Saturday, August 8, 2026
Home Blog Page 812

Daniel Smith: There is an old-fashioned carpetbagger running for office in District 16 — Jennie Armstrong

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
-
21
Daniel Smith: There is an old-fashioned carpetbagger running for office in District 16 — Jennie Armstrong

By DANIEL SMITH

In West Anchorage House District 16, voters have filed a lawsuit against the State of Alaska Division of Elections and Gail Fenumiai for allowing an unqualified candidate to run for State office. The claim is that Jennifer (Jennie) Armstrong does not possess the constitutionally required residency time and therefore, is not qualified.  

The Division of Elections is allowing Armstrong to run for State office even though she claimed to be a resident of Louisiana on her first two fishing licenses among other residency issues the complaint alleges.    

Alaskans are typically very welcoming of people who move here to pursue their dreams of life on the last frontier. We are eager to help and share the state we love with those who appreciate all it has to offer. When a new resident arrives seeking elected office at the earliest possible opportunity allowed by law, that eagerness can wane a bit. The welcome mat is typically only cautiously extended in these instances.  

The use of the term carpetbagger is very appropriate and accurate in this instance. Post-Civil war northerners traveling south to meddle in the politics of the reconstructionist south have just been flipped the other way around minus the war stuff.  

In this case we have a recent arrival to our state by the name of Jennie Armstrong. She is violating the minimum residency qualifications for holding elected office as the complaint explains. Knowing the residency rules, Armstrong chooses to continue to run for office regardless, and the State is not stopping her. At this point, in the minds of many, the welcome mat has been fully retracted. Suffice it to say, this new arrival will definitely not be getting directions to the best fishing holes.

This is unfortunate because apparently Jennie Armstrong from Louisiana does like to fish.  

The complaint states; 

On June 15, 2019 Armstrong applied for and received a “Nonresident 1 Day Sport Fishing License.” On that application, Armstrong listed her residence as Metairie, Louisiana.

On June 23, 2019 Armstrong applied for and received a “Nonresident Annual Sport Fishing License.” On that application, Armstrong also listed her residence as Metairie, Louisiana.

On June 21, 2020, Armstrong applied for and received a “2020 Resident Sport Fishing License” where she indicated that she had been a resident for one year and zero months.  Translation: She asserted that her Alaska residency did not start until June 2019.

On July 20, 2021 Armstrong applied for and received a “2021 Resident Sport Fishing License” where she indicated that she was a resident for two years and one month.  Translation: She claimed her residency in Alaska did not begin until June 2019. 

As far as fish stories go this one is not a whopper.  t is not about a 90-pound king salmon that broke the line before it could be netted, leaving us with no photographic evidence. This fish story is about documents and information produced by Armstrong, herself. She is a person that wants to represent West Anchorage voters while not adhering to the constitution of the State of Alaska. This is about someone who wants to pass laws that we must follow but who allegedly is not required to adhere to the State Constitution.  

To be qualified as a candidate for and to hold office as a state senator, one must have been an Alaskan resident for the three years prior.  Is three years a sufficient amount of time to gain the experience and knowledge of Alaska and all of the relevant issues? That probably depends on a long list of variables, but it is in the State Constitution and the length of time by which the Division of Elections measures qualifications for holding office. 

This is a problem for Armstrong and now the State Division of Elections.  Armstrong filed her Declaration of Candidacy to run for office on June 1, 2022. She claims in the declaration that she has been an Alaskan resident since May 20, 2019. This is in direct conflict with those 2019 fishing licenses where she personally listed her residence as being in Louisiana. 

Maybe she registered to vote before she went fishing in 2019?  Nope. She did not register to vote in Alaska until August 26, 2019 according to documents filed. That doesn’t help her case.

The bottom line is that Jennie from Louisiana has no apparent documentation to prove she began her Alaskan residency in time to run for office. The nonresident fishing licenses with the Louisiana address are dated after the required time for a declaration of candidacy. The nonresident fishing licenses referenced in the lawsuit would lead a reasonable person to believe she still resided in Louisiana.

This is not complicated.  The Division of Elections did not do their homework and have let an ineligible candidate run for office.  If “complicated” is what you are looking for, try reading the State fishing regulations. 

Daniel Smith is a senior contributor to Must Read Alaska.     

Michael Tavoliero: Reject Murkowski’s path to colonialism

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
-
39
Michael Tavoliero: Reject Murkowski’s path to colonialism

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO, PATRICK MARTIN, AND RICHARD ‘CLAYTON’ TROTTER

At the Alaska Republican Party State Central Committee meeting on March 13, 2021, the Republicans censured Sen. Lisa Murkowski and asked her to not run as a Republican again. The vote of party leaders was 53-17. That’s over 75% of the voting membership.

This Republican majority believed there were valid reasons for this censure. 

The list of concerns had grown over Murkowski’s incumbency, but Alaska Republican Party leadership had resisted attempts to bring these to the floor for discussion.

In the beginning of 2022, Murkowski was one of only seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in the unprecedented and vacuous second impeachment. This fueled concerns over Alaska Republicans’ support of a continued Murkowski’s incumbency.

But, for me, in Alaska, Murkowski’s support of abortion is her largest albatross, and her greatest disconnect from the Alaskan conservative majority. Murkowski uses the spread of tyrannical federal power and control to usurp the sovereignty of our state to expand Alaska’s dependence on colonialism.

One of the most useful devices for Murkowski and other neo-tyrants for the maintenance of this power and control is the issue of abortion.

On June 24, 2022, Murkowski published this on her website, “Senator Murkowski supports women’s reproductive freedoms, including the right to an abortion up to fetal viability, which was established by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and believes in an individual’s liberty to make choices about their own health. Senator Murkowski believes those protections should be written into federal law and as a result, introduced the Reproductive Choice Act in February 2022. Her bill would codify the standards set in Roe and Casey and assure they continue to be the law of the land.”

The United States is the only country in the history of the world and humanity with politicians like Murkowski willingly working to codify the killing of unborn children all under the deception of “in the name of women’s rights.”

Keep in mind this same moral disconnect today denies women’s rights in sports, markets the sexualization and mutilation of young women and girls, and directly promotes the real and present staggering increase in violence, sexual assault, and rape against women this past decade. 

The hypocrisy is deafening and the shouts of the murdered are unheard. 

One of Murkowski’s main supporters is Planned Parenthood, whose Alaska branch is one of the main recipients of public funds used for abortion in Alaska.

Murkowski has remained an ardent and enthusiastic recipient of their money while promoting federal money access to this organization. 

Murkowski sings the siren song of women’s equality to low-information voters while transferring the financial burden of their abortion expenses to you and me under this deceitful guise of “women’s reproductive healthcare.”

The issue of a “right to abortion” or “women’s reproductive healthcare” has nothing to do with men and women having the right to kill their babies.  Innocent and defenseless babies are the sad and horrible collateral damage of a government which is indifferent to their rights. It is one of the main sources of fuel for the political engines bent on power and control.  

The result is that Murkowski’s political influence has been hijacked by Planned Parenthood to maintain its abortion industry in Alaska.

Murkowski, a lawyer, believes abortion is a constitutional right, yet this alleged right is neither in the US Constitution nor the Alaska State Constitution. 

With the overturning of Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey, Supreme Court Justice Alito, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, points out abortion rights supporters “cannot show that a con­stitutional right to abortion has any foundation, let alone a ‘deeply rooted’ one, ‘in this Nation’s history and tradi­tion.’” In this same case, Justice Clarence Thomas states, “there is no constitutional right to abortion.”

The Alaska Legislature legalized abortion up to viability in 1970. The Alaska Supreme Court invented the right to abortion in 1997 through its activist interpretation of the Alaska Constitution’s right to privacy clause. The court “created” the right to abortion, which they admitted to in their introduction to the opinion by stating that from time to time they take a broad view of their powers and that they “have a duty to develop additional constitutional rights and privileges…”. 

Murkowski supports this mindset of absolving people of personal responsibility and killing unborn children as additional constitutional rights and privileges. 

Proverbs 6:16-17 states that “God hates… hands that shed innocent blood”. Both the Bible (Psalm 139:12) and science confirm that life begins at conception. Our government must be compelled to protect innocent human life from conception to natural end of life.

Ironically, Murkowski, in her May 11, 2022, press release, made it clear that the states should not have the right to decide the abortion issue with her dedicated support for federal codification of Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood claims to perform 97% of all abortions in the State, with nearly half of them paid for by Medicaid. In that May 2022 press release, Murkowski opposed using taxpayer money to pay for abortions, yet Medicaid continues to be the primary means of abortion funding in Alaska.

Using the Left’s grotesque and perverted ideology and political expediency, Murkowski advances the issue of a right to abortion, but is this issue about protecting women’s reproductive health care rights? 

Recently, Murkowski’s campaign partner, Mary Peltola calls abortion “freedom.” Do Alaskans really see abortion as freedom? Being told by a centralized federal command, what Alaskans can do in their own state is not freedom, especially when you question Peltola’s campaign ads and Murkowski’s press releases. It is downright condescending colonialism.

While our government ignores the humanity and rights of children in the womb, Murkowski has leveraged their deaths to gain power and control while lying to her Alaskan constituents. 

Murkowski has lied and deceived the Alaska public. 

Moreover, since her goal is the continued colonization of Alaska and consolidation of power and authority at the federal level, her words and deeds are even more deceitful as she, our senior Alaskan Senator, is trying to further enslave us to the federal government on the backs of dead babies. 

She believes the “right to abortion” must be federally codified. With this, she ignores Alaska’s state sovereignty. To Murkowski, Alaska really is a colony under the thumb of the federal government’s power and control. 

As such, her goal is to benefit herself, and only herself, in the 2022 election by using this narrative to divide people. 

Reject this narrative and reject Lisa Murkowski.

Michael Tavoliero is a senior writer at Must Read Alaska, Patrick Martin is Executive Director of Alaska Right to Life and Richard “Clayton” Trotter is General Counsel, The Justice Foundation.

Lawsuit filed against cheechako candidate Jennie Armstrong, who hasn’t lived in Alaska long enough

Suzanne Downing
-
24
Lawsuit filed against cheechako candidate Jennie Armstrong, who hasn’t lived in Alaska long enough

A group of voters has filed a lawsuit challenging the candidacy of pansexual Jennie Armstrong. The challenge is over the three-year residency requirement, which Armstrong, a Democrat, has not appeared to have met. She would have had to be a resident of Alaska and the district since June 1, 2019, but on her fishing license application in June of 2019, she gave an out-of-state address in Louisiana.

Earlier this fall, stories about the District 16 candidate’s lack of legality as a candidate emerged in social media, but the official position of the Division of Elections is that any challenge to the division would have had to take place within 10 days of her filing her application to become a candidate. No such challenge was filed by either the Alaska Republican Party or Liz Vazquez, who is also running for the seat.

On June 13, 2019, Armstrong wrote that she had moved to Alaska the previous week. That would date her residency to June 7, 2019, about a week too late to be a candidate in this election cycle. She now lists her address at the same place as the Democrat campaign company, Ship Creek Group, 721 Depot Drive Anchorage, AK 99501.

Armstrong has been endorsed by the Alaska Democratic Party. In its newsletter, it says that Vazquez is too much of a Trump supporter.

Official Democrat newsletter says Liz Vasquez is too Trumpie, U.S. military vets are Nazis, while pansexual and diehard socialist are just perfect for the Legislature

In her election material, Armstrong describes herself as a Democrat, business owner, and mom. Although she describes herself as pansexual, meaning she can be attracted to anything sexually, she says if elected she will “make history as the first openly LGBTQ+ candidate to be elected to the Alaska State Legislature.” Armstrong hasn’t been around long enough to remember the late Sen. Johnny Ellis, evidently, who was well-known as gay, and publicly came out as gay in 2016, retiring from office that year. He died in 2022.

Residents Chris Duke, Randy Eledge, and Steve Strait are complainants in the matter. They are Republican activists in the West Anchorage district.

Even if a judge rules her eligible, the Alaska Legislature has the power to not seat her if she wins.

2022-10-28-Complaint-for-Declaratory-and-Injunctive-Relief-with-Motions-for-Exp.-Consideration-and-Preliminary-InjunctionDownload

This story is developing. Check back.

China, once Bill Walker’s gas line partner, is now focused on Alaska military bases and how to nuke them

Suzanne Downing
-
25
China, once Bill Walker’s gas line partner, is now focused on Alaska military bases and how to nuke them

Part VI in the Must Read Alaska series on former Gov. Bill Walker’s alliance with China during his years as governor

Former Gov. Bill Walker once promised Alaska he’d build a gasline to Nikiski. To fulfill that campaign promise, he signed agreements has would have had China pay for 75% of the cost of building the project, and Walker signed contracts giving China the advantages to build the components for the project. He signed agreements to give away contracts for 75% of the natural gas to China.

Downing: The loyalty pledge that Bill Walker made to Communist China in 2017

Alaskans showed Walker the door in 2018. He withdrew from his race for reelection on Oct. 19, 2018, but remained on the ballot, and limped to the finish with only 5,757 total votes, or 2% of the vote.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy let all those agreements with the communist Chinese expire.

Four years later, while Walker tries once again to get control of state strategic assets, the world power dynamic has changed dramatically. We’ve entered another Cold War with Russia and China allying against the United States.

At the U.S. Naval Academy this week, a security analyst on a discussion panel told the Academy audience that the Chinese are not only preparing for war with the United States, but are focusing on Alaska, where the published Chinese war plans show an intent to attack U.S. military bases as a way of interrupting a major military advantage the United States has that is closest to China.

At the same time, China and Russia are in an arms race with the United State to develop hypersonic, maneuverable glide missiles. These missiles can defeat traditional anti-missile systems in the U.S. because after they go up, they return to the atmosphere, where they are maneuverable at five to 10 times the speed of sound. The United States’ sophisticated missile deterrent systems don’t have time to figure out where a missile’s actual target is.

China has already tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle, carried on a rocket, that circled the globe and landed within 24 miles of its target in 2018.

Bill Walker’s gas line obsession would feed China’s ‘Steal and Scale’ initiative of Chairman Xi, who emulates Mao

From Science Magazine, comes a vivid description of how these hypersonic, maneuverable missiles would work against Alaska or other targets:

“High in the sky over northwestern China, a wedge-shaped unmanned vehicle separated from a rocket. Coasting along at up to Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound, the Xingkong-2 “waverider” hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) bobbed and weaved through the stratosphere, surfing on its own shock waves. At least that’s how the weapon’s developer, the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, described the August 2018 test. (China did not release any video footage.) The HCM’s speed and maneuverability, crowed the Communist Party’s Global Times, would enable the new weapon to ‘break through any current generation anti-missile defense system,'” writes Richard Stone for Science.

“For decades, the U.S. military—and its adversaries—have coveted missiles that travel at hypersonic speed, generally defined as Mach 5 or greater. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) meet that definition when they re-enter the atmosphere from space. But because they arc along a predictable ballistic path, like a bullet, they lack the element of surprise. In contrast, hypersonic weapons such as China’s waverider maneuver aerodynamically, enabling them to dodge defenses and keep an adversary guessing about the target,” Stone explains.

The advent of maneuverable hypersonic missiles and the fact that the U.S. appears to be behind the curve may be a “Sputnik” moment for the country. Sputnik, the earth-orbiting satellite launched in 1957 by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, vividly demonstrated that the Soviets had outpaced the United States in space technology.

China is now considered the greatest security challenge for the United States, even more so than Russia, according to a Pentagon’s public version of the classified Nuclear Posture Review.

While the document, released on Thursday after a seven-month delay, says that conflict with China “is neither inevitable nor desirable,” it describes an effort to prevent China’s “dominance of key regions,” a reference to military dominance in the South China Sea and aggression against an independent Taiwan. The Pentagon warned that China is working to undermine American alliances in the Indo-Pacific and is using its growing military to coerce and threaten neighbors.

The Department of Defense’s National Defense Strategy directs the department to act urgently and says that China is “the pacing challenge for the Department.”

“The PRC remains our most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades. I have reached this conclusion based on the PRC’s increasingly coercive actions to reshape the Indo- Pacific region and the international system to fit its authoritarian preferences, alongside a keen awareness of the PRC’s clearly stated intentions and the rapid modernization and expansion of its military. As President Biden’s National Security Strategy notes, the PRC is ‘the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order, and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so,'” the report said.

The report also says Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s growing alliance with China are serious threats to the U.S. and her allies, with nuclear weapons, cyber operations, and long-range missiles.

Downing: Bill Walker’s alliance with Xi, who is now readying for war with the West

China and Russia as partners “now pose more dangerous challenges to safety and security at home, even as terrorist threats persist.”

Alaska dodged a bullet, by not allowing China to make it a “debt trap” province, as Bill Walker intended to do. Alaska is not selling natural gas to what has become the United States’ most worrisome enemy.

But, while former Gov. Walker was stopped in his tracks by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, it’s still not clear Alaska will dodge a missile in the coming decade of tension between major adversaries on the global stage. Alaska’s understanding of its military vulnerabilities will be a major focus for the next governor.

Debate: Walker admits his China gas line was a mistake on statewide TV during KTUU’s ‘Debate for the State’

Bill Walker once signed MOU for gas contract to China’s Sinopec, which is now delisting from NY stock exchange

Donna Walker brought home cash from China in 2017. The question is: Why cash?

Alaska Republicans vote to officially condemn former Gov. Bill Walker
Arrests: While Walker was making deals, Chinese spies were using fake think tanks and universities to steal American technology, and spying on Alaska

Poll: Nationally, Republicans extend their lead in House, but Alaska could end up in the Democrat minority

Suzanne Downing
-
27
Poll: Nationally, Republicans extend their lead in House, but Alaska could end up in the Democrat minority

Republicans are gaining even more ground over Democrats in national congressional races, according to a new USA Today poll conducted on behalf of the mainstream newspaper by Suffolk University.

The poll found that Republicans are winning over Democrats 49-45. The same poll in July showed Democrats leading 44-40.

Undecided voters are flocking toward GOP candidates in the final stretch of the campaign, surpassing support of Democrats, USA Today wrote. The poll used a generic ballot that named parties, but not individual candidates.

If accurate, the chance of the Republican Party candidates taking control of the House of Representatives has significance for Alaska. Alaska’s current representative in Congress, Mary Peltola, is a Nancy Pelosi-style Democrat who would be in the minority in January, when the new Congress is sworn in.

Peltola is in the race to win the two-year seat and is contending with Republicans Nick Begich, Sarah Palin, and Libertarian Chris Bye. Polls are showing that only Begich has the chance of beating Peltola, and Palin appears to have run out of campaign cash for the final push. Peltola has millions of dollars from Outside interests who hope to pull her over the line to put Alaska in the Democrat column.

Alaska voted over 60 percent for conservatives in the special election in August that ended up electing Peltola to finish the term of the late Congressman Don Young. Alaska’s new ranked choice voting brought the Democrat into power in a Republican-favored state.

Other findings from the USA Today poll:

  • The abortion issue resonates more strongly with women than men, and it is contributing to an enormous gender gap among independent voters.
  • Independent women favor the Democratic candidate by 11 points, 51%-40%. Independent men support the Republican candidate by 22 points, 57%-35%.
  • Biden’s job rating has improved slightly since July. Some 44% approve of the job he’s doing as president; 53% disapprove. In July, it was 39%-56%.

Also this week, the University of Virginia Center for Politics said Republicans officially have enough Congressional races in the “lean Republican” category to take the 218 seats needed for a majority. In other words, Republicans can lose all of the “toss up” races and still take the majority in the House.

‘Election by ballot’ supporters turn out for Rep. Eastman hearing

Suzanne Downing
-
19
‘Election by ballot’ supporters turn out for Rep. Eastman hearing

A Nesbett Courthouse hearing room was filled Tuesday with Alaska supporters of Rep. David Eastman, who is defending his right to be a member of a group dedicated to defending the U.S. Constitution, and still be able to serve as a lawmaker in the Alaska Legislature.

The crowd, some wearing shirts that read, “Elections by ballot, not by bench” had gathered to make a point to Anchorage Superior Court Judge Jack McKenna, who was weighing procedural questions. The complainants, who are trying to have the courts and the state Division of Elections disqualify Eastman over his membership in Oath Keepers, are attempting to keep the trial in Anchorage, rather than move it to Palmer, as requested by Eastman. Palmer is closer to where Eastman and the lead complainant, political activist Randall Kowalke, lives. Kowalke and the leftist Northern Justice Project that represents him also want the judge to make the decision, rather than to have a jury trial. Those decisions are pending.

The Oath Keepers is a national group with tens of thousands of members, mostly from law enforcement and military backgrounds. The leader of the organization, Stewart Rhodes, is associated with the Jan. 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capitol, where a rally got rowdy and some of the zealous Trump supporters went inside the Capitol and disrupted the certification of the 2020 election of Joe Biden to the presidency. Rhodes, and four co-defendants are on trial this month for committing seditious conspiracy by plotting to use violence to stop the transfer of power from President Trump to Biden. The evidence against Rhodes is mounting in his trial, which will resume Monday, but its unknown how many people knew what Rhodes was up to in the events leading to the Jan. 6 disruption. Oath Keepers is a loosely knit group of patriots who have sworn allegiance to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

McKenna has already ordered the Division of Elections to delay certification of House District 27 election results pending the result of the trial that he has already granted. But he also decided that Eastman could remain on the November ballot. The trial itself is currently scheduled for Dec. 12, although court dates often change.

The case is 3AN-22-07404CI at this link.

Judge says Rep. Eastman’s eligibility to serve in Legislature will be on trial due to membership in Oath Keepers
Court: Eastman back in Anchorage Superior Court for more hearings on his membership in Oath Keepers

Win Gruening: School boards must learn to adapt to changing demographics

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
-
11
Win Gruening: School boards must learn to adapt to changing demographics

By WIN GRUENING

Parents and teachers throughout Alaska are reminded frequently of the need to adapt to new ways of teaching and ever-changing curricula.  Mostly, we’re told, it’s due to societal and cultural shifts in our country that must be addressed.

I wonder if the school boards and administrators promoting these changes have ever considered adapting to their reality – one of declining enrollments and under-utilized schools.

One need not look too far back in history to realize this isn’t new.

The closure of Capital School in downtown Juneau decades ago offers one example and demonstrates how such situations can ultimately benefit the community. 

Capital School was an aging structure with declining enrollment and high per-pupil costs.  After a long and contentious battle, its students were folded into other local elementary schools and the building eventually became offices for the Alaska Legislature. Similar transformations took place with the nearby Scottish Rite Temple, The Behrends House, and now the Assembly Building, all of which are essential components of Juneau’s Capitol Campus.

We learned then and should realize now that the health of our schools depends on the vitality of our economy and community demographics.

Recognition of this has now dawned on two major school districts in Alaska.  

Fairbanks closed three elementary schools and eliminated 121 positions this year, largely because the district has lost 2,000 students.

The Anchorage School District recommended closing six elementary schools next year as it attempts to reconcile a projected $68 million budget shortfall and a continuing loss of students.

There are various reasons for why this is happening but school funding isn’t the primary one. ASD Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt specifically cited the declining community birthrate as one of the factors. ASD CFO Jim Anderson defended the cuts saying that it would also help the district increase efficiency and potentially make services more readily available to students.

State demographers note in a recent ADN article that Alaska’s population has been aging and Anchorage and Fairbanks’ populations have notably shrunk over the past decade.  

The Juneau School District (JSD) is once again facing a similar challenge. While a school board sponsored economic report in February 2022 projected a decline of almost 1,200 students over the next ten years, the Juneau Board of Education has stubbornly refused to act. According to the report, “JSD enrollment declined in 14 of the last 17 years; the district now has 20 percent fewer students than in 2004. The enrollment decline has been driven by demographic factors – principally declining births”. 

Juneau City Manager, Rorie Watt, in an April 4, 2022 memo to the Juneau Assembly and the Juneau Board of Education, warned of negative demographic trends and aging school structures. He suggested that it was “appropriate to add potential school closure into the mix of the discussion of facility renovations.”

Watt noted that such discussions will be difficult (and no doubt emotional) but necessary, nonetheless.

To keep open a school with much higher average per-pupil costs hurts students through its drag on the district budget. It selfishly ties up resources that can be used to improve the quality of education for all students.

Some may find school closures disheartening, but they also provide an opportunity for the local government and school board members to examine an array of options. A phenomenon sweeping the country now is the re-purposing of government buildings into other uses.

While Juneau’s two high schools and some elementary schools are under-utilized, these discussions need not be limited to school buildings. One of Juneau’s three libraries and its city museum could also be examined for repurposing or more effective use of space.

As Juneau’s demographics change, state offices and employees continue to dwindle, and work-at-home policies become the norm, it’s imperative that we all begin to adapt to this new reality.

Better to get creative now to save these buildings for other uses before we’re forced to bulldoze them later.

Policy makers should realize that blaming school ills on lack of funding will not change the basic fact that fewer babies are being born and that local taxpayers and state revenues are not a bottomless piggy bank. 

After retiring as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in Alaska, Win Gruening became a regular opinion page columnist for the Juneau Empire. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is involved in various local and statewide organizations.

Reasons for ballot rejection: Signatures, postmarks

Win Gruening: A poetic moment in Alaska history, with Don Young and Nick Begich III

Win Gruening: Juneau muni elections outcome should give the Assembly pause about new City Hall

Bert Lloyd Cottle, 1953-2022

Suzanne Downing
-
3
Bert Lloyd Cottle, 1953-2022

Bert Lloyd Cottle was born Oct. 8, 1953 to Benny and Marlene (Jensen) Cottle in Palmer, Alaska when Alaska was still a territory. Bert grew up in Wasilla, attending Wasilla Elementary and graduating from Wasilla High School in 1972 –  just one month after his mother earned her High School GED. Before attending college he worked for his dad at Cottle’s Corner Texaco.

Bert attended Trinidad State College in Trinidad, CO – earning his degree in Law Enforcement and Political Science. He was a graduate of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute, Chicago, IL – Drug Enforcement Academy, Glenco, GA – State of Alaska Corrections Academy and the FBI Academy, Quantico, VA.

After college Bert began his career in Law Enforcement in Valdez serving 23 years – eight years as Chief of Police. He was the first Police Officer in the State of Alaska to be appointed by the Governor to serve on the Alaska Alcohol and Beverage Control Board. Bert remained in Valdez to serve the community for a year on the City Council and then 10 years as Mayor. He was appointed by the Governor and served 2 years on Alaska Homeland Security Task Force.

Bert was always busy. Along with his Law Enforcement and Public Service careers in Valdez, through the years he also enjoyed his endeavors of owning a book store, bubble gum machines, driving tour bus, renting skiffs, designing and selling his own silver coins, managing an RV Park and working as office manager at North Pacific Fuel. He loved Valdez and the people who made it home for him for many years. He was a huge part of the community.

He served on the Alaska Gasline Port Authority, Alaska Municipal League, BPO Elks, Eagles (where he was the Easter Bunny for 25 years), Advocates for Victims of Violence, Pioneers of Alaska, and many more.

38 years later Bert returned home to his roots in Wasilla.  He served the City of Wasilla as Deputy Administrator for 3 years before becoming Mayor for 6 years in the same building where he attended elementary school. Bert was appointed to serve as a member of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and served again on the Alaska Municipal League Board. Bert was a person who got things done. During his time with the City of Wasilla he was instrumental in acquiring grants, land for parks, getting public support to build a new public library, a new Police Department building, securing land for and moving the Honor Wall.

After concluding his terms as Wasilla Mayor, earlier this year he was appointed by  Gov. Mike Dunleavy to serve as community outreach manager. He enjoyed his time in this position interacting with many of the communities and villages in Alaska and serving his State. 

Bert lived the motto “Protect and Serve”. His entire life was spent in public service – protecting others and his community as a Police Officer, and then serving his communities and his State through public office.  He was passionate about taking care of and protecting children, women and our seniors. He worked hard to start a breakfast program at the elementary school and secure long term senior care in Valdez and served to support My House Mat-Su Homeless Youth Center in Wasilla, an organization that helps homeless teens. Bert never cared about recognition or having his name on a building or plaque – he just wanted to help others.

He could organize people to accomplish things and then lift them up with encouragement and praise. He believed with all his heart that one person can still make a difference.

Bert loved and collected lighthouses. It was said that this was so fitting as Bert was the rock to stand on and the light in the storm for so many throughout his life. The legacy of service he leaves behind will impact all of us for many years to come.

Bert leaves behind his soulmate, best friend and wife, Cathy. Children Benjaman Cottle, Patrick Olson (Chey), Terrijean Lundfelt (Christian), Bob Olson (Kimberly), Wendilynn Muto (Akira), Stephanie Morgan (Ryan). He is also survived by his parents Benny and Marlene Cottle, Sister Janet Stannard (Bill), Brother Henry Cottle (Claudia), His Grandchildren who were his joy and his world – JeannaTe’ and Jason Jenn-Lundfelt, Draven, Elora, Lucas, Odin and Rowan Olson, Reyana and Kai Muto, and Austin Morgan. Bert also leaves behind so many loved Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, close friends Craig and Rose Teich, and countless others that he considered family. 

A Celebration of Life for Bert will be held 4 pm, Dec. 3, 2022 at the Curtis Menard Memorial Sports Center, 1001 S. Clap Street, Wasilla.  All are invited to attend and celebrate an amazing man taken too soon. Flowers may be sent to the Menard Center for the celebration. Those wishing to make donations in Bert’s name can send them to My House Mat-Su Homeless Youth Center, 300 North Willow, Wasilla, AK 99654. 

Bert will be laid to rest in the Aurora Cemetery in Wasilla, along with his beloved dog Barkley, who died of a broken heart the same day.

Charlie Pierce: Let’s talk about the 3,000 children in state custody and our obligation to address this issue

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
-
40
Charlie Pierce: Let’s talk about the 3,000 children in state custody and our obligation to address this issue

By CHARLIE PIERCE | CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR

As the drama of the political season unfolds, none of the headlines or debate discussions have addressed true news, like the State of Alaska’s Child in Need of Aid crisis. 

Alaskan politicians have not been able to resolve this epidemic that has plagued our state for at least 15 years and it’s not front-page news. The State of Alaska’s new go-to agency, the State of Alaska Department of Family and Community Services was commissioned in July.

This same agency was previously DFYS (Division of Family & Youth Services) and OCS (Office of Children’s Services). The name has changed; however, not enough changes have remedied the fact that over 3,000 of our Alaskan children are in crisis, and yet Juneau never talks about it. Why aren’t these alarming statistics front page news in the newspaper today?

Yes, there are over 3,000 Alaska children in state custody. This means the State of Alaska has taken control away from 6,000 parents to raise their own children. A large percent of these children is Alaskan Native from our rural communities. To visualize these 3,000 young people, imagine the entire population of Kotzebue or an entire cruise ship full of children. You and I are responsible for their safety. And yet, many of them are anything but safe. These children deserve, at a minimum, to have safe, stable, loving homes.

While on the campaign trail, I learned of one 7-year-old child, Isaac. Isaac has been a ward of the state, off and on, his whole 7 years of life. He has been in 27 foster homes, stretching from his home in rural Alaska to foster homes 1,000 miles away from his village.

Isaac told his social worker he wants to be “OCS” when he grows up as he was moved from one foster home to another. This is Isaacs’ normal. Why? We pulled him from his family long ago and we are responsible 24/7/365 to care, nurture and hopefully see he is loved. How can this developing child not be further injured by being endlessly shuffled through 27 strange homes? And when he is moved from one home to another, garbage bags are used as his luggage. Garbage bags. It is humiliating for me, as an Alaskan, to know we use garbage bags to transport this little guy’s precious treasures.

This is real life happening right under our noses. Why don’t we ever hear about it? These child cases are all classified “confidential” by the courts and are closed the public. With today’s system, a family member can harm a child, and even though OCS is aware of it, the perpetrator is rarely charged and held accountable. And because no one hears a peep, the abuse can continue. And it does.

Every Alaskan could share a story about this silent epidemic. In a group setting, just bring up the words “foster care,” “OCS,” or “child protection.” You will quickly realize that children in need of aid in Alaska grow up, they become a human trafficking targets and a statistic in the correctional and mental health systems. This is grim. This is tough. This is where Alaskans need to get tough.

Every Alaskan I know cares about children. Our state does not adequately support our foster homes, so we do not have enough of them. Our state agencies are not partnering enough with the rural communities, Native corporations, and tribes, so we are constantly battling one another. There is a revolving door shortage of child protection officers/social workers, but this is not a surprise. For $24 an hour, these super-people must fly into communities through every kind of weather, enter homes, investigate cases, write legal pleadings, testify in court, and take kids from families then get up the next day and do it again.

And yet, for the past two decades, the Division of Family & Community Services (formerly DFYS, OCS) has enjoyed the biggest budgets of public money in the state. Where do the millions of dollars go? Let us dig into the line items of those budgets and see how responsible Juneau has been with public funds set aside for children like Isaac.

The more I learn of this shattered system of our children in crisis, the more I am convinced that Juneau is ignoring these very tough issues.

As governor, children in need of aid will receive my immediate attention. I am ready to shake up Juneau and get this crisis in the forefront. Alaskans have been ghosted on this subject for years, it is time for transparency relating to this epidemic.

As governor, I will find the answer to these questions of “why” and I will demand cooperation with the communities and tribes of Alaska. Tough leadership is needed more than ever now in the State of Alaska. We cannot be proud of the Alaska Child in Need of Aid crisis, but it is time this makes the front-page news. Isaac and the other 2,999 children are counting on us.

Charlie Pierce is a candidate for governor and the former mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

1...811812813...1,808Page 812 of 1,808

About us

Must Read Alaska is news of people, politics, policy, culture, and happenings in Alaska.

Contact
4021 West Hill Road,
Homer, AK 99603

Op-Ed/Article:
[email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

The latest

Alaska Supreme Court Issues Decision Supporting Legislative Ethics Committee’s Response to Sen. Reinbold Gatekeeping Public Comments

Justice 0

Today, August 7, 2026, the Alaska Supreme Court issued a decision denying former Senator Lora Reinbold’s request for relief after the Alaska Legislature Select Committee on Legislative Ethics found her in violation of the Legislative Ethics Act. Reinbold had deleted public comments with which she disagreed from her social media page during her tenure in […]

Repeal Now Announces Funding Boost

Politics 1

Today, August 7, Repeal Now announced additional support from Aurora Action Network, the campaign’s largest contributor. In a press release, Repeal Now states: “We are honored that the donors to Aurora Action Network see ending Ranked Choice Voting in Alaska as a project worthy of attention and resources. In past years, groups opposing ranked choice […]

Opinion: Rep. Louise Stutes Admits to Major APOC Violations, Now She Should Drop Out of Senate Race

Politics 3

By Greg Sarber This article was originally published in “Seward’s Folly,” the author’s personal Substack, on August 7, 2026, under the title “Representative Louise Stutes Gets Busted.” Representative Louise Stutes cheated when it came to election financing. This isn’t my opinion; she recently admitted as much in a consent decree with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. They […]

© Must Read Alaska