Sullivan retires from the Leathernecks
Question of the week: Would a Taylor Swift endorsement help Biden?
Good morning from Somewhere in Alaska!
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Juneau weather — slop, with a chance of avalanches
That was the snowiest January on record, with 76 inches. The slop is knee-deep in the capital city this morning, yet government must go on. Here’s the avalanche scoop.
Listicle: How did Anchorage’s cold spell measure up?
We pored through 70 years of data to find it was average for an annual cold snap.
Monday - Alaska House and Senate
On the Senate floor calendar today, Sen. Rob Myers’ bill, SB 129, renaming of a bike path as the Matt Glover bike path. Link to sponsor statement here.
House Education, 8 am
Joint Hearing with Senate Education, Presentation: Alaska Council of School, Administrators
Senate Finance Judiciary Subcommittee, 12 pm
Overview: FY 25 Budget
House Resources, 1 pm
HB 257, Cook Inlet Seismic Data, Presentation: Pikka Project Update by Santos
House Finance, 1:30 pm
Presentation: State Debt by Ryan Williams, State Debt Manager; and Fadil Limani, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Revenue
House Judiciary, 1:30 pm
HB 67, Harassment; Sex Offenders & Offenses, Public Testimony
HB 97, Self-storage Units; Liens; Sales
Senate Labor & Commerce, 1:30 pm
SB 134, NS Data Security; Info. Security Programs, Invited & Public Testimony
SB 166, Mental Health/ Psychedelic Medical Task force, Invited & Public Testimony
House Labor and Commerce, 3:15 pm
HB 289, Business License Fees
HB 251, Exemptions for Homemade Foods
HB 237, Temporary Permit for Lapsed Nursing License
Senate Resources, 3:30 pm
Presentation: Pikka Project Update, Net Zero Approach by Joe Balash, Senior VP External Affairs, Santos; Kyle Kohman, Senior Manager Energy Solutions, Santos
EO 124, Prohibiting by Regulation Live Captures, Possession, Transport, Release of Native or Exotic Game or Eggs
EO 126, Eliminating the Wood-Tikchik State Park Management Council
EO 134, Eliminating the Recreation Rivers Advisory Board
Semper Fidelis: Sen. Sullivan is officially a veteran
A big cake, speeches, ribbon-pinning, and lots of brass to send Sullivan into “retired Marine” status after 30 years.
Trump banned from ballot? Supremes will hear case on Feb. 8
The RNC is actively involved in lawsuits that claim the 14th Amendment as grounds for keeping President Trump off the ballot in several states, notes Cynthia Henry, Alaska GOP national committeewoman. The Supreme Court will hear the case, involving Colorado’s ballot, Thursday.
Must Read Alaska Show
Wait, what? Who was on the Must Read Alaska Show on Friday? AFL-CIO President Joelle Hall, that’s who. Listen to what she has to say about Alaska LNG.
Must Read Alaska Show ranked top political podcast in Alaska
And let’s hear a round of applause for podcast host John Quick, who makes it all happen!
We appreciate all generous Alaskans who keep this conservative enterprise going!
Palmetto bug: Democrats kick off their primary season in South Carolina
After blowing off the “too white” New Hampshire, Biden wins in South Carolina, the state that brought him to the dance in 2020
And just like that, the Golden Lion is not a warming shelter anymore
The mayor of Anchorage backed away from turning the Golden Lion Hotel into just another shelter next to a preschool.
Vance’s bill on election integrity passes House, 33-6
Take a look at who voted against it.
Alaska National Guard trains for border duty
This appears to be Biden calling up the Alaska National Guard to help the feds cut down the razor wire before the governor can send them on his own to help Gov. Abbott of Texas.
On reconsideration, Sen. Lyman Hoffman casts a ‘no’ vote on pension bill
The third reading saw a flipped vote from Hoffman, which means both Senate Finance chairs are now against this bill of Sen. Giessel’s.
GOP Alaska Chair Ann Brown bows out, won’t run for reelection
She missed the State Central Committee meeting in Juneau because she was in Hawaii, which signaled a lot to many committee members, and now is making her departure more public.
Sullivan: Biden needs a more effective approach to deterring terrorists
Sen. Sullivan lays out the steps that got us into this mess.
Groundhog Day, Alaska Court System edition: LeDoux in court on Monday, or will it be delayed?
Another day, another trial-setting conference. We are not ordering popcorn this time.
Law and order: Seattle can enforce anti-graffiti laws, Ninth Circuit says
The matter is not settled, says the attorney for the four graffiti scribblers who defaced the sidewalks in front of the police station.
Doggone it: Colorado Democrat has a bill to tax pets
Snakes, hamsters, birds, and ant farms would all be taxed at $8.50 an ant.
https://mustreadalaska.com/republican-governors-join-abbott-at-texas-border/
Republican governors join Abbott at Texas border
Abbott calls for resistance in order to secure border.
Murkowski seems favorable to southern border/Ukraine/Israel bill
We’re not sure what to make of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s statement about the resolution that proposes to fix the southern border, fund the war in Ukraine, protect Israel from terrorists, and more. In the past, bills do the opposite of what they say they will do; for example, the Inflation Reduction Act was a trillion dollar spending bill that has not reduced inflation but added debt to our grandchildren, and this border security bill is really just granting mass amnesty to illegals.
(I have not yet read H.R. 815, just a summary of it, but you can find it at this link.)
Sen. Murkowski says it’s an important measure:
“Thanks to the long and hard work of a few senate negotiators, the text of a security supplemental is now out, which will help address not only the chaos at our southern border, but assistance for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. I look forward to reading the legislation and the opportunity for questions tomorrow to those who’ve been working to craft this important measure.”
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana says he is a hard no: “I can’t support a bill that doesn’t secure the border, provides taxpayer funded lawyers to illegal immigrants and gives billions to radical open borders groups. I’m a no.”
The deal would give the president the power to shut down to migrants crossing the southern border when illegal crossings exceed 4,000 a day over a one week period. Some argue he already has the authority to protect the southern border.
Who has filed
Unfiled: Robb Arnold, a Republican, withdrew his candidacy for Alaska’s House District 1. In a written statement to the local Ketchikan Daily News, Arnold said it was due to “forces beyond my control which were exploited by my competitors.”
The competitors are Jeremy Bynum, a Republican, and Rep. Daniel Ortiz, no-party incumbent.
Savannah Fletcher filed for mayor of Fairbanks Northstar Borough. She is with the leftist Northern Justice Project.
Jimi Cash has filed for reelection to the Fairbanks Northstar Borough Assembly.
Pat Higgins filed for reelection to the Anchorage School Board.
Cynthia Henry will run for reelection as National Committeewoman for the Alaska Republican Party. She has served in that capacity since 2016.
Question of the week:
This day in history
February 5, 1956, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention at Fairbanks adopted a constitution for an as yet unauthorized State of Alaska.
Columns
Bob Griffin: Claims that Alaska public education needs more money does not hold up to scrutiny
Rutgers University has no dog in the fight in Alaska, but its study shows that Alaska is indeed at the top of the heap for funding.
Alexander Dolitsky: Anyone can become a victim of a far-left cult
The Left has finally found a cult idea that has true stickiness: The weather.
Bob Bird: The faux resistance to abortion from Republicans
The GOP beats its chest about being pro-life, but has nothing much to show for it in Alaska.
Kassie Andrews: Alaska ‘Green New Deal’ lurks as a camel’s nose under the tent
Renewable Portfolio Standards,
Bob Bird: The faux Republican resistance to abortion
The author questions the sincerity of the Republican Party.
Win Gruening: Juneau School District’s financial challenges require deliberate, thoughtful response
For years, school administrators and Board of Education ignored their own demographic projections. Flat funding compounded the problem, but accounting mistakes, poor oversight, and lack of planning is what got us here.
Tim Barto: Dennis Prager makes clear the relationship between leftism, anti-semitism
Prager is coming to Fairbanks this month. Get your tickets.
Alexander Dolitsky: In a church in Rome, an angel appeared and conveyed a message of peace
Have you ever had one of those truly mystical experiences? Alexander Dolitsky will never forget his in a church in Rome.
Three reasons why the moratorium on LNG projects is Joe Biden’s latest energy misstep
https://mustreadalaska.com/rick-whitbeck-red-states-should-run-far-far-away-from-renewable-portfolio-standards/
Rick Whitbeck: Red states should run far, far away from Renewable Portfolio Standards
Don Smith: Defined benefits would bankrupt Alaska
The writer breaks it all down for Sen. Cathy Giessel.
Wayne Heimer: Eagle Pass, Texas, and how it relates to Alaska lands
What does Eagle Pass have to do with ANILCA? You’ll be surprised.
Linda Boyle: Should U.S. surrender its sovereignty?
With WHO, a lot of major health mandates could come from an International body. Should the American people go along with WHO?
Mark Littlefield: I’m running for Chugiak-Eagle River’s seat on the Assembly
Meet the candidate who is the only one who signed up to represent the conservative corner of Greater Anchorage.
Alaska oil: $76.95
Henry Hub gas: $2.08
Alaska North Slope Production: 480,309
Permanent Fund (principal and earnings reserve): $78,622,400,000
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