The People's Paper August 2021

Time to Prepare

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Alaska Home Companion Auditions

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Ursa and the Moon by Douglas Girard

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Contributed by Adam Rein Houston, Alaska is celebrating its 55th birthday on August 21st at 6:30 p.m10:30 pm. Entertainment for this special 2021 Founders Day celebration couldn’t happen without so many wonderful sponsors.

Come and enjoy Rockabilly Blues and good ole’ fashioned Rock-n-Roll! Live music will be provided by the Wild Cat Trio!

While jammin’ to the beat of the music,

jump in line for our free BBQ hot dogs, chips, and drinks.

Three all-time favorite events will be back and better than ever this year: The Blueberry Pie Eating Contest ($100 prize); the Egg Toss ($100 prize), and the Cake Walk!

group out of Anchorage with daring stunts and amazing choreography; Medieval Knights Combat – sword, armor, combat; Alaska’s Wildest Magic – street magic performance; 2019 National Championship Women Cloggers – upbeat and fast feet, champions of their craft from the Valley.

This year we are doing a Neon Cake Walk with a chance to win light up apparel. All participants will get a cupcake and a “glow swag” to help light up the party! You will also see performances by Ariel View – acrobatics

Kids games and family fun are in abundance at Houston Founders Day! We have a Petting Zoo, amazing balloon artists, kids field games, Turkey Shoot, and a 60-foot-long bouncy house obstacle course.

What is Houston, Alaska best known for?

Fireworks!

Around 10:30 p.m. Gorilla Fireworks will dazzle us with a fireworks display.

Those who have seen it in the past know it is not to be missed!

Houston Founders Day 55th birthday celebration starting at 6:00 pm Saturday, August 21st at Mile 57 Parks Highway, Houston, Alaska - “Where the Real Alaska Begins”.

COMMUNITY

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

able to speak through my emotions.

Contributed by Vicky Randolph No matter if the event is a wedding or a wake, a graduation or a goodbye, a birthday or a baptism, our emotions often get the best of us at a time when we truly want to say something heartfelt and meaningful.

If you’re like me, meaningful events provoke your emotions to well up and your throat tightens to the point where it’s difficult to speak, let alone to say what you truly want to say.

My mother was diagnosed a few years ago with a progressive disease that would eventually cause her death. Mom was well known and very well respected for her lifetime of community service and volunteerism. Everyone loved her big bear hugs. As I contemplated the time I had remaining with her, I wanted to celebrate her life and to pay tribute to her while she was alive. Her 80th birthday was 2 years away.

I began to plan a big party to celebrate her life. The guest list had over 100 people on it, and the list was growing. As the party plans solidified my confidence waned… I seriously doubted my ability to Emcee the party because I knew from past experience that I would not be

Contributed by Teresa de Lima Of all the places I’ve ever lived, Palmer is the best! Mostly, I’ve lived in Alaska, but also the Dutch West Indies and Florida. Palmer is the one that speaks to my soul.

Born in Fairbanks, I spent many years there but actually grew up in the village of Manley Hot Springs. Went through a hurricane or two living in the tropical climate of Florida and the Dutch West Indies. I love Fairbanks. I love Manley Hot Springs.

I absolutely loved living on a boat in the Dutch and French Island of St. Maarten. I had a great time in the Gulf of Mexico’s Florida. But... I adore Palmer!

I live in Palmer proper and it is so

Sharon Blades: Weaving Dreams

Instead of cancelling the party or asking someone else to emcee, I joined Toastmasters. A friend who belonged to Toastmasters told me the Toastmasters program would help me.

I’m pleased to say that because of the Toastmasters program and a wonderful group of fellow Toastmasters, I have learned how to speak through emotion.

The reality test was somewhat as planned, but then again--not.

About 120 people were gathered together in an event hall, with a slide show of hundreds of photos covering my mother’s life playing on one wall delicious catered food, a guest book, good background music and lots of hugs and tears. The only person missing was my mother.

Our tears were of sadness, because the gathering wasn’t her 80th birthday party as intended, but her memorial service. My mother died a few months prior to her 80th birthday.

All those people that were on the party guest list were sitting there in front of me, hoping to be lead into a time of sharing, laughter, memories.

We were all feeling the sadness, grief and deep loss of our dear friend, mentor, relative, sister, aunt, mother, grandmother.

Thanks to Toastmasters, I did not freeze when the microphone was handed to me, nor was I overcome by the intense emotions I was feeling. Instead, I was able to speak with a strong voice, even though there were tears in my eyes.

We were able to laugh with each other about my mother’s great sense of humor, to enjoy each other’s memories and stories while remembering my mother’s positive impact on our lives.

Do you fear an upcoming event where your emotion might lead you into the room? Toastmasters can help.

amazing. At the ready within footsteps, I’ve delicious dining, entertainment, convenient shopping and daily business dealings along with amazing views of the natural world and an incredible climate. The mountain range is marvelous, the early morning cacophony of birds ...energizing, the sounds of a busy little suburb in the middle of Alaska, so interesting!

From the lady at the intersection of mainstreet Palmer proclaiming “Heaven or Hell” to the bucolic neighborhood farms and amazing local artisans of microbrews and eclectic enterprises to Friday Fling, Palmer is the best.

I’m so heartened by the wonders that I encounter here. I fell upon a beautiful sanctuary the other day while

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The Toastmasters program is 95 years strong with a proven track record of well over 300,000 active members in 145 countries throughout the world.

The Toastmasters program is focused on helping each other learn to become better communicators in a self paced and supportive environment.

Every person who joined a Toastmasters club joined for a specific reason.

For me, it was learning to speak through emotion.

The outcome is so much more than what we hoped to accomplish, because Toastmasters helps us develop and polish all the components of good communication….listening, thinking, and speaking.

Want to know more?

Palmer Toastmasters meets every week on Tuesday evenings, either via ZOOM or in person. Our in-person meetings take place in the Turkey Red restaurant banquet room in downtown Palmer on the first 2 Tuesdays of each month; all other meetings are held via Zoom.

Our meetings begin at 6 PM and end by 7:15 PM. Call 907-539-7111 or check out the club website at www.palmer.toastmastersclubs.org or the Toastmasters International website www.toastmasters.org.

Better yet, attend as a guest. Our meetings are free and open to the public.

About the Author Vicki Randolph is a life-long Alaskan, born and raised on Kodiak Island just as 6 generations of mothers before her. She has lived in Palmer for the past 30 years. She is a charter member of the Palmer Toastmasters Club, and recently completed the Toastmaster education program to achieve the highest honor bestowed on its members--that of Distinguished Toastmaster.

looking for an address which is for sale. Immediately upon my arrival to this property I felt such a calm…

Such a feeling of welcome and meaning. It happens to be a sober living property. I feel we need more.

I feel that if anyone asks for help, that I would be able to let it begin with me.

To that end, I am hoping to connect with others who are interested in partnering on a housing situation for addicts and homeless. The means we have available at our fingertips are enormous. There are diamonds in our own backyards and we need to be mining those diamonds and tending those gardens.

Please if you are interested, reach out to me at 825alaska@gmail.com

Poet & Guitarist Daniel Kosel Coming to Mat-Su MORE ON PAGE 6 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

Donating to the Mat-Su Food Bank MORE ON PAGE 11 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

COMMUNITY

Contributed by Alys Culhane “These books are free? The parent asked. “Yes, take as many as you want,” I said to the incredulous child.

We were standing in the Vagabond Blues hallway, next to the fiction project bookcase.

The little girl happily rummaged through the books, as I explained to her mother how the Bright Lights Book Project works.

“How come you don’t charge for the books?” she asked.

“Because the goal is to get them into the hands of readers,” I replied.

“How does the project work?”

I continued: the books are taken to the Church of the Covenant Meeting House on Saturdays, and here they are further prepared for distribution.

The main distribution site is the Koslosky Building. Fiction, nonfiction, and children’s bookcases are located in the downstairs hallway bookcases, and Health and Teaching Resource books are located in the upstairs bookcases. Other Palmer-based distribution sites include Turkey Red Restaurant, The Valley Hotel, and the Sunset Grill. Sutton distribution sites include The Chickaloon Native Health Center and the Sutton Post Office.

I, who now had the woman’s undivided attention, provided her with particulars about the Palmer Senior Center distribution efforts. Some time ago, I approached a volunteer who encouraged me to bring books to the dining area at lunch time. The seniors were so receptive to my initial efforts that I purchased a library cart with funds provided by the Mat-Su Health Foundation. The cart functions as a little library – the shelves are labelled Fiction, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Children’s Literature and General Nonfiction. The accessible books are now a lunchtime mainstay.

I who am obsessed with the ins and outs of the book project, began talking nearly non-stop. I explained to the woman that a staff of eight volunteers currently salvage, sort, categorize, clean, and distribute books locally and state-wide. I added that the majority of books are dropped off at VCRS, the Valley Recycling Center, during the week. The books are donated by area thrift stores, private individuals. The VCRS staff makes sure that the incoming books are stored in a safe and accessible area.

Sorting generally takes place on Saturdays. The sorting area is adjacent to the VCRS Bookstore, where books can also be purchased.

I next told her about the summer activities, one in which I assisted the Sutton librarians and staff in organizing two events. The focus on the first day was on the teenagers. The theme was libraries, big and small. I was of course given a hand in this endeavor by Bright Lights Project volunteers. I first brought in my pack horse, Hrimfara (the English translation of her Icelandic name is Frosty Traveler), who carried a pack load of books to the kid’s area.

Our Australian Shepherd, Shadow, rode in on her back. Dilly Dally the clown (Sheila Aay) passed out books and Lois Liebing read the book, The Bibliographic Burro to the now attentive teens. After, Nan Potts as-

Contributed by Christiane Joy Allison, Rejuvenation Station

of these individual energies has their own fair share of supported research, and the BioCharger NG is the first energy platform of its kind to incorporate all four of these beneficial energies into one platform.

There’s no doubt about it. Alaskans love our summer sun and all the fun that comes along with it—fishing at 5:00 AM, gardening at midnight, and camping over long weekends. All that sun and fun can bring their own problems, too. Trouble sleeping? Feeling worn out? Having trouble focusing at work?

A brand-new business has opened in Wasilla offering cutting edge hybrid subtle energy revitalization platform (SERP) technology proven to restore strength, stamina, coordination and mental clarity. The non-invasive technology is provided by the BioCharger NG (Next Generation), and Rejuvenation Station is the first business to bring the benefits of the BioCharger to Alaskans. Those benefits include improved sleep, energy, focus, recovery, performance, and flexibility. Join us to learn more at our upcoming open house events on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 12:00 PM and Saturday, September 11, 2021, at 12:00 PM. Jim Girard, the inventor of the BioCharger, has joined with Advanced Biotechnologies LLC to use SERP technology to improve people’s lives and health. The BioCharger design is based on a combination of research from scientists and inventors like Nikola Tesla, Georges Lakhovsky, Royal Raymond Rife, and Alexander Gurwitsch.

The BioCharger NG utilizes four different types of energy—Frequencies & Harmonics, Light, Voltage, and Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Fields (PEMFs). Each

Frequencies and harmonics emitted by the machine—produced by a powerful Tesla coil—mimic the constant electrical discharges in the Earth’s atmosphere. Tesla himself was interested in the therapeutic applications of the wireless transmission of energy and even wrote a paper on the subject back in 1898. Known benefits of frequencies and harmonics include restoration of balance within cells and improvements in pain and inflammation disorders.

Light emitted by the device includes both visible and invisible wavelengths from charged noble gas particles (plasma) including argon, helium, krypton, neon, and xenon. As Alaskans, we see the natural demonstration of this form of light more than most when we watch the northern lights dance in the sky. The known benefits of light include improved sleep quality, increased healing in chronic wounds, and improvement in behavioral disorders.

Voltage emitted by the machine mimics the discharge from something Alaskans rarely experience—lightning storms. Known benefits of voltage include improved cellular nutrient uptake, cellular detoxification, and increased generation of new cells.

PEMFs emitted from the machine modulate the electrical potential of your

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sisted the teenagers in painting cast off Frontiersmen newspaper boxes, which they were told would function as little libraries.

The second day’s audience consisted of little kids. Pat Praetorius, who was visiting from Ojai, California, read to them. They made bookmarks, books, and finished painting the Frontiersman boxes. That evening, Bill Schmidtkunz, Nan Potts, and I did a Bright Lights Book Project reading. This was in conjunction with a silent auction, one in which we raised $750.00, to be divided between the Bright Lights Book Project and the Sutton Library.

“And what are your future plans?” the woman asked. I replied that the Bright Lights Book Project will be well represented at the Alaska State Fair.

Newspaper boxes will be located in the Eckert Garden and at the VCRS recycling center booth. Of course, the gardening and children’s books will be free to ASF patrons.

I paused before adding that the project’s success has to a large part been due to the support of local businesses, some of which include VCRS, Fireside Books, The Bishop’s Attic Thrift Store, and the Mat-Su College Library.

“Are you looking for volunteers? She asked.

“Always,” I said, adding that we are currently looking for input as to where we might set up additional sites, and as well, people to distribute books to more far-flung areas, both in the Mat-Su Valley and elsewhere.

I then gave her a Bright Lights bookmark that had my email address on the back: alysculhane@hotmail.com.

The mother thanked me, and the child, an armload of books in hand, skipped in the direction of the café.

body—producing the effect you would receive from the practice of ‘Earthing’ or ‘Grounding.’ The known benefits of PEMFs include improvements in pain, inflammation, and many diseases.

All these forms of energy are delivered to the body using individual frequency recipes that are completely noninvasive. Like sitting around a campfire without all the smoke, you simply sit around the BioCharger NG as the recipe runs and soak in the energy for 10-20 minutes. Then go on with your day recharged and ready.

Rejuvenation Station offers sessions with the BioCharger at an affordable rate so that everyone can experience the benefits of this new technology.

You can book your session today at https://rejuvenationstation.simplybook.me. We look forward to serving you!

Also, join us for our upcoming open house events on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 12:00 PM and Saturday, September 11, 2021, at 12:00 PM. We are livestreaming an exclusive session with the inventor, Jim Gerard—including a Q&A for your questions—ask Jim whatever you’d like! Participants are invited to enjoy a free session with the BioCharger. We can accommodate 6 people during one session.

Rejuvenation Station is located at 201 E. Swanson Ave, Suite 15 in Wasilla, across from Nunley Park.

Note: The BioCharger is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, in man or other animals.

COMMUNITY Contributed by Sandy May For the Mat Su Republican Women’s Club Est. 1947 this is the highlight to the end of summer! Our Club has been an annual presence at the Fair since the ‘40s. It began when the State Fair was located where the Pioneer Home in Palmer is. Back in those days, our Club pretty much handed out information, including the location of the restrooms, and later added water and donuts to the fair-goers. Over the years as things changed with the Fair, we did too.

Eventually, a Mr. Snodgrass, husband of one of our members, had run a campaign for a political office. Louise Kellog, who wrote much of the old history for

us, did not mention whether he was successfully elected or not, however, his booth was on its way to be Mrs. Snodgrass’s storage shed. It took a detour instead and was loaned to us to use at the Alaska State Fair. Imagine the joy the members had to be inside away from the wild rain and wind! Elinor Goodrich, a member still, remembers those days and told us, “The wind would howl and the walls would shake in that old building!” But they were content with that!

Our Club has come a long way out there! But our focus is still the same. We are a rockin’ Republican presence where we can register people to vote or assist them with updating their voter information no matter what your political

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

affiliation is. We provide candidate information, sell political merchandise, hold a raffle for guns with tickets being $5 each or 5 tickets for $20 (Screamin’’ deal, right?!) Our Legislators and Governor have been at or in our booth during the time of the Fair, giving constituents the opportunity to meet and talk to them.

The Alaska State Fair is the perfect pick me up to wrap up our summer! This year, after covid lockdowns, we are all ready to get out there for an Alaskan great time!

The theme this year is “Seeing is Believing” and there will be plenty to see….including the Mat Su Republican Women’s Club Est. 1947 booth!

Contributed by Bill Brokaw

Contributed by Cathy Mosher New location for our meeting on August 19, 2021.

Mat-Su Family Restaurant, 401 W Parks Hwy, Wasilla Our meeting this month will be City, Borough, and School Board Candidates. Time to ask questions and hear the answers from these candidates.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. but come early to order dinner. Members ordering dinner keeps our room rental at a lower cost.

Saturday, September 18th will be our fifth annual Chili Cookoff at the Palmer

Depot, 610 S. Valley Way, Palmer: doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at www.vrwak.com. Sportsman Warehouse is doing a Wall of Guns. We are looking for Chili Cooks. Winner of the Chili Cookoff will win a trophy with their name on it. The winner is picked by popular vote of the public. Do not forget to put it on your calendar! Hope to see you there.

See us on our Facebook page: Valley Republican Women of Alaska and visit our webpage: vrwak.com Cathy Mosher cmosher@mtaonline. net

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As an 85-year-old veteran with an 83-year-old wife, living in the Veterans & Pioneers Home located in Palmer, I’m fearful of what’s happening with virus protection for the Home’s 79 residents. Upon investigation, I’ve found out that there are 40% of our care workers who have not been vaccinated.

My wife, due to her Alzheimer’s/dementia disease, is totally dependent on care workers for her survival. As the aggressive delta variant comes into

the state of Alaska, and possibly into the Palmer Pioneer Home, I wonder about the protection of our residents.

My personal feeling on this sad situation is that vaccinations should have been mandatory for all residents, care workers, nurses, and doctors entering our home. Our lives are extremely important, and to have them virusthreatened by a few who feel the vaccination is unsafe and unnecessary borders on the edge of insanity.

Let’s all vaccinate and live!

POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Wes Keller Imagine you have inherited a piece of property so big and valuable you cannot even hope to visit – much less explore most of it in your lifetime! Imagine the mixed emotions of ecstasy over your good fortune and the realization that as “owner”, you have the responsibility to care for it! Despite the incredible feelings of wealth, this realization could easily own you because of the tremendous scope of the task.

Fortunately, you have also inherited a huge ‘property management system’ that has been functioning for over 60 years — designed to provide stewardship for owners. Unfortunately, you see evidence of predictable “mission creep” in this management system with a drift towards watching out too much for the benefits/needs of the managers instead of the “owner”, you. The original management mission is stated in the paperwork: to provide for your “use, enjoyment, and welfare”. The managers are paid from property assets, but they exist to serve the owners.

This analogy is your situation IF you are a legal resident of Alaska of voting age! The inherited property is the entire State of Alaska originally purchased from Russia for a mere 7 million dollars!

Contributed by Larry Wood Governor Michael J. Dunleavy has all but abandoned his fiscal agenda that was marked by his 2019 firing of Donna Arduin by an e-mail from his then Chief of Staff (COS) Ben Stevens. Arduin’s sin seems to be that she was doing her job, serving as both the Administration face for difficult budget cuts and serving as the lightning rod for the governor in dealing with the backlash from the opposition to those cuts.

Gov. Dunleavy has decided to compromise on the PFD issue, meaning no statutory PFD or repayment of what Walker took from Alaskans to grow government.

Gov. Dunleavy’s cuts since have been neither deep nor designed to promote dialogue with the Legislature. The Legislature has his measure and largely ignores the governor.

Gov. Dunleavy’s leadership failures are his greatest weakness. Dunleavy has adopted former Gov. Parnell’s retiring, lackluster presence by remaining in the background, and hiding rather than confronting the opposition or the problem. It was the failure in leadership that cost Parnell his office.

We still have a failed education system

The “management system” structure is laid out in the highest law of our land (the State Constitution). Approximately two-thirds of the property was kept by the federal government, but the remainder belongs to us.

The management system is very broad and comprehensive but consider just one part of it aimed specifically at property management: the Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation. Art 8 of the Alaska Constitution explicitly declares, “The legislature shall provide for the utilization, development, and conservation of all natural resources belonging to the State, including land and waters, [including parks] for the maximum benefit of its people.” Like it or not, the legislature is the only avenue for your owner oversight! Any rule or fee that may keep you from reasonable access to your parks is only official if you allow the legislature to make it so! The stated “missions” of all Divisions are “official”, published and amended as needed by legislative action and approval. Also, no management (administrative) law can be written without legislative approval.

Legislators, by American design, are meant to be THE tools in the hands of grass-roots voters.

The stewards hired to manage the “use, development and conservation” of our

in the Bush and elsewhere in Alaska where money continues to be poured into a bottomless pit that produces only failure.

It should be noted that the state Senate failed to pass a measure to prevent Critical Race Theory in Alaska’s education curriculum. Gov. Dunleavy is losing a chance to show leadership, by barring the Marxist agenda in our schools through an executive order.

Gov. Dunleavy managed to lose legislative support in 2019 when he turned his back on those legislators who supported his budget cuts and his attempt to hold a special session in Wasilla. Those legislators who supported him paid egregiously for their support of this governor. Dunleavy just walked away and let them swing in the wind. They lost committee appointments and were sanctioned by former Sen. Cathy Giessel and Rep. Bryce Edgmon, the Senate and House leadership at the time.

Gov. Dunleavy’s support of mining seemed to be invested in dinners with Pebble’s Australian company pogues rather than working to restore 50 million acres of ANILCA lands to multiple use status for development in compliance with the Statehood Compact. Further, the state needs to enforce access across state and federal lands.

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

priceless property are indirectly governed by you, through your legislators, ultimately under your control! Alaska’s Constitution provided handsomely for this management system by approving a full 80% of all money we generate from use of natural resources to fund our government, including Parks administration, with the remaining 20% supposedly restricted from direct use.

This is a radical and staggering “tax” revenue source that should forever eliminate any other Alaskan Tax!

So long as “We the People” are the sovereigns who empower the Constitution, the time to engage in reviewing Park land use rules (and all management policies) is always now! Stewardship of our staggering wealth should be a fundamental element of your vote.

Remind candidates to make sure the rules favor you, the owner! It stands to reason anytime stewards or managers are left unmanaged, it allows them to think they are the property beneficiaries instead of you. We are sovereignly responsible for the managers we have put in charge of managing our property for our best interest – in both Alaska State Government and the US Government.

The abysmal voting turnouts over the past years is an ominous sign voters are not taking their responsibility seriously enough.

Gov. Dunleavy’s Bush law enforcement initiative ground to a halt with his firing of Amanda Price earlier this summer, the former commissioner of the Dept. of Public Safety (DPS). Price was fired by an e-mail from Dunleavy’s latest COS, Randy Rualo. It is my understanding that Price’s sin was a conflict with one of Dunleavy’s supporters within DPS. As part of the law enforcement initiative and to mitigate the collapse of the Army National Guard in the Bush, Dunlevy ordered MG Torrence Saxe to restore the Alaska State Defense Force as a state military police constabulary. Dunleavy’s Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) refuses to accomplish his will.

He has what can only be termed open insubordination in his organized militia where his or, rather, Walker’s Alaska State Defense Force is concerned. Even with an operations model, a training syllabus, 8 years of successful operational history (2001-2009), a mandate for the mission as a state military police constabulary under AS 26.05.070, and no cost to the state, the ASDF leadership has refused the order of the governor.

The law did not change in the intervening time that would bar the change in mission, but the ASDF and DMVA leadership became ‘woke’. Part of that woke is a belief that the militia should not act in an armed capacity.

This is an egregious failure, as Alaska is made less secure and Alaskans less safe.

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There are about 3 million acres in the Alaska State Park system — more acreage than some entire states! The Alaska Legislature has approved the “mission statement” for our Division of Parks: to “provide outdoor recreation opportunities and conserve and interpret natural, cultural, and historic resources for the use, enjoyment and welfare of the people.”

Next time you contemplate if you can afford a trip to a park, consider the cost of the permits, insurance, and per visitor fees – these have been added on top of the 80% natural resources revenue we’re already paying. If you find the cost or unwarranted restrictions are keeping you off your property, explain what you want or need to your legislators and get them to make changes — or replace them with someone who will. While most public employees are genuinely sincere about their job descriptions and grateful, some of them just don’t get it!

I encourage you to go to the informative state parks website and relish your inheritance! We “own” our fabulous parks and want to pass them to our kids (and other new Alaskans) including an honest, effective management system while fully enjoying them ourselves.

Take time to read park “land use plans” for your favorite park and consider your options – they are yours to maintain!

Wes Keller | WesKeller.com

In this, Gov. Dunleavy emulates former governors Parnell and Walker.

Gov. Dunleavy’s conduct is reminiscent of Parnell’s failure regarding the collapse of the Army National Guard in the Bush and the illegalities that came to surface in 2014. The Parnell Administration ignored drug running, misappropriation of government property, coercion of witnesses and whistleblowers, several rapes and the rape and murder of SSG Michele M. Clark. The murder of SSG Clark was never solved. However, according to the Duneavy Administration, everything is hunky dory at the DMVA. Nothing to see here. Given the insubordination of the leadership of the ASDF and the Commissioner/TAG, nothing could be further from the truth.

An unelected doctor yarded this governor around during the COVID-19 response, thereby increasing the cost, damages, and harm to Alaskans and Alaska’s economy. This governor let fear and conjecture do great harm that continues to this day.

Every restaurant is closed in Seward, because of a labor shortage due to COVID-19 unemployment funds that pay people to stay home.

If Gov. Dunleavy chooses to run for reelection, he will stand or fall in the upcoming reelection based upon his defense of his record. Given his failures, that defense should be interesting.

POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Teresa de Lima

What is PM2.5 and why is it important?

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter in the air with an aerodynamic diameter equal to or smaller than 2.5 microns. Inhalable particles, with diameters so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye, finer than a human hair.

PM2.5. This is a term that I heard all the time while living in Fairbanks. It is a term that is mostly always attributed to wood smoke. I just wonder why is it that nobody ever discusses the gorilla in the room: a coal fired powerplant in the middle of a residential neighborhood? I expect there’s lots of PM2.5 coming out of that thing. In fact, I am sure there is! I used to live a few hundred feet from the coal fired powerplant and the black particulate it generated easily wafted through the screens on the windows. I have vivid memories of this black heavy metallic substance peppering our window

sills, the ground, the kitchen table. I expect that if I can see what’s coming out of the powerplant stacks then I am probably breathing in A LOT of PM2.5, because see it’s so small it’s not visible to the naked eye.

In fact, there are three coal fired powerplants in the immediate area of downtown Fairbanks. One at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the one privately owned power plant in the middle of downtown Fairbanks and then one on the other side of town at Ft. Wainwright. The one in the middle of town sells the power that they generate to the electric cooperative for the people of Fairbanks.

You learn more and more of the dangers of coal combustion and wonder how can this be legal? This stuff getting into your lungs can really make a person sick. Like sick with a condition that means you are on steroids for the rest of your life, or a portion of your

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

lung needs to be excised, or neurological things start happening- such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease. So yes, I contacted the Environmental Protection Agency. They suggested I get in touch with the Centers for Disease Control. I did that. I submitted compelling photographic evidence, personal testimony, physical evidence. I got in touch with the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Downtown Association, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, heck even the power plant people! I went to Washington DC and spoke to the Obama White House EPA’s Manty Stansilous, The White House Center for Environmental Quality, Senators Murkowski and Begich. I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Alan Lockwood of Physicians for Social Responsibility in Fairbanks when he presented on the topic of coal combustion at the University one evening. I got a hold of the City of Fairbanks and the mayor’s Chief of Staff and Public Works. They came to my house to inspect and suggested the

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best thing I could do was to “get a really good lawyer”.

When I was in Washington DC speaking with the EPA and CEQ and our public servants, Murkowski and Begich, I met a lady, an investigative journalist. Her name is Rhiannon. She travelled to Alaska from North Carolina documenting the issue of coal combustion waste also known as coal ash. She and her team produced a documentary called Coal Ash Chronicles. Her documentary focuses on the unregulated disposal of this toxic waste from the East coast of the United States all the way to Alaska. When coal is burned, waste is generated. That waste is hot coal ash.

In Fairbanks, sadly, it gets dumped on the tundra. I wonder what it does to the water table? But the power plant folks and others say “oh, it’s inert…just like the dirt in your own back yard”. I call BS. I am sure that there is a better way.

Why does coal have to be so heavy in the picture for my birthplace?

time that Alaskans take a stand together in support of our frontline workers and neighbors, and help save their jobs.

Contributed by Jennifer Eastman On August 5th, I was proud to attend the Anchorage rally opposing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, and support Alaskans whose careers are at risk because of vaccine mandates.

I spoke with mothers and fathers facing the loss of their livelihood after having risked so much on the front lines during the pandemic. I heard from people who have dedicated over 10 and 15 years of their lives proudly investing in their culture and community. Instead of being thanked, they’re being handed “mandatory resignations” if they don’t get vaccinated. Adding to the frustration, some still work remotely and others have no direct contact with patients.

Some in attendance have recovered from COVID and want to avoid taking a new vaccine when they already have immunity. Others came to oppose the coercive and tyrannical business practices that some Alaskan employers are using (and others are presently considering).

As for me, my field is microbiology. My interest in bacteria and viruses began when I was in high school, sustained me through grad school, and still continues today.

Over the years, I have been teased about my vaccine “collection” because my work as a public health microbiologist has taken me to foreign countries

Contributed by Dianne Woodruff Christian Hartley and Ruth Wood have previously praised Tam Boeve in this publication, and I agree with every word they wrote. She is a real asset as the Mat-Su Borough Assembly representative for District 7, and I, too, hope she will be re-elected to that seat.

and has allowed me to receive some vaccines that you can’t get even if you wanted to, like rabies.

Knowing that, you might find it surprising that I would attend an event opposing the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

There is an idea floating around that if you oppose forcing people to take COVID shots, you are an anti-vaxxer.

But what I saw on Thursday was a much broader cross-section of Alaska.

This was not a protest of unvaccinated Alaskans. Several of the people I saw were vaccinated but simply find these mandates un-American. It turns out there are plenty of reasons to say NO to forcing Alaskans to take a vaccine they don’t believe they need or aren’t ready for. The list is long and includes reasons that are rooted in science, law, religion, previous COVID exposure and recovery, medical condition, pregnancy, or simply choice.

Remember, not only is the virus new, the disease it causes is new, and the vaccine technology (mRNA vaccines) is new. Since these vaccines haven’t been used in humans before now, I think it is perfectly reasonable that some Alaskans will want a little more data and a few more studies completed before choosing to take, or not take, any mRNA vaccine, not just a COVID one. What some call unfounded and unreasonable skepticism, at any other time, would be called caution and prudence.

Tam Boeve was a good friend, neighbor, and community leader for decades before she stepped up to serve on the Assembly, so I’m not surprised that she’s done a great job representing her district, and the rest of us, as well, on matters that affect the entire Borough, like the budget.

She puts in a lot of time and effort

Yet real people weighing these risks right now are doing so under threat of incredibly severe punishments, including losing their careers and for college students, losing their education or scholarship opportunities. Healthcare workers now being threatened are the same doctors, nurses and other medical staff who worked on the frontline during the height of the pandemic.

Many of them already have immunity to COVID because of that. Meanwhile, those writing the policies seem to care very little about the concerns of their employees or of incoming students.

As we work to protect each other from this new form of medical overreach, we must know the history, and not just the rationale that supports it. Those supporting vaccine mandates tell us that the Supreme Court is on their side. But the case they cite, Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), didn’t deal with anyone losing their job. It was over whether the state could issue a $5 fine to a man who declined to take the Smallpox vaccine when that disease was killing 30 out of every 100 people who became infected.

According to the CDC, smallpox is over 17 times more deadly than COVID-19, and yet no one was forced to take the vaccine, and no one had to live under the threat of losing their livelihood or being excluded from society if they didn’t take it. Worst case, they had to pay $5.

How? Start by signing the petition Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates by scanning the QR code shown here or visiting the “Alaskans Against Mandates” Facebook Page.

Read. Like. Share.

COVID-19 is being used to discriminate and to drive a wedge between those more, and less, hesitant to be vaccinated.

To paraphrase Martin Niemöller: First they came after the healthcare workers, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a healthcare worker.

Then they came after the military and first responders, and I didn’t speak out – Because I was not a military member or a first responder.

Then they came after those in the travel industry, and I didn’t speak out – Because I was not in the travel industry.

Then they came after me.

Please sign the petition.

With requirements for vaccine “passports” spreading across the country, it is

engaging with the public, regularly attending Community Council and other relevant meetings, while remaining accessible to hear concerns and answer questions. On top of that, she is still serving as an active member of several community groups, so she knows what’s going on first-hand.

Tam’s been there helping, through major fires, floods, and earthquakes, and just recently was gathering some quick assistance for a local family that lost their home. She is exactly the kind of

person you want around when there’s trouble, the kind that actually shows up, with the right tools and supplies to be useful, and that doesn’t hesitate a second to pitch in where extra hands are needed.

Tam is observant, a good listener, smart, practical, and a problem solver who knows how to bring people and resources together to get things done.

Let’s keep her working for us on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

POLITICS & OPINION

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

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products that sell, products that are useful.

Contributed by Huhnkie Lee Greetings, Fellow AlaskansThis is Huhnkie Lee, running for 2022 US Senate as an independent Alaskan.

The nation is experiencing inflations.

Let’s analyze the causes of the inflation problems and come up with solutions, shall we?

First, gas price has risen. President Biden is a loyal Democrat and he obeys liberalistic agenda of anti-fossil-fuel-ism, an outshoot of anti-climate-changeism. So he and his people halted new oil and gas exploration, including ANWR Oil in Alaska. Shortage of supply of oil/ gas drives up the price, as the demand for oil/gas has not decreased. It’s plain vanilla demand-supply law in economics. Don’t they have economists in the White House?

Democrats fantasize about a day when oil/gas is replaced by solar/wind power, and all that electric vehicle concepts.

That day might come, though this author is skeptical about it, who knows, but even if that day does come, it won’t come soon enough. At least for a long while, the world will continue to depend on fossil fuel. Biden administration’s blockage of oil/gas smells like ideological activism to me.

Since Covid of 2020, Trump/Biden administrations have been locking down businesses, shutting down economies, decreasing production level, decreasing

Contributed by Nicolas Bradley

the nation’s economic activities. Then they printed out and handed out more and more Covid money to Americans.

One way to understand what inflation is the following equation:

What if the apple tree decides to decrease its production level and produces only half an apple, and Adam prints out another dollar bill out of ever avarice?

Price = (Amount of Money) / (Amount of Products)

Price = 3 / 0.5 = 6

Let’s say, one Mr. Adam is stranded in a lonely island. There is only one apple in the island and Adam has only one dollar bill. Then the apple’s price would be one dollar. Say, the apple tree applies its diligence and increase its production level to produce two apples instead of one. Because there is only one dollar circulating in the lonely island, the apple price now would be 0.5 dollar, or 50 cents. This is a deflation situation.

Next, say, the apple tree produces only one apple, maintaining the same production level as the original scenario.

But Adam got greedy and he prints out one more dollar bill and now he has two dollars. Then the apple price will be now 2 dollars. Why? It’s because the printing of more money dilutes the currency value and because there is no increase in apple production. Adam is getting only one apple as before, but now it’s costing him two dollars to pay to the apple tree. As we can see, printing out more money creates economic inefficiency, as Adam has to carry two dollar bills instead of one dollar bill, in order to by the same one apple. This is an inflation situation.

Please accept this as my letter of declination to the insufficiently tested COVID-19 injections. I find the process of coercion to receive these injections in violation of my dignity, integrity and bodily autonomy. It is very concerning that my rights under the Nuremburg Code and United States Code Title 21 Section 360bbb-3 to informed consent are being ignored by this organization and government agencies alike (1,2).

As a medical professional and potential recipient of any medical treatment, I demand independent peer-reviewed studies, not funded by multinational pharmaceutical companies. Studies available regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID injections have been financed and organized by indemnified for-profit corporations and none, that I can find, have been made available to the public or researchers not employed by these organizations.

The extent of harm from the vaccines remain unknown as adverse event reporting has a proven track record of delays, underreporting, and inconsistencies. Findings from the Harvard Pilgrim Study submitted to US Department of Health and Human Services in 2010 showed fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events were reported in VAERS (3). As of this letter, over 6,000 COVID vaccine related deaths have been reported to VAERS. The number is over 12,000 when counting international submissions.

The preliminary vaccine trial results are underwhelming at best and prove nothing to the effect of preventing or reducing transmission, decreasing mortality or hospitalization, and providing long-lasting immunity to SARS COV-2.

Additionally, the studies conducted by these for-profit organizations were not “double blinded” as publicized. There are verified reports that many of the people administering the injections knew whether they were injecting the experimental vaccine or placebo, and according to the British Medical

Now the apple price is whooping 6 dollars. That’s what’s going on in America right now. During 2020 Covid, production level decreased, but Trump/Biden administrations handed out Covid money like cheap bubble gums.

Not only that, Trump/Biden administrations further decreased production level by blocking Latin American contract workers who would have legally worked in American farms. Trump/Biden administrations antagonized China and imposed tariffs or blocked imports, decreasing the amount of affordable consumer goods, driving up the prices.

Trump/Biden administrations also brought back car manufacturing jobs from Mexico where labor cost is low, back to America where labor cost is high, driving up the car prices.

Then what’s the solution? The solution is to increase production level, increase the supply of goods and services. We need to break the lock and chain of hindering ideologies, in order to unlock the door to progress and prosperity. I apologize if I’m being boring and repetitive, but yes, I’m talking about Pebble Mine and ANWR Oil. To keep a nation’s economy healthy, we need to produce

Journal, Moderna and Pfizer officially unblinded their trials in mid-April by giving the vaccine to the placebo group (4). Where will we now find the mid- to long-term data for these injections?

I enjoy diversity of scientific opinion as it serves as the cornerstone of scientific progress. Instead, I am witness to suppression of reasoned skepticism or dissent from renowned scientists, researchers, physicians, journalists, and citizens. The stories of jobs terminated, practices closed, medical licenses revoked, and reputations destroyed are legion.

In the service, I learned that in times of crisis the 50% solution now is better than the 100% solution when it is too late. We have had proven early outpatient COVID-19 treatment options available since summer of 2020, but our public health agencies have chosen to pursue the course of 100% vaccination and nothing else. Entertaining and even discussing early outpatient treatment options such as Ivermectin and

Some DC politicians, like Trump/Biden, are not very creative people. They talk about 1-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. What are they gonna do with all that money? Demolish a fully functional building and erect a new building, for the benefit of a greener planet? Such activity does not create any values and would be a waste of money and time and labor.

Another reason why inflation is bad is that inflation hurts the poor. Democrats want to help the poor but they’re not quite helping. Biden administration blocks ANWR Oil and gas price goes up.

Then how can minimum wage workers drive to work when they can’t afford the gasoline for their cars? What, will Biden administration hand out free electric vehicles to all minimum wage workers in America? See, it just doesn’t work.

How about Pebble Mine? Some worry about water pollution and salmon death. Do you know how bathroom flush water gets filtered? They use centrifugal filter to separate human waste and water and cleaned water goes back to stream. Mining waste water can be cleaned the same way. And mining solid waste can be used to build roads.

More on that issue, please see our ProPebble Paper Volume 2: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers. cfm?abstract_id=3890437 Thanks!

Hydroxychloroquine in the public and clinical setting are verboten (5,6). To compound matters, our public health agencies do not recognize natural immunity when providing guidance on whether to give or receive a vaccine.

Several studies have shown that natural immunity is robust and long-lasting.

None exist proving the same with the vaccine (7,8).

Respectfully, LTC Nicolas Bradley, MPAS, PA-C, US Army (Ret. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/ text/21/360bbb https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7645850/?report=reader https://digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/ files/docs/publication/r18hs017045lazarus-final-report-2011.pdf https://www.bmj.com/content/373/ bmj.n1244 https://c19ivermectin.com/ https://c19hcq.com/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/33686421/ https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(21)002032#relatedArticles

POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Glenda Ledford Mayor, City of Wasilla On Tuesday August 3, 2021, the MSB Assembly will introduce an ordinance that relates to levying a 1.5% areawide sales tax to pay back the bonds over 5 years or until $73M is collected, whichever is earlier, and then expire.

ects listed provides for only 2 projects within the City of Wasilla with a cost of $5.5M or 7.4% of the total bond package. This areawide sales tax would pay for the issuance of bonds to fund these projects. 1.5% sales tax would generate approximately $12.5M per year or $62.5M over 5 years, funding 85% of the general obligation bonds issued.

Though the city is not opposed to infrastructure improvements, the 22 proj-

The city has been a good steward of their financial house and we do not see

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

a reason for the MSB to cause a hardship on the city. There are various costs to this initiative beyond the collection of the tax. There is the cost of infrastructure (hiring more people, buying equipment, etc) to set up the systems and process to collect the tax from the businesses areawide.

With the MSB currently collecting revenue from the City of Wasilla in the form of property tax ($11.5M), cigarette

PAGE 8

tax ($4M), bed tax ($150K) along with alcohol tax and motor vehicle tax, an additional areawide sales tax would be excessive taking $12.5 million out of Wasilla’s economy per year. This could create a hardship on the city causing us to have to reinstitute property taxes As mayor I will continue to stand strong and engaged to do what is best for the city short term and long term as we continue to be the fastest growing city in the state of Alaska. At this point we will not support this ordinance and strongly ask our Assembly representatives to do the same.

an international ET3 line we can hold on to the wild lands of Alaska while boldly leaping into the 22nd Century.

Contributed by Robert Shields In his cabinet address on July 14, Governor Dunleavy articulated that we live in a new world, and it’s a world full of opportunity. The challenge with going to a new world is how much of the old way of thinking we take with us. The carbon economy of extraction, exploitation, and consumption got us where we are at but will not get us where we want to go. The future calls us to rise to the challenge of always working to become the next version of our best selves. Experience teaches that in new environments, strategies (policies) must be adaptive so let’s look at some of the ways Alaska can develop as a global leader of resilience; boldly leading the way forward in the fossil-free world.

A quick Google search for some key words yields recent, verifiable facts that Nature is a profitable business partner and we can all thrive in perpetuity by understanding these models and applying them to new economic opportunities that lower the cost of living and improve the quality of life.

Culture- The language and traditions of the People are the threads of our social fabric. It’s the continuity through time that grounds us with principles, values,

Contributed by Doug Ferguson Many years ago I wrote an account of a 1956 Christmas vacation train trip for the holidays from Cleveland, Ohio where I was a college student, to Wake Forest, North Carolina where my parents had moved the previous year. It was called “A Christmas Train Story” and is too long to present here.

The basis of the story went like this: A young sophomore college student (me!) had done his own travel arrangements for and was taking an extensive trip to Wake Forest, North Carolina all by himself for the first time in his life and thought he was a big deal for doing it! From my story: “It was with great deal of self-satisfaction that I purchased my ticket, determined exactly on which track I was to board the train and then proceeded to descend to the train terminal beneath the Terminal Tower Building, then tallest landmark in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. After all, I was now a sophomoreengineering student at Case Institute of Technology and had taken care of myself for a year and one half now. I was a big deal!”

I then went on to describe the conditions at the time and the scene on board the train: “After World War II and well through the ‘50’s and beyond a great migration was occurring in America. Many

and prepares us for an uncertain future.

Geo tourism (Ecotourism) is expected to surpass $300 Billion by 2027. This industry utilizes the shared experience of culture and a deep connection with the Earth to provide value added adventures.

Energy-Beyond the carbon economy we find peace and generational profits making the rapid transition to a hydrogen economy. Water is the ultimate system of life and beyond simple heat and electricity, transportation and manufacturing demands provide the leverage to call for an upgrade to our urban and rural power grids that unlock a plethora of economic opportunities around applied imagination, also known as innovation. According to the Hydrogen Council, by 2050, the industry could meet up to 18% global energy demand, create 30 million jobs, and be worth an estimated $2.5 Trillion.

Food- Alaska imports 95% of our food and the economic impacts influence the most precious members of our community. Hyper local production in the obvious solution, but its easier said than done. Moving past the cost of energy, there are still huge opportunities for workforce development, that at scale could provide each and every

poor African Americans and whites from the South were pouring into the large industrial cities in the North to find jobs in the booming postwar economy. While they worked and lived in these cities such as Cleveland, many were still closely tied to their families in the South and thus during Christmas holidays, the buses and trains were filled to capacity with a large interracial mix, especially the kind in the day coach which I was about to board.”

In the story, after describing the whole process of getting a too talkative seatmate and then the start of the long trip itself, I recalled noticing an attractive young women who got on the train at our Pittsburg stop that smiled at me and then sat down on an aisle seat behind me. When we stopped at another point further into Pennsylvania and got off to stretch our legs, she approached me for some small talk and I, being the young man full of himself as I have previously mentioned, thought she was coming on to me!

Then, as the whistle blew to re-board the train, she drummed up enough courage to get to the real reason she approached me. From the story: “She said, “I know y’all will think this is awful, but as a college man I know you can help me. You see I was born and raised in the South and this has been awfully hard living up here in the North where y’all are so different.” I acknowledged to her how that might be while

community in the state the ability to produce between 50-80% of their dietary needs, while educating a global workforce in vertical farming which is expected to reach $1.5 Billion by 2030.

Waste- By 2027 its forecast that the global recycling services market will exceed $80 Billion. Mining our landfills for precious minerals is a natural extension of the active mining industry in Alaska and if every village had a blacksmith no village would have a dump. Treasuring our trash is the next step in the process of self-reliance where the ability to make the things you need from the junk you have at hand becomes the skill that helps people find their purpose.

Transportation- To quote Doc Brown from Back to the Future. “Where we are going, we don’t need roads”. One of the greatest blessings Alaska has is the lack of roads, which are incredibly destructive to wildlife and intrusive to intentional communities reveling in the slow life. Flying cars are a reality, expected to be a $320 Billion industry by 2030 and given arctic conditions it’s seems fitting that with affordable energy and readily available feedstock that we can build our own. Combined with the latest in airship technology for cargo and

my mind wildly raced over what possible favor this beautiful young lady could want from me! She paused, and then as it was getting obvious we needed to reboard the train soon, she finally got to the huge favor she needed. “The only seat I could find when I got on the train, was next to a colored man and being a southern lady, I just can’t stand it!” she blurted. “Could y’all switch seats with me? I would really appreciate it.” I was dumbfounded! I didn’t know what to say so I said, “Sure. We had better get back on the train.” She said, “Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!” and we turned and hurried to reboard the day coach.”

The rest of the story was about the much needed deflation of my sophomoric ego, my pleasant short conversation with my new seatmate, a very courtly older black man in a neatly pressed suit and tie, who was going back to Washington, D.C. to spend Christmas with his daughter and finally, thoughts about my first early experience with ingrained racial prejudice.

As I look back at this experience today, especially at our current point in American history where there is so much negativity, I take away some different thoughts than I did when I wrote the story.

True, this young lady had been brought up with the old racial prejudices for which the South had been known.

However, in the mid-1950’s she was a

Housing- Carbon fiber is to lumber as coal is to firewood. At ~$90/ton we can burn it but at ~$220k/ton its far more profitable to build with it. In everything from medical devices to the space shuttle, carbon fibers are the ultimate form of “carbon capture” and sequestration as ANY source of carbon can be converted and the global market is expected to exceed $12 Billion by 2028.

We can now 3D print multi-story mixed use buildings and through careful design build entirely new sustainable cities to house the millions of climate refugees that will be headed north in the coming years.

Education is the ultimate form of national security and public health.

Providing other communities and states with these industries do not diminish our own. In fact, the more each state, each region is able sustain itself independently the more secure all the people are. Even though I am running for mayor in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, I am looking at the issues around the state that could impact us locally. I am simply being proactive in the approach that all ships rise with the tide. As we develop our plans locally for the next 5 years, I am working to get these types of innovations written into it so 140 years from now Alaska will still be a good place to raise a family.

graduate Electrical Engineer from the University of Alabama and had taken an engineering job with Westinghouse in Pittsburg at a time when it was finally acceptable for women pursue professional jobs previously thought only appropriate for men. Later, according to my old roommate who became a professor there, subsequent generations of University of Alabama graduates were on the forefront of racial equality.

Secondly, reflecting now on the overall passenger scene on the train during those times, I also think about the freedom to move freely in America that provided the opportunity for thousands of southern post-WWII poor blacks and whites to migrate to jobs in the north and to become self-sufficient in spite of prejudices toward both groups that existed at the time. All of this was prior to the civil rights movement in the 60’s and 70’s that further cemented these kinds of freedoms.

During my lifetime, America, our homeland, was one of the few places in the world where all this positive change for disadvantaged men and women could happen peacefully and also be accepted by it’s citizens and leaders. We should never forget how lucky we were to live here then.

Doug Ferguson is a retired engineer living in Palmer, Alaska and has had a life-long interest in American history and human nature.

COMMUNITY ART & CRAFTS Artists Uncorked… 982-2675 The Gallery ........ 745-1420 BOOKSTORE A Black Sheep Shop ......... 376-8198 Black Birch Books ...... 373-2677 Fireside Books ........ 745-2665

For some this past two years has been horrific and left them relying on services they never expected to need. Or sick and dying.

CAFÉ & COFFEE Alaska Artisan Coffee ........ 745-5543 Gathering Grounds ........ 376-4404 Vagabond Blues……..745-2233

For others, they didn’t lose their jobs, had plenty of supplies on hand to sustain them for a long period, and have employed all the tactics advised to avoid getting exposed or sick. This group has stayed healthy, productive and most have thrived.

CANNABIS RETAILER Matanuska Cannabis Co. ...... 745-4211 CREATIVE ENTERTAINMENT Artists Uncorked ........ 982-2675 EDUCATION Learning Essentials ........ 357-3990

HEALTH & WELLNESS All About Herbs ........ 376-8327 Just Botanicals ....... 414-3663 Lone Wolf Aura ........ 631-0482 HOME DÉCOR Peak Boutique ........ 746-3320 PIZZA Humdingers Pizza ........ 745-7499 PHLEBOTOMY SERVICES Valley Phlebotomy ........ 376-6435 PRINT SERVICES The UPS Store ........ 746-6245 REPAIR, RESTORATION Comtronics ........ 373-2669 S&S Drilling ...... 746-0225 Steve’s Toyostove Repair ..... 376-9276 The Powdercoat Shop .... 841-1300 SPECIALTY GIFTS Alaska Midnite Scents ........ 357-7364 Non-Essentials ........ 745-2258 The Wagon Wheel ........ 357-8980 THRIFT SHOPS Steam Driven Boutique ........ 376-4404 Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Stores ........ 376-5708 TOYS Just Imagine Toys ........ 357-1543 Learning Essentials .......... 357-3990

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been around for more than 65 years, and while I’ve lived through catastrophic emergencies like the 1964 Alaska earthquake, I’ve never lived through a full blown global pandemic before.

It’s something we often talked about while I was volunteering for the Mat-Su Emergency Preparedness Expo Planning Committee. We always knew that it was likely this could happen. We tried to train and prepare for it. But the reality has proven to be much harder than any table top lesson we practiced.

APPAREL & CLOTHING All Seasons Clothing ........ 357-0123 D’s Tuxedo ........ 707-6585 Mila’s Alterations ........ 830-8339

FOOTWEAR Northern Comfort ........ 376-5403

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

Contributed by Debra McGhan In mid-September 2012, Pat Wake bolted upright in bed at the sound of gurgling water. Thinking it part of his dream, it didn’t take but an instant to realize… this was no dream.

His wife Judy, still in bed, suddenly heard him shouting, “Get up! We have to go. Now!” The Matanuska River had broken through a mud dike and rushed down the road in a flash flood.

“I was still half asleep when I got downstairs and opened the front door to find our porch floating,” said Judy. “There was no time to think, plan or prepare.

We just had to grab what we could and go.”

Judy said they had been warned the river could flood. “It was far enough away at the time we never thought it would actually affect us,” she said, “And certainly not so suddenly. Thankfully we had a bag packed which really helped, but still, as you’re closing the front door you think of all you are leaving behind.”

Judy and Pat had several things going for them; An emergency go bag, a positive attitude and good friends who quickly responded to help.

“My friend Vicki Geronimi was amazing.

I called her and said we have to get out of our house immediately and need help, can you come? Not only did she show up, but she brought her husband, waders and a truck to help. It was wonderful and something I’ll never forget.”

Geronimi, who admits she is really not prepared herself should an emergency strike, said the water was up to their knees when she and her husband waded up to the neighbor’s house to give a hand.

“The funniest part was their chickens,” she recalled. “I’d never held one in my life and I was terrified. But my friend needed me so here I was helping to put more than a dozen birds in a canoe and then paddling over and putting them in the back of a car. I realized that in an emergency, you become stronger than you might have thought and just do what you have to do.”

It’s the little things in an emergency that can make a big difference. “I was grateful to have a pair of underwear, change of clothes and my toothbrush,” said July. “It’s amazing how just that helped make it all easier.

This fall, as part of National Emergency Preparedness Month, I’m once again reflecting on all that has changed in the past two years with the pandemic. I’ve

Thoughtful planning and preparedness practices, whether by intention or happenstance, have made this pandemic a learning opportunity, not a disaster.

If you want to learn new ways to prepare for all types of emergencies and disasters, you’ll have an opportunity on September 25th from 10am to 3pm when the Mat-Su Emergency Preparedness Expo returns live to the Menard Sports Center.

There will be more than 50 exhibitors on hand providing demonstrations, access to resources, the children’s poster contest and much more. You can get all the information about this free community safety event at https//:www. matsugov.org Let’s face it, disasters and emergencies are becoming more a way of life every year with wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and now this global health pandemic. September is the perfect time of year to reflect on our preparedness plan with our family and friends.

No matter what happens, it’s good to know we have a chance to affect the outcome through our choices and actions. What we do today will have a direct impact on how we face emergencies and disaster challenges in the future. National Emergency Preparedness Month is our opportunity to plan for success.

COMMUNITY

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

the property or tossed in the landfill.

So, while many people were trying to build and prices were rising others were discarding building materials as worthless. The big box building supply stores set multiple sales records during the highest points of material costs in the last year. People burned, buried and tossed items their Valley neighbors needed while corporations did so well.

Why? How do we change that?

We work together and utilize the resources available.

Contributed by Tim Z

neighbors and save people money!

I hate waste, so I started a used building materials store in the Valley.

MVR opened in March of 2019 and after we filled our original space in Palmer we moved to Wasilla in September of 2020. Since then we have continued to grow and now it means we have had to turn items away, solely do to a lack of space.

It’s called Matsu Valley Rebuild, it’s in Wasilla and has over 5000 square feet of space. It’s a donation-based store; not affiliated with any other group and not owned by anyone. The operation is overseen by a board of directors and MVR is driven to be a powerful community resource. Our mission is to keep useful building materials out of the landfill by creating a resource to which people and businesses can donate useful materials that they want to get rid of, but do not wish to waste. We sell these items at 30%-60% of retail prices, proceeds are reinvested into the store.

MVR aims to make the Valley a better place; for you, for our neighbors, for the businesses here and for the economy.

We want to redesign our waste stream, bolster our building materials market, inspire creativity and motivation in our

Over the last year the “disruption” in the building materials supply chain has shown us how subservient we are to the retail price of building supplies. The Valley is growing fast. New construction, remodels, cabin projects and tiny houses are going up everywhere. All that building has leftover materials as well as materials taken out after being replaced, what is happening to that stuff?

Sure, some of it gets saved, some gets sold or given away to friends, some gets passed along online or in the neighborhood…but way too much of it is getting burned, buried, left to rot on

Matsu Valley Rebuild is one of these resources but we need your help. We need people that are in the market for building materials to come check out the store, take advantage of our great deals and help make some room for more donations. We also want you to help us keep useful building materials available to our Valley neighbors. This could mean donating them to MVR, but we are not the only option. Selling or giving things away online through CL or FB works, donating appropriate items to traditional thrift stores is an option, as is the “free” sign out in front of your house. MVR is not in competition with anyone, we just want to keep useful stuff out of the landfill.

This not only helps our neighbors, our friends and our economy, it also helps insulate us from the ebb and flow of the retail economy and helps people that might not be able to afford the retail route. It also creates an opportunity for so many unique and awesome items to be reused and repurposed.

MVR wants to be a part of this and do what we can to inspire and motivate people to get involved. Right now we only offer the donation and sales of items but we have big plans for the future. We will offer a pick up service, a deconstruction service, we want to hold small workshops and classes on basic building projects, develop a tool library and even fix-it events. These events team local experts with people that have items and tools that need to be repaired, things get fixed, people learn how and stuff stays out of the landfill!

Right now the store is busy and a bit

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overwhelmed. We are looking for volunteers, someone who cares about our mission and wants to help make a difference, someone to help with donation intake, cleaning, organizing, putting items away and more. We are looking for someone who could come in regularly to gain a little familiarity with the operation. There is some heavy lifting required, some creativity is helpful and a tolerance for cleaning and patience are also necessary.

Matsu Valley Rebuild wants to be part of the solution but we can’t do it alone.

We need your help. We can’t do pickups yet, so we need you to bring your clean useful donations to us. We can’t deconstruct so we need you to take care in removal of items and materials.

We can’t fit everything so we need you to utilize other options to pass things on. We also need you to tell your friends and family about MVR so we can move some inventory and make room for more…more useful building materials!

Contractors and suppliers; we need you to get on board too! Yes, time is money but so are useful building materials. Surely you care about our Valley neighbors and those who can utilize the things you remove during remodels and have leftover following a build...?

As a community we all have some responsibility in this and we all can benefit when we help our Valley neighbors.

Will you do your part?

Thank you for your support, Tim Founder/President/Manager Matsu Valley Rebuild 567 South Denali Street, Wasilla Wed-Sat 10-6 matsuvalleyrebuild.com Facebook/Instagram

PETS & ANIMALS / COMMUNITY Contributed by Angie Lewis Parker has some issues that make him a bit challenging. We think he dreams of being an only child. Sharing his people with other dogs is not a strength for this boy. He loves his family with all the loyalty and fierceness imaginable. He needs to be with

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

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a family that will be able to do some training and provide consistency. If you’re up to the challenge, he will be well worth the effort.

To meet or learn more about Parker, please call Alaska Animal Advocates, ask for Angie at 841-3173

Contributed by Angie Lewis Emotional Support Dogs help people when they are in distress, offering a comforting presence during feelings of anxiety, depression, autism, bipolar or PTSD. Qualifying your dog to become an Emotional Support Dog (ESA) is a fairly simple task and the whole process only take a few days to accomplish. In order to designate your dog as an Emotional Support Dog, you must have an emotional or psychological condition that requires such an animal. You must get a certification from a licensed therapist or Doctor. This requires an evaluation of your condition and a letter of recommendation for a ESA. An ESA does not have the same training requirements or privileges that a therapy dog has.

These requirements involve that you be a current patient of the mental health professional and: • Your disability must be described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) • Your disability must substantially limit your performance or participation in a least one of life’s major activities • An ESA must be prescribed to you as a part of your treatment plan • An ESA recommendation letter must be written within one year and expires a year later • Medical recommendation letter

packets can be purchased online • A variety of ESA supplies can be purchased online as well (vests, patches, and leashes).

• It is best not to try and fake the ESA letter as this is against the law and can land you in a great deal of trouble. A legitimate ESA letter will allow your dog to legally live in 99.9 % of “no Pet housing. Also, landlords are not allowed to charge pet fees when your pet has n ESA letter.

A well behaved ESA is able to fly without extra fees, although there may be breed and size restrictions.

There are certain breeds of dogs that are not accepted as ESAs: • Chow Chows • Cane Corsos • Skye Terries • Blood Hounds • Weimaraners • Border Collies • Emotional Support Dogs play a very important role in our lives with very minimal training requirements. Just another example of how vital a role that dogs have in our lives.

Angie Lewis Palmer

appropriately. We are all here to help each other, we appreciate each and every member of our community, we are proud to serve as your local food bank/pantry.

Thank you to all of our donors, local businesses who continue to support us and the community for volunteering your time and talents. We will be at The Alaska State Fair this year on 5 separate occasions to collect food and donations on August 20th, 21st and again on the 26th, 27th and 28th.

Be sure to say “Hello” as you come through the gates on the days we are there! Thank you.

Contributed by Lauralynn Robison It’s heartbreaking and almost impossible to ignore the number of families or individuals who are struggling to put food on their tables. In our minds, the more money we can raise, the more people we could help feed, thereby accomplishing our mission.

The donated money we receive from everyone goes directly towards our mission, to maintain a warehouse and pantry so that the Mat-Su Community has a place to get nutritional food. MatSu Food Bank operates a

Food Pantry that is not affiliated with any other local food bank. We need our donors and the people of our community to know where all their donated money and food is going. T he financial donations go to maintain the pantry and warehouses daily operations and help with food purchases such as eggs and butter.

The food donations go back into our community.

Every time a donation is received, we have an accountability to our community to make sure it is utilized

Remember: No One should go hungry! Please take a minute to visit our web page matsufoodbank.org. See the many ways you can contribute, by volunteering and making donations, help us help our community.

Please contact us at (907) 357-3769 to schedule time to volunteer.

You can also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/MatsuFoodBank …

Thank You for all your continued support, we deeply appreciate our community!

COMMUNITY

Contributed by Melissa Keefe

As Alaska continues to respond to the global pandemic, the Alaska State Fair will implement a series of safety precautions intended to protect the health of fairgoers, staff, volunteers, vendors, entertainers and others at the 2021 Fair.

Earlier this year, the Fair announced an extended 14-day schedule to help spread out the crowds and keep everyone as safe as possible.

Fairgoers are encouraged to purchase parking and admission tickets in

advance online at alaskastatefair.org to better estimate attendance and to help keep the public safe.

“This will help us predict crowd sizes and manage our resources to keep patrons safe,” said Jerome Hertel, Fair CEO. “Purchasing tickets online is a contactless transaction that reduces the spread of germs.”

The Fair does not anticipate daily attendance limits at this time, Hertel added. Fair organizers will continue to monitor current CDC guidelines and are working closely with local, state and federal health agencies.

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

Other safety measures planned for the 2021 Fair include: • Additional handwashing and sanitizing stations will be available throughout the fairgrounds.

• High-use areas will be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

• Contactless transactions are encouraged. Skip the line, buy online-don’t wait at the Gate.

• Face coverings will not be required for fair guests but are strongly encouraged for those not fully vaccinated and in highly congested areas. Face coverings will be available at all indoor exhibit buildings.

• Fairgoers are encouraged to practice

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social distancing where possible.

• Patrons are asked to stay home if sick or experiencing symptoms of illness.

The 2021 Fair, themed Seeing is Believing, will be held Friday, August 20, through Monday, September 6, at the fairgrounds in Palmer.

Hours will be 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.

The Fair will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (August 24 – 25 and August 31 – September 1) for additional cleaning and disinfecting.

For more information, visit alaskastatefair.org