The State of the State speech today at 7 p.m. will no doubt include a sermon about school choice from Gov. Mike Dunleavy, along with his flawed interpretation of the Harvard charter school study.

The only choice that Dunleavy needs to make is to support public schools in Alaska.

The Alaska Constitution spells out the mandate, which is to “establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state.”

The state House has chosen to move ahead with a bill that supports education by reversing the reductions created by inflation over the years and invest with an eye on the future.

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The Alaska Legislature has yet to be given a good reason to hand over the $50 million that Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants for the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority for a gas pipeline study.

The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation can’t find a private company willing to pay $50 million for the final design and engineering work on a proposed gas pipeline unless there is a pledge to get that money back from the state.

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I had expected that those Republican legislators who are afraid to counter anything emitted by Donald Trump would be intimidated into voting against House Joint Resolution 4 in Juneau today.

The measure in the Alaska Legislature calling for the retention of Denali’s traditional name should have been approved unanimously, but 10 Trumpists voted against it.

The House Rules Committee held a hearing on the matter Monday, creating a revised measure that was approved 28-10, with Rep. Kevin McCabe calling for reconsideration. Passage of this resolution won’t stop Trump, but it’s a good idea to get this on the record.

The arrogant way in which the Trump edict came about, issued with no attempt to consider the opinions of Alaskans, will help ensure that the mountain remains Denali, not McKinley, to Alaskans.

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In his State of the State Speech Tuesday night, Gov. Mike Dunleavy will recycle the empty education slogans that constitute his alleged education reform plan, which met with statewide opposition last year and will do so again.

Dunleavy will use his speech to mention the Harvard study on charter schools that he has been promoting for the past year, misrepresenting the contents. He has repeatedly failed to acknowledge the flaws and weaknesses in that study, which have been exposed by a diligent Fairbanks high school math teacher.

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In late 2010 or early 2011, Gary Chouest, head of the family business, talked to Young on the phone, offering to raise funds for Young’s legal bills from his various family-owned companies, according to a House ethics investigation.

In January 2011, at a fundraiser in Texas, Gary handed an envelope to Young that contained a dozen $5,000 checks. The checks were from 12 family companies, all of them at 16201 East Main St. in Galliano, LA.

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It was an impulsive decision by President Trump to pardon all of the January 6 criminals, including violent offenders, according to reporting by Axios.

"Trump just said: 'Fuck it: Release 'em all,’ an adviser familiar with the discussions,” told the news site.

This contradicted the promise that Vice President Vance made eight days earlier on Fox News: "If you committed violence that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned."

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Sullivan always uses the “didn’t read it,” “didn’t see it,” “didn’t hear about it,” “didn’t know about it” excuse when he can’t think of what to say or is afraid that Trump will take offense.

It is a scam, of course, as Sullivan comments all the time about things he hasn’t read when he believes he is operating in a safe space.

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With Trump’s command, the federal government will waste money changing maps and documents and force federal employees to call it McKinley, but most people in Alaska will continue to call it Denali, the name that has been state policy for 50 years and was in use long before the United States came into existence.

Keep it Denali, regardless of Trump’s McKinley obsession.

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The Trump executive order that overturns dozens of actions by the Biden administration dealing with Alaska provides a clear snapshot of how Trump views the 49th state—a warehouse of resources to be handed over to the rape, ruin and run boys.

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The state salary commission, tainted by political manipulation in 2023, might produce a plan that would give the governor, lieutenant governor, commissioners and legislators automatic raises every two years based on the rate of inflation, but not this year.

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The first thing Sen. Dan Sullivan asked Lee Zeldin, nominated to head the EPA, is if he would “commit to me to come up to Alaska with me, bring your family, we can do some fishing maybe after you see all the important elements of Alaska. Big mountains.”

Sullivan, who will support all Trump nominees, always asks cabinet nominees to take junkets to Alaska. No real questions asked or answered.

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Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s PR man objects to a headline that appeared here on January 10: “Dunleavy claims salary study drafts have been tossed, so they are not public records.”

No records have been tossed, the Dunleavy word police told a public radio reporter. The draft copies have simply not been retained.

I have rewritten the headline to follow the edict from above: “Dunleavy claims salary study drafts have not been retained, so they are not public records.”

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Alaskans should see the $1 million results of a state salary research report that Gov. Mike Dunleavy refuses to release, according to a petition circulated by the Alaska State Employees Association.

Among other things, ASEA says it is “truly shocking” that the governor’s office claims that drafts of the report it received from the contractor have been disposed of, so they are no longer public records.

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Look for a widespread public school ban in 2025 on the student use of “cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, and gaming devices” during the school day.

A proposed policy says: “Students are prohibited from accessing devices or wearing device accessories during the school day unless explicitly authorized for classroom use. Devices and accessories must be stored in lockers, backpacks, or as directed by the school district. The district may prohibit possession of devices and accessories on school property.”

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Sen. Dan Sullivan began his confirmation hearing questions of Trump Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth with a bonehead quiz about Billy Mitchell, followed by a series of anti-Biden cheap shots framed as questions that Sullivan, Trump and Hegseth agree upon.

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The endless caterwauling about how we need to increase mining in Alaska for national security reasons is deceptive.

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In an all-too-familiar pattern with the Dunleavy administration, the contract was extended and extended again to $450,000, nine times the amount claimed on August 19 as sufficient.

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In response to a public records request I submitted, the governor’s office says that while it once had other draft reports of the study, it does not have them any longer.

As an excuse, this is a few steps shy of “The dog ate my homework.” George Costanza could do better.

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Nick Begich the Third, eager to please Donald Trump, is excited about the concept of turning Greenland into U.S. property.

Begich is the son of Nick Begich Jr., who now self-identifies as Nick Begich Sr., and the nephew of former Sen. Mark Begich and former state Sen. Tom Begich.

Now the leader of the Begich political family in Alaska, Nick the Third is a sudden convert to the Trump plan to take control of Greenland.

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Stripped of double-talk, what’s happening is far less significant than the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation claims. The real “milestone,” if there is one, is that the state has agreed to pay a major pipeline company up to $50 million to complete the next stage of pipeline planning work, the so-called front end engineering and design. That work is necessary to get updated cost estimates.

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