The political boundaries that have been challenged by partisans were reviewed by the Alaska Supreme Court today. And during the first hearing, the bias of at least one of the Supreme Court justices was Exhibit A for why Alaska may want to vote for a constitutional convention, if only to reform the judiciary.
During the 30 minutes of time allotted for the Alaska Redistricting Board to defend the way it drew Senate Seat K-Eagle River/Muldoon, the board’s attorney Matt Singer was interrupted repeatedly by one of the justice on the Supreme Court panel — a justice who performed the duty of an opposing attorney.
Justice Warren Matthews, brought in from retirement to fill out the panel, filibustered attorney Singer by arguing with him for extended periods, burning up the 30-minute time and breaking up the ability of Singer to even complete a concept, to the point where it was obvious where Matthews stands on the matter of the Senate Seat K district map.
Justice Matthews made no such filibuster of the attorney for the citizens litigating against the boundaries, and other justices on the panel didn’t interrupt attorney Holly Wells, who argued that the Alaska Redistricting Board did not listen and take the advice of the many people in the public who testified against the pairings. Wells was able to complete her 30-minute briefing to the justices with only a few brief questions from the panel.
Justice Matthews, nearly 84 years old, is retired from the bench, but retired justices are frequently brought back to serve as needed, and in this case a couple of justices have recused themselves from this case due to conflicts of interest.
Redistricting challenges are not uncommon after the political boundaries are redrawn as a result of each U.S. Census. The redistricting process is a balancing of population, demographics, shared economic interests, and, in the end, is a political process. The challenge to the Senate Seat K-Eagle River/Muldoon boundaries are coming from partisan Democrats who are trying to reduce the influence of Republicans in the state. Those litigants include Yarrow Silver, a hard-left activist, and George Martinez, who has served in Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’ administration and who has run for mayor.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan reported today that, in spite of being vaccinated, he has Covid-19.
His office released a statement:
“This morning, Senator Sullivan tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 while in Florida with family. He is experiencing very mild symptoms and will be isolating and following CDC recommendations.”
Lia Thomas, swimming as a woman for the University of Pennsylvania, won the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta.
Thomas is a transgender athlete, who was for three years a member of the men’s swim team at Penn. He then took a year off, and took hormones to start living and competing as a woman, and has since joined the Penn women’s team. As a man, Thomas was in the middle of the pack for collegiate swimming, but as a woman, she entered the NCAA championships this week as the number one ranked woman swimmer.
NCAA rules allow Thomas to compete in the women’s division, even though she has all the musculature advantage of a man who has trained with men all of his life, undergoing male puberty and growing to a height of 6 foot, 3 inches. Thomas has the enormous shoulders of a man, the larger lungs of a man, and the larger hands and feet of a man.
Thomas’ swimming time was nearly two seconds faster than the next competitor, Virginia’s Emma Weyant.
Thomas’ win was met by a smattering of cheers, while when Weyant took the stand, the crowd was much more appreciative. Outside the McAuley Aquatic Center at Georgia Institute of Technology, protesters held signs imploring the NCAA to save women’s sports. A counterprotest also was present, with signs supporting transgender athletes.
A tax bill by House Rep. Adam Wool that would kill the business of person-to-person vehicle rentals in Alaska passed the House on Wednesday, but its transfer to the Senate was delayed for a move to reconsider. The tax proposal comes at time when lawmakers are also considering a tax holiday for motor fuels, and giving Alaskans $1,300 or more to help them with their bills during a time of high gas prices and out-of-control inflation.
With the proposed Wool car rental tax, Turo and other companies that provide digital platforms allowing people to rent out their personal vehicles would get taxed. If an Alaskan wanted to rent a pickup truck from a friend to haul firewood or hay, the state would take between 8-10 percent on the transaction.
Wool says his new tax will help the state capture millions of dollars in what he calls lost revenue.
House Bill 90 mandates that private vehicle rental networks are treated as traditional car rental companies.
“As technology rapidly changes to meet consumer needs, the state has to be equally as nimble to catch up with an evolving industry,” said Rep. Adam Wool, a Fairbanks Democrat. “There are millions in lost revenue being left on the table, and by updating our statutes, we can ensure these new businesses pay their fair share, instead of the hardworking Alaskans looking to rent out their spare vehicles.”
But saying it is not a new tax does not make it a not a new tax. The people who rent the vehicles are the ones who will end up paying the tax, and the vast majority of person-to-person rentals in Alaska are to Alaskans, rather than visitors.
The assumption also is that the State Department of Revenue will try to collect back taxes from 2009 forward from everyone who has ever rented cars through a car-sharing app in Alaska.
Enterprise Rent a Car is pushing for this legislation.
Wool, whose aide is former Revenue Commissioner Ken Alper, didn’t have the votes at first glance on Wednesday, and the bill was headed back to Rules. At the last minute, Wool and his tax-promoting aide Alper were able to make some deals to get the votes. However, after the bill passed, Rep. Kevin McCabe called for reconsideration, delaying the matter.
Parents logging into the Q/ParentConnection database in the Anchorage School District’s web pages can find up-to-date information about their students, including items such as grades, contact information, and class news. Some parents know this website as Zangle.
What they don’t see is what the school district officials can see — the student’s preferred pronoun. That information only shows up on the district’s side of the database — hidden from parents’ view.
One Anchorage parent, who is also a teacher, happened to notice the difference between the information shown to teachers and administrators, and information that she as a parent can see from the parent portal. It’s the only part of the database that is different between the two portals. Thus, if a student has decided to go by a different gender pronoun at school than is familiar to his or her family, parents won’t know.
In the school district view of the student information in the bottom screen, pronouns are listed, but not in the parent version, as seen on the top.
According to the Heritage Foundation, this is a trend across the country. In Montgomery County, Maryland, parents sued the school district for actively keeping information about a student’s gender identity preference hidden from parents — an action in direct contravention of legally guaranteed parental rights, and in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”
Under FERPA, parents have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
But when parents are seeing a different school record than one the school maintains for teachers and staff, parents’ rights under FERPA are being violated. Read more about FERPA at this link.
According to some gender language leaders, there are 78 gender pronouns that may be used, including these, which are considered more common:
“The Department of Transportation said Tuesday that four parties have expressed interest in the Malaspina, a mainline ferry that’s been a mainstay of the fleet since the 1960s. It’s the latest twist in the process initiated by the Dunleavy administration to unload an iconic state ferry that’s been idle for more than two years.”
Two of the interested buyers are private enterprises located in Ketchikan and Cordova. Reportedly, some of the ideas being considered would use the ship as a floating hotel/restaurant, a tourist venue or alternate housing for seasonal workers. The ferry has observation lounges, a heated solarium, a cafeteria-style restaurant, a movie lounge, showers, lounges, and a child’s play area in addition to 72 cabins with over 200 berths (plus crew quarters).
Sounds like some communities are thinking outside the box. Is Juneau?
In August, Juneau will host the first ever Alaska Ironman triathlon which attracts up to 1,500 athletes, families and friends. Housing issues are forcing participants to cancel and officials are actively soliciting residents to rent their homes during that time.
Looking at the CBJ Assembly’s adopted goals, housing has been the #1 priority for years. In fact, in December 2006, the Assembly held an Affordable HousingSummit. Ten years later in March 2016, the CBJ hired a “Chief Housing Coordinator” and in December 2016, adopted a Housing Action Plan that listed 66 strategies. What happened?
Apparently, Juneau has been less than successful at brain-storming new solutions to this complicated and persistent problem. It affects Juneau residents, legislators and staff, as well as those visiting for summer vacation or work.
Juneau’s housing challenge ties directly into its high cost of living and negatively impacts its recovering economy. Of immediate concern is the visitor industry.
The cruise industry is poised to return to Southeast Alaska in a big way in just a few weeks. Independent visitors are feeling free to travel again and the region should be an attractive destination. Initially, the overall numbers will be smaller than pre-pandemic visitation but they will continue to build over time.
Are we ready? Some very troubling signs indicate that we are not.
Anecdotally, the number of tourism businesses and the employees that staffed them are significantly reduced. Empty storefronts still line downtown streets and affordable accommodations are few and far between. Hiring new employees has reportedly been extremely difficult as the local pool has been severely depleted. Bringing new employees in from out-of-state requires an investment in recruiting, moving expenses, and housing. Hotel rooms are expensive and limited.
Seasonal workers like pilots, boat captains, bus drivers, tour guides, and grill cooks are needed to staff the visitor industry and they will not be easy to find. Housing availability, specifically, combined with some of the state’s highest urban cost of living components will make Juneau less attractive to potential employees.
Some longtime visitor venues may not be available or will have reduced operations. Without this critical infrastructure in place, visitors may find that capacity constraints will leave them few sightseeing options other than souvenir/gift shops. That situation will only serve to exacerbate downtown crowding and diminish the visitor experience.
On the positive side, the CBJ Assembly has taken a huge step (outside the box) in preliminarily approving an expansion of summer and winter operations for Eaglecrest Ski Area with the purchase of a gondola. This would come online in the summer of 2023 and will help disperse visitors, potentially eliminate the ski area subsidy, and provide a logical alternative for existing Eaglecrest employees to work year-round.
But the overall increased need for affordable housing (especially seasonal) has taken a back seat to splashy mega-projects like the Capital Civic Center and a new City Hall which, if built, are many years away and will divert funding that could be used to reduce taxes, stabilize our economic transition, and mitigate the housing crunch now.
These issues don’t go away by doing things the way we’ve always done them.
Innovation, not stagnation, is the key. Ketchikan and Cordova may be on to something.
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.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland told people at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas on Wednesday that she is to be known to them as “Auntie Deb.”
South by Southwest, also known as SXSW or “South By,” is an annual gathering of film, music festival, Ted-style talks, and technology that takes place every March.
On Wednesday, Haaland unveiled “Auntie Deb’s Guide to Equity & Inclusion.”
Haaland’s “remarks highlighted her philosophy about why representation matters, how to take it to the next level, and what can be possible when we recognize America’s full history and provide space for all voices to have a seat at the table. Putting her words into action, Secretary Haaland invited writer, transgender activist and military veteran Charlotte Clymer to share the stage for a Q&A session following her speech,” said a news release from the Department of Interior. Clymer has advocated for inclusion of transgender men-to-women in women’s athletic competition.
“Ok, so in Indigenous communities, pretty much everyone’s an Auntie. Calling someone Auntie is a sign of respect and an acknowledgement that Aunties are there to teach us. We are all part of not only our own Pueblos, Nations, Tribes, or villages, but we are also part of our broader Indigenous family,” Haaland said during her remarks.
“So, today — you are all my family. And I’m here as Auntie Deb. I’m here to share that knowledge. To go beyond what we know about equity and inclusion and representation. To empower each of you to be your own change-maker,” Haaland said.
Instead of speaking to the devastating impact of the Biden Administration on the national security of the country, through the shutdown of oil, gas, and mineral resource development, Haaland focused her speech on overcoming her humble origins, and how she survived in spite of a country that wanted to “exterminate people like me.”
Haaland said, “I serve as the 54th Secretary of the Interior. I’m a proud member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico. I was raised a military kid. I raised an amazing child as a single mom. I’m a wife, a sister, an auntie, and a public servant.
“And… I’m not supposed to be here. What I mean by that is this country was built on principles and systems that were meant to either assimilate or exterminate people like me – to either make me blend into the background of America or get rid of me altogether.
“But, against all odds, I am still here.
“The reality — that I am standing here as a figure of success in spite of my history of tragedy and loss – is shared by many people in our country. We cannot deny that laws and policies in our not-too-distant past here in the United States were built on doctrines of enslavement, land grabbing, and discrimination.
“In fact, in many states today including right here in Texas, there are still efforts to strip people of their dignity, discriminate against them because of their identities, and marginalize them. Quite frankly, it’s disgusting,” she said at the heart of her speech.
Other speakers at the conference include Twitter bully and model Chrissy Teigen, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, actor/screenwriter Ethan Hawke, TODAY show’s Al Roker and Tom Llamas, MSNBC President Rashida Jones and Bob Odenkirk, of the TV show “Better Call Saul.”
March 15 marked the first anniversary of the swearing in of Haaland, who had the support of the entire Alaska delegation in D.C.
Fake $20 bills are showing up in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; Wasilla Police Department reported an uptick in reports about the bills being used at businesses in town. They are all identical, with the same serial numbers and defects. One telltale note is that the bottom corner on the back is white, police reported.
The above photo is of one of the counterfeits that has been passed at a business.
“If you recieve a fake bill please try to identify the person giving you the fakes. Don’t give them any change (or merchandise) for the funny money. If someone gives you a counterfeit bill, please contact law enforcement. Always use counterfeit detector pens. Train staff (and yourself!) to recognize counterfeit currency. The best indication is often feel. If it feels “off” it’s probably fake,” Wasilla police said.
Four Russian warships were spotted sailing through a narrow strait in northeastern Japan Wednesday, and photos of the ship show it is transporting combat vehicles and personnel, possibly heading to the conflict in Ukraine, the Japanese Defense Ministry said, as reported by Kyoto News today.
Four Russian military supply craft passed through the 25-mile-wide Tsugaru Strait between Japan’s main island of Honshu and its northernmost main island of Hokkaido the news service said. The strait is a key passage between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, warships are permitted passage through territorial waters under certain conditions.
The genesis of the transport convoy would be coastal city of Vladivostok, the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean, and the economic heartbeat of Russia’s Far East.
“Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force first spotted two Russian tank landing ships about 70 kilometers east-northeast of Shiriyazaki, Aomori Prefecture, at around 8 p.m. Tuesday, and two others about 220 km east-northeast of Shiriyazaki, at around 7 a.m. Wednesday,” the news agency said. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is the Japanese Navy.
A sign of the war’s widening global involvement was seen on Wednesday when A C-17 transport jet flew from the United States to Yokota Air Base near Tokyo to pick up a shipment of helmets and other nonlethal military gear donated by Japan to Ukraine. It was the first time an American aircraft has transported military gear from Japan to another country, as reported by Japan Times.
Japan renounced the right to take part in war after surrendering to the United States in World War II. It has strict guidelines that ban it from exporting weapons to conflict zones.
