There should be no surprise that audience tends to tilt left, politically.”

The Anchorage Press was the publication that promoted the “Prometheus theory” in 2018, which stated that now-Gov. Mike Dunleavy was a closeted homosexual.

From the Midwest, McChesney’s background encompasses a range of experiences in both the newspaper and technology sectors. After graduating with honors from Ohio University, where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in visual communications with a specialization in photojournalism, McChesney served as the director of technology for Nixon Newspaper Group in Peru, Indiana.

In 1998, he founded 1UP, an internet software company that facilitated publishers’ digital transitions. Prior to joining Wick Communications, he was briefly the director of publisher engagement for ePublishing in Chicago until 2021.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the role, McChesney stated, “Community newspapers in a rural setting is where my heart has been since I started in the industry. Wick Communications’ Frontiersman in Wasilla, Alaska, is about as perfect a location as I could have imagined for my first publisher’s position. I am excited to get started!”

He, too, mentioned not a word of excitement for his new role at the alt-left publication in Anchorage.

Anchorage Press self-cancels print edition, goes digital only, as parent company downsizes
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