Alaska North Slope crude oil is now priced at over $116 per barrel, after jumping by $7.54 late last week.
Prices are soaring with global tensions over Russia’s war on Ukraine, and as buyers start turning away from Russian oil exports. Last week, U.S. oil topped $110 per barrel for the first time in over 10 years, and in Sunday night trading, the price for Brent was over $130 a barrel.
Gasoline prices in Alaska are well over $4 a gallon as of Sunday ($4.25 Anchorage, $4.63 Willow, $4.20 Fairbanks). Check gas prices here.
Several lawmakers in Congress are advocating a ban on Russian oil imports, and the market is responding this weekend, with gas prices rising at the fastest pace ever recorded.
Futures prices are rising for oil contracts for March of 2023, which are now bringing in $84.53.
“…developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and new sanctions placed on Russia over the weekend contributed to an increase in the Brent price on February 28. Subsequent news about Russia’s further invasion has had significant effects on crude oil trading throughout the past week,” the Energy Information Administration reported Friday night, before the prices spiked even more on Sunday.
On March 6, 1973, Congressman Don Young became Alaska’s lone congressman, a position he has held ever since. He marked the 49th anniversary of that day by saying that being congressman for Alaska has been an honor of a lifetime.
Young was re-elected to the 117th Congress in 2020 to serve his 25th term as Alaska’s only representative to the United States House of Representatives. First sworn in as a freshman to the 93rd Congress after winning a special election on March 6, 1973, Young is today the Dean of the House and the longest serving member of the current Congress. He is running to serve his 26th term, and is challenged by Nick Begich III, the grandson of the man who preceded Young.
Young was born in California on June 9, 1933 and moved to Alaska before statehood. He settled in Fort Yukon, where he taught school and ran a tug and barge operation on the Yukon River.
Young entered a life of public service in 1964 when he was elected mayor of Fort Yukon. Two years later, his district elected him to the State Legislature in Juneau, where he served in the State House from 1966 to 1970, and later in the State Senate from 1970 to 1973. He ran for U.S. House and lost to Congressman Nick Begich I, who later was lost in a plane crash with Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana. The plane went down on the way from Anchorage to Juneau.
Young ran in a special election and won the seat in 1973. He, Sen. Ted Stevens, and Sen. Mike Gravel led the historic battle for approval of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.
Young said, “Next to statehood itself, the most historical legislation passed that affected every Alaskan then, now, and in the future, was the passage of the pipeline legislation.”
Homeless individuals from across Alaska have slept in the Sullivan Arena since March 16, 2020. It’s the longest-running Covid emergency order homeless magnet shelter in the nation.
Now, it looks like Anchorage taxpayers will be on the hook for at least $56.5 million in expenses related to the Covid sheltering project — expenses that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will probably not reimburse, according to multiple municipal sources.
The facility, once the go-to venue for concerts and hockey games, has become the place for people being banished from their villages in Alaska and for others who have made a lifestyle out of living on the streets, especially after Covid-19 pandemic policies from the federal and local government forced traditional shelters to reduce the clientele they could serve in their facilities.
In March of 2020, the Sullivan was turned into that mass shelter by former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. It was a case of “If you build it, they will come.” The cost was to reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
That’s over 720 days of room and board for up to 500 people, at a cost of about $206,666 per day, according to municipal sources. Clients in non-congregate care — area hotels — are fed from restaurants around town such as Humpy’s, at a cost of $46 per client per day, while those at Sullivans are fed through a Beans Cafe contract.
According to the Municipality, Anchorage Assembly authorized the city to spend nearly $93 million as inter-fund loans made under the Berkowitz and then Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson emergency order.
All this means if the reimbursement is not received from federal or state governments, the Municipality is authorized to collect additional property taxes to cover this spending. And that means additional taxes can be levied that exceed the legal tax cap.
Municipal reimbursements from FEMA as of December.
Less than $30 million of the $84 million in expenses relating to the Covid emergency order, mainly Sullivan Arena shelter, have been reimbursed by FEMA.
Anchorage is spending between $5-$6 million per month on all services related to sheltering, and up to $75 million annually to support sheltering, mostly in the Sullivan Arena, according to municipal sources.
FEMA has been tough on the project reimbursements, requesting additional documentation and even turning down some requests for reimbursements — not only in Anchorage, but in other cities that have been keeping shelters open far past emergency orders.
For over a year, the Municipality has been promising that the Sullivan Arena will be closed “soon,” yet none of the deadlines were ever met under previous administrations, and the early refusal of the Assembly to work with the current mayor on a viable plan led to the inevitable second winter of this arena-turned-shelter.
Those knowledgeable of the situation say that 80 percent of the people using the 32,000-square-foot Sullivan Arena to shelter at night are drug and alcohol abusers with no motivation or intention of cleaning up their lives, regardless of the services that have been offered at the service desk. The facility has been significantly damaged and will cost millions of dollars to restore. For example, the plumbing have been clogged by clothing and other items being shoved down the toilets, which are now unusable.
The previous mayors (Berkowitz and Quinn-Davidson) wanted to open up a shelter at the former Alaska Club on Tudor Road, and $50,000 was spent on earnest money for that failed project — the $5.4 million building would have cost too much in restoration to make it usable and the midtown neighborhood rose up in revolt. That was $50,000 down the drain.
Berkowitz and the leftist Assembly also intended to use the Best Western Golden Lion Hotel as a drug treatment center. The city bought the building for $9.5 million. The neighborhoods nearby revolted and today the building is vacant, unused for any purpose.
The Berkowitz Administration and Assembly also tried to buy a hotel in Spenard, but Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson eventually let go of that effort in late 2021, as the cost of restoration was also too high.
If other cities’ experiences are any indication, Anchorage property taxpayers will foot the $56.5 million for the Sullivan. And that’s if the shelter is closed right away.
In a report by the Denver Gazette, a similar dispute between Denver officials and administrators with the FEMA may cost that city close to $32 million, “money already spent on homeless shelters last year that FEMA is poised to refuse to reimburse.”
The election in Anchorage is just 9 days away. The ballots for the upcoming municipal election will be mailed to voters March 14; some people will be receiving them in the mail the very next day. They will have until April 5 to return them to the Municipal Election Office, which is run by Municipal Clerk Barbara Jones, whose employer is the sitting members of the Anchorage Assembly.
New this year is a ballot-tracking system. Voters can find out the status of their ballot by using BallotTrax at anchoragevotes.com, where they can sign up for texts, email, or voicemail alerts regarding ballot status. Voters may also call the Municipal Voter Hotline at 907-243-VOTE (8683) to confirm ballot return envelope status. Callers will be required to provide information over the telephone to confirm identity.
Who is on the ballot
School BoardSeat A
Cliff Murray
Dan Loring
Margo Bellamy – liberal endorsed
Mark Anthony Cox – conservative endorsed
School Board Seat B
Kelly Lessens – liberal endorsed
Benjamin R. Baldwin
Dustin Dardin
Rachel Ries – conservative endorsed
Assembly Seat 2-A Chugiak-Eagle River
Kevin Cross – conservative endorsed
Gretchen Wehmhoff – liberal endorsed
Vanessa Stephens
AssemblySeat 3-D
Kameron Perez-Verdia – liberal endorsed
Nial Sherwood Williams
Liz Vazquez – conservative endorsed
AssemblySeat 4-F
Meg Zaletel – liberal endorsed
Kathy Henslee – conservative endorsed
Assembly Seat 5-H
Stephanie Taylor – conservative endorsed
Forrest Dunbar – liberal endorsed
Chris Hall
Assembly Seat 6-J
Darin Colbry
John Weddleton – liberal endorsed
Randy Sulte – conservative endorsed
Six area-wide borrowing-spending proposals:
Proposition 1 – $111,090,000 Anchorage School District Capital Improvement Bonds
Proposition 2 – $2,400,000 Areawide Facilities Capital Improvement Bonds
Proposition 3 – $2,380,000 Anchorage Public Safety and Transit Capital Improvement Bonds
Proposition 4 – $34,870,000 Anchorage Roads and Drainage Service Area Road and Storm Drainage Bonds
Proposition 5 – $3,875,000 Anchorage Parks and Recreation Service Area Capital Improvement Bonds
Proposition 6 – $2,100,000 Anchorage Fire Service Area Fire Protection Bonds
There are also area-specific spending and taxation measures on the ballot.
Although the election is referred to as the “April 5 election,” those who wait until April 5 to send in their ballots by mail or drop them in the clerk’s drop boxes around town may find their ballots are tossed for various reasons — such as a stray mark on the ballot or a signature that is missing or doesn’t match what is on file with the clerk. They may not have time to fix or “cure” a ballot that has been rejected. In 2021, many people complained that they were not given fair opportunity to fix a rejected ballot.
The best way to make sure your ballot is counted is to vote it immediately and send it in. Then, check the ballot-tracking website to see if it has arrived. This doesn’t mean the ballot was counted, but you will at least know if it was received. Check your mail frequently to see if a letter from the Municipal Clerk has arrived that tells you your ballot was rejected and how you can cure it. The best way to cure your ballot is to go to the Municipal Election Office at Ship Creek, 619 East Ship Creek Avenue and demand that someone at that office verify your ballot is accepted. It is important to take photographs to document your experience, should you wish to challenge a decision by the clerk.
Those who wish to vote in person have three places to visit — these are essentially “staffed” drop boxes. Voting in person in Anchorage does not mean traditional voting nor does it provide greater likelihood of your ballot being counted. It simply means you can get a ballot from someone, vote it, and then drop it in the drop box:
City Hall 632 West 6th Avenue, Room #155 All Municipal ballots will be available at this location. Weekdays, March 28 – April 4, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3, Noon – 5 p.m. Election Day, April 5, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Eagle River Town Center 12001 Business Boulevard, Community Room #170 (same building as the library) Only Chugiak-Eagle River ballots will be available at this location. Weekdays, March 28 – April 4, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3, Noon – 5 p.m. Election Day, April 5, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Loussac Library 3600 Denali Street All Municipal ballots will be available at this location. Weekdays, March 28 – April 4, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3, Noon – 5 p.m. Election Day, April 5, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Unstaffed drop boxes
Secure drop boxes will be opened starting as soon as ballot packages are mailed, for voters to return their ballot at any time before 8 p.m. on April 5.
Locations:
Anchorage School District Education Center – 5530 East Northern Lights Boulevard: Location Picture
South Anchorage High School – 13400 Elmore Road: Location Picture
Spenard Community Recreation Center – 2020 West 48th Avenue: Location Picture
UAA Alaska Airlines Center – 3550 Providence Drive: Location Picture
West Anchorage High School – 1700 Hillcrest Drive: Location Picture
Vote by mail
If you choose to mail your ballot, make sure you put postage on it; otherwise, it may be returned. The cost is a 58-cent stamp or a Forever stamp.
Vote at a temporary address
If you will be away and unable to receive your ballot at your registered mailing address during the 21-day period before Election Day, you may request that a ballot be sent to a temporary address by completing the Application to Vote at a Temporary Address. Applications to vote at a temporary address must be received by the Municipal Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m., one week before election day.
Vote by email
If you would like to vote by email, you may request that a ballot be sent to you via email by completing the Application to Vote by Email, available by contacting [email protected] or 907-243-VOTE (8683). Completed applications to vote by email shall be processed if received by the Municipal Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m., one week before Election Day. Applications to vote by email received after this date will be processed subject to availability of staff and resources. Applications received after 5 p.m. the day before Election Day will not be processed.
By using electronic transmission to return your voted ballot, you are voluntarily waiving a portion of your right to a secret ballot, and you are voluntarily disclosing personal identifying information. By using electronic transmission to return your voted ballot, the integrity of the data on your voted ballot is not guaranteed and you are assuming the risk that a faulty transmission may occur. Firewalls in servers often isolate emails and strip attachments that potentially may contain viruses. It is your responsibility to follow up and confirm that your application and completed ballot were received by MOA Elections.
Vote by fax
If you would like to vote by fax, you may request that a ballot be sent to you via fax by completing the Application to Vote by Fax, available by contacting [email protected] or 907-243-VOTE (8683). Completed applications to vote by fax shall be processed if received by the Municipal Clerk’s Office by 5:00 p.m., one week before Election Day. Applications to vote by fax received after this date will be processed subject to availability of staff and resources. Applications received after 5 p.m. the day before Election Day will not be processed.
By using electronic transmission to return your voted ballot, you are voluntarily waiving a portion of your right to a secret ballot and you are voluntarily disclosing personal identifying information (PII). By using electronic transmission to return your voted ballot, the integrity of the data on your voted ballot is not guaranteed and you are assuming the risk that a faulty transmission may occur. Please keep in mind that firewalls in servers often isolate emails and strip attachments that potentially may contain viruses. It is your responsibility to follow up and confirm that your application and completed ballot were received by MOA Elections.
For more Municipal voting information, call 907-243-VOTE (8683) or e-mail us at [email protected].
As the price of gasoline here in Anchorage spikes over $4 a gallon, having more than doubled in the last 14 months, Alaskans increasingly are asking the congressional delegation what they plan on doing about it. And the responses have been stunningly feckless.
Our senior U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski claims that the Interior Secretary she supported, defended, and voted for as a historic nominee (Native woman, filling the diversity squares and pandering to Alaska Natives) is simply taking orders from the White House, excusing her actions.
If we want to address the rapidly spiking cost of gasoline and other petroleum products, the solution is relatively easy and straightforward. Consider it as the policy version of the First Law of Holes (if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging).
The single cause of spiking energy costs is the Biden Administration’s war on fossil fuel over the last 14 months. Reverse all the anti-production Executive Orders, reverse decisions to cancel federal energy leases, shut down pipelines, and obstruct other energy projects, and we will quickly revert to an energy exporter, not dependent on Russian or Iranian oil just like we were under President Trump.
Easy, peasy, right?
Not for our senior U.S. senator, who is busily making excuses for her Interior Secretary, and issuing press releases describing her outrage after actions taken to shut down development, energy and infrastructure projects in Alaska.
The most recent example was the joint press release blasting cancellation of the Ambler Road.
Murkowski is not without ability to quickly act on things that anger her or that scare her. Two examples are her vote to convict former President Trump three weeks after he left office, and her full support of the political witch hunt following the Jan 6, 2021 riot. She is apparently uninterested in releasing 14,000 hours of video that is still hidden 14 months after the event, or investigating any incitement by FBI informants or other government operatives during the festivities.
Apparently Sec. Deb Haaland has not done anything sufficiently outrageous to Alaska to garner Murkowski’s ire like “Orange Man Bad” or his supporters managed to do.
One of the things I don’t understand about the delegation’s support for Haaland is that while a congressional member from New Mexico, Haaland was a well-known supporter of the Green New Deal. I expect some of the delegation asked the appropriate questions about what she was going to do as Interior Secretary. It appears that those responses were well received, as all of the delegation supported Haaland, celebrating her nomination. If Haaland lied, and is not doing what she promised to do for Alaska, why isn’t the delegation screaming bloody murder about her lies, demanding her resignation? If Haaland is being strong-armed into acting contrary to her promises to the delegation by the White House, why hasn’t Haaland resigned? That neither of these things has happened makes it appear the delegation was in on the scam all along.
The more energy produced in the United States, the less oil and natural gas Putin is able to sell internationally and the less money he has available to prosecute a war. Somehow this little fact has not yet penetrated the hallowed halls of our congressional delegation and their staff. Perhaps someone should tell them.
As to Congressman Young’s proposal to pass legislation to steal property from Russian oligarchs, this is an example of him being in Washington far, far too long. How soon do you think the Biden administration would use the newfound power on their political enemies?
There is a vehicle available to get this done, though: A declaration of war. Bring one to the floor of the House, Don, if you dare.
Personal message to our congressional delegation: I will not support any additional increase in the price of gasoline, oil, or natural gas for any reason. I will not support importing oil or natural gas from either Russia or Iran. I will support returning the United States to an energy independent nation. Sooner would be better than later. We did it as recently as 14 months ago. We know how it is done.
The path to cheaper energy is relatively clear and straightforward: Do anything other than what the Biden Administration and his political appointees have done over the course of the last 14 months.
Murkowski, use the same sort of passion you used to oppose President Trump and you will do well. Anything short of that level of effort and passion, and I will conclude that your outrage is proforma, crocodile tears, boob bait for bubbas. You had a central part in creating this problem. It is time to step up to the plate and do something about it.
Taking public responsibility for your malfeasance will be a good first step. Otherwise, we will get ourselves a new delegation one election at a time. The clock is ticking.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and information technology professional
Edie Grunwald of Palmer has joined the Charlie Pierce for Governor campaign as running mate and candidate for lieutenant governor.
Grunwald was, until Friday, the chairwoman of the Alaska Board of Parole. A well-known civic leader, she ran for lieutenant governor during the 2018 election, losing narrowly to Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer.
Grunwald spent 31 years in the military, retiring with the rank of colonel. She has a master’s degrees in business organizational management, and strategy, national security and military. She has an advanced certificate in human resource management and is a certified firearms instructor.
Pierce said “I am thrilled to have Edie as my running mate in this election. In addition to the oversight of the Division of Elections, she will be assuming other executive duties and be an integral part of our promise to put ‘Alaskan’s First.’
Pierce introduced Grunwald as a campaign event at Pizza Paradiso in Kenai on Saturday, with about 50 people in attendance. Pierce, mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, entered the campaign in January.
The Russian government has blocked access to social media platforms Facebook and Twitter in all parts of the Russian Federation. The decision was announced Friday by the Russian federal government.
“Since October 2020, 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook have been recorded. In recent days, the social network has restricted access to accounts: the Zvezda TV channel, the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, the Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru information resources,” the Russian government said.
"The above restrictions are prohibited by Federal Law No. 272-FZ “On measures to influence persons involved in violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian Federation”, adopted, among other things, to prevent violations of the key principles of the free flow of information and unhindered access Russian users to Russian media on foreign Internet platforms," the Russian government said.
A state communications agency Roskomnadzor had previously accused Twitter not deleting banned content. Twitter said it is “aware of reports” that it was blocked, but as of Friday had not been able to confirm it.
Critics see it as a way to tamp down growing dissent in the country over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Last week the government ordered Facebook to stop fact-checking the government posts, which Facebook and its parent company Meta then refused to do.
BBC, Bloomberg, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and CNN have all stopped broadcasting in Russia and say they are evaluating the situation. This is a rapidly changing situation. Reporting today may be quickly overtaken by events.
In a joint meeting between the Anchorage Assembly and the Anchorage School Board on Friday, Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar went for the legal jugular. Now is the time to sue the State of Alaska for funding shortfalls that the school district expects to materialize in the 2024 budget, he said.
Dunbar explained to the group that when he was a law student in Connecticut, (Yale Law School), he and some professors helped high school students sue the State of Connecticut for more funding for schools, and succeeded in bringing in “significantly more funding for education.”
He’d see something similar in the works for Anchorage.
“I don’t think there is the political will in the Legislature to do what needs to be done in terms of equity for our kids,” Dunbar said. “If we’re looking at a fiscal cliff in 2024, litigation should start this year.”
Many parents removed their students from the public schools in Anchorage during and after the Covid pandemic shutdowns, after seeing firsthand the poor education their students receive from the Anchorage School District. There are fewer than 43,000 students in the Anchorage public schools this year, down from 46,734in 2018-2019 — 3,734 fewer students, or an 8 percent decrease in enrollment.
“Dunbar wants tens of millions of more dollars. From the moment I was elected this has been an issue. And there has been no movement at all,” Dunbar said. He said that the school district should set aside tens of thousands of dollars for such a lawsuit.
“I see it differently,” said Stephanie Taylor, who is running against Dunbar for Anchorage Assembly. “It’s not about the money. Anchorage schools are at the bottom of the barrel nationwide in terms of outcomes, but have some of the highest expenditures per student.”
Listen to Dunbar gear up for a lawsuit at this link:
Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian-based relief nonprofit organization, deployed a 30-bed emergency field hospital to Ukraine on Friday. The organization said that the first phase of the deployment began with a DC-8 cargo plane based in Greensboro, N.C. airlifting the initial stages of the hospital, along with a disaster response team. The plane will land in Poland, and the field hospital, and doctors, nurses, and other personnel will be transported overland to Ukraine to provide specialized trauma care to those being injured during the Russian invasion.
The field hospital has an operating room and capacity to handle up to 10 surgeries per day, an intensive care unit, an emergency room, a pharmacy, and its own water and sanitation system. As many as 100 patients a day can be seen at this hospital, and it will be operated by more than 50 staff (medical and non-medical), the group said.
“The situation on the ground is fluid and changing rapidly, but the hospital could be operational early next week,” Samaritan’s Purse reported.
“Ukrainian families are hurting and in desperate need of physical aid and prayer during this difficult time,” said Franklin Graham, president.“We are deploying life-saving medical care to aid people who are suffering. We want to meet the needs of these families in their darkest moments while pointing them to the light and hope of Jesus Christ.”
Samaritan’s Purse already has disaster response specialists on the ground in Poland, Romania, and Moldova, and will send two smaller medical clinics on an additional flight next week. The organization is working now to identify the best place for these units to be located to meet minor trauma needs and provide general medical care for some 200 patients each day.
Samaritan’s Purse reported people fleeing into Romania, where the group is already helping refugees.
The Ukraine crisis is widening as fighting continues in major cities. More than one million refugees, primarily women and children, have left the country seeking shelter in nearby nations.
Samaritan’s Purse has been working in Ukraine for years though its Operation Christmas Child program, and so has many contacts throughout the country.
“As conflict erupted, we were in the process of distributing 600,000 gift-filled shoeboxes this year. We remain in contact with churches in the country to see how we can assist in this volatile situation. Please pray for God to grant them strength and protection,” the group said.
The group also has many connections in Alaska, where it is well-known and maintains an office and aircraft in Soldotna. It operates Operation Heal Our Patriots at Port Alsworth every summer, where war veterans and their spouses come for healing and restoration. Also, the group sends many volunteers to villages every year to rebuild from disasters such as floods and fires.
One of the best ways to help Samaritan’s Purse is through a donation at the group’s website. There are positions open for those with specialized skills or for those who wish to join a disaster relief team at this link.
