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Current Topics
Safety
Moment: Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements, Laws and Regulations. NCSL
Carbon monoxide, or CO,
poisoning is the second most common cause of non-medicinal poisoning
death. According to the CDC, over 100,000 people seek emergency treatment
for accidental CO poisoning each year, and more than 400 people in
the U.S. die from it. Carbon monoxide is found in fumes produced by
furnaces, kerosene heaters, vehicles running in garages, stoves,
lanterns, gas ranges, portable generators, larger boats or by burning
charcoal and wood. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or
partially enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces are
vulnerable to illness and even death from elevated exposure.
(My Comment: We are closing
in buildings as temperatures drop. Make sure your CO detector is in
place and functional.)
$50
million state investment from DBR in illiquid long-term asset sets
off alarm bells. Reporting from Alaska
Presiding
Officers issue statement on $50 million commitment from the
Constitutional Budget Reserve. Alaska Senate Majority
Alaska
lawmakers question use of state savings for $50 million private
equity investment. Alaska Public Media
Top state lawmakers say
they’re investigating why $50 million from the state’s primary
savings account was invested in an outside private equity fund.
(My Comment: There are
serious questions about this action taken by the departing Revenue
Commissioner.)
Things That I Found Interesting
Opinion:
Local journalism is too important to give up on, and the First
Amendment is too important to surrender. ADN
We must defend the freedom of
our press.
Tree
tappers, chefs and food scientists say there's more to Alaska's birch
syrup than just sweetness. Alaska Public Media
Tree tappers, chefs and
scientists got together in Fairbanks on Sept. 28 to work on a flavor
wheel for birch syrup. Under Johnson's instruction, they found out
that there's more to the sticky liquid than just its sweetness.
Attendees identified notes like buckwheat, dark chocolate, orange
peels — cheese, even.
Arctic Issues
Trump
approves Ambler mining road to boost Alaska copper, zinc production. ADN
Trump
OKs road for Ambler Mining District, to make Alaska 'bigger and more
powerful'. Alaska Public Media
Trump
approves appeal for Ambler Road project, reversing Biden
administration's rejection. Alaska Beacon
President Donald Trump on
Monday ordered approval of a proposed 211-mile road through
wilderness to the Ambler mining district in Northwest Alaska, to
support mining of copper, cobalt, gold and other minerals.
With
twin threats from Russia and China, U.S. military puts new focus on
Alaska. Northern Journal
In the past, large-scale
exercises “occurred in Alaska,” one general says. “Now, this is
high-end training that is occurring — that is about Alaska, from
Alaska.”
Energy
States
link arms to speed up nuclear projects. Axios
Eleven states seeking to
make nuclear a bigger part of their energy mix are asking for
advice on how to speed advanced nuclear development within their
borders. Many states — including some that once
resisted nuclear
— are now embracing the power source, driven in part by the Trump
administration's enthusiastic
backing of it.
(My comment: Alaska is not
in the list of 11 states. We need to be. Legislators get it. Our
administration sadly is not engaged.)
Hot
reads: Data centers, pollution markets, hydro, nukes. Axios
Largest
data centers in the US: the top 10 questions on data centers
answered. Wood Mackenzie
(My comment: Data Center
answers is a great summary! Talk of data centers in Alaska has to
answer these issues, mainly large scale, lower cost, reliable
electric energy. Our people need that too!)
Hybrid
solar-diesel power is less expensive than diesel alone in parts of
rural Alaska, study shows. Alaska Beacon
A new
study published by the Belfer Center of the Harvard
Kennedy School has concluded that solar power plants are now
cost-competitive with diesel for many rural Alaska communities, even
if solar is only usable during part of the year.
Economy
Four
graphics that chart the purchasing power of your PFD over the
decades. Alaska Public Media
While the PFD was a similar
amount for these three years, its purchasing power has declined
significantly across housing, fuel and as a share of household
income. That's due in part to rising costs, and also the fact
Alaskans today bring in much more income from other sources than they
did in 1982.
Wall
Street thinks best it yet to come for the economy. Axios
Small businesses are the
largest U.S. employer and are often the first to pull back when
borrowing costs rise. They rely heavily on regional banks and
floating-rate loans, which makes them especially sensitive to policy
moves at the short end of the curve.
(My comment: We need to see
this recovery in Alaska. Can we recover, increase employment
opportunities and the people to fill them, provide the government
foundational services to support small businesses?)
Education
Anchorage
School District proposes closing Fire Lake and Lake Otis elementary
schools. Alaska Public Media
Anchorage
district recommends
closing 2 more elementary schools. ADN
Anchorage School District
officials are proposing to close two elementary schools to address
declining enrollment and make room for district charter school
programs. If approved by the school board, Fire Lake Elementary
School in Eagle River and Lake Otis Elementary School in Midtown
Anchorage would both close at the end of the school year.
(My comment: I appreciate
that, when ASD closes a school, a charter school is commonly
relocated into the ASD facility. Charter Schools are public schools,
part of ASD.)
DEED
asks state education board to delay strict limits on local government
funding for districts. Juneau Independent
Alaska
education officials ask for another delay on proposed change to
funding regulations. ADN
Postponing a proposal to
sharply limit funds municipalities can give school districts is being
recommended by the Dunleavy administration to the state’s education
board, which is
scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday.
Politics
1
big thing: Trump's visa bombshell. Axios
H-1B visas play a crucial
role in driving high-skilled workers to the U.S., fostering economic
growth and innovation. The administration's actions could imperil
that system
(My comment: Alaska depends
on teachers from the Philippines. I attended a nuclear energy
conference which included graduate students, nearly all of which were
from other countries, educating at our universities. The new visa
laws isolate the US from the knowledge of the rest of the world.)
Scoop:
White House back-pay warning. Axios
At issue is the
''Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019" that Trump
signed during the last government shutdown, which lasted a record 35
days. Called GEFTA, the law has been widely
interpreted as ensuring that furloughed workers
automatically would be compensated after future shutdowns.
(My comment: So much of
current actions in DC remind me of the book, "1984" (George
Orwell, written in 1949). Frightening similarities of events in the
book to what is happening now.)
Sen.
Murkowski discusses the government shutdown. Talk of Alaska
(PODCAST) President Trump
is pushing against constitutional limits to his authority. He is
federalizing National Guard troops and deploying them in Democrat-led
cities to quell what he says are "war ravaged" communities.
The President also continues to deport thousands of noncitizens and
threatens to fire federal workers rather than just furlough them
during the shutdown.
Bondi
dodges questions as she clashes with Democrats over claims she's
weaponized Justice Department. ADN
Attorney General Pam Bondi
repeatedly deflected questions as she sought during a combative
congressional hearing on Tuesday to defend herself against growing
criticism that she’s turning the law enforcement agency into a weapon
to seek vengeance against President Donald Trump’s political
opponents.
Government
shutdown creates uncertainty for fisheries management in waters off
Alaska. Alaska Beacon
But during the shutdown, most
National Marine Fisheries Service employees, including the scientists
who analyze survey data to assess the conditions of commercially
targeted fish stocks, are furloughed. On Wednesday, the last day of
the council’s October meeting, the members considered how to deal
with scientific uncertainty if the government shutdown prevents
completion of the detailed analysis that is usually provided in time
for the December meeting.
Senate
Republicans vote down legislation to check Trump's use of war powers
against cartels. ADN
Senate Republicans voted down
legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald
Trump’s ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels
after Democrats tried to counter the administration’s extraordinary
assertion of presidential war powers to destroy vessels in the
Caribbean.
Supreme
Court grapples with lawsuit challenging mail-in ballot rules. ADN
The Supreme Court on
Wednesday grappled with whether to allow an Illinois congressman and
others to go forward with a lawsuit challenging the state’s policy of
counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day.
(My comment: Banning the
counting of mail in ballots after Election Day would disenfranchise
Alaskans!)
Full
PFD candidates need not apply. Alaska Landmine
Any candidate for governor,
House, or Senate that says they will provide a full Permanent Fund
Dividend (PFD) are not serious candidates and need not apply.
Health Care
Young
adult suicide warning. Axios
The suicide rate for
U.S. adults aged 18-27 increased nearly 20% between 2014 and
2024, according
to a new analysis of CDC data.
(My comment: In Alaska,
people age 14-22 have highest risk of death from suicide. We have to
change that by allowing young people to have access to therapeutic
counseling, by licensed mental health professionals, at age 16,
without requiring parental consent. Yes, I know the 'parents rights'
groups object, but right now kids are turning to AI for friendship
and mental health counseling. There's no parental consent for that,
and the machine is not accountable! Some parents are in the position
of trying to sue AI companies when their computer
"therapist" facilitates the teen's suicide! We have to get
serious about this.)
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