- While Ferguson burned, the Fairbanks News Miner shone some light on an event in Anchorage that have people wondering if questionable use of force is not limited to our friends down south. Early Sunday morning over 22 patrol cars filled with police in full riot gear converged on an “unsanctioned street party” where people were dancing and singing. The presence of so many police didn’t seem to help matters.
- A U.S. District Court judge temporarily halts the EPA’s process regarding Pebble Mine, according to APRN.
- Superior Court Judge William Carey has ruled that local school districts are not required to help pay for education. The Fairbanks News Miner explains how this could impact the already cash-strapped state. During the campaign Gov-elect Bill Walker said that he supported the Ketchikan lawsuit that challenged the local funding mandate.
- Gov.-elect Walker is in the process of interviewing and locking in potential cabinet members ahead of his December 1 inauguration. The Juneau Empire states that while Walker got many of the names on his short list from word of mouth, his website is still accepting resumes.
- While many are focused on the New York Times’ line about Lt. Gov.-elect’s “thunderclap of ego control”, the article’s disclosure that Walker’s missed flight to Bethel was the impetus for the formation of the Unity Ticket.
- Seward City News details the latest developments of Alaska’s maritime workforce. The state’s largest private sector employee is working with public and private sectors to advance future growth and maintain stability in this somewhat volatile economic sector.
- Alaska’s proposed 800-mile LNG pipeline project now has a municipal board to pass along sifted input to Gov. Sean Parnell and soon Gov. Bill Walker. The Peninsular Clarion has the details about how this Advisory Board will work, who’s on it and why this ensures community input on Alaska’s next big project.
- Yesterday’s resignation of DOD Secretary Chuck Hagel has many tongues a waggin’-including Politico’s. Add to the list of unhappy performance issues are apparently Hagel’s resistance to Guantanamo directives.
- The Hill has the short list of potential Hagel replacements.
- The results of a Huffington Post a poll by Latino Decisions are predictably telling. About 89% of registered Latino voters are supportive of Pres. Obama’s immigration decision. This cuts across political ideologies (95% Dem., 81% Indep., 76% Rep. support it) and further decreases the hold the Republican Party has on this growing and powerful voting bloc.
- KNOM radio has the latest on the new priorities for Rep. Neal Foster and Sen. Donny Olson in the upcoming legislative session.
- Clinton buddy and Virginia’s governor Terry McAuliffe is not a happy man. Politico has the details as to why Mr. Smiles is all frownie face with his own party.
- Fairbanks North Star Borough’s city budget has advanced to second reading and readies for final vote on December 1.
- Mike Enzi (R-WY) is in a battle royal with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) over gavel bangin’ power on the Senate Budget Committee. The Hill explains that this power grab by Enzi has taken many in the GOP leadership by surprise.
- What does a company do after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the sinking ship that was Sen. Begich’s re-election campaign? Buy another ship, this time literally.
- KTVA was on hand when Gov.-elect had his official portrait taken. Notice the red tie? Nothing subtle about that imagery.
- Kokayi Nosakhere, writing in the Alaska Commons, wants to know when they can start belting out, Drop it Like It’s Hot while absconded in a thick cloud of questionable smoke. After all, Snoop Dogg/Snoop Lion did promise a concert if pot passed. “You owe me a concert, homi,” Nosakhere writes.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
200 people show up and block streets downtown and you question whether the cops should have shown up? You obviously don’t have a business downtown. You obviously have never been caught in an unruly crowd that can turn very fast.
The real story is the crowd was allowed to grow that big with no cops there to check it. Our current Mayor has let our police force dwindle. People are shooting off guns in every neighborhood in Anchorage. We can’t get rid of this guy soon enough.
Regarding the school tax decision, I appreciate Bill Walker’s support of this litigation if his intention was to have this court decision finally force the issue the ability for large portions of Alaska to refuse to form local taxing authorities. John Havelock’s commentary in the ADN published today (25 Nov) speaks to this issue.
What is the motivation to form a local taxing authority when the Alaska Constitution actually discourages such action in Article 10 (Local Government) Section 6 ( Unorganized Boroughs) which states:
“The legislature shall provide for the performance of services it deems necessary or advisable in the unorganized boroughs, allowing for maximum local participation and responsibility. It may exercise any power or function in an unorganized borough which the assembly may exercise in an organized borough.”
Currently approximately half of my Anchorage property taxes are dedicated to fund local schools. Of course I would like to see a property tax reduction as a result of this court decision yet I understand with our pending fiscal crisis that option is unlikely. Now if the state assumes its’ constitutional authority to fund schools per Article 7 Section 1, shouldn’t that almost double the amount of money available for local expenses and wouldn’t my property taxes be able to offset the pending loss of state revenue sharing funds?
As an alternative, how about we start now to seek alternate local revenues from a broader payer base? We know how of how much property tax revenue we actually spend on City/Municipal services. Why not have a debate about lowering property taxes to reflect the impact of this court decision yet consider making up the loss of State revenue sharing and perhaps future bond payments by use of a local sales tax?