Man Dies From 1,000 Foot Fall in Alaska

/0 Comments/in , /by

Alaska State Troopers say an Oregon man died while climbing Mount Yukla.

Dasan Marshall of Portland, Oregon, was climbing with a friend Sunday when he fell about 1,000 feet, troopers said.

Because of the terrain in the Chugach Mountains about 6 miles from the Eagle River Nature Center, a helicopter was used to recover Marshall’s body. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office.

No foul play was suspected. (Read more about the man who died from the 1,000 foot fall in Alaska HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Despite Falling Oil Prices, Alaska LNG Going Forward

/1 Comment/in , /by

The recent free-fall of crude oil prices has affected markets across the globe. Energy companies have responded by scaling back investments as their available capital shrinks. In British Columbia, delays are hampering the Pacific Northwest LNG project. Likewise, in Texas, a liquefaction project has been suspended off its coast by Excelerate Energy. Yet, meanwhile, Alaska is moving forward on an ambitious infrastructure project to develop and export its North Slope gas reserves.

Alaska’s resources are unique. The state receives approximately ninety percent of its revenue from taxes on oil production, leaving the budget vulnerable to price fluxes. Amid tumbling oil prices, Alaska could now face a projected deficit of almost $3.5 billion, opposed to a projected $1 billion deficit last year. State leaders have responded by tightening the state’s fiscal belt, with the newly elected Governor Bill Walker announcing projected cuts to six ongoing state projects.

Despite those cuts, however, state leaders are wisely continuing the Alaska LNG project. This project would be the first to capitalize upon the vast Alaska North Slope gas reserves at Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson. With the necessary investment upwards of $65 billon, the effort would be the largest infrastructure project in North American history and would create thousands of construction and long-term operations jobs for hardworking Alaskans. And, perhaps most important for the state, the Alaska LNG project will provide a longstanding stable source of revenue.

Nonetheless, recent actions by Governor Walker are stirring concerns for project supporters. During his campaign, the Governor promised support for the project. Yet last week, he announced the unexpected dismissal of three Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) board members, the state body charged with moving negotiations with major producers forward to build the Alaska LNG project. Moreover, he penned a recent article suggesting the state’s recently reformed oil tax structure was unfair, despite perpetual assurances during his campaign to respect the will of his constituents who voted in August to approve the reformed tax.

Most distressing, however, is his broken promise to drop the lawsuit over the Point Thomson project settlement. As a state political writer noted, “Despite what he said…Walker has not dropped the suit, and is in ‘no hurry’ to remove himself, he said through his spokesperson Grace Jang.” (Read more about the Alaska LNG going forward HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Alaska Air and Jet Blue Among Safest Airlines in the World; JetBlue adds Portland-Alaska Route

/1 Comment/in , /by

By Paul Ausick. Given the number of lives lost in 2014 due to airplane crashes, it may seem a bit cynical to review a report on airline safety. However, an airline safety rating website recently announced its list of the world’s safest airlines for 2015, and we noted that two U.S. carriers are among the safest carriers in the world.

The AirlineRatings.com website listed both a top 10 and a low-cost top 10, made up from the staff’s review of the 449 airlines they monitor. The two U.S. carriers that made the top 10 list of low-cost carriers are Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU). Other global low-cost carriers on the list, in alphabetical order, include Aer Lingus, Icelandair, Jetstar, Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly and Westjet.

Among the legacy carriers the top 10, in alphabetical order, were Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. The U.S. legacy carriers American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL), Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) and United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) all posted the highest possible score (7 of 7 possible stars). Four other U.S. carriers that do not fly foreign routes scored 5 of 5 possible stars: Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), Spirit Airlines Inc. (NASDAQ: SAVE) and Frontier Airlines. (Read more about the safest airline in the world HERE)

______________________________________________
JetBlue Adds Anchorage Route

By Ben Mutzabaugh. JetBlue will increase its presence in Portland, adding a fourth nonstop route from the Oregon airport.

The route will be seasonal offering to Anchorage. JetBlue will begin offering daily nonstop service on the route on June 18. The 3-½ hour flights, to be operated on Airbus A320 jets, will run through Sept. 8.

JetBlue will compete head-to-head on the route with Alaska Airlines, which already flies the route. Alaska Airlines operates its second-busiest base at Portland.

Anchorage will become JetBlue’s fourth destination from Portland International (PDX). JetBlue also flies nonstop from PDX to its hubs at Boston and New York JFK as well as to Long Beach, Calif., which is a focus city for the carrier. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

False Rape Accusation Leads to Death of Alaska Man

/4 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: The Daily Caller A man was beaten to death by the boyfriend of a woman who falsely claimed he raped her in a Fairbanks, Alaska motel room on Wednesday.

The woman, 31-year-old Dominique Vasquez, reportedly did not want to admit to her boyfriend, 39-year-old Abraham Stine, that she had cheated on him and so lied about the rape . . .

She also knew that Stine had a history of violence when she lied and told him that 37-year-old Wesley Lord — who was also Stine’s cousin — raped her at a the Extended Stay Hotel in Fairbanks.

Based on that belief, Stine came into the motel room through a window and began punching and beating Lord . . . Vasquez reportedly held her hand over Lord’s mouth while he was being assaulted. (Read more about the false rape accusation HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Two Arrested for Selling Meth in Nome (KNOM)

/0 Comments/in , /by
Photo Credit: AST

Editor’s Note: Our apologies, but KNOM (a Nome, Alaska “Catholic radio station”) has objected to our Fair Use re-posting of several paragraphs from this story. Importantly, Restoring Liberty sends tens of thousands of visitors every month to websites from which we aggregate excerpts. This drives viewers and revenue to the original publishers. Nevertheless, in line with our publishing standards, we respect the originating source’s request, although not required to do so under widely-accepted standards of Fair Use.

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Sarah Palin Fires Back at PETA Over Dog Picture

/3 Comments/in , /by

Sarah Palin fired another shot in her unlikely war of words with the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) on Monday, accusing it of hypocrisy and asserting that liberals feel no compunction about attacking even special-needs children and puppy trainers.

Palin and Peta are at odds over a photo posted on the former Alaska governor’s Facebook page, which shows her six-year-old son, Trig, who has Down’s syndrome, stepping on the back of the family’s service dog, Jill Hadassah, to reach the kitchen counter.

“Kiss my okole” was Palin’s Hawaiian-tinged response to criticism from Peta and angry online onlookers. She alerted readers to what she sees as the true obsession of such critics: “They’re attacking me because, well, I’m me.”

“Where have [Peta] been all these years?” Palin asked in a statement to NBC News, before suggesting the activists were hypocrites for having praised public figures previously accused of malfeasance toward animals.

First, Palin repeated a charge about Peta’s 2009 Woman of the Year, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, over a photo of a toddler standing on a dog that appeared last year on the Facebook page for her TV show and about which Palin said Peta had not passed comment. (Read more about Sarah Palin hammering her critics HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Three Men Free Moose Trapped in Avalanche

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox News There’s an extra moose alive in southcentral Alaska thanks to three snowmobilers who freed it from an avalanche.

Marty Mobley, Rob Uphus and Avery Vucinich, residents of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, on Sunday went riding on the west side of Hatcher Pass about 55 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska Dispatch News reported. With Alaska’s unseasonably warm weather, they were wary of avalanches, Mobley said.

They came upon a hillside that had both moose tracks and ski tracks. The latter stood out because they don’t see many skiers in the area.

Mobley spotted something brown moving in the hard-packed snow of the debris field.

“It looked like a guy’s arm at first because we were expecting to see a skier,” Mobley said. “But it was moaning and groaning and moving and we realized it was a moose, even though only his ears and some of its snout was sticking out of the snow.” (Read more about the moose trapped in the avalanche HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning Tracks Down Army Wife in Alaska to Thank Her Combat Vet Husband

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: Conservative PressKristen Patterson was surprised when an Alaska State Trooper called her. She was just as surprised when he asked her if she has written a letter to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Then when the trooper told her Peyton Manning had been trying to get in contact with her for three months, Kristen was in absolute shock.

In September, Kristen had sent a letter to Manning explaining that her husband, Army Sgt. Ryan Patterson, was a huge fan. When Ryan was stationed in Afghanistan, he would set his alarm to go off in the middle of the night so he could listen to Manning’s games. After Manning was cut by the Colts and signed by the Broncos, Ryan requested a transfer to Denver so he could watch him play. Instead, Ryan and Kristen ended up in Alaska.

The letter explained that Ryan would be visiting family in the Cincinnati area in December while the Broncos would be in town to play the Bengals. Kristen asked if there was any way she could surprise her husband and possibly set up a meeting.

Kristen had great intentions for her husband; however, there was one major problem with Kristen’s letter; she forgot to include her contact information. . .

Not only had Peyton received and read the letter, he was determined to find Kristen. He asked his public relations team for help and finally tracked the Pattersons to a utility comany in North Pole, Alaska and the team contacted the state trooper’s office. (Read how Peyton Manning tracks down wife of army Sgt. Patterson HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Not a Day Below Zero in Anchorage this Year

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Mark Newman Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

Photo Credit: Mark Newman Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

The coldest it has been on this day in Anchorage, Alaska, since 1954 is 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The coldest it has been on New Year’s Eve in that same time period is even colder: -25. But this year, the lows are expected to be 33 and 27 degrees respectively — meaning that 2014 will be the first year on record that the temperature didn’t drop below zero.

As Alaska Dispatch News notes, the last time the temperature was below zero (again: in Fahrenheit) was Dec. 26, 2013. That was the tail end of a cold snap, of the kind not uncommon in winter — particularly in Alaska. But ever since, temperatures have been above zero according to readings taken at the airport, with low temperatures reaching zero only once, on February 11.

Complete annual records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration begin on Jan. 1, 1954. Since then, the number of days Anchorage went below zero each year has dropped from an average of 33.2 in the 1960s to 16 in the 2000s. The year with the second-fewest below-zero days was 2002. (Read more on how there wasn’t one day below zero in Anchorage, Alaska HERE)

________________________________________________________
Temps plunge U.S. into deep freeze, with snow for Las Vegas

By Mark Guarino. As colder-than-average temperatures locked large swaths of the United States into a deep freeze Tuesday, snow was likely in an unlikely place – Las Vegas. . .

The NWS said Las Vegas temperatures fell below freezing Monday and would continue through Thursday at an average low of 30 degrees. Up to 3 inches of snow was expected by Tuesday night.

“Many tourists who come to Las Vegas may be unprepared for the true winter-like conditions this storm could bring with it,” the NWS said in a statement. “Travel conditions could be difficult, if not impossible, on area roads.”

Las Vegas does not have snowplows but the Nevada Department of Transportation said it has six snowplows at the ready if the snow poses a significant threat to roads. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting about 340,000 visitors for New Year’s Eve celebrations, it said. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Little Alaskan Girl Loses Her Legs in Christmas Day Accident

/1 Comment/in , /by

AngelicaAs confirmed by local news reports, an eleven-year-old girl named Angelica Haakenson was severely injured in a horrible Kenai, Alaska car accident on Christmas Day. The aunt of the little Alaskan girl relates the tragic story:

My niece, Angelica, was in a car accident on Christmas Day. She was pinned between two cars after their car broke down in Happy Valley. She was severely injured and has multiple broken vertebrae and both of her legs had to be amputated above the knee.

Angelica’s aunt has set up a crowd funding appeal to help with the inevitable medical costs associated with this horrible accident. She states, “Donations of any amount will be greatly appreciated to help with all the costs they will have for her injuries and recovery.”Angelica2

Please donate what you can HERE. May God bless and keep you safe in the coming New Year.