Four Fairbanks Children Dead After Teenager Opens Fire on Siblings: Authorities

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Alaska authorities are investigating the deaths of four children, one of whom is believed to have killed the others and himself, according to state troopers.

Alaska State Troopers were alerted to a report of a shooting north of Fairbanks, Alaska, at 4:17 p.m. on Tuesday, where the troopers found four children dead from apparent gunshot wounds in a building, according to troopers. The troopers believe a 15-year-old boy among the victims used a gun to shoot three of his siblings, ages 5, 8, and 17, before turning the gun on himself, according to NBC News.

The gun recovered by authorities was a “family gun but beyond that, it’s all still part of the ongoing investigation,” said Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers.

The parents of the victims were not home when the incident occurred, and three other siblings in the home, all under the age of 7, were not injured, according to troopers. (Read more from “Four Fairbanks Children Dead After Teenager Opens Fire on Siblings: Authorities” HERE)

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Murkowski Ally Hits Alaska GOP Senate Rival for Fishing Violations

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Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka may be reeling from past commercial fishing violations, which her incumbent opponent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) is highlighting in a new attack ad.

A new commercial paid for by the Alaska for Lisa super PAC shows two Alaskan fishermen blasting Tshibaka for her violations of state fishing laws, accusing her of thinking herself above the law. The Alaska Department of Public Safety fined Tshibaka $270 in October for commercial fishing without a commercial fishing license, and she previously ran into trouble in 2019 when she got a sport fishing license limited to people who have lived in the state for more than a year, which at the time she had not.

“Kelly Tshibaka illegally claimed to qualify for a resident fishing license, but she got caught,” the two fishermen said in the ad. “She was also cited for commercial fishing illegally. We take our commercial fishing logs very seriously. She said she didn’t understand the rules, but she’s a Harvard lawyer. Tshibaka understands the rules. She just doesn’t think they apply to her. Tshibaka is wrong for Alaska.”

Tshibaka, a former state Cabinet official, didn’t face fines for the 2019 incident. She is a darling of former President Donald Trump, who is hoping to unseat Murkowski after she voted to impeach him in 2021. Staunch Republicans have accused Murkowski of being a “Republican in name only,” or RINO, for her centrist positions. (Read more from “Murkowski Ally Hits Alaska GOP Senate Rival for Fishing Violations” HERE)

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Trump in Alaska: Lisa Murkowski ‘Worse than a Democrat’

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By Breitbart. Former President Donald Trump went hard against Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski at a rally in her home state of Alaska on Saturday, denouncing her as being “worse than a Democrat.”

Campaigning for several candidates in the state, including Murkowski’s challenger Kelly Tshibaka, the former president said Murkowski was a “lousy senator” who hails from the Washington swamp, citing her opposition to Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court and her eventual confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

“She’s a total creature of the Washington swamp but much worse than that and a tool of a corrupt establishment, the likes of which we’ve never seen. The fake news media loves her,” Trump said.

The former president also scolded Murkowski for voting for gun control legislation after the shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.

“This is your precious chance to dump the horrific RINO Senator Lisa Murkowski, who’s worse than a Democrat. She’s worse than a Democrat,” Trump said. (Read more from “Trump in Alaska: Lisa Murkowski ‘Worse Than a Democrat’” HERE)

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Trump Avoids Word ‘Vaccine’ at Alaska Rally After Boos Over It in Alabama

By Newsweek. Former President Donald Trump appeared to avoid saying the word “vaccine” during his rally in Alaska on Saturday after he was booed for encouraging his supporters to get vaccinated in past rallies.

He has often found himself at odds over the vaccine with segments of his voters. The former president has vocally supported the vaccine, touting it as one of his accomplishments during his presidential tenure. However, many of his own voters have expressed skepticism about the vaccine, which is shown to prevent severe illness from COVID-19.

Trump acknowledged the tension Saturday, when he skirted around using the word while simultaneously boasting about his efforts to get out a vaccine within the first year of the pandemic. His remarks illustrate the extent of how the vaccine, which received wide support from both major parties, have become politicized.

“We did so much in terms of therapeutics, and a word that I’m not allowed to mention—but I’m still proud of that word,” he said. “We did that in nine months, and it was supposed to take five years to 12 years and nobody else could’ve done it. But I’m not mentioning it in front of my own people.” (Read more from “Trump Avoids Word ‘Vaccine’ at Alaska Rally After Boos Over It in Alabama” HERE)

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Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Kurka Compares Dunleavy and Pierce to Pontious Pilot: Declares Them Unfit for Service

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In the same week the U.S. Supreme Court announced its watershed decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and to give the issue back to states to decide for themselves, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a statement in which he washed his hands of any executive power, authority, or commitment to use his position to stop the killing of preborn children in Alaska.

Likewise in a statement released to the Alaska Watchman, Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Pierce refused to make any commitment to defend the pre-born, or to state that the practice abortion is even wrong.

When asked to weigh-in concerning his opponents’ abortion statements, pro-life champion and Gubernatorial Candidate Christopher Kurka said, “What further proof is needed for Alaskans to realize Dunleavy and Pierce are not conservatives? They are both spineless cowards. SCOTUS just told them ‘You decide the legality of abortion in your own state’ and they retreated from the field before the fight against the murderous left in this state has even begun!”

Presenting copies of an “Alaska Right to Life, PAC Personhood Candidate Pledge,” signed by Governor Dunleavy on February 23, 2012, and on June 17, 2014; Kurka said, “Mike Dunleavy refuses to stop state funding for abortion and is a Liar, Oath Breaker, and Coward who must be stripped of the honor of serving a second term as Alaska’s Governor.”

According to the Pledge, which is routinely given to candidates seeking the Alaska Right to Life Endorsement and the support of Pro-life Voters, the document specifically spells-out that the petitioning candidate promises to, “affirm my support for a Human Life Amendment to the Alaska Constitution and other legislation and actions that would support these principals.”

To drive his point home for pro-life voters who may remain undecided on who to vote for, Kurka made a historical comparison to another governor stating:

“Community leaders and legal elites once asked a Roman Governor to make a difficult moral decision; to either defend the life of an innocent man, or release a murderous man from prison, and turn the innocent man over to the mob to be murdered. Though he knew it was wrong to turn the man over, he ignored his conscience and his duty to govern justly, literally washing his hands of the matter, he told the mob ‘You decide.’ As potential Governors of Alaska, both Dunleavy and Pierce have already communicated they will follow the example set by Governor Pilot so many years ago.”

According to Kurka, “A vote for the Kurka/Hueper ticket is a vote for Life. If you want more broken promises and death vote for Charlie and Mike.

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Alaska Schoolchildren Were Served Floor Sealant Instead of Milk at a Child Care Program

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Twelve elementary school children drank floor sealant believing it was milk after it was served to students at a childcare program in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, according to the school district.

Students in a summer care program at Sitʼ Eeti Shaanáx̱-Glacier Valley Elementary School began complaining that the milk they were served as part of the program’s breakfast tasted bad and was burning their mouths and throats, Juneau School District said in a statement Wednesday.

The breakfast was served on trays by an outside contractor, NANA Management Services (NMS), at about 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday and the children brought their trays to a cafeteria table to eat, the district statement said.

After the children complained about the burning sensation, school district and NMS staff “immediately followed up by smelling/tasting the milk and looking at the container/label,” the statement said. “It was found that the ‘milk’ served was actually a floor sealant resembling liquid milk. Staff immediately directed students to stop consuming the substance and removed it.” (Read more from “Alaska Schoolchildren Were Served Floor Sealant Instead of Milk at a Child Care Program” HERE)

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Sarah Palin Is One Step Closer to Congress

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Former Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is one step closer to representing Alaskans in the U. S. House of Representatives after coming out on top of a crowded field to advance beyond Saturday’s special primary.

Saturday’s special primary to serve out the remainder of late Rep. Don Young’s term saw 48 candidates in all competing on a single ballot in the first time Alaska voters used such a primary system in which the top four vote-getters would move on to the special general election to be held in August.

Palin will be joined on the August special general ballot by another Republican, Nick Begich III, whose grandfather — Nick Begich Sr., a Democrat — held the seat previously until 1972. Begich, who was endorsed earlier this year by the Alaska state Republican Party — had beaten Palin in fundraising leading into the special primary, but trails her in the overall vote totals by more than 10,000. (Read more from “Sarah Palin Is One Step Closer to Congress” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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With a New, ‘Strategically Located’ Unit in Alaska, the US Army Wants to Extend Its Reach in the Arctic and Beyond

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The US Army activated the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska on Monday, reestablishing it as an Arctic-focused unit in what the Pentagon sees as a valuable outpost to project power in region, into Europe, and across the Pacific.

“We expect them to be masters of their craft in the Arctic warfighting, in extreme cold weather, in mountainous and high-altitude terrain, and we expect them to develop innovative ways of operating in this environment,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said at a press conference on Monday.

The two major Army units in Alaska — the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Wainwright and the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) based at Fort Richardson — were previously under the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division. . .

The Army Arctic Strategy released last spring emphasized the need for Arctic-specific training and equipment and infrastructure that could support operations over the region’s long distances and tough terrain.

The Army conducted a “gap analysis” to determine what was needed and sought to address “near-term deficiencies” in its 2023 budget request. In that request, Army asked for $101.8 million to support the strategy by buying 13 new cold-weather, all-terrain vehicles, acquiring more Arctic clothing and gear, and continuing to winterize equipment, an Army budget official said this spring. (Read more from “With a New, ‘Strategically Located’ Unit in Alaska, the US Army Wants to Extend Its Reach in the Arctic and Beyond” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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An Open Letter to Alaskans

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Dear Fellow Alaskans:

I acknowledge many of you are angry. Given what Alaskans have suffered during the last six years of government mismanagement, who can blame you? I certainly don’t.

My frustration and disappointment during the last two legislative sessions has been great. Opportunity after opportunity was put forward to fund a full PFD – and time and time again the majority of Alaska’s legislators decided to put their own special interests ahead of the people of Alaska. Each time I had the chance to vote for a stand-alone full-PFD, backpay on our stolen PFDs, or interest on that backpay, I did so gladly and proudly, even sponsoring some of the amendments that would have provided this restitution.

Two short years ago, I made the difficult decision to put my life on hold and filed to run for legislative office. This choice came out of a profound sense of frustration and anger with the political status quo. I was tired of politicians telling me one thing during campaign season but doing precisely the opposite once elected. Fed up with the excuses, I ran for office to reverse the damage done by those politicians, who with predictable and disturbing regularity, refused to stand and fight for the values you and I hold dear.

When I ran for office, I promised to be the fighter all those politicians refused to be. I told you the root of the government’s problem was wanton spending and criticized my opponent for voting for the largest budgets in State history.

I promised to be a staunch opponent of Big Government, and to do what was necessary to address the problem. I promised to take on the out-of-control State spending that was and is stifling our economy, killing our jobs, driving us into deep deficits, and let’s not forget, robbing us of our PFDs. I promised to stand up for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, namely babies in the womb, by fighting to end public funding for abortion (an issue that polling says nearly two-thirds of the country supports). And I promised to fight for a full statutory PFD with backpay.

In keeping with those promises, I made the decision to vote against the record-breaking $14.5 Billion (PFD excluded) abortion-funding state budget. This vote was in line with my campaign promises and kept me from joining the ranks of an all too familiar club of political liars and charlatans.

Because of the very public nature of the budget concurrence vote and some false premises that have been circulating about what the vote meant, I wanted to give you my reasons in detail for my “No” vote:

1. The 2023 Senate budget bill was the biggest in State history: precisely the kind of bill I identified to my constituents as the problem with State Government, and I stand by that. It was for this reason that I voted against the House version of the budget, before the Senate sent back their even-larger version for a concurrence vote. Clearly, it is voting for these kinds of budgets which will ensure final destruction of the PFD.

Does this mean I’m opposed to a full statutory dividend? Absolutely not!!!

In keeping with my promises, during my two budget cycles in office, I have fought tirelessly for a full statutory dividend, voting 32 times for a full statutory PFD, restitution for stolen PFDs, and even back interest on those PFDs, which were clearly taken from Alaskans unlawfully. I remain resolved not to contribute to the problem, and as such I will not participate in political games. I will not be bribed. I will not be bought. I will not be intimidated. And I will never be a voluntary hostage of the Big Government Cabal.

During my time as District 7 Representative, full statutory funding of the PFD with restitution has been my number one “spending priority.” My “no” vote on budget concurrence was not in opposition to this priority, but rather in fulfillment of other campaign promises to vote against bloated and oversized budgets and to be a defender of the unborn.

Note: in my opinion, the PFD distribution should not be an appropriation in the state budgeting process, but simply funded according to the existing statutory formula. It has only been done this way in recent years because of a bad court decision after thenGovernor Walker stole Alaskans’ PFD through the veto process. My interpretation of the Constitution is that the PFD is outside of the appropriation process and should not be included in our budget deliberations – this years’ budget concurrence vote is a great example of why not.

2. The 2023 Senate budget bill provided funding for abortion: It is unconscionable that
Senate Republicans in the Finance Committee stripped budget language barring statesponsored abortion funding – pro-life language which ironically was approved by the Democrat-controlled State House. Senate Republican leadership, joined by “Republican” Senator Josh Revak, then rejected an attempt to amend the bill and restore the Pro-life language before the bill’s final reading.

I subsequently made a public pledge to Governor Dunleavy that I would vote for concurrence if he would provide assurance to honor the intent language already in the budget and end abortion payments. However, the Governor ignored my repeated calls and requests for a meeting, choosing rather to negotiate with moderate Republicans and pro-abortion Democrats behind closed doors, most of whom consistently voted against the full statutory PFD earlier in the session. It is no secret that I consider The Right to Life to be our first Liberty, that upon which all other rights and freedoms depend and find their definition. I will not now, nor will I ever, apologize for prioritizing human life before all other issues.

3. The promise of a $5,500 PFD was always destined to be a “bait and switch.” This became clear shortly after reports began circulating of the Governor’s likely veto of at least $1,300 of the purported $5,500 total PFD being sold to Alaskans. This was a result of secret negotiations that the Governor was having with both moderate Republicans and Leftist Democrats.

The bottom line is this: Alaskans were never going to get a $5,500 PFD, regardless of whether the budget concurrence vote was successful or not. The Governor had already made that obvious by the unrefuted claims that had been leaked to the media: the $1,300 “energy relief check” (PFD backpay) was just not going to happen. By the time the vote took place, it was not clear how much additional PFD the Governor had agreed to veto in order to allow Moderate Republicans political cover in voting for a “full PFD”. I can only assume that these secret negotiations included a veto agreement of the PFD down to the Governor’s proposed 50/50 plan that he had presented in his budget to the legislature earlier this year. This would have resulted in a PFD that was well below the statutory amount.

4. The 2023 Senate budget bill was a raw deal for Alaska’s future. Imagine a precedent where politicians are required to vote for literally anything, so long as there’s a PFD attached. That is the future many are clamoring for. The Big Government and Special Interest Cabals are watching and taking notes. Don’t think they won’t try this again, and again, and again. Do you really want to send the message to future legislators that they must check their principles at the door if they wish to serve? If so, it is unrealistic to expect budget accountability, a place for conscience, restraints on government, and a place for the people’s voice in the process.

If you want real change, it is imperative we have principled statesmen, men and women who won’t be bought, bribed, or coerced. This is the only hope for our state’s future. It is going to take men and women of courage, character, and conviction to effect real change.

You and I both know the current trajectory is unsustainable and will end in disaster. Hopefully, we all want the law to be followed and the people’s resources to be given back to their rightful owners. My position on paying a full PFD, and back-PFDs with interest hasn’t changed, but I cannot, and we should not, accept a one-time payment at the price of all that we hold dear. We must fight Big Government together, rein in State spending, reduce regulation, and create a free and competitive economy for our great state.

I know you’re a resilient and smart Alaskan who cares about the future of our State as much as I do. I’m asking you to resist the temptation to buy the spin of those telling you that “you just don’t understand.” You and I both know what the score is. Alaska’s lawmakers are not “smarter” than you – they just have bigger egos. I trust that you can look at the current situation and see it for what it is.

We know that selling the future for a paltry moment of instant gratification is not the right path. Now is a critical time for us to unite and fight the Big Government and Special Interest Cabals. As we do so we can restore fiscal sanity, end abortion, permanently secure the statutory dividend, and win this war for Alaska’s future. But if we continue to allow those who “represent” us to compromise our principles, you can only expect more empty promises and diminishing returns. For my part, I will never apologize to you for being too Conservative and for keeping my campaign promises and I’m certain you wouldn’t want me to!

May God bless you and may God bless the Great State of Alaska!��

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Alaska’s Special Election Is a Template for How the Left Wants to Rig the Vote; Why Didn’t Gov. Dunleavy and his Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka Work for Vote Integrity?

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Editor’s Note: As many Restoring Liberty readers already know, Alaska’s 2010 U.S. Senate race was plagued by unprecedented fraud. Governor Dunleavy falsely promised to clean up Alaska’s elections. One of his commissioners, Kelly Tshibaka, actually met with Joe Miller for the purported purpose of addressing vote integrity issues but, like Governor Dunleavy, she refused to seriously engage on this critical issue. Restoring Liberty believes this inaction raises very troubling questions about both Dunleavy and Tshibaka.

Next month, Alaskans will vote in a special primary election for the state’s single congressional seat, left vacant by the death of Republican Rep. Don Young in March. Young, the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. House, was Alaska’s sole congressman for 49 years, so the election to replace him is in some ways an historic event for the state.

But it’s also historic in another way: it will be Alaska’s first ever statewide mail-in primary election. That is, there will be no in-person voting at all. Every single voter on the state’s bloated and error-riddled voter rolls was automatically mailed a blank ballot.

What’s more, there will be no verification requirements for these mail-in ballots. Voters will simply need to fill out their ballot and have a witness observe them sign the envelope. The state’s Division of Election has explicitly said it will not verify the authenticity of the signatures on the ballots. . .

By any measure, Alaska’s special election is a mess. But why should the rest of the country care? Because Alaska’s insane statewide mail-in election is a template for how the left wants to run elections nationwide. Democrats and left-wing activists would love nothing more than to hold elections entirely by mail with as few safeguards in place to prevent ballot fraud.

Indeed, Alaska presents a unique and in some ways ideal test case for the left. For one thing, Alaska’s voter rolls are a mess. As of 2020, voter registration was 118 percent of the estimated vote age population, meaning there were more registered voters than actual people who could vote (this problem is getting worse in Alaska; in 2018 it was only 103 percent). Making matters worse is a 2016 Alaska law that automatically registers residents to vote when they submit an application for the state’s permanent fund dividend. (Read more from “Alaska’s Special Election Is a Template for How the Left Wants to Rig the Vote” HERE)

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Alaska Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Kurka Hammers GOP Leadership for Kicking Fellow Legislator Out of Caucus

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Alaska House District 7 (Wasilla) Representative Christopher Kurka responded today to the House Republican Minority’s action over the weekend removing District 10 Representative David Eastman from the House Minority Caucus, and the Committee on Committees’ subsequent report recommending Eastman’s removal from the Rules and Ethics Committees, which was accepted by the House.

“The House Minority’s expulsion of Rep. Eastman from the caucus on Friday was as petty and sophomoric as it was unjustified and unwarranted, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Kurka said. “I would say to my colleagues, if you can’t deal with legislative debate or negotiate the rules with respect for others, then maybe you ought to find another profession. Representative Eastman did nothing wrong, and I won’t stand silently by and watch a political lynching.”

During the Minority Press Conference, the Minority Leader explicitly said, “I can’t point to any one incident” that precipitated the measures taken. Other members complained that Rep. Eastman: (1) Is a “member” of The Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership; (2) Proposed too many budget amendments; (3) Caused “disruption, confusion, and distraction” inside the caucus.

First, The Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership does not have membership, and there is no such group operating in Alaska. It is only a school that trains citizen activists in the same kinds of methods and tactics used by corporations, unions, and special interest groups that lobby the Legislature.

Second, it is hard to even know how to respond to the charge that Rep. Eastman is fighting too hard to hold the Democrat-led coalition accountable.

Third, the “disruption, confusion, and distraction” referenced sounds personal, and that is something every legislator must deal with individually.

Kurka concluded, “Ironically, Representative Eastman and I are the only members of the House Republican Minority to actually pass amendments to the State budget on the House Floor. I will never apologize for fighting too hard for my constituents, and neither should Eastman. I only wish the House Republican Caucus was half as concerned about what the Democrats and turncoat Republicans are doing to this state as they are about what we are doing to stop them.”

Photo credit: Flickr

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