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Rep. Ruffridge announces he has a big caucus

Suzanne Downing
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Rep. Ruffridge announces he has a big caucus

Soldotna Rep. Justin Ruffridge tried to be named House Speaker Pro Tem at the beginning of the legislative session. That didn’t fly. Then he tried to become House Speaker, and that, too, wilted. Now he says he has looped in 17 members of the House into something he is calling a “Freshman Caucus.” It’s like the Bush Caucus only for the people with the least seniority.

The freshman Republican, who has raised eyebrows since arriving in Juneau for his unorthodox moves, has Democrat Andrew Gray of Anchorage alongside him as co-chair of the caucus. Gray is known in Anchorage for his unyielding progressive stances at the Anchorage Assembly, and now represents U-Med district in Anchorage in the Alaska House, while Ruffridge represents Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula. Ruffridge said anyone in the House who has not served in the Legislature until this year is welcome to join. That means Dan Saddler of Eagle River and Craig Johnson of South Anchorage, both returning to the House after time away, are not welcome.

“Our purpose will be to discuss ideas, debate policy and share those issues most important to the constituents which encompass districts from all over the state. Most importantly, we will continue to build on great working relationships,” Ruffridge said on the House floor.

After he announced the formation of the Freshman Caucus, whose actual number of participants is uncertain and likely fluid, the Democrats all pounded their desks enthusiastically, with former Speaker Louise Stutes banging her desk almost as loudly as she used to bang the gavel when she was the Democrat majority speaker. It appears there may be as many as 12 participants in the caucus, rather than the 17 Ruffridge hoped for. Meetings will not be open to the public.

Of the 17 who could be included, eight are Democrats and seven are Republicans, with the other two being Democrat-loyalist no-party members. That puts Ruffridge in charge of a Democrat-majority group, even while he is a member of the Republican-led majority.

Ruffridge’s announcement created chatter among longtime capital observers when he announced the caucus. But whether the caucus has more to do with soft-power bowling leagues or will try to be a stiff political force remains to be seen.

Gay man demands Bronson fire deputy librarian because she reminds him of his mother and other bad things

Peltola backs striking bus drivers of the Mat-Su, and defends Taylor Swift against Ticketmaster

Suzanne Downing
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Peltola backs striking bus drivers of the Mat-Su, and defends Taylor Swift against Ticketmaster

Alaska’s lone congressional representative has taken sides in labor dispute involving Mat-Su Borough school bus drivers and Durham School Services, the bus company.

The drivers dropped the children off at schools last Tuesday, and then walked off the job, creating chaos for parents, teachers, and drivers on borough roads.

“Striking is never an easy decision for workers — particularly educational professionals. The Teamsters Local 959 voted nearly unanimously to begin striking for better pay and safer working conditions. I’m sure they didn’t make this decision lightly,” Rep. Mary Peltola wrote. “Let’s get them a good deal ASAP so they can get back to serving the Mat-Su community. When workers organize, they win!”

The Teamsters have asked the district to intervene with Durham School Services, which won the contract to provide school bus services in the Mat-Su, but took over during the Covid pandemic and has had numerous challenges faced by other companies who are trying to staff up with licensed commercial drivers.

Teamsters Local 959 endorsed Peltola in her bid for Congress and donated to her 2022 campaign the maximum amount allowed by law.

Peltola vs. Ticketmaster

In other news, Rep. Peltola has come down on the side of super-star singer Taylor Swift against Ticketmaster, an online ticket broker that the pop star has had a dispute with over business practices.

In a post on Twitter, Peltola posted the Monopoly game banker character, and parroted words from a Taylor Swift song, “I’m the problem, it’s me.”

Taylor Swift fans are charging that Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, have a monopoly by controlling 70% of the big concert ticket market.

Rep. Mary Peltola has taken a stand against Ticketmaster.

Not everyone was amused at the commentary by Peltola. One Twitter user responded by reminding Peltola that more important issues were at stake for Americans, while another Twitter commentator questioned what intern had taken over Peltola’s Twitter account.

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Sen. Sullivan: Why was China’s spy balloon allowed to enter Alaska, when we have great Air Force capabilities?

Suzanne Downing
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Sen. Sullivan: Why was China’s spy balloon allowed to enter Alaska, when we have great Air Force capabilities?

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has some questions about the China spy balloon, which was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, after entering U.S. airspace in Alaska a week earlier.

From Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, the a large, white high-altitude balloon, visible from the ground, crossed through North American airspace, entering in Alaska, traversing Canada, and crossing the continental United States.

“I want to commend the skilled airmen who safely executed the mission to finally take down the Chinese spy balloon,” Sullivan said in a statement. But with Alaska’s advanced missile detection systems, there are too many unanswered questions. Sullivan asked questions that plenty of Alaskans have already asked, as many wonder why the federal government didn’t alert the state to the danger, and why the object was not shot down over the vast empty spaces of Alaska.

“I have already begun pressing our senior military leaders and Biden administration officials on why this surveillance balloon was allowed to operate for so long over our country, and what consequences the Chinese Communist Party will face for this brazen violation of American sovereignty.

“The 11th Air Force in Alaska does an exceptional job of detecting, intercepting and keeping adversarial aircraft, like Russian bear bombers, out of Alaska air space on a regular basis. We need to know why a Chinese spy asset was allowed to breach sovereign American airspace. This cannot become a precedent for further Chinese Communist Party aggression,” Sullivan said.

Defense says Chinese spy balloon is over center of country
Watch: Chinese spy balloon shot down over Atlantic after FAA marks Myrtle Beach as temporary flight restricted

Democrats change their presidential primary calendar for 2024, setting up conflict with ‘too white’ New Hampshire

Suzanne Downing
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Democrats change their presidential primary calendar for 2024, setting up conflict with ‘too white’ New Hampshire

On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee overwhelmingly voted to make caucuses and primaries in South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, and Michigan the first positions on the presidential election calendar for 2024. That decision takes away New Hampshire’s primary as first in the nation.

According to the new calendar, which has been aggressively sought by President Joe Biden, South Carolina will now go first on Feb. 3 with its Democratic caucuses. It’s a huge victory for South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley, who for several years was the executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, and Matt Greene, the party’s technology director, who also served in a similar role in Alaska until he left with Parmley in 2019, and Lindsey Kavanaugh took over as Alaska Democratic Party executive director.

Formerly with AK Dems, Jay Parmley back in South Carolina

Second on the presidential nominating calendar for Democrats will be Nevada and New Hampshire on Feb. 6, 2024, and then Georgia on Feb. 13, and Michigan on Feb. 27.

The reason for changing the order of caucuses is to reward states that were good to Biden in 2020. South Carolina was a key to his success in 2020 and its large black population is a reliable Democrat Party voting bloc. New Hampshire is not diverse enough, according to Democrats, who have placed greater value on equity than tradition.

But the problem is that New Hampshire is interested in protecting its position as first in the nation and even has a law on the books that gives the Secretary of State the power to move up the date of that state’s primary to protect its “first” status. This, if it continues to be a conflict between Democrats and New Hampshire, could mean New Hampshire may move its primary into the final week of January, 2024.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said the state party isn’t playing along with the DNC: “The DNC did not give New Hampshire the first-in-the-nation primary and it is not theirs to take away. This news is obviously disappointing, but we will be holding our primary first. We have survived past attempts over the decades and we will survive this. Our first-in-the-nation primary has been an integral part of our state’s history for over 100 years, and is enshrined in state law. We look forward to welcoming candidates to New Hampshire in 2024 and beyond. We will continue to do what we in New Hampshire do well — provide a level playing field for all candidates and ensure they are stronger and ready for the fights ahead.””

The vote to shuffle primary positions was taken Saturday, when the party leaders gathered for their winter meeting in Philadelphia, where the vote was taken to ratify the proposal by the party’s rules and bylaws committee, which is rewarding diversity, a hoop through which New Hampshire can’t jump. The Granite State has an over-90% white, non-Hispanic population, with just 1.31% of residents being black or African-American.

“Folks, the Democratic party looks like America and so does this proposal,” said DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison.

Lindsay Kavanaugh, director of Alaska Democratic Party, sent to jail after being stopped for DUI near Soldotna

Derkevorkian: Vote for Peter Micciche for Kenai mayor

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Derkevorkian: Vote for Peter Micciche for Kenai mayor

By RICHARD DERKEVORKIAN

As residents of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, we face many challenges, but with Peter Micciche at the helm, I am confident that we can overcome them. Peter has a proven track record of putting the needs of the community first and working tirelessly to deliver results. With his extensive knowledge of the borough and his commitment to responsible governance, Peter is the clear choice to lead us forward.

As a conservative leader, Peter understands the importance of fiscal responsibility and limited government. As the mayor of Soldotna he cut taxes three times. He will work to ensure that your tax dollars are being used effectively and efficiently, while also protecting your personal liberties. His conservative principles and strong leadership skills will help to promote a business-friendly environment and encourage economic growth, ensuring that the Kenai Borough continues to thrive.

While it may be tempting to write in a candidate that you may view as more conservative than Peter, it is important to remember that this could actually help his opponents. In elections, a split in the vote can lead to the election of a candidate who is not representative of the majority of the voters. Writing in a candidate takes away from the strength of the conservative vote, and could lead to unintended consequences. 

By voting for Peter, we can ensure that our voice is heard and that the borough continues to move forward under strong conservative leadership. So if you want a borough that is moving forward, thriving, and true to its conservative roots, join me in voting for Peter A. Micciche on election day.

Richard Derkevorkian serves on the Kenai Borough Assembly and writes as a private citizen.

Counterpoint: Write in Robert Wall for Kenai Borough mayor

Does it add up? Senate majority wants to add $1,000 to current base student allocation, no accountability

Suzanne Downing
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Does it add up? Senate majority wants to add $1,000 to current base student allocation, no accountability

The Alaska Senate Majority, which took a preliminary stance against issuing a full Permanent Fund dividend to Alaskans this year, is proposing the addition of $1,000 to the current base student allocation for schools. That baseline funding would bring the state’s share to about $6,960 per student. It would cost the state at least $257 million.

Senate Bill 52 is a 20% increase to the current basic formula for schools. The Alaska Association of School Boards asked for an increase of $860, but that organization and other education industry representatives are more than willing to accept a larger amount.

The extra funds would come from the Permanent Fund dividend, said Sen. Bert Stedman, who co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee.

“If we had a $1,300 dividend, we could pay for the education increase. We could pay for the deficit and we could pay off all the municipal debt for the entire state for municipalities dealing with the Alaska Bond Bank, about $900 million, with this year’s cash flow. That’s the magnitude of what we have to give and take when we decide what we’re actually going to fund,” Stedman said last week, explaining that it is a choice between greater funding of education and a bigger dividend.

Stedman then said, “We’re going to have to make a choice. Do we want to teach our kids to cash checks? Or do we want to teach them to read and write and do arithmetic?”

Critics of funding increases say there is little accountability in schools, which have turned away from the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics, in favor of gender studies and critical race theory. Students in Alaska have performed at the bottom of the nation for the past few years. Reading scores among Alaska students are a year behind the national average and more than two years behind Florida. Just 28% of fourth graders in Alaska can understand mathematics at grade level, and just 24% were reading at grade level last year.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s 2024 budget has education funding remaining static. But the Alaska Policy Forum has pointed out that per-student funding has grown 32% in the past 20 years, now providing $20,000 per student, which includes federal, state, and local funding. It’s greater than the national average by 23%.

“In Alaska, total revenue grew 32% per pupil, from $15,000 to $20,000 [between 2002 and 2020]. Sixteen states and D.C. increased their education revenues by 30% or more between 2002 and 2020 after adjusting for inflation. State revenues contributed the most to Alaska’s increase, growing 50% between 2002 and 2020 ($8,000 to $13,000 per pupil). Federal revenue grew only 7% ($2,700 to $2,900 per pupil), while local revenue grew 12% ($3,900 to $4,300 per pupil). In 2002, revenues from the State of Alaska comprised 56% of revenues per pupil, while in 2020, the state contributed 63% of revenues per pupil,” AFP wrote in December.

Conservative Ketchikan Mayor Rodney Dial testified to the Senate Education Committee in favor of increasing the base student allocation. He cited a shortfall of $3 million in the upcoming Ketchikan school budget, with 50 or more employees set to be cut in the next budget cycle. The funding for the organized area of Alaska, such as Ketchikan, Dial said, are not getting the same amounts as the unorganized boroughs in the state. Dial asked that organized boroughs be treated equitably with unorganized boroughs, which contribute nothing to their children’s education because they have no local property or sales taxes.

Republican Louise Stutes become whip for minority Democrats, as caucus puts Rep. Zack Fields in his place

Suzanne Downing
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Republican Louise Stutes become whip for minority Democrats, as caucus puts Rep. Zack Fields in his place

Republican Rep. Louise Stutes was not invited to be part of the Republican-led caucus in the House of Representatives in Juneau. Her years of aligning with Democrats was just a bridge too far and she and Rep. David Eastman were considered the extremes that needed time in the time-out corner.

Unsurprisingly, Stutes, of Kodiak, joined the Democrat minority last week. After leading the Democrat-led majority for years as one of the original Musk Ox Caucus members in 2015-2016, she was not able to establish trust with the Republicans. This is the first time she has been in the minority since 2016.

As she joined the Democrats, they kicked Rep. Zack Fields, an Anchorage Democrat, to the curb as caucus whip, and installed Republican Stutes in the role of rounding up the votes.

Stutes is one of the original Must Ox Caucus of 2016, which were made up of Republicans who caucused with Democrats. While Republican reprobates Paul Seaton, Jim Colver, and Gabrielle LeDoux were booted out of office by voters, and Gary Knopp died in a plane crash, only Stutes, Democrat Neal Foster, and fence-sitting undeclared Bryce Edgmon remain of that group that kept Democrats effectively in control for six years. Foster and Edgmon are now part of the Republican-led majority, but Stutes has officially made her bed with the Democrats, after having been House Speaker for the past two years.

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Tensions over pensions: H.B. 22 is fast-tracked through House committee, but trips on its own schtick

Suzanne Downing
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Tensions over pensions: H.B. 22 is fast-tracked through House committee, but trips on its own schtick

Normally, Alaska’s legislative committees start out the session with general fiscal presentations from agency heads. Legislators hear from the Office of Management and Budget and oil economists, so that before they make big fiscal commitments, they know what the state’s economic outlook is.

But not this year’s House Community and Regional Affairs Committee. They’re fast-tracking spending bills.

In Juneau, the CR&A committee went roaring out of the gate with the most controversial bill of the season: House Bill 22, sponsored and pushed hard for the past two week by Democrat Rep. Andy Josephson, who has been taking advantage of freshmen in the House by wielding his superior knowledge gained in years and years of legislative service.

HB 22, to punch up the pensions for firefighters and public safety workers, was rushed through the House CR&A Committee, its first committee of referral, and managed to get approved within two weeks — without so much as a fiscal note.

Therein lies the problem: No one has any idea how much it would cost to return firefighters, paramedics, and state troopers to a pension plan such as existed in the early days of Alaska statehood, when it was hard to attract workers to the new state. The best guesses range between hundreds of millions of dollars to over $1.2 billion.

The members of the committee voted four to two in favor of the bill, with Committee Chair C.J. McCormick, Democrat; Justin Ruffridge, Republican; Donna Mears, Democrat, and Rebecca Himschoot, Independent-Democrat voting in favor.

Republicans Kevin McCabe and Tom McKay voted against moving the bill so quickly, because there’s no real understanding of the costs.

But regardless of the final vote, HB 22 is technically still in CR&A. The committee is going to need to do an do-over because it cannot go to its next committee, State Affairs, without a fiscal note.

Meanwhile, the CR&A committee made yet another blunder: It did not publicly advertise meetings for next week, and so there can be no do-over by this committee on HB 22 for several more days.

In addition, subcommittees for Finance have started meeting in earnest, and members of CR&A have to peel off to attend those numerous meetings, to which they’ve been assigned, crowding the calendar for the coming few weeks as department budgets go through rigorous subcommittee review.

HB 22 was being rushed through, said Rep. Kevin McCabe, who is the committee’s vice chair.

McCabe said even the letter from the Anchorage Assembly encouraged the Alaska Legislature “to diligently vet House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 35, in committee and in collaboration with the municipalities to produce a final bill for passage.” He was pointing out that the key words were “diligently” and “vet.”

McCabe pointed out the committee hasn’t been given the opportunity to talk to municipalities “to find out what it’s going to take, to find out what it’s going to cost.” He said the rough estimate shows it could cost up to $400,000 for one fire department he heard about in the Mat-Su Borough.

According to the Division of Retirement and Benefits, there are 31 communities or employers that are arrears in paying for the still-on-the-books defined benefits. “So are we going to drive them into further delinquency?” McCabe asked his fellow committee members.

“This is a huge bill, and to see it jammed into our committee in the first week was surprising to many of us,” said McCabe, who opposed the bill.

The bill goes to the State Affairs Committee next, but since it cannot go without a fiscal note, it’s in limbo, and may remain in limbo for another week or more, while the committee Chair, CJ McCormick shakes off the trick that Rep. Josephson pulled on him by advising him to push it through quickly.

Meanwhile, one of two Senate bills may end up being the final vehicle for the increase in benefits. Sen. Scott Kawasaki has a similar bill to HB 22, and Sen. Jesse Kiehl has a bill that would add teachers into the new, improved defined benefit program they are proposing. Both sponsors are Democrats, like Rep. Josephson in the House.

Any one of these bills, however, will not likely pass muster with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who may exercise his veto pen, if tempted.

Watch: Chinese spy balloon shot down over Atlantic after FAA marks Myrtle Beach as temporary flight restricted

Suzanne Downing
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Watch: Chinese spy balloon shot down over Atlantic after FAA marks Myrtle Beach as temporary flight restricted

On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary flight restriction (TFR) on the area around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for security purposes. The Chinese spy balloon that has transited from the Aleutians to the East Coast was spotted above Myrtle Beach earlier in the day, and fighter jets had been seen in the area. (Top photo from Fox News.)

Shortly afterward, the balloon, which entered the United States in the Aleutian Islands and crossed nearly the entire country, was shot down and was seen by beachgoers falling from the sky. The balloon is said to be the size of three school buses. The payload was cut loose at about 60,000 and fell into the ocean. Whatever was in that aircraft is now under water.

The temporary flight restriction was unusually wordy and descriptive in what would happen if any aircraft was in the Myrtle Beach air space:

The official account by the Department of Defense:

A U.S. Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a written statement.

President Joe Biden ordered the action on Wednesday, but it was delayed until the balloon was over water off the coast of South Carolina to ensure no Americans on the ground were harmed. 

“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters,” Austin said.  

The action was taken in coordination and support of the Canadian government. “We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America,” Austin said. “Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Austin said referring to the Peoples Republic of China. 

U.S. officials first detected the balloon and its payload on January 28 when it entered U.S. airspace near the Aleutian Islands. The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and re-entered U.S. airspace over Idaho. “President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon’s path,” said a senior defense official speaking on background. “Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overland.” 

An F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon.  

The balloon fell approximately six miles off the coast in about 47 feet of water. No one was hurt. 

Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon’s collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. “I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon’s collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us,” the official said. “I can’t go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable.” 

The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration. 

While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. “The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false,” the official said. “This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.” 

The mission now transitions to one of recovery. There are a number of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels establishing a security perimeter around the area where the balloon came to Earth. They are searching for debris, said a senior military official also speaking on background.  

There is no estimate for how long the recovery mission will take, the military official said, but the fact that it came down in such a shallow area should make recovery “fairly easy”. 

The military official gave some detail of the engagement. The F-22 fired the Sidewinder at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet.  

F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states including Oregon, Montana, South Carolina and North Carolina. Canadian forces also helped track the overflight of the balloon. 

The Navy has deployed the destroyer USS Oscar Austin, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship in support of the effort. 

Defense says Chinese spy balloon is over center of country

Pentagon says ‘sizable’ Chinese spy balloon went over Alaska and is now over Montana
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