Mike Dunleavy accepts the presumptive nomination as the Republican Party’s candidate for governor Tuesday night. “This is a Republican state. We need to take it back for Republicans,” he said. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Former state Senator Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla won the primary Tuesday to be the Republican nominee for Alaska’s governor. He defeated six other candidates, including former Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell.
Dunleavy spoke to a jubilant crowd after his victory was clear.
“I want to thank everybody. This is a Republican state. And we need to take back this governorship,” Dunleavy said. “And by working together, we can make it happen.”
With virtually all precincts reporting, Dunleavy has 62 percent of the vote, while Treadwell has 32 percent.
Mark Begich is unopposed to be the Democratic nominee. And Billy Toien also faced no opposition, to be the Libertarian candidate. Independent Governor Bill Walker decided against competing in a primary. He directly filed to appear on the general election ballot.
Dunleavy built his reputation as a staunch conservative. He says he has something to offer independents and Democrats.
“And I think if folks look at my record, and the positions I’ve taken, on the PFD, on crime, on trying to develop our resources to get more people back to work, we’re getting folks calling us that are Democrats and folks on the left side of the political spectrum,” Dunleavy said. “They want somebody down in Juneau that’s going to represent them and not special interests.”
Treadwell says the state’s campaign contribution limits put him at a disadvantage with Dunleavy, who was backed by a group funded by his brother Francis Dunleavy of Texas and Alaska businessman Bob Penney. Treadwell described what he’d do differently:
“Well, I think the next time, you know, if I could walk in with $500,000 of my brother’s money and my friend’s money, you know, do that,” Treadwell said.
Treadwell has said he would support the Republican primary winner. On Tuesday night, he said he wanted to sit down with Dunleavy to talk about the terms of that support.
Anchorage state Senator Kevin Meyer built a substantial lead to be the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Meyer had a 5,000-vote lead over the next candidate, retired Air Force Colonel Edie Grunwald.
As fellow Republicans celebrated, Meyer said the primary campaign was very cordial.
“It was a lot of hard work, but it was rewarding, in the sense that, you know, we all got along and I met a lot of good people statewide that I wouldn’t have if I stayed in the Senate, right?” Meyer said.
Alaska Republican Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock says the margin of Dunleavy’s primary victory was unprecedented among contested Republican primaries in recent decades.
“Which, just shows the Republicans in Alaska, those in the Republican primary, are really united behind Dunleavy,” Babcock said.
The deadline for candidates to drop off the general election ballot is September 4th.
This story contained contributions from Elizabeth Harball, Nat Herz, Zachariah Hughes and Liz Ruskin in Anchorage
But there isn’t a clear indication of what the results will mean in the battle over which party controls the closely divided state House.
The current House majority mostly is made up of Democrats, with three moderate Republicans and two independents.
Among Tuesday’s surprises:
House District 25 Republican primary
The leader of the House Republican minority, Anchorage Rep. Charisse Millett, lost to challenger Josh Revak according to unofficial results. With all precincts reporting, Revak earned 916 votes to Millett’s 685. Josh Revak is a U.S. Army veteran who ran campaign ads showing himself in combat gear.
Senate District O Republican primary
Peter Micciche of Soldotna is the leader of the Senate’s Republican majority and was expected to skate to an easy win. But his primary challenger, Ron Gillham, holds a 12-vote lead with all precincts reporting.
Gillham campaigned heavily on boosting the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend back to historical levels after Micciche’s majority voted to spend some of the fund’s earnings on closing the state’s budget deficit.
House District 15 Republican primary
Another Republican primary that was remarkably close was the one for the Anchorage House seat held by Republican Gabrielle LeDoux.
LeDoux angered Republican Party leaders by joining the House’s mostly-Democratic majority two years ago. But her opponent, Aaron Weaver, didn’t seem to have much momentum. Despite this, Weaver earned 294 votes compared to LeDoux’s 291 with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial results.
He raised about $3,000 for his campaign, compared to the more than $100,000 that LeDoux raised.
Closely watched races
Two other closely watched House GOP primaries pitted centrist candidates backed by organized labor against more conservative candidates who had support from business groups.
Incumbent George Rauscher of Sutton, who had support from business groups, lead Jim Colver of Hatcher Pass and Pam Goode of Delta. Raushcer earned 1,323 votes, winning the House District 9 Republican primary, according to unofficial results.
And Kelly Merrick, who has support from organized labor, was lead Jamie Allard, who had support from business groups. Merrick earned 1,257 votes in unofficial results in the House District 14 Republican primary after all precincts are reporting. Allard finished with 1,069 votes, while Eugene Harnett earned 624 votes.
A heavily Democratic district in downtown Anchorage has opted for the most left-leaning progressive candidate in a competitive field. The race to replace long-time Representative Les Gara in District 20 is on track to be won by his chosen successor, labor organizer
Zack Fields. In the solidly blue district, the primary is likely to determine the results of the November election. Fields ran a competitive race against former prosecutor Cliff Groh, as well as business owner Elias Rojas.
Rep. Lora Reinbold addresses the Alaska House of Representatives on April 10, 2014. Reinbold is the Republican nominee for Senate seat G. (Photo by Skip Gray, Gavel Alaska – Juneau)
In a competitive Republican primary for a senate seat representing north Anchorage communities, the insurgent candidate won a decisive victory over the party insider.
Representative Lora Reinbold holds a double-digit lead over fellow House member Dan Saddler. Incumbent Anna McKinnon opted not to run again, and both representatives from the Chugiak-Eagle River area ran to replace her.
While both candidates touted their conservative credentials, Saddler campaigned on his record of working within the Republican party caucus to achieve results, and had received endorsements from several prominent GOP figures. By contrast, Reinbold stood by her past decisions to break with the caucus when she disagreed, which caused her to be booted from the majority in 2015. She says she was sticking with her principals, and attributes her win to that record of consistency, as well as her vocal opposition to Senate Bill 91, the omnibus crime reform bill.
“Probably the most important issue in my community was crime,” Reinbold said. “Crime was a huge issue.”
Saddler originally voted for the reform bill, but changed his position and campaigned on its full repeal. District G is one of the most conservative constituencies in the state.
Reinbold will face a relative newcomer in November, retired marine Oliver Schiess, who is running as a Democrat.
McCarthy Road is now open to two lanes of traffic. The mud slide at mile 58 has been cleared, but operators are still working in the area. (Photo by Alaska Department of Transportation)
Rain caused mudslides are affecting roads in the southeastern Interior. The Alaska Department of Transportation reports that the McCarthy Road was shut down by a slide last night. DOT northern region spokeswoman Caitlyn Frye says the slide near mile 58 was large.
”It’s about 75 feet long and eight feet tall. Our maintenance crews got out there last night at about 11, and worked into the night to get one lane open,” Frye said.
DOT opened the McCarthy Road to two lanes of traffic this afternoon. The mile 58 mudslide has been cleared, but operators are still in the area. The department recommends caution in the area.
Frye says smaller slides and flooding are occurring along the Taylor Highway between mileposts 67 and 160, with the most serious trouble at mile 84.
”The road is eroding by Jack Wade Creek, and they are down to one lane. We’ve got crews out there responding to it,” Frye said.
Frye cautions drivers to wait until conditions improve before travelling the road.
Alaska Public Media’s Wesley Early contributed to this report.
State and borough air-quality regulators are working to develop programs and staff to help clean up air pollution that sets in on cold winter days in Fairbanks. (Credit KUAC file photo)
A Fairbanks North Star Borough air quality group is mulling over fifty proposals to reduce wintertime pollution from wood, coal and oil burning.
The proposals include banning the use of wood and coal heaters and replacing a coal fired power plant with a nuclear reactor. Less extreme ideas include building a kiln to dry firewood, and beginning local production of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
Jana Pierce with stakeholder group facilitator Information insights, stresses the proposals are being considered from all sides.
“We have stakeholders that are wood burners, stakeholders that are wood cutters, stakeholders that are power plant operators, or they represent the power plant operators, the military, health industry,” Pierce said.
Parts of Fairbanks and North Pole are categorized by the EPA as a serious non-attainment area for fine particulate pollution, and Pierce says that comes with strict requirements.
“Anything that any other community in the United States, that has gone through this process… anything that they’ve put on the table, we have to adopt it,” Pierce said. “Unless we can come up with something better, or prove that it’s economically or technologically infeasible.”
If the area cannot come into compliance it faces federal sanctions including loss of transportation funding and costly power plant emissions retrofitting.
Mission Objective Outdoors Vice President Brian Leipold. (from Mission Objective Outdoors Facebook Page)
A Skagway non-profit will host a group of wounded veterans from Fairbanks this September for a weekend of nature excursions. Mission Objective Outdoors was created earlier this year to provide support for veterans with disabilities and challenge them to be active in the great outdoors.
Back in February, David Moncibaiz was talking about plans for retirement with his friend Brian Leipold. During that conversation, they came up with a plan to create a non-profit to help veterans who were wounded during their service. Moncibaiz said they got to work on the project immediately.
“By the end of the day, we had a name and we had already submitted paperwork to become a non-profit and put in the 501(c)(3) paperwork,” Moncibaiz said. “Next thing you know we’re taking steps to start raising funds and the City of Skagway started backing us 100 percent.”
Both Moncibaiz and Leipold are veterans themselves and were wounded in the line of duty.
Life after the military can be hard for any veteran, but Moncibaiz said it can be particularly difficult to adjust to civilian life when soldiers leave the military unexpectedly due to an injury.
“When you get out of the military, especially when some guys weren’t ready to get out and they got out because of an injury, life hits you and it hits you hard,” Moncibaiz said. “But in the military, you are taken into a family, and then sometimes a lot of these guys that do get hurt are separated from that family rather quickly, and that can kind of be a shock to your system.”
But Moncibaiz said that Skagway has been the perfect environment to transition out of the military and into everyday life.
“There’s not a lot of stress here. There’s not a lot of stuff to worry about here,” Moncibaiz said. “You can be outdoors and kind of… You know, it makes you want to be able to get out and be your better self, be able to do the stuff that you used to do when you weren’t broken. This place has just changed my life, and it’s changed Brian’s life as well, and we wanted to put that out there to other disabled veterans and let them experience it as well. Hopefully, it will help them out like it’s helped us.”
For their first project, Mission Objective Outdoors is hosting the Skagway Experience 2018. The event brings six veterans from Fairbanks to Skagway for a weekend of hikes, glacier tours, zip-lining and river floats.
Moncibaiz says the Skagway Elks have been instrumental in making the trip possible. The trip is funded through a grant from the Alaska State Elks Association.
“We covered lodging, cover flights, food, and putting these guys on excursions, and we’re going to hang out and just treat these guys to, I’m sure, a well-needed vacation and hopefully make some lifetime brothers,” Moncibaiz said. “Everything’s coming together really great.”
Moncibaiz said they will do the Skagway Experience every year, but he wants to expand Mission Objective Outdoors with trips to other areas of Alaska and even the Lower 48. He hopes this will help foster a sense of belonging for injured veterans.
“We want to make sure that they know that they’re not alone. That we’re still here for them and we’re still working through our disabilities,” Moncibaiz said. “Even though we can’t be in the military, we still have to challenge ourselves. We have to get out in the great outdoors, do some hiking, do some hunting, do some fishing, and have that camaraderie and still be able to challenge ourselves and challenge each other.”
The six veterans from Fairbanks will be in Skagway from September 13th to the 16th. You can visit the Mission Objective Outdoors Facebook page to learn more about the organization.
In a press release Wednesday afternoon, ASD Superintendent Deena Bishop said she first heard about alleged misconduct involving the team at the beginning of the week. The details of what happened are not yet publicly known, and Bishop said there will not be any further comment on the incident until the investigation is complete.
On Monday, television station KTUU reported that a woman claiming to be the parent of one of the players said the incident happened during a weekend game in Fairbanks. KTUU did not name the woman, who said that a group of Dimond seniors “took several freshman team members one-by-one into another room” where the hazing happened. According to the source, the abuse was sexual in nature.
ASD wrote that it is suspending all “practices, team activities, and games” for Dimond football this week, and will make a decision about the remainder of the season after investigating further.
The district said it reached out to the Anchorage Police Department immediately upon learning about the allegations.
The S/Y Infinity sails into Unalaska in May. The crew hopes to transit the Northwest Passage and circumnavigate the top of Greenland by the end of September. (Courtesy S/Y Infinity)
The crew of the S/Y Infinity pride themselves on exploring untouched places around the world while raising a little environmental awareness along the way.
But when the sailboat passed through Unalaska this summer on its way to the Northwest Passage, one crew member had a questionable interaction with a bald eagle.
The Instagram video posted on May 28 shows a gloved hand reaching out towards a bald eagle perched on a dumpster.
“Don’t get upset,” Nico Edwards tells the eagle. “I’m going to touch you a bit. This is the hand, and it’s going to touch you gently.”
Edwards continues approaching the eagle, which moves away and shrieks.
“I want to touch you, you don’t want me to touch you, and there are some problems associated with this thing,” Edwards says. “Well, don’t be offended by the touching that’s going to happen. Shhh. You need to be quiet.”
The video was shot not long after the Infinity arrived in Unalaska before attempting to transit the Northwest Passage to Alert, Canada — the northernmost permanently inhabited spot in the world — and circumnavigate the top of Greenland.
When KUCB toured the 120-foot sailboat, Edwards joked about getting injured for publicity, in an exchange with crew engineer Victor Legros.
“I think — but it’s not a universally shared thing — that it would be good if somebody were to die or get heavily maimed,” Edwards said. “It would help us get PR.”
“He’s trying to get me to pet eagles,” Legros said of Edwards. “So that they hopefully mangle my face or my fingers on camera.”
“You can display your mangled nubs,” Edwards said.
That humor doesn’t play well with those who regulate eagle-human interactions.
“We would encourage anyone to avoid trying to touch or capture eagles,” said Jordan Muir of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. He monitors raptors in the state of Alaska.
Muir didn’t respond to questions on this specific eagle incident. But he said pestering the birds is illegal and dangerous.
“Eagles have extremely powerful talons and feet,” Muir said. “They are capable of killing large animals. We wouldn’t want to see anyone injured by them. And eagles themselves — they’re really fragile animals, believe it or not, with hollow bones. That makes them susceptible to injury by people with even the best intentions.”
Oftentimes, penalties come down to whether the interaction was intentional.
“If it’s an unintentional act, we really try to work with the public to inform them and educate them,” Muir said. “If there’s a need to gather eagles or collect them, we’ll work with them through the permit system to best address their issues and help the situation.”
It’s unlikely Edwards had a permit when he approached the eagle.
The crew of the Infinity has a history of flouting regulations.
When they went to Antarctica in 2014, they didn’t have permits or insurance. Edwards said they were caught after posting pictures on Facebook. That expedition is chronicled in the documentary “Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World.”
Ultimately, the crew was fined $270.
“If we had gotten a guide, it would have been thousands and thousands of dollars,” Edwards said. “And we were careful. We washed our boots. We didn’t want to put the penguins at risk. We took all our trash with us. We sailed on the power of the wind and sun. We’re way better than all those cruise ships. But we got a lot of flack for that — $270 worth of flack.”
Edwards said it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. At this point, it’s unclear if he’ll be penalized for disturbing eagles in Unalaska. His last social media posts show the Infinity in Teller on July 12. The crew hopes to conclude their expedition by the end of September.
Alyse Galvin, in yellow, sat for a webcast interview with political blog Alaska Landmine on election night. (Photo by Liz Ruskin)
In the Democratic Primary for the U.S. House, independent Alyse Galvin soundly defeated Dimitri Shein and two others candidates for the chance to go up against the Republican incumbent, Congressman Don Young.
Shein was at Mad Myrna’s, a bar on East Fifth Avenue, as the first returns rolled in. He could’ve taken comfort in the Bob Dylan song wafting out of the karaoke room.
For the loser now will be later to win. For the Times they are a changin’.
Shein didn’t win a spot on the November ballot. But he said there actually is something of a prize for finishing second.
“I think so,” he said. “We took the message of ‘Medicare for all’ as far as we could. All the way through the race, I think. We changed the conversation to some extent so I think it’s good.”
A mile away, Galvin and a throng of supporters flooded into the Dena’ina Center for a media-sponsored election-watch event.
Galvin told her volunteers this was their victory.
“Got a little work to do tomorrow and thereafter. But we’re game for it, right?” Galvin said, to cheers.
Galvin said about half of her volunteers, and half of her staff, have never been involved in a campaign before, and this is Galvin’s first run for office. She said opposition to President Trump is a motivating factor.
“People are pretty frustrated and full of angst, particularly in light of the fact that Don Young has not responded to many of the things that Don Trump has done,” Galvin said.
She said Young hasn’t stood up to Trump on the tariff war with China, a big market for Alaska seafood. And, Galvin said, Young was quiet after the Helsinki summit, when Trump seemed to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over American intelligence agencies.
(In June and July, Young’s office emailed statements on both those subjects, in response to our inquiries. One expressed concern about the Chinese tariffs. The other said he was disappointed in the president after Helsinki. Young and Alaska’s two senators sent the president a letter about the tariffs.)
Young voted in his hometown of Fort Yukon on Tuesday. He easily won his Republican primary. His campaign issued a press release afterward saying he was humbled by the support and wants to continue his work fighting for Alaskan interests in Washington, D.C.
His press release doesn’t mention Galvin. Young is now the most senior member of Congress. He’s been vanquishing Democratic nominees since 1973.
Galvin, though, thinks she’s the one who can beat him. She said she’s been in regular talks with Emily’s List and Planned Parenthood’s political arm – two groups that could boost her campaign coffers. And the Democratic National Committee issued a post-election statement embracing her.
“Alaska’s ready for change,” she said. “That’s what I’m hearing all over the place.”
And that, as it happens, was the theme at Mad Myrnah’s, too.
… And the first one now will later be last. For the times they are a-changin’
Voters may have ousted two of Alaska’s top legislators, as House remains up for grabs
Nathaniel Herz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
The current House majority mostly is made up of Democrats, with three moderate Republicans and two independents. Tuesday night’s state legislative races yielded several surprises.
By substantial margin, Mike Dunleavy claims victory in Republican primary for governor
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Dunleavy built his reputation as a staunch conservative. But he said he has something to offer independents and Democrats.
ASD suspends Dimond football program amid hazing allegations
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
The alleged misconduct happened over the weekend at a game in Fairbanks and is being investigated by the school district.
Galvin wins US House primary; now takes on Rep. Young
Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
Independent Alyse Galvin soundly defeated Dimitri Shein for the chance to go up against the Republican incumbent, Rep. Don Young. Young’s defeated every rival since 1973.
Turnout is third-lowest in Alaska state primary history
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Fewer than one in five registered voters cast ballots, with five precincts and some absentee ballots left to count.
McCarthy Road reopened after being rocked by mudslide
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
Rain caused mudslides are affecting roads in the southeastern Interior. The Alaska Department of Transportation reports that the McCarthy Road was shut down by a slide last night.
Lower-priority contaminated sites remain near Ketchikan
Liam Neimeyer, KRBD – Ketchikan
An Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation official says there are about 2,300 contaminated sites in Alaska that still need to be cleaned of petroleum, heavy metals and other contaminants. 22 of those are in the Ketchikan-Gateway Borough.
Arctic explorer harasses eagle during stop in Unalaska
Zoe Sobel, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Unalaska
Nico Edwards joked it would be good publicity if one of his crewmembers was attacked by an eagle in Unalaska. Then he posted an Instagram video or himself trying to touch a raptor perched on a dumpster. That type of interaction with an eagle is illegal.
Nonprofit brings veterans with disabilities to Skagway for weekend of excursions
Henry Leasia, KHNS – Haines
A Skagway non-profit will host a group of wounded veterans from Fairbanks this September for a weekend of nature excursions.
Of registered voters, 18.2 percent cast ballots, with five precincts and some absentee ballots left to count.
Republican pollster and strategist Marc Hellenthal said that wasn’t surprising.
“The motivator to get people to vote was really on the Republican side, with the Republican gubernatorial primary,” Hellenthal said. “Neither Mead Treadwell or Mike Dunleavy spent a lot on mass media.”
That means that many voters weren’t aware there even was a primary.
And Hellenthal pointed out a second reason for low turnout: Anchorage’s recent municipal election where voters sent their ballots by mail. He said some voters expected every election to be like that from now on.
“People were wondering why they hadn’t got their ballots yet,” Hellenthal said. “They didn’t make the distinction between municipal and state.”
Hellenthal has worked with Republican nominee Mike Dunleavy.
The second-lowest turnout was two years ago, when 17.22 percent of those registered voted. And the all-time low was in 2000, when 17.18 percent voted.
Anchorage Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux sits at Election Central at the Dena’ina Center downtown on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, while she waits for results in her closely-fought GOP primary with Aaron Weaver, a former cameraman at KTUU. (Nathaniel Herz / Alaska’s Energy Desk)
The results of Tuesday’s primary election didn’t answer one of the biggest questions about the future of the Alaska Legislature: whether the state House will stay under the control of a mostly-Democratic coalition next year.
But it did yield several surprises, including three stunning upsets that could send two of the state’s most powerful legislators packing. Senate Majority Leader Peter Micciche, a Soldotna Republican, trailed challenger Ron Gillham by a razor-thin margin of 12 votes out of more than 5,000 cast for a Kenai Peninsula-area seat.
In Anchorage, meanwhile, another legislative leader, Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, trailed three votes behind her Republican primary opponent, Aaron Weaver, whose own GOP allies described as having mounted a lackluster campaign.
Weaver, a former TV cameraman, didn’t spend a single dollar on his campaign after January, according to his financial reports filed with state regulators.
A third long-serving incumbent, House minority leader Charisse Millett, an Anchorage Republican, trailed her primary challenger, Josh Revak, by a wide margin and conceded in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
“I think there’s a message that was sent that people were upset with the way things were going, the status quo,” Gillham said in a phone interview Wednesday from Seward, where he was picking up his campaign signs. “I took on the most powerful senator in the state and I’ve never run for office, and now here I’m sitting ahead of him.”
Gillham’s narrow lead, however, is not final, and neither is Weaver’s. The state still must tally hundreds of absentee and other uncounted ballots, and aren’t expected to finish doing so until the end of the month.
“We’ll just have to sit back and wait. I don’t actually know what to expect at this point in this race,” Micciche said.
Ron Gillham (courtesy Ron Gillham)
Gillham said he decided to run for Micciche’s seat after a conversation with some of his co-workers on the North Slope, where he works for Arctic Slope Regional Corp. running a crane.
“Everyone was complaining about what was going on with the government. And I just thought, ‘If you’re going to complain, you might as well do something about it,’” Gillham said.
Gillham ran a shoestring campaign. He raised $8,000, half of which was his own money. Micciche raised almost 10 times as much, with donations from executives and industry PACs.
Like several Republicans challenging sitting GOP legislators, Gillham attacked Micciche’s vote for Senate Bill 91, the 2016 criminal justice reform bill that some people have blamed for a rise in crime.
Gillham also attacked Micciche’s vote to use some of the Permanent Fund’s earnings to close the state’s massive deficit.
But no one in Alaska’s political world seemed to take Gillham seriously, until Tuesday night.
That was also the case with Weaver, the challenger to LeDoux, who as chair of the House Rules Committee wields huge power over which legislation comes up for a vote.
Even the Alaska Republican Party, which desperately wanted to unseat LeDoux after she joined the largely-Democratic House majority coalition two years ago, had largely given up hope of beating her. Tuckerman Babcock, the state GOP chair, described Weaver’s campaign as practically nonexistent.
“If you look on our Facebook pages, in discussions that we’re having with people in the district, it’s, ‘Who is Aaron Weaver? I’ve never met him. Should I vote for him? I’ve never met the guy,’” Babcock said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Babcock called it “amazing” that LeDoux could “lose to a candidate that people don’t even know who he is or what he looks like.”
Weaver didn’t dispute Babcock’s characterization, calling it “absolutely right.” He said LeDoux’s campaign fundraising – she ultimately collected more than $100,000 – made her an “unstoppable force.”
Weaver raised less than $3,000.
“I thought it would be better to return my campaign contributions so that people could spend it on their kids, rather than spend it on a futile campaign,” Weaver said Wednesday.
Weaver said he thinks the results reflect “much more of a vote of disapproval of LeDoux than it was for me, because I really ran, effectively, a silent campaign.”
“I just didn’t put that much effort into getting the message out because I didn’t think I’d have a chance,” Weaver said.
A downcast LeDoux spent Tuesday evening at a results-watching party at the Dena’ina Center downtown, where she sat at a table with one of her legislative aides, checking her phone.
“Obviously it’s a nail-biter. I’m still cautiously optimistic,” LeDoux said at the end of the evening. She added, “I feel real good about the absentees. I’ve really, really worked the absentees.”
Millett, who lost her GOP primary for her South Anchorage district, had spent a decade in the Legislature, most recently as the Republican minority leader.
Josh Revak accepts congratulations from Anchorage Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux at Election Central at the Dena’ina Center downtown on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, Revak held a commanding lead over incumbent Rep. Charisse Millett in the GOP primary race for a South Anchorage House seat. (Nathaniel Herz / Alaska’s Energy Desk)
Millett was a candidate to be House speaker if Republicans take back control of the chamber in November. Instead, Millett lost her primary decisively to Revak, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Don Young and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. Revak, a U.S. Army veteran, ran campaign ads that showed him dressed in combat gear.
“It’s really surreal and there’s a healthy level of fear, because every vote that’s tallied in those numbers are folks that would put their faith in me,” Revak said in an interview Tuesday night. “And I take that very seriously and I just hope I can live up to those standards.”
Tuesday’s results appear likely to push the Republican-dominated Senate in an even more conservative direction.
But the dynamic in the state House is still murky. State GOP leaders failed in their effort to take down another moderate in Kodiak, Louise Stutes.
But they did help fend off a primary challenge to one of their allies, George Rauscher, a Sutton Republican.
The Republican primary for the Eagle River House seat now held by ultra-conservative Lora Reinbold, meanwhile, went to Kelly Merrick, who was backed by organized labor. She defeated Jamie Allard, who had Reinbold’s endorsement.
Some Republicans have said they fear Merrick, with her support from organized labor, could join a mostly-Democratic majority. As she left the Dena’ina Center late Tuesday, Merrick, who’s also a former Congressional aide to Young, said her campaign donations from figures in “business and industry” should settle those fears.
But Merrick declined to speak directly about which group of legislators she might organize with.
“I’m not talking about any of that tonight. I’ll talk to you guys about that another time – we’re just celebrating tonight and enjoying this and realizing we have to work until November before anything will happen,” Merrick said.
Merrick faces nonpartisan Joe Hackenmueller in the general election. And the races for many more competitive districts also won’t be decided until November.
“I think we’re going to know about the makeup of the House, and who’s in the House majority, after the November election,” LeDoux said. “Regardless of whether I survive this primary or not.”
This illustration shows a rendition of what the liquefaction plant in Nikiski could look like if the Alaska LNG project is completed as planned. (Image courtesy of the Alaska LNG project.)
The state’s liquefied natural gas pipeline export project with China can continue regardless of whether Governor Bill Walker is elected to a second term in November. Walker, an independent seeking reelection, has made the megaproject a top priority, while Republican challenger Mike Dunleavy has expressed skepticism about the state’s ability to manage it.
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation senior vice president Frank Richards says the AGDC was set up by the legislature to transcend election cycles.
”We were created as an organization that would be somewhat apolitical,” Richards said. “The goal was that the project would move forward based on its merits and economic viability.”
Richards was in Fairbanks yesterday to update the community on the project, which faces a self-imposed year-end target date to sign a binding agreement with three Chinese government owned companies, under which they would finance 75 percent of the $44 billion project in exchange for 75 percent of gas line output.
”So I would say we’re actively engaged with that. It’s a negotiation with the very astute buyer of LNG,” Richards said. “So we are doing our due diligence to make sure that we’re getting the best contract for Alaska and our resources.”
Richards says the agreement will guarantee the Chinese buyers a discounted natural gas price over the 20-year life of the financing.
”That’s where we have to make sure that we’re gonna acquire debt financing that is not too expensive,” Richards said. “And then we’ll be able to utilize our equity portion to be able to sell to the remainder of the Asian markets to acquire higher returns for the 25 percent remaining.”
Richards emphasizes that the Chinese companies will not own the gasline, but notes that the AGDC is required to offer up equity shares of the project.
”We’re gonna develop an equity offering that we’ll take out to the world markets, including Alaskans, individual Alaskans, Alaska municipalities and Alaska Native corporations, the opportunity to invest in this project,” Richards said.
Richards says the offering is expected to be issued this fall. On another front, Richards says the AGDC is negotiating with North Slope producers Conoco Phillips and Exxon Mobil to supply the gas line. It already has a contract with BP.
A new HC130-J will replace the HC-130H at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. The fixed-wing aircraft will help drop survival gear and other duties. (Photo by Kayla Desroches/KMXT)es
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak just received the first of five newer, more technologically advanced aircraft.
The HC-130J replaces the HC-130H that the Coast Guard base Kodiak has been operating since the 1980s.
Each model J costs $85 million, and the fixed-wing aircraft assists in dropping survival equipment and enforcing maritime law, among its other duties.
A crowd of air station members – some with their families – have gathered to watch a welcoming ceremony.
The new model J taxis down to Hangar 1 through streams of water from two fire engines on either side of the runway.
Air Station Commanding Officer Capt. Brian Daley said pilots will transition between flying the older model and the J.
“The pilots can fly one, can’t fly the other. It’s totally different when you walk inside. And Alaska’s a very unforgiving environment,” Daley said. “Teaching the guys to fly up here is a challenge, and so for this next year, we’re focusing on getting our pilot and aircrew proficient in the aircraft.”
The new model J looks pretty similar to its predecessor, the model H. But it’s apparently a lot quieter.
Lt. Cmdr. Hunter Atherton is stationed in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and he’s one of the pilots to fly the J into Kodiak.
“Some people really like the roar of the H model and this one doesn’t quite have that, but it is a lot more efficient overall.. they’re both good,” Atherton said. “I’ll definitely miss flying Hs now that I’m flying Js.”
Atherton said the model J may look the same as the model H from the outside, but it comes with a few improvements: a more powerful engine, more automation and a better navigation system.
Atherton said the plane’s extra features could help cut through challenges pilots face landing in Alaska.
“Having access to a plane that’s gonna have GPS based approaches in the near future, which the J model will have hopefully in the next couple of years. That’s huge,” Atherton said. “That’ll be huge for Kodiak to be able to have access to airplanes with that capability.”
Atherton said Kodiak is the only other station where the J is being used. According to the Coast Guard, Kodiak’s four other aircraft should arrive by fall 2019 and the program aims to have 22 nationwide.
Rock Fish on the Trident Seafoods plant assembly line in Kodiak, Alaska on Saturday May 27, 2018. (Photo by Daysha Eaton / KMXT)
A spokesperson for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, or ASMI, says the organization recently received clarification about tariff changes that went into effect on July 6, for Alaska seafood products going into the Chinese domestic market. ASMI is a public-private marketing organization that promotes Alaska’s seafood industry.
“We previously thought that fish meal would not be included and we now know that fish meal products will be included in those proposed tariff increases from China,” ASMI Communications Director Jeremy Woodrow said.
Woodrow says $69 million in fish meal products were exported to China last year. And it is mostly used in animal feed. Woodrow says one of the largest generators of fishmeal is the Alaska pollock industry. The fishmeal market, he says, is important to Alaska because it ensures full utilization of seafood and helps generate revenue.
“The more that you can get out of the fish, the more everybody benefits. That’s right down to the fishermen, to the processors, as well as the communities,” Woodrow said.
Many fishing communities rely on a variety of fish taxes.
For example, according to the Kodiak Island Borough the borough received more than $2 million in 2017 through three types of fish taxes:
$1.6 million dollars in severance tax (a direct production value tax on fish crossing the dock)
$14,000 through a landing tax via the state of Alaska
$1.1 million via the state through a fisheries business tax
Woodrow says some fresh fish and fish oil were excluded from the tariff. He adds that ASMI is asking its members to comment on the latest round of proposed tariffs on goods, including seafood from China, which includes seafood from Alaska that is reprocessed in China then imported back to the U.S.
Those tariffs were introduced on July 10. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative proposed increasing the tariffs last month from 10 to 25 percent.
The deadline to submit written comment was originally August 17. That deadline was recently extended to September 6.
Seafood is the second largest private industry in the state, after oil and gas, and directly employs more Alaskans than any other industry, according to ASMI, creating $2 billion in income.
The humpback whale known as Sasha frequents Southeast Alaska waters and is pictured here in Auke Bay in an undated photo. The whale has a distinctive fluke with markings resembling the letters “AK.” (Creative Commons photo by JD Lasica)
Humpback whales support a whale watching industry in Juneau worth tens of millions of dollars. The whales come to Southeast Alaska year after year and bring their newborn calves with them. But for the past few years, many whales haven’t come back.
The whales come to Southeast Alaska every summer to feast on herring and krill in the nutrient-rich northern waters. The same individuals return year after year. Some become local celebrities, like Sasha, whose fluke has a mark that resembles the letters “A” and “K.” Down in Hawaii, where humpbacks spend the winter, she’s known as the Alaska whale.
But for the past few years, some whales have stopped coming back. Kayl Overcast has worked in the whale watching business for 12 years. He says he noticed a change around 2014, then things got worse.
“There was a point last year where there was only two whales in our whole area,” Overcast said. “I never remember that in the whole rest of the time that I’d worked on whale watching boats.”
Overcast wasn’t the only one to notice a change.
Chris Gabriele works for the National Park Service in Glacier Bay. She spends the summer sitting in a boat and counting whales. Each whale’s fluke is unique, like a fingerprint, which allows Gabriele to keep track of who’s around. She said the whales were doing great until 2014, then the number of whales in the park plunged.
“It took me aback when so many whales that previously had come to Glacier Bay year after year after year, and we’re talking like 20, 30, even 40 years, all of a sudden disappeared,” Gabriele said.
Overall, the number of whales in Glacier Bay declined by nearly half between 2013 and 2017 and some whales that did come back were abnormally skinny. Glacier Bay is the only place in Southeast Alaska where humpback whale numbers are monitored year after year, and anecdotal reports throughout Southeast tell a similar story: Humpback numbers have been down.
Gabriele suspects the blob is responsible.
The blob was a marine heatwave that swept across the North Pacific beginning in late 2013 and disrupted the entire food chain. To understand why, you have to start at the bottom.
Normally the zooplankton in the North Pacific are rich in lipids and nutrients. But after the blob warmed up the ocean, the zooplankton didn’t grow as fat or plentiful. That meant less food for fish and krill, and malnutrition spread all the way up the food chain.
The whales returned to this food desert after fasting all winter in Hawaii. For animals that need as much food as whales do, there just wasn’t enough.
So does that mean that all the whales starved?
“We’re not seeing carcasses. We’re not seeing an increased number of dead whales,” Suzie Teerlink, a marine mammal specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said.
Teerlink said it’s more likely the whales just went somewhere there’s more food.
“Humpback whales will follow the prey and they are very resourceful and adaptive,” Teerlink said. “The prey is not always reliable and it can be different from year to year and humpback whales are really good at adapting and finding the prey that they need.”
More humpbacks than normal have been reported in the Bering Sea and offshore in the Gulf of Alaska. But there’s no way to know for sure where all the whales went. They may be big, but the ocean is much much bigger.
So now that the blob is receding, will the humpbacks that left come back? That depends.
“It’s hard to say if humpback whales will come back but given that we don’t think that humpback whale numbers are decreasing and that they’re actually more likely to be shifting their distribution, it seems intuitive that there might be a shift back if the prey became available,” Teerlink said.
Until then, whales like Sasha will have to contend with more boats following them around. Research suggests that so long as whale watching boats give whales space, they don’t pose a threat. That’s good news for the industry. With 60 vessels in Juneau and counting, that makes each whale all the more valuable.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, shown here testifying before a Senate committee in 2017, says President Trump’s top health priority is addressing opioid addiction. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams visited Alaska in early August to talk about the significance of the opioid epidemic and strategies for ending it. More than 80 people died from overdose deaths in Alaska in the last 12 months. The number is declining as more and more people get access to Naloxone, the medication that can stop an overdose. He spoke with Anne Hillman of the Solutions Desk about some of his ideas.
Dr. Jerome Adams: The opioid epidemic isn’t just a health problem or just a public safety problem. It’s a problem that touches everyone in our community. And, as I’ve traveled across the country the places that have had success are the ones that have brought together the faith-based community, the business community, the law enforcement community, and the health community, among others, to address this complicated issue.
Anne Hillman: Do you see the opioid epidemic as the biggest health issue we should really be focusing on?
JA: I think the opioid epidemic is the biggest health problem that we have. Number one because overdoses are rapidly increasing, but number two because it gives us an opportunity to talk about so many issues which plague our society. When you look at that untreated mental health issues, when you look at unwellness in our communities. All those lead into substance use disorder, and if we use this tragedy as an opportunity to address those upstream causes, then we’ll solve not only the opioid epidemic but so many other health woes that are affecting our country.
One of the things I’m working on as Surgeon General is a report on community health and economic prosperity, helping communities understand that investing in health is also investing in jobs. It’s also investing in safety and security. It’s investing in the things that they care about and that they vote on. If we don’t invest in those things, it’s going to continue to be a drag on our economy, on our safety, on our ability to devote resources to the things that we care about.
AH: You mentioned mental health issues. There’s a stigma around mental health issues. There’s a stigma around getting treatment, and there’s a lot of people who are trying to change that narrative. What are you doing to change that narrative?
JA: I’ve often said stigma is one of the biggest risk factors and one of the biggest killers in our country. It’s why I share so openly the story about my brother Philip who suffers from substance use disorder and who is in prison right now.
That’s the only way we’re going to overcome stigma is by helping normalize substance use disorder, normalizing mental health issues. Normalizing all sorts of ills.
AH: Normalizing, as in, normalizing conversations around it?
JA: Normalizing conversations about it and helping people realize that it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help and to seek out treatment.
AH: You mentioned that organizations need to be coming together and collaborating on providing treatment, not overlapping in what they’re doing. But some people say, ‘Well there’s not enough options out there right now.’ If you start pulling all these organizations together, aren’t you also just further limiting options?
JA: One of the things we know is that there will never be enough money for us to spend our way out of this problem. But we do know that there are a lot of folks who are separately, independently, developing programs, and those programs aren’t talking to each other.
I’m convinced that if we can form one or two or three really good programs instead of having 14 or 15 separate programs that we can spend our money more wisely.
It doesn’t mean we don’t need more funding, but it means that we need to use every dollar that we have — every penny that we have — as wisely and as efficiently as possible, and we’ve seen many communities do that through partnerships.
AH: You briefly mentioned that your brother is in is incarcerated. Are you also working with improving treatment during incarceration?
JA: I just spoke to the American Corrections Association’s annual meeting, and one of the big things we talked about with the need to provide treatment for folks while they’re incarcerated. If we don’t do that then we just send them back out into society to the same risk factors, to the same individuals who got them in the situation in the first place, and we keep that revolving door going.
I’m convinced that we can turn people into assets when we return them to their communities instead of returning them to the communities as burdens. But that’s only if we give them the treatment that they need, so that they can be successful when they come out.
AH: So what can you, as a Surgeon General, do, other than promoting that message to actually have that happen?
JA: Well, for instance, on the stigma front, we issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory regarding Naloxone, and Naloxone dispensing has gone up 40% in just the first month since that advisory. I’m using my opportunity, my bully pulpit, to help lower stigma, to help people understand that they all have a role to play, whether it’s carrying Naloxone or getting rid of unused medications in their house and responding to the opioid epidemic. We’re seeing a difference.
I’m convinced that we’re going to get to where we need to be, but I want us to get to where we need to be in a way that prevents future disasters by building healthy communities.
Next week on the Solutions Desk we’ll head out of the prison and into a kitchen. Want to make sure you don’t miss it? Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or NPR
ACLU of Alaska and Dunleavy for Alaska file lawsuit challenging state road advertising ban
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Alaska has had a prohibition on advertising along state highways in some form since 1949, prior to statehood. There are a few exceptions, including for scenic attractions.
Alaskans press Murkowski on Kavanaugh
Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.
Most meetings in her D.C. office don’t merit press coverage, but Murkowski is one of the few Republicans who may vote against confirming Kavanaugh.
Regardless of who’s governor, state gasline corporation says China LNG deal can still continue
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
The state’s liquefied natural gas pipeline export project with China can continue regardless of whether Governor Bill Walker is elected to a second term in November.
Anchorage mayor announces community council to help reduce homelessness
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
At a press conference at city hall today, the mayor’s administration unveiled a new two-part plan they hope will improve coordination and accountability.
Kodiak Coast Guard gets new and improved aircraft
Kayla Desroches, KMXT – Kodiak
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak just received the first of five newer, more technologically advanced aircraft. The HC-130J replaces the HC-130H that the Coast Guard base Kodiak has been operating since the 1980s.
Shipping titan Maersk sends company’s first container ship to test trans-Arctic trade route
Ravenna Koenig, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Fairbanks
The world’s largest container shipping company is about to send its first cargo vessel across the Arctic. It’s a small step, but a significant one in the expansion of trade in Arctic waters as ice recedes due to climate change.
Quinhagak’s Nunalleq dig site starts a new chapter in community-based archaeology
Christine Trudeau, KYUK – Bethel
Quinhagak took a big step to redraft its cultural narrative this month with the opening of the largest museum collection of Yup’ik artifacts in the world, located off the coast of the Bering Sea.
Fairbanks North Star Borough met with 50 proposals to reduce wintertime air pollution
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
A Fairbanks North Star Borough air quality group is mulling over fifty proposals to reduce wintertime pollution from wood, coal and oil burning.
Did the blob drive humpbacks out of Southeast Alaska? Some scientists think so
Jacob Steinberg, KTOO – Juneau
Glacier Bay is the only place in Southeast Alaska where humpback whale numbers are monitored year after year. Anecdotal reports throughout Southeast tell a similar story: Humpback numbers have been down.
This Juneau man built the fully electric boat of his dreams
Elizabeth Jenkins, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Juneau
The Tongass Mist can fit up to six passengers. Next summer, it could give tourists a new way to experience an excursion on the water.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh met with Senator Lisa Murkowski (C-SPAN screen capture)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski met Thursday with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. They smiled for the cameras, but Murkowski is keeping her opinion of the nominee under wraps.
She is considered one of the few Republicans who could vote against confirming Kavanaugh, and his opponents are pinning their hopes on her.
Some 30 Alaskans flew to the nation’s capital mid-week to urge Murkowski to vote no. Among them was Leighan Gonzales, a student at UAA.
“I made a very personal appeal and I asked her to vote no on his nomination because I’m honestly concerned and very scared of this person being on the Supreme Court,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales was born with a heart condition that required surgery. She said Kavanaugh is hostile to a key promise of the Affordable Care Act: that people with pre-existing conditions won’t be denied insurance coverage. Whether Kavanaugh really is opposed to the Affordable Care Act is a matter of dispute. But Gonzales said Murkowski seemed receptive to her message on Thursday.
“I brought a picture, a baby picture post-surgery, with this giant scar on my tiny baby chest,” Gonzales said. “She was really moved by that, and I felt very optimistic.”
Gonzales says her way was paid by Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy group.
Anchorage retiree Joni Bruner made the trip east, too. She was a last-minute addition to her contingent. Bruner was not sure exactly who bought her ticket. She thought it was Center for Popular Democracy.
Bruner told Murkowski the new justice should be a middle-of-the-road centrist.
“If we were to confirm an extreme right person, it would further divide our country,” Bruner said later. “And we really want to stay together.”
Kavanaugh has been making the rounds of Senate offices for weeks, and a photo-op is a routine prelude to each meeting.
Murkowski’s real meeting with Kavanaugh was behind closed doors. Nothing of substance was discussed in their minute in front of the cameras. But Murkowski did take the opportunity to point out the giant salmon trophy mounted on her wall.
Murkowski’s office later issued a statement saying their discussion covered a range of topics, including health care, reproductive rights, privacy, legal precedence and laws specific to Alaska. The statement provided no insight into which way she’s leaning.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for after Labor Day.
