Second Wildfire Prompts More Evacuations in Alaska

Photo Credit: AP [Editor’s note: For updates on Alaska’s fires, please click HERE] Fire crews are battling a second wildfire in Alaska and officials say hundreds of homes have been evacuated and six structures have burned.

The fast-moving blaze erupted Monday on the Kenai Peninsula, roughly 100 miles south of a major wildfire that started a day earlier near Willow in the heart of the state’s sled-dog community.

The new fire was first reported in the early afternoon as a 1-acre grass fire near the community of Sterling, but by early evening it had expanded to 640 acres was threatening some 200 homes.

Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources says in a news release that the “explosive wildland fire on the Kenai Peninsula forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes,” but did not provide a more precise figure. The statement said that it’s still unclear if the burned structures are homes or some other type of buildings . . .

The Willow fire has led to the voluntary evacuation of up to 1,700 structures and has struck the heart of sled dog country, including 15 or so mushers who call Willow home. (Read more from “Second Wildfire Prompts More Evacuations in Alaska” HERE)

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Alaskan Mushers Risk Lives to Save Dogs

By Michael E. Miller. The dogs were the first ones to smell the smoke.

As a raging wildfire crept closer and closer to the Alaskan town of Willow on Sunday, the animals began barking before the alarms sounded.

But as smoke blackened the midnight sun over a community known for its dog sledding, the sport’s heroic stars couldn’t flee: They were stuck inside cages or bound with chains.

So their owners stayed, risking their lungs and lives and homes to rescue their beloved animals. Even as the smoke poured in. Even as the rest of their belongings went up in flames.

“The troopers may not have been very happy, but we had to go” help the dogs, DeeDee Jonrowe, a veteran dog musher, told local TV station KTUU. “The concept of any animal burning is just almost too much to bear.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Soldier Killed During Fort Wainwright, Alaska Training Exercise

The Army says a 23-year-old soldier died during a training exercise at Fort Wainwright.

The Fairbanks News-Miner reports that the soldier was killed by a single-vehicle rollover accident on Wednesday.

The Army says Spc. Tyrice Weaver died from injuries caused when his 5-ton tactical vehicle rolled while conducting a platoon convoy at the Yukon Training Area. (Read more from “Soldier Killed During Fort Wainwright, Alaska Training Exercise” HERE)

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Team Elsie Piddock Sails to First Place in Inaugural Race to Alaska

Team Elsie Piddock swept first place in the inaugural Race to Alaska Friday afternoon, taking home the $10,000 prize and beating the others to a celebration in Ketchikan . . .

The team finished the 710-mile sailing race from Victoria to Ketchikan in 5 days and 55 minutes, without a motor on the boat to help (per the race’s rules), and raced the 40 miles from Port Townsend to Victoria in 4 hours and 11 minutes, also according to Facebook. (Read more from “Team Elsie Piddock Sails to First Place in Inaugural Race to Alaska” HERE)

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Man Charged With Intentionally Killing Bald Eagles With His Truck in Alaska

An Oregon man has been charged with intentionally driving his pickup truck into a group of bald eagles feeding on an Alaska roadway, killing two of them, authorities said Thursday.

Dennis C. Thompson, 28, of Union, Oregon, was cited on a count of using a motorized vehicle to harass or molest game, the Division of Alaska State Troopers said. Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned June 30 in Unalaska District Court, the division said.

Unalaska Police Chief Jamie Sunderland told NBC station KTUU the incident happened Sunday night in Dutch Harbor, a community on Unalaska in the Alaska part of the Aleutian Islands.

“Somebody called us and said there was someone who had ran over an eagle,” Sunderland said. “They said there was blood, and it was flopping around, that someone should come put it down.” (Read more from “Man Charged With Intentionally Killing Bald Eagles With His Truck in Alaska” HERE)

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Alaska’s Joint Army-Air Force Base Promotes, Sponsors First Drag Queen Event for Families, Children

Using federal tax dollars, Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) is promoting a “family event” involving drag queens and the transgender “Rev. Drew Phoenix” – formerly Ann Gordon – who made national headlines over her sex change and effort to keep her Methodist credentials several years ago.

The base’s first drag queen event, published on JBER’s official Facebook page, announces “special drag performances by: Hank and Callie”:

The full post continues:

Apparently, the military base believes that this is a family-friendly event, stating that “family members are encouraged to attend.”

The military base’s efforts to promote the LGBT agenda has drawn a sharp reaction from service members. The comments on the military installation’s Facebook page are overwhelmingly opposed to the event and the efforts of the military brass to characterize it as “family” appropriate. Here are just a few of the comments:

The keynote speaker for the event – the so-called “Reverend Drew Phoenix” – told the annual United Methodist Church conference in 2007 that, “My transition to live fully as the male I know myself to be is very personal and deeply spiritual,” Phoenix told the annual conference. “As I continue to transition, to fully claim myself as a male, I find myself coming home to the child God created me to be. I find myself joyful, whole, and peaceful. And I find myself even more effective as a pastor.”

Walt Heyer, another individual who lived the transgender lifestyle and actually went through a surgical gender reassignment surgery – and then regretted it – fundamentally disagrees with the former Rev. Ann Gordon, and the efforts of the U.S. Military to promote transgenderism as “normal”:

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Has an On-Air Freak out Over ‘Nightmare’ Happening in Alaska [+video]

Photo Credit: Facebook Last week, there were multiple reports of the frightening-looking arctic lamprey falling from the skies over Alaska like something out of the cult classic, “Sharknado.” And once MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow caught a glimpse of them, she lost it.

Despite its scary appearance, the arctic lamprey is not a danger to people, and how it ended up far from home has a logical explanation.

The state’s Department of Fish and Game says birds are the likely reason the arctic lampreys have been found in backyards and in areas far away from waters where they typically live. From the state agency’s Facebook page: ”The answer is probably gulls. Gulls are picking them out of the Chena River with their bills and then dropping the squirming critters while in flight.” (Read more from “MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Has an On-Air Freak out Over ‘Nightmare’ Happening in Alaska” HERE)

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Juneau’s Boneless Chicken Ranch Caucus

Pink slips- ten thousand were recently mailed out to nervous state employees that could take effect July 1st. The state budget storm clouds darkening Alaska’s horizon can be attributed to the Boneless Chicken Ranch Caucus made up of State House Representatives Jim Colver (R), Gabrielle LeDoux (R), Paul Seaton (R), Bryce Edgmon (D), Neal Foster (D), and Louise Stutes (R) who signed a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Chenault refusing to vote to fund the budget out of the Earnings Reserve per our state constitution. What caused the members of the House Majority Caucus to turn invertebrate and not fund the budget? The politics of perception.

This story is complicated if you will bear with me a little as we do a quick dive into the weeds. Alaska has three savings accounts. The first is called the Statutory Budget Reserve (SBR). It can be accessed with a simple majority vote and was fully depleted over the last three years to fund Alaska’s multibillion dollar annual deficits. The second account is called the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) which has about $10 Billion in it that can only be accessed by a ¾ supermajority vote. The State Senate has the votes to access this plump account whereas the State House does not. To get the necessary number of votes in the State House, the minority caucus wants to spend another $100 million on varies areas including a public union a cost of living (COLA) pay increase and Medicaid expansion- hence the stalemate.

There is a third savings account accessible with a simple majority vote called the Earnings Reserve (ER). This account was setup when the Alaska State Constitution was amended in 1976 by Alaska Governor Jay Hammond to set up a perpetual annuity for the citizens of Alaska and to fund state government when oil revenue started to wane. Every year a portion of oil revenue is deposited into the Permanent Fund (PF) that is fund surrounded by constitutional razor wire and is therefore unspendable by the state legislature and has about $54 Billion in financial assets. The interest generated from PF is deposited into the separate Earnings Reserve (ER) account. The Alaska State Constitution in Article 9, Section 15 says, “All income from the permanent fund shall be deposited in the general fund unless otherwise provided by law.” The “otherwise provided for by law” provisions for the Earnings Reserve are to payout our annual dividend checks and to inflation proof the principal of the PF (which was big consideration back in 1976 when double-digit inflation was decimating savings accounts). Today there is approximately $6.4 Billion in the ER account.

“I wanted to transform oil wells pumping oil for a finite period into money wells pumping money for infinity.” – Governor Jay Hammond, father of the Alaska Permanent Fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend

Enter politics- the house minority caucus wants to keep the debate focused on tapping the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) to fund our $3.1 Billion FY2016 deficit because they can extract financial concessions in exchange for their votes. A simple majority vote to tap the ER would render their additional spending cries mute. Hence, they and their supporters in the media have opened up a public relations smear campaign on the majority caucus implying they would be spending the principal of the PF (which of course is a blatant untruth). Everyone knows Alaskans love their PF and just being associated with spending it crosses all party lines and is political suicide. This threat was enough scare the bones out of the chicken caucus into a clucking feathered morass and hence- our present budget impasse. So what if they ignore the budget solution set forth in the Alaska State Constitution they took a solemn oath to uphold- all politics is perception, and good perception is the key to political longevity. Many political groups are not fooled by these political machinations and will be raising PAC money to fire up the deep fryer to give them the Colonial Sanders treatment in the upcoming 2016 election. However, I digress.

Oh it gets even better. House Bill 2002 is gaining support to avoid paying the ransom demanded by the minority caucus to access the CBR and for avoiding getting their image getting sullied by the minority with a deliberate mistruth. There is a rule that would allow the CBR to be accessed with a simple majority vote if the state were in a cash crisis. How about artificially creating one by dumping the ER into the PF? HB2002 would transfer $4.9B of the ER into the PF to access the CBR this year. Next year, a further $1.5B would be transferred to access it again for a total of $6.4B transferred. Instant problem solved. Oh really?

Most moderates in the center are gathering around this politically expedient path of least resistance where politicians tend to congregate and cluck. This idea is horrendous to those on the far left and the far right. It would instantly deplete 40% of Alaska’s accessible cash reserves, threaten our state bond rating, and bring Brad Keithley’s much warned about “fiscal cliff” closer from 3 years to 2. On the left, tens of thousands of state employee jobs, Governor Walker’s natural gas line, and public programs could face the axe when Alaska runs out of cash much sooner and can’t tax enough to fund them. On the right, massive new state income taxes and industry killing oil taxes could arrive much faster if profligate spending can’t be wound down fast enough- and this year’s legislature is a very bad omen. Those dreamers who think that this stunt will force state austerity sooner without the accompanying crippling state taxes- I have a fully funded natural gas line to sell them. HB2002 would be politically expedient if not financial self-immolation to both the left and the right.

I support the straight ER draw per the Alaska State Constitution despite the inevitable political smearing that would come from the house minority. Elected servants forget that it is not about them and their reelection- it’s about the good of the Alaskan citizens whom they represent. The State House is wrapped around the axle about this smear threat because they are up for reelection in 2016 whereas the State Senate is not.

There is a great long-term solution that avoids unnecessary state layoffs, doesn’t require any new taxes, and preserves the current Permanent Fund principal and dividend check amounts indefinitely. It requires reducing annual state spending to $4.5B (currently about $5.3B is being debated by the State House to spend in FY2016 beginning July 1st, down from $6.2B spent last year). The University of Alaska Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) think tank has calculated that Alaska can spend $4.5B per year indefinitely without instituting any new taxes or reducing the PFD check. That number comes from approximately $2.2B in state revenue plus an annual draw from our ER annuity. The solution is pretty simple and was written into our state constitution.

If you feel strongly about this issue, please contact your state legislator. Thousands of state layoffs and a state bond rating downgrade could occur on July 1st if they don’t hear from you. Please call, write, fax, or email at: [email protected].

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Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Transgender, Bisexual and Gay People, but Forget Funeral Attendees…

Photo Credit: The Daily Caller Are you gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Do you want to travel to a bunch of gay pride festivals throughout the United States? If you answered yes to these questions, Alaska Airlines is currently offering exciting discounts on air travel for you.

“At Alaska, we have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community and remain committed to a more equitable society,” an Alaska Air webpage entitled “We Share Your Love of Travel” boasts.

One image on the page feature a trio of shirtless dudes standing under some palm trees. Another shows two women nearly embracing while drinking coffee. A third shows a couple of happy men wearing snazzy denim and holding fancy glasses of alcohol.

“We were elated when the State of Washington expressed the same commitment by legalizing marriage for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the Alaska Air webpage explains. “To show our continued support we are encouraging the LGBT community to travel, not only to Seattle, but to Pride events and gay friendly destinations all over the country.”

Gay travelers can enjoy discounts of fully 10 percent for airfare to a handful of destinations hosting gay and lesbian celebrations. These gay vacation hotspots include Portland (Northwest Pride, June 13-14), Seattle (Seattle Pride, June 27-28) and San Diego (San Diego Pride, July 17-20). (Read more from “Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Gay People” HERE)

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Senior Air Force NCO Dies in Fairbanks

By Jeff Schogol. A chief master sergeant at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, was found dead Saturday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to an Alaska newspaper.

Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Wendt’s body was discovered in the Chena Lake Recreation Area and investigators have ruled out foul play, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Tuesday.

Wendt has served as group superintendent of the 354th Operations Group at Eielson since September, according to his official biography. During his 27-year military career, he has deployed to Iraq, Kosovo, the Philippines, Honduras and Japan.

In Okinawa, Wendt worked as an American Forces Network broadcaster, giving the weather forecasts each night to more than 50,000 troops and civilians, his biography says.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has launched an investigation into Wendt’s death, said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Brown, the command chief master sergeant for the 354th Fighter Wing. Brown declined to discuss details of the investigation. (Read more from “Senior Air Force NCO Dies in Fairbanks” HERE)

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Coroner: Air Force Academy Cadet, Mother Killed Themselves

By Associated Press. Investigators say a woman whose body was found in a remote open space killed herself about two weeks after her son stabbed himself to death in his dorm room at the Air Force Academy.

The El Paso County Coroner’s Office released its findings Wednesday in the deaths of 21-year-old Alexandre Quiros and his mother, 45-year-old Ksenia Quiros. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Armstrong Announces Significant Discoveries on Alaska’s North Slope

Photo Credit: Pennenergy Two Nanushuk wells were tested this year, including the Qugruk 8 (Q-8) vertical well, which tested a small portion of the net pay zone and flowed 30 degree API gravity crude at rates of up to 2,160 barrels of oil per day (BOPD). The Qugruk 301 (Q-301), two miles north of Q-8, tested a 2,000 foot horizontal lateral. The well flowed at tubing constrained rates as high as 4,600 BOPD with minimal bottom hole pressure drawdown.

In the East Alpine field, two new penetrations were completed in the Alpine Formation, adding to the previous two penetrations. Three of these wells have encountered oil productive Alpine sand in excess of 95 feet thick at a depth of 6500 feet with porosities ranging from 15% to 25%. Well control and seismic data indicates the oil pool covers an area in excess of 15,000 acres . . .

The activity to date since the beginning of exploration has resulted in the discovery of several oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska. All 16 wells (including sidetracks) drilled by the consortium have found hydrocarbons, most with multiple pay zones. In the Nanushuk reservoir, the consortium has drilled seven appraisal wells to date and has proven an oil pool that covers more than 25,000 acres, at a depth of 4,100 feet, with an oil column of 650+ feet, and up to 150 feet of net pay with an average porosity of 22%. (Read more from “Armstrong Announces Significant Discoveries on Alaska’s North Slope” HERE)

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