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Current Topics
Albertsons lists 18 Alaska Carrs Safeway stores planned for divestiture in proposed merger with Kroger. Alaska's News Source
A list of planned stores that will be divested by the parent company of Carrs-Safeway includes 18 locations in Alaska. In a release on its company website, Albertsons Companies, Inc. listed a total of 579 store locations around the country — most of them in the Western United States — that are planned to be divested by the company as part of its merger with the Kroger Company. Kroger is the parent company of Fred Meyer.
(My Comment - This is a huge problem, Alaskans! Right now, Carrs-Safeway doesn’t sell Alaska Grown Produce! They prefer to sell Lower 48 or Mexico produce. Fred Meyer sells Mexico tomatoes at lower price than locally grown and fresher local tomatoes. Do we want food security and self sustainability?-Then we need to vote with our dollars and voice for Alaska grown produce!)
Alaska Air eliminates some milage redemption options, including for Ravn Alaska flights. ADN
Starting Aug. 1, the “Money & Miles” option is going away. This is an option where travelers can exchange 10,000-20,000 frequent flyer miles for a discount of $100-$200. The benefit is that travelers still can earn miles on the discounted ticket.
Boeing agrees to plead guilty and pay a nearly quarter-billion dollar fine. Alaska Public Media
The U.S. Justice Department says Boeing has accepted a deal to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from the crashes of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
Alaska Airlines flight attendants win tentative agreement to boost pay, avert strike. ADN
Alaska Airlines flight attendants say they’ve reached a tentative agreement with the airline for a new contract that would boost pay 32% and compensate flight attendants for boarding time before the plane takes off.
(My comment: Yay! This is great news for Alaska Air flight attendants. )
Major overhaul of Knik River Bridges set for 2025, as work to widen Glenn Highway corridor we underway. Alaska's News Source
Projects include widening the corridor between the interchange and Palmer from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway, as well as a last-minute fix to address erosion in Sutton.
Stuff I Found Interesting
Third Chinese polar icebreaker will carry deep-sea submersibles. Arctic Business Journal
Tang Gulashan, director of marine operations with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering says the new icebreaker will have both crewed and uncrewed deep-sea mini-submarines aimed for seafloor operations both in Arctic and Antarctic waters.
(My Comment: China exploring in Alaska’s backyard.)
Russia's new 'Combat Icebreaker' heads for sea trials. GC Captain
Russia continues to push forward with the rapid renewal and expansion of its icebreaker fleet. In addition to commissioning three new nuclear icebreakers in the last four years, with three more currently under construction, Russia’s first armed combat icebreaker, Ivan Papanin, is now headed for open water factory trials.
(My Comment: The U.S. has one, old icebreaking vessel.)
Economy
1 big thing: The 401(k) race gap. Axios
The Saver's Match, a federal retirement-savings incentive that is due to be introduced in 2027 as part of the Secure 2.0 Act, should help to narrow the gap, although it won't come close to closing it. Can't think of all the cost now.
(My Comment - The 401K program, as a “retirement plan”, is a failed plan.)
The biggest challenge in public finance may not be money. Governing
In 2023, researchers at MIT found that the long licensure requirements cause “a 26 percent drop in minority entrants,” effectively robbing the profession of a greater workforce pool.
Pay differences also serve as a roadblock. Public sector positions such as tax examiners and license clerks often pay below $50,000 — less than starting salaries for accountants in the private sector.
Workforce shortages and inflation are key challenges for Alaska's small businesses, new survey says. Alaska Beacon
According to the survey, 58% of businesses reported challenges in hiring new employees, and the largest hiring barrier was a lack of qualified applicants.
(My Comment: I’m hoping the career academy plan that ASD is instituting will prepare more of our young people for the workforce.)
1 big thing: Reality bites for Gen X retirement. Axios
Only 25% of Gen Xers have any kind of defined benefit pension, per the Social Security Administration, compared to 39% of "leading boomers" (born between 1946 and 1955) and 32% of "trailing boomers (born between 1956 and 1964). "When you get to a certain age, you become much more focused on retirement, and how many more years you can work, and how many more years you want to work," BlackRock retirement expert Anne Ackerley tells Axios. Gen X, it seems, is reaching that age right around now.
Meanwhile, in boomer land. Axios
Though their numbers recently decreased, the share of older adults in the labor market has been steadily increasing since the late 1980s. That's because of changes in Social Security benefits that pushed people to work for longer, as well as a move away from pension plans that also nudged people out of jobs earlier (and into a more financially secure retirement). Americans are also living longer, and those with more education don't necessarily need to stop working — their jobs are less physically taxing.
Fisheries
Dunleavy vetoes $10 million in funding for Alaska seafood marketing, for now. Alaska Beacon
The veto comes at a time when Alaska’s fishing industry is in crisis, facing low consumer demand and steep competition from Russia, which harvests many of the same species as Alaska. For example, in 2023, the price paid to sockeye-salmon fishers delivering their catches was half of the 2022 price, according to the report.
Copper River fishing kicks off salmon season marked by fewer buyers and more uncertainty. Alaska Public Media
The Copper River fishing season started on May 15, and marks the first salmon run of the year with the highest prices in the state, especially for kings. The Alaska commercial fishing season has been through an economic tailspin over the last year. Fishing crews grappled with historically low prices, and processors sold and closed down plants over the winter. The Prince William Sound fishery is one of the most productive in the state, but fishing crews are also feeling the pressure.
Education
Gov's $5.4M veto won't slow UAF's pursuit of top-tier research status this year, chancellor says. Alaska Beacon
A $5.4 million veto from Gov. Mike Dunleavy took a bite out of University of Alaska Fairbanks’ nearly $18 million boost in state money to increase its graduate student population in pursuit of top-tier research university status.
Alaska Pacific University to receive millions from NASA to study microplastics. Alaska Public Media
APU is set to receive roughly $5 million in grant funding from NASA to establish a microplastics research and education center. Part of that money will go towards getting a state-of-the-art Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. It’s basically a tool that can identify the plastics in samples so researchers like Barker won’t have to transfer slides between two different machines.
Politics
Capitol Hill eyes new moves against Chinese minerals. Axios
Both lawmakers told Axios that it's an opportunity to build bipartisan ideas — like Defense Production Act investments — to secure supply chains for batteries, energy and defense applications. Top of mind for Wittman is a permitting overhaul to help expand domestic mining and rare earth production. He also wants the Pentagon to stockpile key minerals, pointing to Chinese export controls on gallium, germanium and graphite — a crucial battery material.
(My Comment: Most minerals refined in the US and Alaska are sent to China for refining. They then become property of China, who either sets high price to purchase or bans the export to the US. We need to refine our own raw materials.)
Trial concludes in challenge to Alaska ranked choice voting repeal petition. ADN
A trial concluded Wednesday in a case that could determine whether Alaskans get to vote later this year on keeping the state’s ranked choice voting and nonpartisan primary system.
Bipartisan nuclear package heads to Biden's desk. E&E News
The Senate passed bipartisan nuclear energy legislation Tuesday, sending a major energy bill to the president’s desk for the first time this Congress. The “Fire Grants and Safety Act,” S. 870, which contains the text of the nuclear bill known as the “ADVANCE Act,” breezed through the Senate on a 88-2 vote. Passage of the “Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act” capped off more than a year of outreach and negotiations among some of Congress’ biggest nuclear energy supporters and marked a rare show of bipartisanship on major energy legislation.
How Chevron's fall could remake the energy sector. E&E News
The Supreme Court’s decision Friday to give judges more authority over federal agencies creates new hurdles for the Biden administration as it seeks to promote low-carbon energy and address climate change. Forty years after the justices first decided Chevron v. NRDC, the high court opted to upend legal doctrine directing courts to defer to agencies’ interpretations of ambiguous laws, as long as the decisions were “reasonable.” Now, courts could have more say in interpreting rules on everything from EPA’s latest effort to curb power plant emissions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s orders on transmission lines.
Healthcare
A better plan for Alaska food security. ADN
We are proud to sponsor the BBCE legislation and see the governor’s supportive signature on HB 344. We look forward to timely food security for Alaskans and their families, efficient operations by the Department of Health and opportunity for Alaskans to return to self-sufficiency.
Johns Hopkins med school will be free for most after $1 billion donation. Axios
Starting this fall, most students at Johns Hopkins' medical school will attend tuition-free thanks to a $1 billion donation from billionaire Mike Bloomberg.
How acupuncture could ease methadone treatment. Axios
Eight weeks of acupuncture was shown to reduce the amount of methadone needed to control opioid cravings, which could make patients likelier to stick with their treatment. Methadone is one of the most effective medications for curbing opioid addiction, but uncomfortable side effects can cause people to stop treatment.
Alaska Regional takes 3rd shot at South Anchorage standalone ER. Alaska's News Source
The proposed location at 11841 Old Seward Highway will provide emergency services to a part of the community that Alaska Regional Vice President of Operations Hank Grinold said is currently lacking easy access to emergency care from board-certified physicians.
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