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How dare you! Ketchikan gets dose of cancel culture over western wear at basketball game with Metlakatla

Suzanne Downing
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58
How dare you! Ketchikan gets dose of cancel culture over western wear at basketball game with Metlakatla

In a rainforest town where there are no cowboys, and few, if any, horses, high school kids dressing up in western wear has caused great offense to some in the neighboring Alaska Native town of Metlakatla, also a place bereft of horses, cows, and cowboys. Those offended took to social media to declare the Ketchikan students racist.

The pep club for the Ketchikan High School has explained that it had simply chosen “country” as its theme, and so everyone dressed up in whatever western wear could be found in a town that has more Uniroyal boots than residents, and where fishing, boat repair, and tourism are the main economies.

One social media post about the event shows a person was not amused by the theme.

The Ketchikan High School Pep Club has now sent an apology to Metlakatla for wearing western gear at the recent high school basketball game between the two schools:

“On behalf of the Kayhi Pep Club and student body participating in the student section, we would like to apologize and discuss the incidents occurring this past weekend at the KHS I MHS boys basketball games. Our intentions were not malicious. In retrospect and upon reflection, there was an underlying offensive connection to historical atrocities. We fully acknowledge the cultural insensitivity of the theme and apologize for the harm that it has caused toward Metlakatla and in our own community.

“As we are working to understand your perspective, we humbly ask you to hear our perspective. The Pep Club theme, ‘Country’, was randomly selected with no intention of it being interpreted as ‘Cowboys v lndians’. The country theme is one that we’ve used repeatedly in the past including this October. To address the confusion around some of the ‘weird’ or odd noises that were heard by the crowd, embarrassingly, it is simply a habit that we’ve been doing every game this year to bark like dogs at the opposing team to try and distract them from shooting free throws.

“We can not go back in time and correct our misguided decisions, but we can move forward and learn from our mistakes. As a club, we have discussed our current practices related to decision-making regarding event themes and have outlined new approval processes which include checks for sensitivity relating to culture, race, and gender. We have identified a lack of cultural humility within our school and are committed to working with school administration, tribal leaders, and community stakeholders to identify meaningful opportunities to gain knowledge, understanding and rebuild trust among our student body, school staff, community, and neighbors. We regret our actions and look forward to discussing opportunities for growth, as individuals and a community, from this experience.”

Honest mistake? Jury will decide if New York Times defamed former Gov. Sarah Palin

Suzanne Downing
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19
Honest mistake? Jury will decide if New York Times defamed former Gov. Sarah Palin

Before a jury that a federal judge had already prejudiced by declaring former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was, “of course, unvaccinated,” big city attorneys made their closing arguments on Friday. Palin has characterized it as David and Goliath, with her and the people as the Bible’s scrawny David taking on the massive warrior Goliath.

Palin has sued the New York Times for its 2017 editorial that linked a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona to a political map published by Palin’s Sarah PAC political action committee. The jury deliberated Friday and has not yet reached a verdict about the alleged defamation.

New York Times attorney David Axelrod argued on Friday that the hit job on Palin in the editorial, titled “America’s Lethal Politics,” was an “honest mistake. It wasn’t a political hit piece.” He said the staff of the Times was rushing under deadline and that mistakes were made, even by the newspaper’s own fact checker, who did not apparently question the newspaper’s statement that Rep. Gabby Gifford of Arizona was wounded in that 2011 attack because of the Palin PAC map, which showed various congressional districts with targets on them.

The “mistakes” by the New York Times is explained in part by the difference in cultures. Alaska, where Palin is from, is gun country, and targets, along with target practicing, are common. In New York City, however, guns are largely illegal, and there is one remaining gun range in Manhattan, where the trial is being heard.

The editorial, which appeared on June 14, 2017, was written after a liberal gunman shot at Republican members of Congress and staffers during an annual charity baseball game practice in Alexandria, Virginia. The gunman, who had been in protests with the Antifa-precursor “Occupy Wall Street,” had asked people in the baseball field area which persons on the field were Republicans, and then he fired 60 rounds at the Republicans, wounding House Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and four others.

The edits to the editorial that day included the assertion that there was a link between the Arizona attack years earlier and political incitement by Palin.

“Before the shooting, Sarah Palin’s political action committee circulated a map of targeted electoral districts that put Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs,” the editorial said.

Axelrod pointed out to the jury that a correction was made on the editorial hours later, after Palin and her lawyers had objected.

But the correction was vague and never included the first defamatory information. Palin is asserting that it was a hit job on her all along.

At one point in the trial on Thursday, the New York Times lawyer brought up Palin’s appearance in the show called “The Masked Singer.” The observers in the courtroom laughed at her when she said loudly “Objection,” and the judge advised her that she didn’t have the right to object while she was on the stand. Palin said being on the show allowed her to pay some bills and was the “most fun 90 seconds of my life.” The purpose of Axelrod bringing up the show appeared to be to further damage Palin’s reputation; earlier the clips of the show had been suppressed from the jury because it would have prejudiced them against her.

Palin’s attorney Kenneth Turkel said evidence shows the newspaper was pushing a narrative to damage conservatives when it wrote about her.

“They just didn’t care. She’s one of them [conservatives],” said Turkel. 

From the treatment she received by the New York Times attorney this week, it appears the newspaper still doesn’t care about her reputation, as it used every opportunity to damage Palin in order to protect its right to continue damaging her and other conservatives under the protection of the First Amendment.

Anchorage school lottery is now open

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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3
Anchorage school lottery is now open

By DAVID BOYLE

The Anchorage School District is holding a lottery for its charter and alternative schools, and now is a chance for parents to help their children get a better opportunity for an education from the public school system.

The district started accepting lottery applications on Feb. 1 for the next school year, which starts in mid-August. The application period ends March 17. A link to the ASD lottery questions and applications can be found here: https://www.asdk12.org/lottery.

There are several school types on this lottery, including charter schools and alternative schools. Two of the charter schools are correspondence/home schools, while the others focus on culture, a specific language, STEM (science, technology, math), or a structured basic curriculum.

Two of the most popular among the lottery schools are Aquarian Charter School and Northern Lights ABC alternative school. Students attending these schools have performed extremely well on the State’s PEAKS summative test.

A listing of the PEAKS scores (2020-21) for all the charter and alternative schools:

SCHOOL                                                           ENGLISH-LANGUAGE-ARTS/MATH / Percent advanced and proficient

Anchorage School District (All schools) – 43/37

Alaska Native Cultural Charter School – 23/16

STrEaM Charter School – 55/30

Aquarian Charter School – 73/59

Eagle Academy Charter School – 75/79

Family Partnership Charter School – 70/66

Frontier Charter School – 88/58

Highland Academy Charter School – 47/26

Northern Lights ABC School – 74/66

Polaris K12  – 54/39

Rilke Schule Charter School – 62/61

Steller Secondary School – 78/54

Winterberry Charter School – 64/17

Birchwood ABC School – 58/58

These figures indicate the percentage of students proficient in English/language arts and mathematics. 

Proficiency rates are not the only factor to consider. One must first consider what learning style/curriculum fits a child best.

There is usually a long waiting list for students to get into most of these schools. A few years ago, there were more than 2,500 students on the waiting list for these schools. The schools are in demand because they cater to the customers’ needs-the parents.

Why is there so much demand for these schools with so little supply from the ASD?  Because the district is a monopoly it does not have to respond to customers’ demands.  If a shoe store only offered brown shoes, one style and one size, it would not be in business for long. Customers would go elsewhere to buy shoes.

If the district wants a new neighborhood school, it merely floats a bond, builds the school, and bills the taxpayers. On the other hand, if parents want a charter school, they must organize, develop a long business plan, and then get approval from the local school board. This usually takes more than a year. 

The greatest hurdle for a new charter school is finding a facility to house the new school. In the Anchorage School District, even though there are some schools with less than 60% fill rate, schools will not be consolidated to free up a facility for a charter school. 

Parents/guardians must also consider that they must provide transportation for their children, even though the district receives transportation funding for that child. Unfortunately, this can deter low-income and single parents from even applying for a charter/alternative school.

It’s common for parents to be overwhelmed by the procedures and hurdles one must go through to win this lottery, but winning a spot could be the best thing that happens to your child.  

The district is holding an event to learn about its charter and alternative schools on Saturday, Feb. 19 from noon to 4pm at the ASD headquarters, 5530 East Northern Lights Blvd.  Find a charter/alternative school that fits your child.  Then apply for the lottery.

Report: Anchorage students making little progress in math

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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11
Report: Anchorage students making little progress in math

BY DAVID BOYLE

Superintendent Deena Bishop tried to put a happy face on her report this week when she briefed the Anchorage School Board on math proficiency of students in grades three through nine.

But the results were disappointing at best, with little progress shown when it comes to student math scores.

Currently, only 37% of students in grades 3-9 in Anchorage are proficient in math according to the most recent PEAKS assessment. 

The district established a goal to have 55% of these grade 3-9 students proficient as measured by the state’s summative assessment—PEAKS by May 2026. If the target is met, 45% of this cohort of Anchorage students will be unable to do math problems at grade level by the end of school year 2026.  

The district’s goal is to have only half the students proficient in math by Spring 2022.  While achievable, it is a low target. Yet the district hopes for a massive 40% increase in math skills in the next two years (from 50% to 70%).

Between last school year and this school year the district hopes for just a 1.5% increase in student math proficiency. 

Note the decrease in math proficiency from the 2016-17 school year to the 2020-21 school year. Anchorage students saw a nearly 10-percentage point drop—a 17% overall drop.  

The district puts some of the blame for low math performance on the various student demographics — race, low income, homelessness, and special education. Still, white students and wealthy students were only about 73% proficient in math.

There is a “bright spot” in the ASD: According to a strategic planning document presented to the board on Jan. 6, 2020, “The overall graduation rate is a bright spot for ASD which is at an all-time historical high of 84%”.  

In other words, not even half of the students are proficient in math, yet they are being graduated out.

Looking back, PEAKS results for 2019 showed that 46% of third graders and 30% of ninth graders achieved ‘proficient” or higher scores on the PEAKS math assessment. What is happening to a student between the 3rd grade and 9th grade?  Here is the chart from January 2020 school board retreat:

In the chart above, students from all races actually became less math proficient between grade 3 and grade 9. 

In the past few years, the ASD has changed it math program from EveryDayMath (EDM) to GoMath to the current I-Ready Math.  The EDM program was a failure because it was too conceptual for most students and did not focus on foundational math concepts. 

This district considered several programs to replace EDM. One of these was Saxon Math.  However, Saxon Math was discarded early on.  But this math program seems to work very well in schools where it is being used:

SCHOOL  / PEAKS (Percent of students proficient and above)

ASD (overall) – 37%

Aquarian Charter School – 59%

Eagle Academy Charter School – 79%

Northern Lights ABC School  – 66%

Birchwood ABC School  – 58%

The numbers point to the curriculum as a cause of the poor math proficiency in the district.If a student does not have a good grasp of math basics, that student will have a difficult time in algebra and higher math.

A second cause of low student math proficiency may be the lack of effective classroom instruction. Bishop addressed this in her briefing but noted that it is still “a work in progress.”  There are no data provided regarding the effectiveness of classroom teachers, and “work in progress” is not particularly measurable.

The district does admit that increasing math proficiency requires effective instruction in the classroom. But it has not identified gaps and barriers to identify lower performing teachers and support for those teachers. 

The formula for excellent education is an effective classroom teacher, a motivated student, and an excellent curriculum.  

Fauci: Fourth shot may be needed as vaccine booster fades after four months

Suzanne Downing
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18
Fauci: Fourth shot may be needed as vaccine booster fades after four months

Booster shots for Covid-19 are losing their potency after about four months, according to the Centers for Disease Control, in a report released Friday.

“There may be the need for yet again another boost — in this case, a fourth-dose boost for an individual receiving the mRNA — that could be based on age, as well as underlying conditions,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Biden Administration Covid expert, speaking to the media. “So, I don’t think you’re going to be hearing, if you do, any kind of recommendations that would be across the board for everyone.  It very likely will take into account what subset of people have a diminished, or not, protection against the important parameters such as hospitalization.”

Based on the latest CDC data, the agency estimates over 66 percent  of all eligible adults, and over 80 percent of all eligible seniors, who are considered at greatest risk for serious effects of Covid, have received a booster shot. Those shots have warded off serious illness, hospitalization, and death, but the protection fades more quickly than Americans would expect of a normal vaccine.

Research from Israel and Britain indicates that boosters decline in efficacy after a few months, the White House said on Friday.

The agency is not yet recommending a fourth shot, but based on its previous actions, that recommendation could come within a few weeks, starting with the elderly.

When asked about the CDC’s universal masking recommendation for schools and whether it’s time to change that recommendation, the CDC’s Director Rochelle Walensky dodged the question entirely: “So we certainly understand the need and desire to be flexible, and we want to ensure the public health guidance that we’re providing meets the moment that we’re in. As we’ve discussed and as you noted, cases and hospitalizations are falling.  This is, of course, encouraging.  And that leads us, of course, to have us look at all of our guidance based on the latest data and the science and what we know about the virus.  We also look, of course, as Jeff mentioned, to our hospitalizations, looking at the hospitals as a barometer of how they’re doing locally so those decisions can be made at the local level. And, of course, we at CDC will keep the public informed about our guidance, and we will clearly communicate those recommendations to the public if and when they are updated.”

No reporter credentialed to be at the briefing asked the White House about adverse reactions or complications that have arisen for some Americans receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

Read the White House transcript of the Covid briefing here.

Trump: Murkowski is a ‘disaster,’ while Kelly Tshibaka will make a ‘great senator’

Suzanne Downing
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47
Trump: Murkowski is a ‘disaster,’ while Kelly Tshibaka will make a ‘great senator’

At Mar-a-Lago in Florida, former President Donald Trump told Alaskans today that U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka will make a great senator. for the 49th state.

He said it was no secret he wants Sen. Lisa Murkowski out because she is bad for Alaska, but after getting to know Kelly “It’s about getting Kelly Tshibaka in!”

Murkowski is bad for roads, bad for the Tongass, bad for oil development, Trump said. “Lisa is a vote for Biden and Biden’s anti-Alaska agenda,” Trump said, as the candidate and her husband Niki Tshibaka stood next to him.

More than 85 flew from Alaska to Florida for the fundraising event at Trump’s seaside golf resort, where he also hosted a fundraiser for Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy several weeks ago. After the formal remarks by Trump and Tshibaka, the Alaskans gathered outside by the pool to continue their fellowship and lifetime opportunity to hang out with a former president.

Tshibaka has also been endorsed by the Alaska Republican Party, which has censured Murkowski and asked her to not run again as a Republican.

Newspaper forces Biden Administration to specify no federal grants for crack pipes for minority communities

Suzanne Downing
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14
Newspaper forces Biden Administration to specify no federal grants for crack pipes for minority communities

“Applicants for the grants are prioritized if they treat a majority of ‘underserved communities,’ including African Americans and ‘LGBTQ+’ persons.”

Those were the terms for the “safe smoking kits” that taxpayers are paying for for minorities under the Biden Administration equity plan.

While in the middle of Black History Month, the Biden Administration rolled out a grant program for “safe smoking” kits for the poor. Then, after the Washington Free Beacon reported that the $30 million that would be available for crack pipes, the Biden Administration had to backtrack.

The Department of Health & Human Services has since stipulated that federal funding would not be used for pipes in “safe smoking kits,” as part of a substance abuse harm reduction grant program.

But Snopes, a liberal fact-checking site, had already said the claim was “mostly false.” Even Snopes had to admit it was wrong.

“This newly-stipulated detail was not originally available, meaning the assertions made in a first wave of coverage had become outdated,” said Snopes in its track-covering explanation.

“This [Snopes] article has been updated after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stipulated that federal funding would not be used to include pipes in the safe smoking kits to be distributed as part of a substance abuse harm reduction program. As a result of that newly-stipulated detail, Snopes has changed its rating from ‘Mostly False’ to ‘Outdated,'” Snopes wrote.

Of course, Snopes didn’t actually admit it had blown the crack pipe fact checking. It was just giving the Biden Administration the benefit of the doubt in its initial rating of “Mostly False.”

But the claim by the Washington Free Beacon was anything but “mostly false.” It was the newspaper identifying the problem that forced the Biden Administration to change grant terms, but not before many liberals on Twitter defended the crack pipe distribution plan as a smart way to help addicts, one that supposedly has had proven results across the globe.

Read the fact-checking backtrack at Snopes.

The Free Beacon story is at this link.

The original terms of the grant are at this link.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra issued a statement on Thursday along with Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta:

“HHS and ONDCP are focused on using our resources smartly to reduce harm and save lives. Accordingly, no federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits. The goal of harm reduction is to save lives. The Administration is focused on a comprehensive strategy to stop the spread of drugs and curb addiction, including prioritizing the use of proven harm reduction strategies like providing naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and clean syringes, as well as taking decisive actions to go after violent criminals who are trafficking illicit drugs like fentanyl across our borders and into our communities. We will continue working to address the addiction and overdose epidemic and ensure that our resources are used in the smartest and most efficient manner.”

Rep. Chris Tuck announces for State Senate seat freed up by Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson

Suzanne Downing
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16
Rep. Chris Tuck announces for State Senate seat freed up by Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson

Something had to give. With State Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson no longer in the running for her Anchorage seat, House Rep. Chris Tuck has decided to run for her seat. Redistricting had put him in the same House seat as Rep. Andy Josephson, and both are Democrats.

The Senate district, now called Seat G, is drawn for Democrats who dominate that area of midtown Anchorage. Tuck has the endorsement of Gray-Jackson, as well as State Sens. Bill Wielechowski and Tom Begich.

“Hard work, dedication, and the will to succeed are the values that pioneered Alaska and throughout my life, I have demonstrated those values. Now, I would like to apply those values to serve Alaskans in the Alaska State Senate. My focus is education, the economy, and jobs.
I want Alaska to be a place where ideas and innovations flourish; education is of the highest quality; the economy thrives; and most of all, I want to make sure that as we develop our resources, Alaskans come first,” Tuck said in his announcement for his campaign, called Tuck for Alaska.

Elvi Gray-Jackson to announce for U.S. Senate

Tuck also used his announcement to endorse Gray-Jackson in her bid for U.S. Senate.

Tuck has been in the House since 2009, serving as minority leader and now as majority leader. Outside of his legislative work, he has been a business representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547 and an instructor at the Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship School.

He is currently chair of the House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which is conducting an inquisition into Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and Rep. David Eastman’s membership in the veterans militia group called Oath Keepers.

Grand inquisition widens: House majority votes to pressure Rep. Eastman over glorifying ‘evil’


Canadian government freezes funds raised for truckers protesting vaccine mandates

Suzanne Downing
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32
Canadian government freezes funds raised for truckers protesting vaccine mandates

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., a Canadian Superior Court granted a request from the Ontario government to freeze access to millions of dollars donated through online fundraising platform GiveSendGo to the truckers convoy protesting Covid-19 restrictions in Ottawa and at several border crossings with the United States.

GiveSendGo was the site chosen by supporters of the trucker blockade after GoFundMe.com decided to freeze the funds and return them to donors. Many Alaskans involved in the Sunday Freedom Convoy 2022 gave funds to the GiveSendGo site.

“A statement from Premier Doug Ford’s office on Thursday said Attorney General Doug Downey brought the application for the order, under 490.8 of the Criminal Code, to prohibit anyone from distributing donations made through the website’s’Freedom Convoy 2022′ and ‘Adopt-a-Trucker’ campaign pages,” the CBC has reported.

The order “binds any and all parties with possession or control over these donations,” according to Ford’s office. It’s unclear how those funds will now be returned to donors.

The primary page, Freedom Convoy 2022, had raised over $8.5 million since the GoFundMe page had been shut down, toward the goal of $16 million to help with food and fuel for truckers protesting the vaccine mandates of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Adopt-a-Trucker page had raised $7 million.

Hundreds turn out for trucker convoy from Anchorage to Eagle River
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