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Current Topics
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ends Alaska visit with emphasis on ferries. Alaska Beacon
“It is salvaging what was the certain demise of the ferry system and allowing a modern version to emerge that can serve us in the future,” said Robert Venables, director of Southeast Conference, the regional economic development organization for Southeast Alaska.
Turning away from alcohol. Axios
Marijuana use and vaping reached historic highs among younger adults, ages 19-30.
U.S. DOT labels many Alaska barge routes as federal 'marine highways'. Alaska Beacon
The U.S. Department of Transportation has labeled many of the state’s seasonal barge routes as federal “marine highways,” an act that could increase the odds that regional ports receive federal funding.
'The internet is no longer a luxury': $667M from USDA for rural broadband. Alaska Beacon
Nearly $100 million will go toward grants for three projects in Alaska, which is receiving more than any other state in this round of funding.
In just a few short months, satellite internet has reshaped web access in rural Alaska. ADN
Starlink terminals are delivering new technology that in just a few months has started radically transforming internet connectivity in some of the most remote parts of the state.
Research team identifies polar bears using DNA found in paw prints. Phys.org
Researchers at the University of Idaho have found a unique, non-invasive way to identify polar bears in the Arctic by scraping DNA from a bear's paw print.
USS Ted Stevens sponsors proud to continue family legacy of service. Alaska's News Source
The oval-shaped badge of the USS Ted Stevens — the shape of all Navy destroyer badges — is emblazoned with the name of the vessel and its hull number surrounding a shield against a field of pale blue. The shield is divided into two sections of crimson and navy blue by a white outline of three peaks, with two quills and an ink jar — both elements of the seal of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate — above the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the service awards given to Stevens for service in World War II. A banner bearing the ship’s motto “Lead With Courage” stretches around the shield, with a Navy sword and cutlass crossed behind it.
The Risk Defined: Port of Alaska inside tsunami inundation zone, new study says. Alaska's News Source
Scientists have confirmed a tsunami could put some areas of Anchorage underwater — if a large earthquake happens in the right place at the right time.
Volunteers at this Anchorage repair shop won't fix your bike for you, but they will show you how. Alaska Public Media
Off the Chain is a nonprofit bicycle collective that’s entirely volunteer run. The volunteers staff the shop in the evenings, four days a week. They sell spare parts and refurbished bikes, but their main goal is to teach you how to fix your bike yourself. Smith said that some people are surprised by this model at first, but it’s one of the biggest draws of the bike collective.
(My comment: There are so many good things happening by volunteers in our community. I’m grateful to Alaska Public Media for reporting the Good News!)
Fisheries
When it comes to resource prices, Alaskans are just along for the ride. ADN
Oil and water don’t mix. I learned that in high school. And I learned it again when water froze in a heating-fuel line.
Biden administration proposes $106 million for Western salmon and steelhead recovery. Alaska Beacon
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is recommending sending $106 million to 16 salmon and steelhead recovery efforts in five Western states, the federal agency said Thursday.
New quota system to start for trawl harvests of cod in Bering Sea and Aleutians. Alaska Beacon
Commercial fishermen netting Pacific cod from the Bering Sea and Aleutians region will be working under new individual limits starting next year designed to ease pressure on harvests that regulators concluded were too rushed, too dangerous and too prone to accidentally catch untargeted fish species.
Economy
Chart du jour: Ozempic around the world. Axios
At $936 for a one month's supply, the U.S. price is 5.5 times higher than Japan's and about 10 times more than in France, Australia and the U.K.
Manufacturing jobs boom. Axios
Roughly 200,000 to 250,000 new manufacturing jobs could be added in the U.S. over the next two years, according to a new estimate from Goldman Sachs. The increase, which amounts to about 2% of current manufacturing employment levels, is partly due to the incentives and investments for the semiconductor and green technology sectors included in the Biden administration's signature bills, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.
Alaska among states rejecting some federal money to replace dangerous lead water pipes. ADN
Alaska told the EPA it wanted just $6.8 million of the $28 million it was entitled to receive. Carrie Bohan, facilities program manager in the division of water at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said utilities’ demand for loans to inventory their systems for lead pipes is “very, very small.” But over five years, there will be plenty of federal funds available to find the small number of lead pipes in Alaska and replace them. Money that’s not used will be redistributed to other states that need it. “I think it’s a potential disservice to other states if we were to apply for the full amount knowing that we couldn’t make use of it,” Bohan said.
It's August. A VIP is here to tell you where your federal infrastructure dollars are going. Alaska Public Media
The broadband money is divided, almost equally, among three fiber-optic projects. One $35 million project is for Hoonah. “This network will benefit 28 people, eight businesses and one educational facility,” a government fact sheet about the grant says. That may seem like it comes to about a million dollars per person.
Infrastructure law, supported by Alaska delegation, in turn brings big payout to the state. Alaska Beacon
Beaudreau, at the news conference, spoke of how the infrastructure bill has helped address climate change in Alaska. He cited two grants for relocation work in the eroding Yup’ik villages of Newtok and Napakiak as examples. Many Alaska Native communities “are on the front lines of changes that we see happening throughout the world,” he said. “Alaska is the point of the spear on, you know, erosion, permafrost melt, and extreme weather events that are impacting small towns and villages and communities.”
Fearing a financial 'house on fire,' Stedman warns against overdrawing the Permanent Fund to pay dividends. KCAW
Politics
Sometimes a Step Back Is the Best Way to Move Forward. NCSL
“Don’t deny the fact that you have the opportunity to be the best of your generation.”
AG Garland, Sen. Murkowski meet with Alaska Native leaders in Anchorage, Galena. Alaska's News Source
Garland announced millions of dollars in grants through the Justice Department’s Office of Victims of Crime to help fight crime in rural areas, with $22 million headed to 67 tribal communities in Alaska. He also spoke about the framework of a pilot program that helps tribes exercise jurisdiction and addressed the Department of Justice’s efforts to help solve the crises of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the state.
Dunleavy administration fails to pay some employees on time because 46% of state payroll jobs vacant. Dermot Cole- Reporting from Alaska
On Aug. 15, the state signed a renewable six-month $315,000 contract to outsource some payroll work with CGI Group, Inc., one of the largest business consulting companies in the world.
CGI will hire employees at a “center of excellence” in Troy, Alabama.
As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back. Stateline
Over the past decade, ranked choice voting has become increasingly popular. From conservative Utah to liberal New York City, 13 million American voters in 51 jurisdictions — including all of Alaska and Maine — now use the system, under which voters rank candidates based on preference, leading to an instant runoff in a crowded race.
Health Care
Thinking Beyond Neurons and Neighborhoods: New Science for Early Childhood Policy. NCSL
The landmark book "From Neurons to Neighborhoods" has significantly influenced early childhood policy since its release in 2000. But the science of early childhood development continues to evolve. Join Dr. Jack Shonkoff, a leader in this field, as he shares an expanded framework for connecting science to policy and practice.
Can Blue Shield of CA pull it off? Axios
PBMs face more scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission and Congress over their role in rising drug prices.
National health officials praise the benefits of traditional food. The Arctic Sounder
Food is Medicine
NIST Issues New Guidance for Emergency Response During Wildfires. NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a pair of reports that provide guidance for strengthening wildfire preparedness across the United States, including specific actions that communities can take to save lives when there is not enough time to safely evacuate all residents. NIST has also created a new website with guidance for making built structures and entire communities more fire resistant.
Thousands of Alaskans dropped from Medicaid after pandemic protections end. Alaska Beacon
In a letter, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the Department of Health it is not meeting federal requirements for processing new Medicaid applications on time and is underperforming in the process of determining whether people can stay in the program.
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