For the love of National Freedom Day
36,000 MRAK readers love Feb. 1 for this reason alone ...
Good morning from Somewhere in Alaska. I’ll be heading to Juneau today.
As things ramp up (some say they are heating up at least in one committee) in Juneau, election season is upon us in Anchorage, where a couple of big fundraisers were well-attended this week, including one for Rachel Ries for Assembly, and Mark Anthony Cox for school board at Las Margaritas, and for Brian Flynn for Assembly at Gwennie’s.
Spotted at the upbeat Flynn for Assembly fundraiser in Spenard were Travis Szanto for Assembly (vs. Felix Rivera) and John Trueblood for Assembly (vs. Chris Constant). The Anchorage election ends April 4 in Anchorage and is all-mail-in voting.
Races shape up in Anchorage, some filers drop out of races
Some races on the April ballot have become more condensed, while there are still a couple of spoilers in two districts. The final list is here.
Ballots are in the mail in just six weeks. I found some of the top candidates' websites, (some of these links are just fundraising portals, as the websites are not done yet, for readers who want to throw some love their way):
Freedom Day
Feb. 1 is the day that in 1865 President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery. On June 30, 1948, President Truman signed a bill proclaiming Feb. 1 as National Freedom Day in the United States.
Peltola: Fish festish but fickle on freedom
Peltola voted no on the bill to reverse the rule requiring health workers must show proof of a Covid vaccine. Mary is starting to look like a habitual reoffender.
Of course, that’s not how Alaska’s rep. said she’d vote when asked about shot mandates on the campaign trail:
Biden: The Covid emergency will end in May
It’s been three years since President Trump declared a health emergency. President Biden will extend the emergency to May 11, just to make sure.
Word on the Street
Former State Sen. Josh Revak is on the short list for state director for Rep. Mary Peltola? That would be a strange twist in his political fortunes, if true. Revak ran for the congressional seat last year after Don Young died, but didn’t do as well as he’d hoped to in the huge list of names for the special election last summer, so he withdrew in June, 2022 from the regular election. Revak is a registered Republican … but this would pretty much end his career as an elected Republican.
Sunrise, sunset, fog
In Anchorage the sun rises at 8:30 am and sets at 5:57 pm today, but it’s foggy out there. (One month ago, on Jan. 1, it was sunrise at 10:13 am and sunset at 3:53 pm.)
Cathy Munoz is new acting commissioner of Labor
Munoz was a longtime representative in the House for Juneau, where she was born and raised as an Engstrom. Her family has been in Alaska for generations. Cathy is well-known throughout the state.
Alaska education groups do the math, and they want your PFD
David Boyle, education writer for Must Read Alaska, writes about the Base Student Allocation and whether it has to be as high as the education industry is insisting. He also asks if there will ever be any accountability. The push for money in Juneau.
Alaska lawsuit over ‘woke’ retirement investment rule at U.S. Department of Labor
Alaska and 24 other states filed a complaint last week against a U.S. Department of Labor rule that, starting this week, allows retirement account managers to invest their clients' money into funds that prioritize or consider environmental and social values, rather than traditional fiduciary standards.
Flying community abuzz over indictment of restaurateur who endangered floatplane passengers in Halibut Cove
Marian Beck is charged with using her aluminum boat to endanger a floatplane that was taxiing in the cove. The federal charges are serious.
‘Ah, here we go’: Jan. 31, 2000, the day Flight 261 bound for Seattle plunged into the Pacific Ocean, all 88 lost
The jet carrying 88 people crashed into the ocean after the pilots struggled to keep it upright. The jackscrew was the problem, with not enough grease to keep it from being stripped. Oldtimers remember this crash and who was aboard.
Rep. Mary Peltola assisting the ranked choice voting push in Nevada
Hear for yourself Alaska’s congresswoman’s pitch to Nevadans for why ranked choice voting works so well in Alaska. When asked how to convince Republicans about the benefits of ranked choice voting, she says, “Because the Democrats hate it as much as they do.” Zoom call recording with Vote-Nevada.org is at this link.
Heidi Drygas now running Alaska State Employees Association
She was the commissioner of Labor, then was Bill Walker’s running mate for governor, and now she’s in charge of over 8,000 public employees. The life and times of a labor lawyer.
COLUMNS
Rep. Kevin McCabe: Defined benefit, golden handcuffs, and HB 22's hidden fiscal dangers for the future state budget
The problem with a defined benefit plan is that the amount an employee is guaranteed for retirement has little relation to what the employee puts in.
Alexander Dolitsky: U.S. Lend-Lease aid to Soviet Union during World War II
On Aug. 23, 1939, the Soviet Union astounded the world by signing a non-aggression treaty with Nazi Germany. Part 1 of a series on the U.S. lend-lease to the Soviets during WWII, which has strange similarities to our lend-lease to Ukraine in 2023.
Ted Spraker: National Park Service rule on hunting is a big lie
The federal government is trying to apply “sport hunting” rules to Alaskans. The author is one of the top experts on hunting in Alaska and he calls BS on the NPS.
Downing: Biden created an emergency at Strategic Petroleum Reserve
President B. said he’d refill the SPR in 2023, but his administration cancelled the first bids this month. The price of oil is going up again.
Art Chance: We just saw how fragile our civil rights really are
What happened to Mary Fulp is shocking and could happen to anyone. Anyone.
Michael Tavoliero: Sexual grooming of our children must end
The officials at local and state level seem unconcerned with porn in schools.
Rick Whitbeck: A neighbor weaponizes climate change
The climate cultists won’t leave our kids alone. This parent isn’t standing for it.
Price of Alaska oil: $81.92
Price of Henry Hub gas: $2.68
Alaska North Slope Production: 496,048
Permanent Fund (principal and earnings reserve): $78,735,000,000
MUST READ ALASKA SHOW
Tune in to hear Kelly Tshibaka talk about her new nonprofit that will educate the American public about the reality of Ranked Choice Voting.
Tune into the Must Read Alaska Show for an interview with Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel. You can watch it here on Facebook.
Must Read Alaska LLC | 200 W. 34th Ave. #220, Anchorage, AK 99503
www.mustreadalaska.com
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