The Trump administration on Friday affirmed a controversial federal Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale held at the end of 2022, asserting that impacts to endangered beluga whales and other resources were adequately considered and no changes in the leasing plan are needed. In a Federal Register notice scheduled to be published on Monday, […]
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Cook Inletkeeper launches petition against federal government
The Homer-based nonprofit organization Cook Inletkeeper has launched a petition calling for transparency in response to the Department of the Interior’s draft proposal for multiple offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet. The 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program’s five year plan proposes five new oil and gas […]
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Trump administration proposes offshore leasing in almost all Alaska waters
The Trump administration last Thursday, Nov. 20, released a plan for offshore oil and gas leasing that would open up almost all Alaska marine waters to development, along with the entire Pacific coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The Alaska portion of the plan proposes 21 lease sales through 2031, five of them in Cook […]
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Opinion: Governor’s early Christmas spirit is misplaced
“I told the president, it’s like Christmas every morning,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at last week’s staged event in Washington, D.C., where the Department of Interior secretary signed off on federal approvals to expand oil drilling, mining and road building in Alaska. “I wake up, I go to look at what’s under the proverbial Christmas […]
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Judge Blocks Trump From Using Shutdown to Fire Anyone He Wants
It seemed that Ellis tried to give the Border Patrol chief the benefit of the doubt when discussing the multiple blatant violations of her order, claiming that the order was either unclear, not read, or read and ignored. “Given the fact that you and I took essentially the same oath, I know Option 3 is […]
Read MoreOpinion: A place government doesn’t need to stick its nose
I’ve spent much of my career advocating on behalf of Alaska’s small and independent business owners at all levels of government. While this sometimes meant championing specific policy proposals to help Alaskan businesses and their employees, I found that, frequently, the best thing government can do is step out of the way. Unfortunately, there is […]
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Trump administration approves disaster declaration for Western Alaska storm
President Donald Trump granted the State of Alaska’s request for a federal disaster declaration on Wednesday, unlocking federal disaster aid to support the ongoing relief and recovery effort in the aftermath of ex-Typhoon Halong throughout Western Alaska. Gov. Mike Dunleavy formally submitted the request on Oct. 16, and applauded the announcement on social media on […]
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Murkowski says she is trying to restore some resilience funding for Alaska villages
Five months after the Trump administration canceled a series of environmental grants for Alaska, including an erosion-control grant that was to have gone to one of the villages hardest hit by ex-Typhoon Halong, the fight over the money continues. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in her speech Saturday to the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention, […]
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More than 66,000 Alaskans will lose food stamps within weeks if government shutdown continues
If the federal government shutdown continues, more than 66,000 Alaskans will lose federal food aid within weeks, the state of Alaska is warning. On Monday, the Division of Public Assistance within the Alaska Department of Health said that the federal government “has directed states to stop the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits […]
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700 in Homer join nationwide ‘No Kings’ protest
The sun shone bright in a clear blue sky over more than 700 Kenai Peninsula residents gathered Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Sterling Highway and Lake Street in Homer for the second “No Kings” protest to occur this year. Homer’s protest, organized by Homer Women of Action, coincided with demonstrations that took place in […]
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Judge Blocks Trump From Firing Federal Workers During Shutdown
So, how many members of the Venezuelan gang did they catch in the controversial September raid? DHS says that, of the 37 individuals arrested that night, agents got ahold of “just one ‘verified’ Tren de Aragua member,” MSNBC reported this week. It was previously reported that two of the 37 arrested were members of TdA, […]
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Opinion: We never had a shutdown when I was growing up
My brothers and sister and I often had meltdowns, putdowns and lowdown name-calling while fighting at home, in the car, in public — most anywhere one of us could annoy the others. We disrupted life for our parents but we never had a shutdown of home life. Dinner was served. We went to school on […]
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The New York Times Wins Right to Obtain Info Musk Wanted Kept Private
“There’s two people on the floor, or, you know, whatever, there’s—but normally, it’s done in front of the full House, so that new member in a special election gets a, I think, in some ways, a kind of a neat experience, where they get to talk to the House, their first day, getting sworn in,” […]
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Trump Plans to Stiff Furloughed Workers to Pressure Dems on Shutdown
“The government is shutdown, but the House refuses to go back in session. Why are we in recess? Because the day we go back into session, I have 218 votes for the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” Massie wrote on X Sunday afternoon, adding that Johnson “doesn’t want that […]
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Trump Plans to Stiff Federal Workers Furloughed During Shutdown
“The government is shutdown, but the House refuses to go back in session. Why are we in recess? Because the day we go back into session, I have 218 votes for the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” Massie wrote on X Sunday afternoon, adding that Johnson “doesn’t want that […]
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There Was a Plan to Save These New Deal Masterpieces. Then Trump Won.
The problem was arithmetic. Most federal buildings (the Pentagon is an exception) are owned not by the agency situated there but by GSA, which requires the agency to pay rent. As in the private rental market, the quality with which a given federal building is maintained depends on the amount of rent the tenant pays, […]
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Blatant Propaganda: Agencies Across Federal Government Blame The ‘Radical Left’ For The Government Shutdown
Source: Screenshot from Threads / Screenshot from Threads Here’s a question: What’s the best way to tell that a person — let’s say, a child — is lying? There are a few ways, actually? They fidget. They look everywhere but in the eyes of the person they’re lying to. Their stories change the more they […]
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Opinion: Not knowing is the meal ticket to happiness
I’ve been thinking, maybe I am wrong — about a lot of things. I’ve certainly been wrong about many things in life, so perhaps I should broaden my outlook and accept that I don’t have to be so well informed about everything. Maybe knowing less would lead to a happier life. Maybe many people, myself […]
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White House Pulls 180 on Hundreds of Workers Fired by DOGE
But the unprecedented reception did not inspire the Kremlin to budge on its peace terms. The superpower has instead insisted on receiving “international legal recognition” of its 2014 annexation of Crimea, an internationally recognized portion of Ukraine, along with four regions it has claimed in the three years since it first invaded Ukraine. “When the […]
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Trump Pulls From Dictator Playbook and Hangs Giant Banner of His Face
“I think I’m going to be filing a lawsuit pretty soon and I think we’re going to be very successful in it. We’re going to be filing it through the Department of Justice, that’s going to happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office. Trump also condemned the use of blue slips in the Senate, which […]
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Opinion: Our country requires leadership
Dear Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich, I write to you today as a deeply concerned citizen and constituent regarding the regressive and economically destructive policies being promoted and reinstated by the Trump Administration across trade, immigration, health care, international aid and education. These policies not only threaten the foundational strengths […]
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Peninsula radio reacts to loss of federal funding
KBBI AM 890 and KDLL 91.9 FM join public radio stations nationwide who are impacted by Congress’s rescission of $1.1 billion in federal funding that was previously approved for the next two fiscal years for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. For the two peninsula stations, the rescission means the loss of 40% of each of […]
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Opinion: Big beautiful wins for Alaska in the Big Beautiful Bill
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is one of the most transformative pieces of legislation for Alaska in decades. This comprehensive package is the product of years of relentless, focused work, delivering historic wins for our state. The legislation contains numerous provisions to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource economy, deliver tax relief for hard-working Alaskans and […]
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Trump’s First Layoffs After Massive Supreme Court Victory Are Here
With the stroke of a pen, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed off on legislation repealing the paid sick leave provision of a ballot measure that roughly 58 percent of Missourian voters approved in November. The now-struck provision, which went into effect in May but will cease at the end of August, required employers to give […]
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KBJ Rips “Senseless” Supreme Court Decision on Trump’s Mass Firings
The world’s richest man is not happy with how the Trump administration is handling the Epstein files. Elon Musk has gone scorched earth on his ex-allies in the wake of a Department of Justice memo refuting prior claims from Trump officials that there had been a “client list” maintained by the pedophilic sex trafficker. Last […]
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EPA Punishes Employees Who Sent Zeldin “Declaration of Dissent”
Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is on its way to his desk thanks to a 218-214 vote in the House. MAGA representatives, however, could hardly wait after the vote was over to reveal that some of their biggest advertising points on the bill to working-class America were actually complete duds. Speaking with Fox News, New […]
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E-rate ruling continues internet subsidy at Homer library
A recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund means that internet access will continue to be federally supported at the Homer Public Library. The Universal Service Fund, according to a June 27 press release by the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, is a “decades-old” telecommunication fund […]
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Proposed funding cuts threaten research reserve
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is the latest local organization on the chopping block due to proposed funding cuts coming from the federal government. A pre-decisional memo from the Trump administration — specifically the Office of Management and Budget — outlines a series of drastic cuts in federal funding to the National Oceanic […]
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Elena Kagan Torches Supreme Court for Undermining Government
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the Pentagon to tone any commemoration of Juneteenth way, way down, in keeping with his anti-diversity crusade. Hegseth’s office requested the Department of Defense take “a passive approach to Juneteenth messaging,” according to an email obtained by Rolling Stone. The Pentagon’s office of the chief of public affairs also said […]
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Elena Kagan Drags Supreme Court for Ruling That Undercuts Government
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the Pentagon to tone any commemoration of Juneteenth way, way down, in keeping with his anti-diversity crusade. Hegseth’s office requested the Department of Defense take “a passive approach to Juneteenth messaging,” according to an email obtained by Rolling Stone. The Pentagon’s office of the chief of public affairs also said […]
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Trump’s Vision of Government: Members Only
With Trump’s criminal syndicate running the show, the out-groups are various: liberals, Black people, single women, strong women, the LGBTQ+ community, undocumented immigrants, most other immigrant groups, environmentalists, and anyone who doesn’t drink at the Fountain of Trump. The president has no intention whatsoever of representing these people, even if they make up relatively half […]
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