For those who are reading this outside of where I live: To understand life in Nikiski, Alaska, picture this: 5,000 people spread across an area the size of Rhode Island. Folks here are independent, practical, and community minded in ways that come naturally when you live in a place with no stoplights. We have one elementary school and a combined middle and high school under a single roof. Student numbers are small, and community ties are strong. Teachers aren’t just names on a roster; they are the people you see at the grocery store, in church, or coaching at the football field. Accountability isn’t abstract in a town like this; it’s face-to-face.
Not long ago, I talked with a new family in Nikiski who homeschools their kids. It reminded me of something I once didn’t know myself, and realize many others don’t know: Homeschooling here doesn’t mean cutting ties with the local schools. Now, I understand that some families do not want anything to do with public schools, and I respect and understand that.
Did you know that homeschool families can still send their kids to welding, shop, or math classes, and students can participate in sports? At the elementary level, homeschoolers can even attend a couple of subjects each day. It isn’t an all-or-nothing choice.
For years, I thought there were two kinds of parents in Alaska: The homeschool crowd and the public school crowd. It turns out, I was wrong (and I’m good at being wrong.) In reality, many families do both. They homeschool and still engage with the public schools. And in a place like Nikiski, that mix can work really well.
If you follow the national headlines, you might think conservatives hate public schools and public schools hate conservatives. But that’s not always the reality I’ve seen. Yes, conservatives often oppose the big teachers’ unions (as I do), but that’s not the same as opposing teachers themselves. And most teachers I know don’t dislike homeschool families; sometimes, they just don’t know how to reach them or understand their points of view.
My own family has lived in an area that overlaps. At one point, all of my kids were homeschooled. Today, one still is a homeschool student. But each has also stepped into public school classrooms, played on teams, and learned trade skills alongside their peers. What once looked like two separate worlds has become, in practice, a partnership.
That’s really the point. Education doesn’t have to be defined by rigid camps or either-or choices. Sometimes, the best path is a combination. Homeschooling and public school do compete with each other, but they can also complement one another, and kids often benefit from that mix.
In a world that seems intent on drawing lines, a town like Nikiski reminds me that life doesn’t have to be that way. We share the same roads, stores, two blinking lights, and most importantly, the same hopes for our kids. When we focus on that, the labels fade, and what matters most comes into view. If you are a homeschool family in Alaska, call your local school and see if you can bring your kid in for an art class. And if you’re a public school leader, reach out to homeschool families instead of assuming they don’t want anything to do with you.
That’s a lesson from a little Alaska town that’s worth remembering anywhere.
It can be true to support good teachers and not the big teachers’ unions. It can also be true to support homeschooling your family but also support your kids in a couple of classes in a public school. They don’t have to be either-or. They can be both.
John Quick is the former host of the Must Read Alaska Show podcast and now hosts his own national podcast, “Stories Worth Hearing,” in which he has had guests who have also been featured on the Joe Rogan podcast.
Legend has it that when Augustus Brown arrived in Juneau in the late 1880s he was on his way to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields. Perhaps drawn to our majestic surroundings, he bought a downtown lot on the west side of Telephone Hill, overlooking Gastineau Channel and Douglas Island. Brown eventually built a 3-bedroom house there in 1915 and called it home for the next 25 years. He never made it to the gold fields.
Brown passed away in 1949. He left $30,000 for the construction of the indoor swimming pool, completed in 1973, which bears his name today. It sits next to Juneau-Douglas High School. Juneau kids, previously required to take a cold shower before entering the outdoor pool at Evergreen Bowl, were grateful for Brown’s generosity.
Today the 110-year-old house that Brown built on Telephone Hill is still occupied and well maintained. Its current residents have lived there for several years. A simple plaque by the front door proudly identifies their home as the “Augustus Brown House, c. 1915”.
Across narrow Dixon Street (20’ wide) from the Brown House and in the center of Telephone Hill stands the Edward Webster House, built 33 years earlier in 1882. Webster and his father established the first stamp mill in the Juneau Gold Belt. The Webster family owned and operated the Juneau and Douglas Telephone Company from 1893 to 1968, the first commercial telephone service in Alaska.
The current residents of the Webster House have lived there for nearly 40 years. Some locals think the home could be the oldest continuously lived in residence in all of Alaska.
Forty years ago, a Historical Site and Structures Survey by the State’s Archives and Resource and Records Management agency found the Webster House had “major historical significance”. Yet now, the Juneau Assembly wants to bulldoze it to the ground along with the Brown House, along with five other houses mostly over 100 years old, and one lilac tree of the same vintage.
The staggering cost to Juneau taxpayers for scraping historical Telephone Hill clean will be $9 million, according to the city’s estimate. Fiscally conservative local contractor Wayne Coogan believes the estimate may be too low. Coogan attributes the high demolition cost to regulations and procedures governing the disposal of encapsulated asbestos, PCVs, lead, and potential fuel tank contamination.
Coogan would like to see the Assembly reconsider their vote and let the free market decide what to do with Telephone Hill.
In 2023, the city became the owner of the Brown and Webster houses, along with five other historic houses situated on Telephone Hill. The city and borough government received title from the State of Alaska, which had acquired the homes in 1984 under threat of eminent domain for an intended new Capitol building expansion, which eventually fizzled out.
The homes are occupied by tenants who, since 2023, have made out their rent checks to the City and Borough of Juneau instead of the State. Some of the houses are multi-family. Altogether, 10 families would be displaced if Telephone Hill was bulldozed.
It could take years before replacement housing is built. Leland Consulting Group, hired two years ago by the city to identify developers who can deliver the desired product, has come up empty. Their inability to locate a developer should tell the Assembly something, but apparently that message is falling on deaf ears.
In June, the Assembly voted 7-1 to move forward with their Telephone Hill redevelopment plan, despite fierce opposition from Juneau residents. Under the Assembly’s direction, the tenants were given eviction notices requiring them to vacate their homes by Oct. 1. Demolition is expected to commence shortly thereafter.
CBJ’s redevelopment plan is the product of First Forty Feet (“FFF”), an urban design and planning firm based in Portland, Ore. In July of 2024, FFF issued a draft Guide presenting four preliminary design concepts. Concept “C” called for the demolition of the seven historical houses followed by construction of five new mid-rise buildings containing 150 units. Concept “D” called for the retention of the seven historical buildings and the building of four new buildings containing 36 additional units.
An online survey conducted by FFF indicated that Concept C was slightly favored by participants over Concept D by a mere 13 votes. However, the legitimacy of that survey has been challenged by Juneau residents on at least two grounds.
First, the survey did not include an option to vote for no development and to leave Telephone Hill as it is. Second, the survey was conducted from mid-December to early January, when many residents were traveling or preoccupied with holiday planning and events.
Subsequent public outcry over the Assembly’s choices suggests that a neutral and more fairly administrated survey would have resulted in an overwhelming rejection of CBJ’s plan.
Led by a man carrying a sign that said, “Don’t Kill Telephone Hill,” protesters walk up to the top of the path from Egan Drive to Dixon Street in Juneau on Aug. 16, 2025.
On Aug. 16, a group of liberal and conservative minded citizens gathered for a protest rally starting at Marine Park on the Juneau waterfront. Carrying signs like “Don’t Kill Telephone Hill” and “Save the Hill” a group of at least 75 protesters peacefully marched to the top of Telephone Hill.
One of the protestors I spoke with is a conservative — Bob Jacobsen, the founder of Wings Airways, a local glacier flightseeing operator that operates principally out of downtown Juneau. On the issue of the Assembly’s demolition plans, Jacobsen told me he hasn’t talked to a single local who supports CBJ spending the $9 million to evict the current residents and remove the 10 units from our tight housing supply.
On the issue of the Assembly’s non-responsiveness to locals, Jacobsen said: “I regret being apathetic on this issue and not getting involved sooner. This could turn out to be a huge mistake that the Assembly and all of us will regret in the years to come. Let’s let the free market decide what happens with Telephone Hill. I’ve built a few things in Juneau. If multi-family is built on Telephone Hill, it will become the most expensive housing in the Borough.”
One of the organizers of the protest rally was Susan Clark, a gracious, friendly, energetic, and intelligent woman who has been a registered member of the Democrat Party for 55 years. Clark met me at the site an hour before the rally started to give me a personal tour.
The first area Clark showed me was a 100-year-old cherry orchard along the steep, rugged hillside below the Bosch-Carrigan House, built in 1913. This home was identified in the1984 State Survey as having “major architectural value.”
I had met Clark just a few days earlier when she came to a weekly breakfast meeting attended by conservative business owners in Juneau. Clark was there to request the group’s help in reversing the Assembly’s decision to kill Telegraph Hill. At the meeting Clark voiced her frustration and exasperation at the Assembly’s unwillingness to listen to Juneau voters, especially those who live downtown.
A lone liberal amidst a conservative crowd, Clark found common ground and open arms. After the meeting, I spotted Clark sharing a warm hug with long time Juneau conservative Jim Wilcox who often attends meetings wearing a red MAGA cap. In 2023, Wilcox and his wife Cecilia received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce for “decades of giving and volunteerism.”
Clark believes the Plan “C” and its 150 units that the Assembly has chosen is basically pie in the sky. She calculates that after the planned demolition the net buildable area of the site will be about 1.1 acres. If a traditional multi-family apartment building with at least 54 units is built, Clark calculates the net buildable area may be only .80 acres because Dixon Street would have to be widened from the current 20’ to 50’.
Clark is concerned that the Assembly and their planners have not taken site stability into account. She and her husband Jim wrote a letter to the Assembly stating neither the public nor CBJ have any idea regarding the competency of the rock and the depth from regolith to bedrock. As such, it is unknown whether the hill can support the weight of the 5-story and two 4 story buildings called for under Plan “C.”
In other words, the option of 150 new units the Assembly has shoved down the public’s throat may turn out to be a pipe dream after CBJ wastes $9 million in taxpayer dollars to demolish historic homes.
A few days after my tour with Clark, I visited the site with Coogan and Wilcox. Both men expressed concerns about site stability. Wilcox pointed to cracks in the rock face and large chunks that had fallen off. When I asked Coogan how far the proposed buildings would have to be setback from the cliff face, he replied, “that’s a good question.”
FFF’s Guide shows the new buildings going right up to the edge of the sheer rock face that was formed by prior blasting and appears unstable. The splashy 56-page Guide contains the results of a structural conditions survey and a Phase I environmental survey but is silent on the stability issue.
Clark gave me a copy of the Guide where she had underlined portions of the Site Grading section which states “Its rugged terrain poses both challenges and opportunities for development, with its slopes requiring innovative engineering”.
Innovative engineering required? Perhaps that is one of reasons why Leland Consulting has been unable to locate a developer.
Clark agrees with Coogan and Jacobsen: Let the free market decide what is to be done with Telephone Hill. She believes the city should engage a real estate broker to list the properties for sale.
I also agree. The broker’s marketing plan should expose the houses to the billionaires who bring their boats to Juneau every summer and philanthropists from around the country. With the input of the community to guide them, the Assembly could explore putting restrictive covenants or conditions on the deeds to protect the houses with the most historical value.
Just like Augustus Brown made a positive lasting impression on Juneau, other philanthropists may become enticed by Juneau’s natural beauty and jump at the chance to own, restore, and preserve these unique historical homes for future generations. The rich and famous who have homes scattered around the world like having local caretakers; some of the current tenants might be a perfect match.
The Assembly and its consultants have created and promoted the narrative that high density housing on Telephone Hill is needed given Juneau’s current shortfall of homes. Juneau certainly needs more housing, but Telephone Hill is far less viable than other options Juneau has.
For starters, CBJ owns 3,400 acres between Outer Point and Point Hilda on North Douglas. Several years ago, the city put in a 2.5-mile road to help effectuate plans to build 2,000 new residential units there. These would be homes with yards and safe streets that families could raise kids on -– not cramped midrise units in a noisy neighborhood with limited parking, surrounded by tourists during the day and the homeless at night.
Goldbelt Corporation owns and is in the process of developing an adjacent 1800 acres on North Douglas and would like to have access to their property from the CBJ road. Goldbelt plans to build a wastewater treatment plant there. There could be a lot of synergy between the two projects that could solve Juneau’s housing needs well into the future if the Assembly cared to focus on that.
But they don’t. Instead, the Assembly is fixated on bulldozing historical homes and wasting more taxpayer dollars on what appears to be a very speculative development scheme. The Assembly can’t even manage to put in a gondola at Eaglecrest they purchased in Europe a few years ago. The equipment sits on the ground, rusting away, while Eaglecrest’s operating losses accelerate.
The organizers of the Aug. 16 Telephone Hill rally are gearing up for another one on Sept. 22, the date of the next Assembly meeting and the last one before the scheduled evictions. However, they plan on widening their protest to what they’ve identified as “broader issues of collusion and co-opting within our local government by outside interests, not just Telephone Hill.”
The protesters have their eyes focused on Assembly members seeking re-election. Of the three open seats, only one is contested. The protesters may want to consider a write-in campaign and/or signal an intention to mount a recall petition if the Assembly goes forward with their reckless plan.
FFF’s slogan is “a better city exists.” Perhaps unified Juneau voters will apply a similar rationale and adopt the slogan “a better Assembly exists.”
The unification of liberals and conservatives on Telephone Hill could have wide ranging impacts that reverse Juneau’s decline and make our community affordable, healthy and vibrant again.
Susan Clark, thank you for reaching out across the aisle and your tireless work in helping to unite Juneau.
David Ignell was born and raised in Juneau where he currently resides. He formerly practiced law in California state and federal courts and was a volunteer analyst for the California Innocence Project. He is currently a forensic journalist and recently wrote a book on the Alaska Grand Jury.
For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association marched in lockstep with the CDC, demanding that Americans “trust the science” and obey federal guidance on Covid.
But now, when the CDC recommends against blanket vaccination for every man, woman, and child, these same groups are openly rebelling, issuing their own guidelines and insisting the CDC didn’t go far enough.
What changed? Money, influence, or something else? In 2023 alone, the AAP took in $35 million from taxpayers to promote vaccines and to heavily police so-called “misinformation” — on top of additional funding that came from Big Pharma. The AMA too has been heavily bankrolled.
Now both are bristling at a CDC subcommittee that promises a fresh look at Covid shots, a work group led by MIT professor Retsef Levi, who has been an outspoken critic of mRNA vaccines.
Meanwhile, public health chiefs from New England to New Jersey are holding private meetings to discuss breaking from Washington and designing their own policies. The very people who told Americans to fall in line with the CDC are now in open revolt.
No concrete decisions were made yet, but these states — Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania — are looking at what the medical associations are doing. It will be interesting to see what transpires from those who told us we needed to “trust” the science and do what the CDC says.
The medical associations are having a meltdown on the new subcommittee formed in the CDC under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which will do a deep dive into Covid vaccines.
Bound to cause even greater angst, this subcommittee will be chaired by Levi, professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Levi is known as a “vaccine skeptic” who has criticized mRNA vaccines in the past.
Under the guidance of Levi and his colleagues, the ACIP subcommittee will look at many aspects of the Covid vaccines, including DNA contamination, all the known major side-effects, myocarditis. They’ll be probing long-term outcomes and assessing how well the years of “official reassurances about safety and efficacy hold up against emerging data.”
This is a significant change in focus for the CDC and FDA. For years, these agencies dismissed critics who raised concerns about the above mentioned issues. The doctors and health experts who did not agree with the “party lines” were labeled “alarmists” and spreaders of “misinformation.”
Now the CDC’s own advisory body has committed to reviewing each area of concern in detail to identify gaps in evidence that should have been addressed before mass vaccination ever began. Many are hoping this group will be able to restore public trust by confronting “uncomfortable” truths.
For Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Levi, the goal is to show that vaccine oversight is not just going to be a rubber stamp, as it has been in the past. It is about following the science and its conclusions.
One of the concerns Dr. Levi wants to address is the misconception that harms from vaccines only show up shortly after you are vaccinated. Yet the goal of immunization is to drive long-term impact on the immune system. Consequently, one must account for the long-term injuries. And we need to know what the result of repeated vaccine immunizations does to our bodies.
The results are unknown at this time. However, it is work that needs to be done in order to regain the trust of the American people in federal agencies that exist to protect our health and the health of our children.
Stay informed. Regardless as to what “Big Harma” and its financial stakeholders wish you to believe, there must be objective research to lay out the facts.
We have learned so much since the Covid years. And more knowledge is coming fast and furious.
You can gain even more information and knowledge at our annual Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom event in October in Anchorage. Our speakers are incredible providing a range of information not only about Covid, but also about education, artificial intelligence, the integrity of our food supply, and more. Click here to see the agenda and buy a ticket!
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance.
For America’s over-55 population, nearly one-third of the nation, the tragedy is not that we have aged, but that federal policy has stripped away autonomy just when independence and wisdom should matter most. Our retirement yields and healthcare access are bound by statutes and regulations that force us into dependency.
Medicare becomes the default path with no private health insurance available after 65, Social Security contributions are locked into Washington’s terms with pitiful investment returns which make to impossible to afford a living, and savings in 401(k)s and IRAs are constrained by Required Minimum Distributions and tax penalties which control the horizontal and vertical of the last years of our living and will never allow us to manage our lives independent of the government. While Social Security, Medicare, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) directly lock seniors into statutory pathways, Obamacare reinforced that dependency by tightening federal control over insurance markets, limiting senior autonomy in both pre-65 coverage and post-65 Medicare options.
As Must Read Alaska commenters from my Aug. 20 column, “The slow surrender of senior independence to government dependence,” point out, this dependency is not natural. From every imaginable angle, it is artificial and pretentious. It is manufactured through decades of political design, producing seniors who worked hard yet face diminished dignity in their later years.
Why can’t we, seniors, the largest voting block in the United States, tell Congress there is a simple principle of senior choice and dignity? Isn’t the real path forward one where Americans reclaim freedom of choice between public and private healthcare, regain autonomy over their own retirement savings, and secure dignity in care, where decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by distant bureaucrats in Washington, DC?
To actualize this vision, reform must begin with a comprehensive statutory audit of all laws that restrict senior independence, from the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.) to Medicare and Medicaid (42 U.S.C. § 1395 et seq.) to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA, 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.), nicknamed “Every Rotten Idea Since Adam”, and the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 401 et seq.).
Next, Congress should enact principles-based reform: repeal mandatory minimum distribution rules, eliminate penalties for early retirement access after age 55, and allow seniors to waive Medicare without forfeiting Social Security benefits. As commenters noted, freedom should not mean abandonment of a safety net. It means having the right to opt out when individuals can provide for themselves.
A central question arises: Why should the 55-and-under generation be compelled to shoulder the costs of older Americans through rigid federal programs that appear only to benefit state and federal bureaucracies, when the over-55 population is perfectly capable of generating its own prosperity?
Seniors represent the most experienced, capital-rich, and entrepreneurial segment of society. If given the same freedoms, tools, and resources that the private sector offers younger Americans, the over-55 generation could sustain itself, invest in future growth, and even contribute to reducing the fiscal burdens now passed down to younger workers. Federal policy, however, locks seniors into dependence, stripping away the opportunity to build wealth and turning them into recipients of mandated subsidies. This not only undermines seniors’ dignity but also stifles the ability of younger generations to focus their contributions on building their own success, wealth, and prosperity.
The methodology of reform is clear: flexibility mechanisms to let individuals and states innovate, sunset reviews to prevent outdated laws from calcifying, and a legislative roadmap. I really don’t care what Congress calls for just align retirement and healthcare policy with liberty and do it now!
This is not about dismantling programs that protect the vulnerable; it is about liberating the majority who can and should direct their own lives.
The over-55 population represents 103 million Americans, nearly 30% of the electorate. We are not powerless, but we have surrendered power by accepting dependency. As one Must Read Alaska comment wisely observed, “If we do not demand freedom, we will never receive it.” The time has come for seniors to lead, not as wards of the state, but as citizens insisting on reforms that respect the dignity of a lifetime of work. Federal policy change is not complicated. It requires an act of Congress, a presidential signature, and the collective will of seniors who refuse to accept bureaucratic control as the price of aging.
Fiscal Realities at a Crossroads
In 2023, the federal government paid out $1.38 trillion in Social Security benefits, representing a staggering 22.5% of all federal spending. On average, retired workers aged 66–70 receive $2,178 per month, though many, especially those relying solely on Social Security, fall short of financial stability. Meanwhile, those aged 55–64 hold a median net worth of $364,270, far above younger.
This disparity raises a vital question: Why should younger generations finance older citizens who, given the freedom and tools of the private sector, are well-positioned to support themselves?
Freedom Awaits: The Senior Choice and Dignity Paradigm
Senior choice and dignity pivots on three core principles. By Congress passing simple reform, freedom of choice allows seniors to choose between private and public healthcare and retirement mechanisms without penalty. This is the foundation of Ameritacracy. Our country respects autonomy by ending forced withdrawals and limitations on the personal control of retirement savings. Dignity in care means ensuring that healthcare decisions are made by seniors in partnership with their providers, free from bureaucratic constraints.
A Path to Reform
1. Statutory Audit
Task the GAO and DOGE with auditing federal policies like the Social Security Act, ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Medicare framework to identify laws restricting freedom after age 55.
2. Principled Reform
Social Security: Let payroll contributions be optionally directed into personal accounts.
Medicare: Permit waivers for Medicare enrollment without forfeiting eligibility.
Retirement Savings: Repeal Required Minimum Distributions and eliminate penalties for post–55 access.
3. Freedom Mechanisms
Introduce opt-out options. If seniors can demonstrate equivalent private coverage or savings, they should not be forced into government programs.
4. Sunset Reviews
Require ten-year sunsets on all senior-targeted statutes so outdated policies don’t calcify.
5. State and Community Pilots
Promote local innovation by allowing states to test diverse retirement and healthcare models under federal waiver authority.
Conclusion: Let Freedom, Not Bureaucracy, Define Aging
Restoring senior dignity and choice isn’t radical. It’s the realization of American liberty. It honors elders’ independence, unburdens younger generations of structural inequity, and creates a meaningful legacy for public policy. With calculated steps, legislation, audits, reforms, and flexible opt-outs, America can transform aging from enforced dependency into empowered autonomy. At the same time, we relieve the younger generations of an unfair fiscal burden, ensuring that both seniors and the under-55 population can thrive, each with the freedom to generate their own success, wealth, and prosperity.
The US Coast Guard is responding to reports of more than 100 unmarked containers that have washed up on and around Montague Island in Prince William Sound.
The containers, ranging in size from 5 to 55-gallon drums, were first reported by Gulf of Alaska Keepers, a nonprofit organization that works to remove marine debris with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program.
Scattered along the southern coastline of the island, the containers are in varying conditions, and their contents remain unknown.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez is leading the response effort and coordinating with several partner agencies to assess whether the containers pose a threat to the environment or public safety. Agencies involved in the assessment include:
NOAA – Office of Response and Restoration
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Chugach Alaska Corporation
“The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency responsible for recovery and removal of oil and hazardous material in U.S. waters and along the coastline,” officials said in a statement. “We are working with our partners to determine the extent of the threat and take appropriate action.”
Once the assessment is complete, the Coast Guard will oversee the removal of any containers determined to contain oil or hazardous substances. Officials emphasized that the effort is part of a broader mission to protect Alaska’s marine environment, ensure safe navigation, and safeguard the state’s vital maritime and commercial resources.
Remote Alaska coastlines, particularly Montague Island, have a long history of being a landing place for marine debris drifting in from across the Pacific. Usually not in this number, however.
After the 2011 Japanese tsunami, debris including containers, buoys, and even small vessels crossed the ocean and came ashore in Prince William Sound. Cleanup groups, including Gulf of Alaska Keepers, documented and removed hundreds of drums and containers over several years.
Even before that event, 55-gallon drums and industrial containers have regularly washed up on Alaska’s shores, believed to originate from passing vessels, foreign shipping, and fishing operations. Many arrive unmarked, and each requires inspection to ensure they do not contain hazardous substances.
Because of strong currents that funnel floating debris into the Gulf of Alaska, Montague Island has often been described by cleanup crews as a “catcher’s mitt” for marine debris from across the Pacific.
The deputy communications director for the Anchorage Police Department has resigned following a shoplifting incident at Target.
In a social media post, Chris Barraza acknowledged the misdemeanor charge and explained his decision to step down. “This is one of the hardest and most humbling things I’ve ever had to share,” he wrote. “Because of the position I held, I know this may become public, and I want you to hear it from me directly. I made a mistake. While shopping at Target, not all of my items were scanned, and because I was wearing logo wear, that mistake has now led to a misdemeanor shoplifting charge. Out of respect for my position and the community, I chose to resign. I want to be clear: I take full responsibility. I made a poor decision, and I will carry the weight of it. I’ve always believed in owning my actions, even when they are painful and disappointing.”
Despite the unusualness of the situation, the story has drawn no coverage from mainstream Alaska outlets.
If the same incident had occurred under a Republican administration, media outlets would likely have covered it aggressively. The silence is an example of the double standard in how political affiliations and administrations shape press treatment of embarrassing scandals.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy today announced the appointment of Stephen J. Cox as the next Attorney General of Alaska. The appointment takes effect Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, and Cox’s name will be forwarded to the Alaska Legislature for confirmation in the 2026 session.
Gov. Dunleavy praised Cox’s wide-ranging experience in both federal service and the private sector, noting his background as a former US Department of Justice official, United States Attorney, and corporate legal leader.
“Stephen Cox brings a wealth of experience to the Attorney General’s office, and I am confident in his ability to serve Alaskans well,” Dunleavy said. “From his service in the U.S. Department of Justice to his leadership on complex work here in Alaska, Stephen has demonstrated a wide breadth of experience and steadfast dedication to the rule of law.”
“Stephen brings a proven record of service and commitment to Alaska,” Dunleavy added. “I am pleased that he has agreed to continue his public service as Alaska’s Attorney General, and I look forward to working with him to uphold justice and ensure freedom and opportunity for all Alaskans.”
Cox, 48, currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at Bristol Bay Industrial, an investment platform of Bristol Bay Native Corporation. There he led legal and strategic initiatives on major utility, energy, and resource projects benefiting Alaska Native shareholders. Earlier, he worked as principal attorney for Apache Corporation’s Alaska operations, focusing on Cook Inlet oil and gas ventures.
He is also active in the Anchorage community as a parishioner at Holy Family Old Cathedral, a supporter of the Dominican friars’ Mission Alaska outreach ministry, and a founding board member of a new classical school in South Anchorage.
“I am honored that Governor Dunleavy has invited me to be a part of the Alaska story,” Cox said. “And I am grateful to the Governor and the people of Alaska for the opportunity to serve. Since 2011, I have been privileged to work on Alaska’s development, and my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to move to Anchorage and make Alaska our home. My wife and I are grateful to be able to foster for our three children the best future Alaska can offer. The Anchorage community, and the entire state have become an inseparable part of our lives. I commit to work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law, protect the rights of all Alaskans, and ensure that our state’s laws are enforced with integrity.”
Cox previously held several high-profile federal roles, including U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, where he led a staff of more than 120 personnel and directed prosecutions across 43 counties. His tenure included initiatives on violent crime, child exploitation, drug trafficking, money laundering, and white-collar crime. He also strengthened enforcement strategies and built public-private partnerships to protect seniors and consumers.
In Washington, DC, Cox served as Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of Staff in the Department of Justice’s Office of the Associate Attorney General, overseeing major civil and criminal enforcement efforts. He spearheaded policy reforms, regulatory oversight, and interagency corporate enforcement initiatives.
His earlier career includes serving on the William H. Webster Commission reviewing FBI counterterrorism operations after the 2009 Fort Hood attack, advising the director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and practicing as a senior associate attorney at a multinational law firm in Washington, DC.
Cox began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge J. L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He holds a computer science degree from Texas A&M University and graduated summa cum laude with a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. He is licensed in Alaska, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
“The duties are broad, but the role of the Attorney General begins and ends in Alaska and with its people,” Cox said. “It is a privilege to step into this role, and I am committed to serving with fairness and justice.”
Cox and his wife, Cristina, live in Anchorage with their three children. He replaces Treg Taylor, who is expected to announce his candidacy for governor next week.
The federal Administration for Children and Families has instructed the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services to remove content related to gender ideology from its state Personal Responsibility Education Program, a federally funded initiative for adolescent health education.
In a letter dated Aug. 26, ACF cited materials submitted by Alaska to the federal agency for a routine medical accuracy review of PREP curricula for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The review was halted after federal officials determined that some of the content, specifically lessons addressing gender ideology, fell outside the scope of the program’s authorizing statute.
“ACF identified content in the curricula and other program materials that fall outside of the scope of PREP’s authorizing statute,” the letter states. “All references to this content must be removed from Alaska’s PREP curricula and program materials.”
Some of the material in Alaska curricula that is not considered biologically accurate and that could risk funding withdrawal include these currently taught concepts:
Unit 3: Human Development and Sexual Health, pages 218-19: “Gender Identity – A person’s own sense of identification as male or female. Not necessarily the same as an individual’s biological identity. Transgender – A term for a person whose gender identity does not match society’s expectations for someone with their physical sex characteristics. Two Spirited – A term used in some Native American communities. This refers to people having both a male and female spirit. This can include ideas of both sexual orientation and gender identity. Pansexual – People who are physically and/or emotionally attracted to members of any sexual orientation or gender identity. Their attraction is not limited to any specific group. Transsexual – A person who experiences intense personal and emotional discomfort with his or her birth gender and may undergo treatment to transition gender. Gender Expression – The way in which people express their gender identity to. others. This may be the stereotypical expressions of male or female; it may also be a combination of the two genders or a mixed or multiple model of male and female expressions.”
Page 230: “Explain to students that being in high school presents many challenges and is often a difficult time for many students. Furthermore, students who may be questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation or for students who don’t feel like they fit into what society expects of them in terms of gender roles or relationships are presented with additional pressures and challenges.”
Page 36: “Language Matters. It is important to use gender neutral language while facilitating the sessions. Every effort has been made in these sessions to use language that is gender neutral. We want to provide a space where all students feel welcome and safe, therefore the proper use of language is a key component for consideration.”
Page 49: “Do you think there is any difference in how someone chooses their friend/partner if they are LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, two spirited, queer)?”
The federal agency also warned that additional enforcement actions could be taken if Alaska does not comply, including withholding or terminating federal funding. Alaska’s DHSS has been given until Oct. 27 to submit revised materials.
Personal Responsibility Education Program is a federally funded program aimed at promoting adolescent health through education on topics such as sexual health, pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, and decision-making skills. Federal guidelines specify that curricula must focus on topics authorized under the law and that content must be medically accurate.
A 22-year-old man was arrested Sunday evening at the Alaska State Fair after reports that he was allegedly threatening a child, according to the Palmer Police Department. The incident, witnessed by many and captured in a video circulating on social media, shows the man being taken into custody while a young child is removed from his arms. The video shows the child crying and experiencing a traumatic event.
Palmer Dispatch received a 911 call on Aug. 24 at approximately 8 pm, reporting a disturbance near the fair’s Purple Gate. The caller stated that Jeffry Kaelen Cook-Reed, 22, was allegedly walking away with a baby while screaming, and that he appeared intoxicated and smelled strongly of alcohol.
The caller further reported that Cook-Reed was attempting to strike individuals, making threats to bystanders, and threatening underage females in the area. Just before officers arrived, the caller alleged that Cook-Reed appeared to be harming the child.
Officers located Cook-Reed holding the child inside the Purple Trail area of the fairgrounds. Upon identification, dispatch confirmed that Cook-Reed had an active arrest warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Assault in the Fourth Degree.
Due to the nature of the reports and concerns for the child’s safety, officers attempted to intervene as Cook-Reed tried to move past them. During the arrest, Cook-Reed and officers went to the ground, as one officer was able to safely secure the child.
Palmer Police said the child was not injured. The department also stated that the actions taken during the arrest are under review.
Those actions include use of force and fists by officers. No additional details regarding charges beyond the outstanding warrant have been released. Cook-Reed has posted bond and is not currently incarcerated.
