|
Education
Alaska Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in challenge to correspondence programs. ADN
Alaska has resisted a formal voucher program as such schools have grown in prevalence and popularity across the country. Vouchers are generally supported by religious voters — who can use public education funding to pay for religious education, even if the U.S. Constitution forbids overtly religious education in public schools. The practice was advertised and promoted by the wife of Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor in a 2022 article she penned, describing how she used correspondence program allotments to pay for her children’s education at a private Catholic school in Anchorage.
Public funds for religious charter school would be unconstitutional, Oklahoma high court says. AP News
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday stopped what would have been the first publicly funded religious charter school in the U.S., turning back conservatives and the state’s GOP governor who have welcomed religious groups into public education.
What you need to know about Alaska's contested homeschool allotments. Alaska Beacon
Supporters of the law say that parents should choose the education model that best fits the needs of their child, regardless of whether it is public or private. This parallels arguments in favor of “school choice,” which is policy or programs that allow families to use public dollars to access educational options beyond their local school.
Detractors say that allowing allotments to be spent on private and religious instruction, such as private school tuition, undermines the public school system by siphoning money elsewhere. Allotments in their current form have been called a shadow voucher program, an allusion to programs that give families taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools.
Stuff I Found Interesting
What you gut has in common with Arctic permafrost. Canada's National Observer
Every time you eat a blueberry, the microbiome in your gut gets to work. Bacterial enzymes attack the organic compounds of the fruit: a burbling, gurgling digestive process that can, often to our embarrassment, cause us to pass gas. That may not be such a big deal for a human, but new research shows that the microbial action in icy Arctic soils might not be so different. On a global scale, it could mean the planet belching up more dangerous greenhouse gases.
Economy
Sitka and Juneau residents propose hard caps in cruise ships as tourism grows. Alaska Beacon
With as many as 1.6 million cruise ship tourists expected to visit Southeast Alaska this year, a growing number of the region’s residents are seeking to put hard limits on the industry.
Millennials may have had it bad financially, but Gen Z may have it worse. ADN
Generation Z has been disproportionately pummeled by rising prices, higher housing costs, larger student loan balances and more overall debt than the millennials before them.
Quoted: Rystad Energy analyst Surya Hendry. Axios
"This growth is a race against time to expand power generation without overwhelming electricity systems to the point of stress."
(My comment: While this quote related to Lower 48, it also applies to Alaska. If we expect to grow and respond to energy demands of our climate, we have to pay attention to our electric grid. It needs upgrade, modernization, and management for the future. That’s what HB 307 is all about, a bill that I worked hard to craft for our future.)
Minerals
Red Dog's dwindling ore is forcing the entire region to consider its future. Alaska Public Media
The Red Dog Mine produces about 4% of the global zinc supply. The land is owned by the NANA Regional Corporation, while the mine itself is owned and operated by Canadian mining company, Teck Resources. Red Dog is often held up as a success story for how an international mining company can work with an Alaska Native corporation. And the economic impact would be enormous if the mine closes down. In 2023, about a thousand NANA shareholders were working for the mine, which equates to about $62 million in yearly wages to shareholder employees.
Fisheries
Nearly $12 million headed to Alaska in latest infusion of fishery-disaster aid. Alaska Beacon
The aid money is for disasters declared for the 2022 chum salmon failure on the Kuskokwim River and the 2021-2022 sockeye salmon failure that affected Upper Cook Inlet setnet fishers. Aid for the Kuskokwim River disaster totaled $331,920, while aid for the Upper Cook Inlet sockeye disaster totaled nearly $11.5 million, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a branch of the Commerce Department.
Politics
U.S. Supreme Court may consider Alaska's 'dark money' disclosure rules. Alaska Beacon
Under Alaska law, donors are required to disclose the “true source” of large contributions from politically oriented groups to local candidates. In other states, donors frequently obscure their political activity by giving to a politically oriented nonprofit, which then donates money to a candidate. These donations are frequently labeled “dark money.”
State judge upholds most fines against group seeking repeal of Alaska ranked chouse voting. Alaska Beacon
In a 54-page order, Judge Laura Hartz upheld almost all fines issued in January by the state’s campaign finance regulator and concluded that Alaska’s “true source” disclosure laws apply to ballot measures.
Judge upholds fines levied against ranked choice opponents for campaign finance violations. ADN
The Alaska Public Offices Commission, a campaign finance watchdog, fined several groups seeking to repeal the voting system by ballot measure a total of more than $94,000 earlier this year for failing to adhere to the state’s disclosure requirements.
Witnesses say petitions to repeal Alaska's election system were mishandled. Alaska Public Media
Witnesses spoke of seeing unattended petitions at Tudor and Big Valley bingo halls, Duane’s Antique Market in Anchorage and at a business in Soldotna. Witnesses also said they saw petition booklets at the state fair that did not appear to be in the possession of the circulator they were assigned to.
Childcare
Alaska foster families get another year of fully funded child care. Alaska Beacon
The state has long subsidized child care for foster families, but during the pandemic it used federal relief dollars to pay the entire cost of care. A spokesperson for the Department of Community Services said the state will dedicate $350,000 to the effort over the next fiscal year, which equates to full funding for about 530 families. Advocates say the change means that more families will be able to take care of the state’s most vulnerable children, which improves health outcomes and keeps siblings together.
Healthcare
Alaska's food stamp program rebound continues with more users, timely benefits. Alaska Beacon
After years of backlogged applications kept thousands of Alaskans from accessing food aid, the state’s health department appears to be maintaining the program’s recovery. State officials said they overcame the backlog in March. Deb Etheridge, director of the Division of Public Assistance, said the agency is processing roughly 90% of its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications on time, a major improvement over January, when it was processing only 10% of applications and 5% of recertifications on time.
Fairbanks lawmaker, domestic violence expert waiting for contraceptive bill to become law. Alaska's News Source
Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, sponsored a bill that passed both the state House and Senate with strong bipartisan support that would increase women’s access to birth control. Supporters of the bill say it is an important step in saving women’s lives who are victims of domestic violence, citing a study conducted in 2010 that showed 48% of all pregnancies in Alaska were unintended.
|
