The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority wants approval to borrow $300 million without telling the Legislature or the public where the money would go. Trust us, says AIDEA.
The agency, run by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s former chief of staff, Randy Ruaro, and a board comprised of Dunleavy employees and political supporters, is telling the Legislature to approve the $300 million and stop worrying. AIDEA will pick the right projects, AIDEA says.
Read MoreThe Alaska Permanent Fund is facing the most serious leadership crisis in its history, triggered by the behavior of trustee Gabrielle Rubenstein.
The chief investment officer of the fund, Marcus Frampton, took the extraordinary step in January to privately document what he believes are the serious conflicts of interest that Rubenstein has brought to the operation of the fund.
Read MoreBob Griffin, the Dunleavy point man on the state school board, has his Senate confirmation hearing Monday at 3:30 p.m. before the Senate Education Committee.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy nominated Griffin for a second five-year term on the state board. Griffin works as a pilot for Alaska Airlines and his volunteer job is as “senior education research fellow” for the right-wing Alaska Policy Forum, which propagates many of the same ideas as Dunleavy.
Read MoreA church school can’t exclude religious teaching from any part of its daily operations, so there is an inherent contradiction in claims that some courses have nothing to do with the values inherent in the religion.
But the lure of lucre is powerful, especially when the state makes public funds available, contrary to the clear constitutional mandate: “No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”
Read MoreSo here we have Arkansas lawyer and Christian nationalist Bob Ballinger claiming he knows that the late Vic Fischer would support a constitutional amendment to allow state funds for private and religious schools.
I can guarantee you that Ballinger, who never met Vic Fischer, doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Read More“I don’t have any experience whatsoever in commercial fishing. And as I looked at the statutes and as everyone else looked at the statutes, that’s not a requirement to do this job,” said Mike Porcaro.
“I think it’s actually a benefit, since I have no entangling alliances. I have no preconceived ideas. And I’m learning and believe me I’m learning every day, just as most people do, what’s going on. And I’ve got some excellent teachers,” he said during his Senate Resources Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Read MoreBob Griffin, who describes himself as “kind of a numbers-driven guy,” always coats his opinions with a steady stream of percentages, rankings, jargon and raw numbers, speaking with the complete authority you would expect from any long-time Alaska Airlines 737 captain.
Griffin, a campaign supporter and close ally of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, has been nominated by the governor for a second five-year term on the state school board. He faces a Senate Education Committee confirmation hearing Monday. His appointment will be among the many decided at a joint session of the Legislature in the next few weeks.
Read MoreThe Senate Resources Committee has set a confirmation hearing for radio talk show host and adman Mike Porcaro Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Porcaro, who has no experience in fisheries, was granted a state job as a fisheries commissioner by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Porcaro, who is in his mid 70s, has said he did not ask for the job.
Porcaro has been ill and an earlier confirmation hearing was canceled in early April.
Read More“Bach's Prélude from Suite No. 2, amidst the melting permafrost on Lower Tanana Dene lands in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I was brought by Princess Daazhraii Johnson,” says Yo-Yo Ma, who traveled to Fairbanks last summer.
Read MoreThere is no doubt that Gov. Mike Dunleavy, state school board member Bob Griffin and others see the creation of statewide charter schools, which would act like correspondence schools, as a way to direct more public money into private schools.
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