Good morning from Somewhere in Alaska!
Gov. Mike Dunleavy was born this day in 1961, the same day NASA sent the first American into space. (About the time Dunleavy was making his landing, Alan Shepherd was the lone astronaut aboard the Freedom Seven space capsule when it launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.)
Ranked choice voting supporters crowd hearing
While polling shows 51% of Alaskans don’t like the ranked choice voting that was passed by voters in 2020, most who testified at a legislative hearing on a bill to repeal it were in favor of it. The Alaskans for Better Elections folks are well-funded.
Rep. Sarah Vance, the bill sponsor, says the open-primary, ranked choice general is a top concern of her constituents.
“For many years, voters have highlighted the lack of trust in our election process. Ranked choice voting has exacerbated that because it must be counted by the use of a computer using an algorithm, instead of people being able to simply count and tally a vote,” Vance said. The phone lines were jammed with people hoping to testify and testimony was 75% in favor of retaining RCV because, well, it brought us Sen. Cathy Giessel, Rep. Mary Peltola, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
State challenges Seattle judge’s order halting SE salmon trolling
A Washington judge sided with the magistrate and environmentalist groups, who argue that the king salmon caught in Southeast Alaska for human consumption are needed for orca consumption in Puget Sound and Oregon.
What did the public say about Parental Rights bill?
Read a compilation of the public comments from worried parents on one side, and from militant teachers and LGBTQers on the other.
Southeast Alaska State Fair to feature burlesque drag queen act from Juneau
The fair board got an earful about this gender-bending choice for state fair entertainment but decided to not back down.
House passes expansion of Medicaid for new moms
This bill providing more help for new moms may deter some moms from destroying the life they are carrying. That is the hope.
Gallup poll: Americans say crime is out of control
Some of the nation’s largest cities are experiencing crime waves in recent years, and new polling shows Americans are worried. Will it be a factor in the coming election cycle?
Workers at two Spenard Building Supply sites vote to boot union
A significant majority vote took place and the change to nonunion working conditions affects about two dozen workers in the Eklutka and Birchwood manufacturing sites.
Question of the Week: Do you support a state sales tax?
Most said no, with 69% a hard no, and 17% saying only if there’s a real spending cap.
Gun rights bill passes house: No restrictions on firearms in emergencies
Remember the Covid emergencies, when gun stores were shut down in Anchorage? House Speaker Cathy Tilton remembers and wants to make sure there is unmistakable language in law that prevents that from ever happening again. Who voted against it?
Bronson hires a new Human Resources director for Anchorage
There has been substantial turnover and this new HR chief will be kept quite busy, with the Left bullying and with the Assembly creating a hostile work environment for certain city employees.
Trial ends in Ketchikan over ‘tribal values’ reward system in school
Question: Can schools post “Reverence for Our Creator” instructions for children, in reference to Tlingit-Haida-Tshimsiam-Eyak belief systems of Raven as the Creator? Or is that endorsing a religion? Parents want to know.
TurboTax checks in the mail
Alaskans who overpaid to the tax prep company are getting a reparation settlement check very soon — enough to buy dinner.
Ninth Circuit: Sen. Warren did not violate Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s First Amendment rights
The Massachusetts senator tried to force Amazon to suppress Kennedy’s 2021 book, “The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing The Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal.”
Comment of the day
No Longer Sleeping Lady at Must Read Alaska: “Since Senator Lisa Murkowski was one of the deciding votes for Haaland’s confirmation we might ask Lisa what our job prospects are for Alaska as they at the Department of the Interior attempt to turn us into a giant national park!”
Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who subscribes to Must Read Alaska. Help spread share the news that balances the left-stream media.
This day in history
May 5, 1862, Mexicans and Tejanos, some of Spanish heritage, repelled French soldiers of Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla, a victorious moment repelling foreign domination. It’s now celebrated as a national holiday highlighting Mexican culture: Cinco de Mayo.
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Columns
Jeremy Carl: Who is Montana’s rogue Rep. Zooey Zephyr
He had another name before he had his penis removed a couple of years ago and had it surgically turned into a vagina. He lived in Washington state and has a trans boyfriend who has his own interesting history.
Downing: Haaland’s hellish view is there are enough American jobs
No cobalt or copper mining is needed because we’re at full employment? Haaland has no idea what is coming. She is a relic from the past in charge of Western lands.
Sean Murphy: Eagle River Exit, and how the new school district would form
Murphy breaks down the numbers for the Chugach School District that would be created in the new Chugach Regional Borough.
Tim Barto: Time to draw the line for fairness for girls
The nonsense has to stop or this will be the end of female competitive sports.
Op-Ed: Alaska’s future is bright, if we don’t mess up
We’ve had stable taxes for an entire decade. If we start fooling around with oil taxes pulleys and levers again, it could go very badly, says Jim Jansen and Joe Schierhorn.
Jim Minnery: Politics is weird, but Alaska’s gender politics is at a whole new level
Recently, HB 99, a bill to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the State’s anti-discrimination list, made it out of two House Committees with help from Republicans Justin Ruffridge from Soldotna and Jesse Sumner from Wasilla. Interestingly, those are the two most conservative leaning areas of the state.
Win Gruening: Dick Knapp, RIP
On Jan. 2, 2023, Admiral Richard J. Knapp, 93, crossed the bar in Haines, Alaska. Our nation and, as Win writes, our state lost a loyal servant and a true patriot.
Downing: Republicans in Congress vote to end solar panel carve out for communists
Mary Peltola is a nay vote, sticking with the pro-slavery policy of the Democrats.
Rick Whitbeck: Senate Bill 114 is reactionary, anti-energy, and anti-Alaska economy
Same song, different day. Alaska’s legislators are about to overhaul the state’s oil tax laws based on the worst government policy known to man: the need for more spending money.
Jay McDonald: Anchorage School District is marred by culture of secrecy
There is a controversy stirring around Robert Service High School, but parents eager to make sense of what their children are telling them have been left with more questions than answers by the slow and tight-lipped Anchorage School District.
Alaska oil: $71.92
Henry Hub gas: $2.10
Alaska North Slope Production: 483,253
Permanent Fund (principal and earnings reserve): $76,715,500,000
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