Seven people were killed, including Alaska state lawmaker Gary Knopp (R), after two small planes crashed into each other mid-air early Friday morning while flying over the Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage, Alaska.
The pilots of the planes, Knopp, 67, and Gregory Bell, 57, were both residents of the area, according to officials. Bell was flying with five other passengers, including David Rogers, a 40-year-old guide from Kansas, and four people from out-of-state. Knopp was flying solo.
The other four victims, Caleb Hulsey, Heather Hulsey, Mackay Hulsey, and Kirstin Wright, were all from South Carolina and in their mid-twenties.
“This is an unfathomable tragedy for multiple families today. The DPS sends a heartfelt condolence to all who lost a loved one in this mid-air collision,” Amanda Price, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said in a <a href="https://dps.alaska.gov/AST/PIO/PressReleases/Mid-Air-Collision-Leaves-Seven-Dead-on-the-Kenai-P">statement</a>. “Troopers and partner agencies have worked together diligently at the scene and have reached out to next of kin to notify them of this heartbreaking incident.”
All but one person died on scene, while the seventh person died en route to the hospital, said officials. The investigation remains ongoing.
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/us/alaska-plane-crash-gary-knopp.html">The New York Times</a>, the majority of the wreckage was found about 200 yards from the Sterling Highway. A local business owner told the Times that the weather the morning of the crash was clear and the sun was shining brightly.
Knopp, who was born in Montana but moved to Alaska in the late 1970s, worked as a general contractor prior to entering politics and was remembered as a “one-of-a-kind leader,” said House speaker Bryce Edgemon (I) in a statement Friday.
“Gary was a one-of-a-kind leader and a true Alaskan who worked tirelessly for his district in the Legislature. He will be missed by many,” said Edgemon.
State House Majority Leader Steve Thompson (R) called Knopp “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”
State Senator Peter Micciche (R), who represents the district in which Knopp lived, also offered condolences according to <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2020/07/31/shock-and-sadness-after-state-legislator-gary-knopp-dies-in-midair-crash/">Alaska Daily News</a>.
“We live in a small, tight community here in the Central Peninsula. When I heard the horrific sounds of a plane crash this morning, which occurred very close to my home, I knew there was a high probability it involved someone we knew well,” he stated.
Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) ordered flags to fly at half-staff until Monday in honor of the late representative, who served in local government before he was elected to the state legislature in 2016.
“The First Lady and I wish to express our heartfelt condolences to Representative Knopp’s family as they mourn his untimely passing,” said Governor Dunleavy in a statement.
“Throughout his 42 years on the Kenai Peninsula, Gary became well known as an avid outdoorsman, a skilled pilot, and a dedicated public servant. His presence will no doubt be missed by those he faithfully served,” said the governor.
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Denali Highway, Route 8, offers views of Mt. Deborah, Hess Mountain and Mt. Hayes Alaska

Seven Killed, Including Alaska State GOP Lawmaker, After Mid-Air Plane Crash

Alaska

Plane Crash

Five books are being banned by a school board in southern Alaska due to their “controversial” stories and themes, including Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.”
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alaska-school-board-bans-5-controversial-books-including-maya-angelou-work">reported</a> that “the Matanuska-Susitna School Board in Palmer, Alaska, voted 5-2 to ban the books, which include “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison; “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller; “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien; “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou; and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.”
More from Fox:
<blockquote>Angelou’s work was banned because of a graphic description she wrote about being molested as a child and for “anti-white” messaging.
“The Things They Carried,” about the Vietnam War, was cited for profanity and sexual references, while “Catch-22” was banned for racist attitudes, misogyny and violence.
As for “The Great Gatsby,” it was reportedly removed for language and sexual references, and “Invisible Man,” a story of race and identity in a pre-civil rights era America, was <a href="https://go.boarddocs.com/ak/matsu/Board.nsf/files/BNQSWL743B16/%24file/English%20Electives%20Round%201%20Controversial%20Book%20Descriptions.pdf">nixed</a> for language and depictions of rape and incest.</blockquote>
Three of the banned books won prestigious literary awards, including Angelou’s, which won the Literarian in 2013. “‘Invisible Man’ won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953 and ‘The Things They Carried’ was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1991,” Fox reported.
One of the board members who voted in favor of the ban, Jim Hart, never read two of the books he voted to ban, instead relying on summarized versions, the Anchorage Daily News <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/education/2020/04/23/mat-su-school-board-pulls-five-books-from-english-courses-including-invisible-man-and-catch-22/">reported</a>. The two books he hadn’t read were “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and “Invisible Man.” Hart said Angelou’s book was banned for its description of molestation.
“If I were to read this in a professional environment at my office, I would be dragged to the equal opportunity office,” he told the outlet.
Kelsey Trimmer, who voted against the ban, told the Daily News that it felt like the plot of “Footloose,” where “the old white man’s club” decided what people can and can’t do. Sarah Welton, who also voted against the ban, told the outlet that the “controversial book subjects as reviewed by parents is…beneficial to our students. I think we might be doing a disservice to not provide that.”
Former educator Pat Chesbro one of many, many people outraged by the bans, and posted a message she said she sent to the board asking what specific parts of the book were objectionable and if anyone had actually complained about them.
“One of the purposes in teaching books that have controversial content is so that teachers can guide students through the book to get to the underlying ideas,” she wrote, according to the Daily news. “From your reading of these books, what are the underlying ideas to which you object?”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Book One Of 5 Banned By Alaska School Board For Being ‘Controversial’

Education

After undergoing extensive testing and a temporary quarantine in Alaska, over 200 American evacuees from Wuhan — the Chinese city where the deadly coronavirus outbreak began — have arrived in Southern California, where they will be temporarily held again to undergo additional screenings.
Amid escalating fears about the outbreak, which has prompted the Chinese government to impose a quarantine affecting an unprecedented number of people, some 56 million, the U.S. government began evacuating Americans, including 201 from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, who were flown on a chartered jet on Tuesday to a largely dormant airport in Alaska.
In Alaska, Center for Disease Control officials performed multiple tests on the evacuees to ensure they were not infected by the virus, which has killed more than 130 people and infected nearly 6,000 thus far.
After being cleared, the 201 passengers were flown to March Air Reserve Base in California’s Riverside County on Wednesday, where, as <a href="https://apnews.com/e3f13d6f778eae1dd6a062499ed889e7">The Associated Press</a> reports, they will &#8220;undergo additional health screenings in California and will be temporarily housed there for a period of time as they finish the repatriation process.&#8221;
“For many of us directly involved in this, it’s become a moving and uplifting experience,&#8221; said Alaska&#8217;s chief medical officer Dr. Anne Zink, as reported by AP. &#8220;The whole plane erupted into cheers when the crew welcomed them back to the United States.&#8221;
The arrival of the evacuees follows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-activates-emergency-operations-center-preparing-for-coronavirus">reports</a> that San Francisco has activated its emergency operations center in preparation for a potential outbreak.
AP notes that before being flown to Alaska, the passengers had already undergone two screenings in China. In Alaska, they kept in isolation from the populace and were screened twice more. &#8220;One passenger received medical attention for a minor injury that happened before boarding the airplane in China, Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, told reporters after the plane left,&#8221; AP reports.
The news agency also notes that the flight crew remained &#8220;entirely isolated from the passengers for the entirety of the flight and did not get off the plane in China, putting them at low risk.&#8221;
Nearly 6,000 people have been infected by the virus in China and more than 130 have died. Five cases of the virus have been confirmed so far in the United States, including two cases in California — the first in Orange County and the second in Los Angeles County — a case in Maricopa County, Arizona, another in Washington state, and one in Chicago, Illinois. No deaths from the virus have been reported in the U.S.
On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html">The New York Times</a> provided some updates on the virus, including the following:
<div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn">
<div class="css-53u6y8">
<ul>
<li class="css-exrw3m evys1bk0">The number of confirmed cases increased to 5,974 on Wednesday, up from 4,515 on Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission.</li>
<li class="css-exrw3m evys1bk0">Most of the confirmed cases have been in the central Chinese province of Hubei, where several cities, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, have been placed under what amounts to a lockdown.</li>
<li class="css-exrw3m evys1bk0">Thailand has reported 14 cases of infection; Hong Kong has eight; the United States, Taiwan, Australia and Macau have five each; Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia each have reported four; Japan has seven; France has four; Canada has three; Vietnam has two; and Nepal, Cambodia and Germany each have one. There have been no deaths outside China.</li>
</ul>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-activates-emergency-operations-center-preparing-for-coronavirus">San Francisco Activates Emergency Operations Center Preparing For Coronavirus</a>
</div>
</div>

Flight Evacuating Americans

Evacuees From Coronavirus Outbreak Center Wuhan Arrive In California

California

China

Coronavirus

Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into a Twitter feud with Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday after the Republican governor said the congresswoman&#8217;s much-maligned Green New Deal — which would cost as much as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-25/group-sees-ocasio-cortez-s-green-new-deal-costing-93-trillion">$93 trillion</a> by one think tank&#8217;s estimate and went down in flames <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/green-new-deal-on-track-to-senate-defeat-as-democrats-call-vote-a-sham/2019/03/26/834f3e5e-4fdd-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html">57-0</a> in the Senate in March — would utterly destroy his state&#8217;s economy.
Dunleavy&#8217;s pushback against the Green New Deal, which would impose a &#8220;net-zero&#8221; emissions policy, dismantle the fossil fuel industry, and promises universal healthcare and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/08/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-new-green-deal-jobs-guarantee-what-to-expect.html">federally guaranteed jobs</a>, is particularly unsurprising given his state&#8217;s booming oil and gas industry.
On Tuesday, RealClearNews&#8217; Philip Wegmann tweeted out some highlights from his discussion with Dunleavy about the Green New Deal.
&#8220;What happens to Alaska if [Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s] Green New Deal becomes real?&#8221; wrote Wegmann. &#8220;[Gov. Dunleavy] says, &#8216;it would impact our civilization as we know it.'&#8221;
In a follow-up post, Wegmann added that Dunleavy explained that &#8220;Oil would disappear[.] Gas would disappear[.] Coal would disappear[.] Alaska&#8217;s population would plummet.&#8221;
In response to Wegmann&#8217;s initial tweet about the Green New Deal &#8220;impact[ing] our civilization as we know it,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez  wrote, &#8220;Yeah that’s kind of the point.&#8221;
&#8220;The climate crisis threatens our way of life, and we must decarbonize our economy [and] way of life to save the planet,&#8221; she added in a follow-up tweet. &#8220;I wish it wasn’t such a bad situation too, but previous generations failed to act [and] now young people need to deal [with] the science of our future [and] create opportunity.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The climate crisis threatens our way of life, and we must decarbonize our economy &amp; way of life to save the planet.
I wish it wasn’t such a bad situation too, but previous generations failed to act &amp; now young people need to deal w the science of our future &amp; create opportunity.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1189259929422565376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The freshman congresswoman&#8217;s snarky &#8220;kind of the point&#8221; comment prompted a direct response from the Alaska governor, in which he made sure she understood exactly what he meant by her proposal&#8217;s threat to &#8220;our civilization.&#8221;
&#8220;Your Green New Deal would destroy Alaska’s economy,&#8221; Dunleavy wrote Tuesday.
&#8220;I invite you to visit Alaska, and I can personally show you how we responsibly develop America’s natural resources better than anyone,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You’re welcome anytime.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Your Green New Deal would destroy Alaska’s economy. 
I invite you to visit Alaska, and I can personally show you how we responsibly develop America’s natural resources better than anyone. You’re welcome anytime. <a href="https://t.co/mgQCHi7nX6">https://t.co/mgQCHi7nX6</a>
&mdash; Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovDunleavy/status/1189282169463721985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As reported by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-25/group-sees-ocasio-cortez-s-green-new-deal-costing-93-trillion">Bloomberg</a> in February, a GOP-aligned think tank led by a former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s radical plan would cost between $51 trillion and $93 trillion.
&#8220;That includes between $8.3 trillion and $12.3 trillion to meet the plan’s call to eliminate carbon emissions from the power and transportation sectors and between $42.8 trillion and $80.6 trillion for its economic agenda including providing jobs and health care for all,&#8221; Bloomberg noted.
The next month, the Republican-led Senate forced a vote on the Green New Deal. Every Republican voted against it and four Democrats joined them. The rest of the Democrats simply voted &#8220;present,&#8221; giving the far-left proposal zero votes and a total tally of 57-0.
&#8220;The proposal addresses the small matter of eliminating the use of all fossil fuels nationwide in a 10-year time frame,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said at the time, as reported by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/green-new-deal-on-track-to-senate-defeat-as-democrats-call-vote-a-sham/2019/03/26/834f3e5e-4fdd-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html">The Washington Post</a>. &#8220;This might sound like a neat idea in places like San Francisco or New York, the places that the Democratic Party seems totally focused on these days. But communities practically everywhere else would be absolutely crushed.&#8221;

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ocasio-Cortez Hits Alaska Gov. For Slamming ‘Green New Deal’; He Fires Back

Green New Deal

On Thursday, the Department of the Interior struck a blow for American energy independence as it released its <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-drilling-in-alaskas-arctic-wildlife-refuge-to-have-negligible-impact-interior-department-says-11568319433">final environmental impact statement</a> that supported opening a tiny part of Alaska’s gigantic Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling.
Discussing the energy leasing provisions contained in Section 20001 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which President Trump signed into law, the statement read:
<blockquote>The Act directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to establish two area-wide leasing sales, not less than 400,000 acres each, along the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It also authorizes up to 2,000 acres, or 0.01 percent of ANWR’s 19.3 million acres, for surface facilities.</blockquote>
U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt stated, &#8220;Affordable energy and great paying energy jobs help power our nation&#8217;s economy, which is clearly thriving under President Trump&#8217;s policies. After rigorous review, robust public comment, and a consideration of a range of alternatives, today&#8217;s announcement is a big step to carry out the clear mandate we received from Congress to develop and implement a leasing program for the Coastal Plain, a program the people of Alaska have been seeking for over 40 years.&#8221;
Margaret Everson, Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, echoed, &#8220;A large and diverse team including Tribes, partners, the state of Alaska and experts from across the Service worked with BLM on the range of alternatives contained in the EIS, as well as the protective mitigation measures that would apply to oil and gas activities in this unique area. The team&#8217;s work forms the scientific and conservation foundation that will protect high-value wildlife habitats and important uses in this area, while advancing the President&#8217;s agenda on energy independence.&#8221;
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy added, &#8220;Forty years after Congress selected the Arctic Coastal Plain for potential energy development, the Trump Administration is making good on that decades old potential. I join with all Alaska Governors since 1980 in assuring the nation and the world that we develop our natural resources responsibly. I look forward to the lease sale scheduled for later this year.&#8221;
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) added, &#8220;At a time when Democratic presidential candidates are promising to end all energy investments on public lands, thus killing tens of thousands of American jobs, it is good to see the current administration fighting for energy production grounded in environmental science.&#8221;
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) commented: &#8220;The leasing program in ANWR is supported by the Iñupiat people of Kaktovik, the closest indigenous people to the area; it will grow the tax base; it will increase job opportunities; and it will reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil even further so that the United States will no longer have to support countries fraught with instability, poor human rights records, and lax environmental standards.&#8221;
Environmentalists planned to fight the decision; Anne Hawke of the Natural Resources Defense Council threatened, &#8220;We will indeed sue.&#8221; Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of the group Defenders of Wildlife, warned, &#8220;This Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leasing plan is another disgraceful example of the Trump administration&#8217;s continued rejection of environmental law, sound science and the wishes of the American people in protecting wildlife and wild lands. We will see them in court for this reckless effort to turn this iconic American landscape into an industrial oil field.&#8221;
Rep. Jared Huffman, (D-CA), complained, &#8220;There are some places too wild, too important, too unique to be spoiled by oil-and-gas development. The Arctic Refuge&#8217;s Coastal Plain is one of those special places.&#8221;
Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute countered, &#8220;The potential for safe and environmentally responsible energy development in this area is incredibly large and a key part of a long-term vision for U.S. energy security. Responsible access to the Arctic region is in our national security interest, with other nations like Russia, Canada and Norway already actively exploring the area.&#8221;
The area involved, as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-drilling-in-alaskas-arctic-wildlife-refuge-to-have-negligible-impact-interior-department-says-11568319433">The Wall Street Journal</a> noted, is tiny compared to the massive size of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Journal wrote, &#8220;The plan they are moving forward with would allow the industry to disturb the earth for its drilling pads, processing plants and roads on just 0.01% of the refuge’s 19 million acres.&#8221; Not only that, but the Journal added, &#8220;The plan will include a ban on any activity along the plain&#8217;s biggest rivers and in its far northwestern corner to protect caribou calving grounds,&#8221; according to administration officials.
Chad Padgett, state director for Interior&#8217;s Bureau of Land Management in Alaska, said the administration could offer leases to oil companies by the end of 2019.

ANWR

Environmentalists Irate: Trump Administration Strikes A Blow For U.S. Energy Independence

Environmentalism

A government meeting in Alaska opened with a prayer to Satan after a Satanic Temple member won the right to deliver the invocation, prompting about a dozen officials and attendees to walk out.
The invocation was the first given by the Satanic Temple since the Kenai Peninsula Borough &#8212; 75 miles south of Anchorage &#8212; changed a policy in November after the Alaska Superior Court said that policy violated the state&#8217;s constitution&#8217;s establishment clause. The new policy allows for anyone in the borough to offer an invocation, no matter their religion.
In her invocation, Iris Fontana, who is a member of the Satanic Temple and brought a lawsuit against the borough to change the policy, called the room to be present, &#8220;and for attendees to clear their minds,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/satanic-temple-invocation-prompts-protest-walkouts-at-assembly-meeting/">Peninsula Clarion</a> newspaper reported.
&#8220;She asked listeners to embrace the impulse to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. &#8216;Let us demand that humans be judged for their actions,&#8217; she said,&#8221; the Clarion reported.
&#8220;That which will not bend, must break, and that which can be destroyed by truth should never be spared as demise. It is done, hail Satan,&#8221; Fontana said, Kenai radio station <a href="http://www.radiokenai.net/protest-in-soldotna-due-to-satanic-invocation/">KSRM</a> reported.
Some 40 people protested the inclusion of a Satanic Temple invocation. Some held signs reading &#8220;reject Satan and his works&#8221; and &#8220;know Jesus and his love,&#8221; as they demonstrated outside the government building, the Clarion reported.
&#8220;Assembly members Norm Blakeley and Paul Fischer and borough Mayor Charlie Pierce were among those who left the assembly chambers along with some audience members,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/291e8173eab64c13bfef3a6b9fe7e3f3">Associated Press</a> reported.
<blockquote>
The protesters included William Siebenmorgen, who flew to Alaska from Pennsylvania for the event.
&#8220;God will be pleased with our public prayers of reparation. We want God&#8217;s blessings on America, not Satan&#8217;s curses. Lucifer is the eternal loser. Let&#8217;s keep him out,&#8221; he told KSRM.
</blockquote>
But Kenai resident Greg Andersen warned that he&#8217;ll be giving the next invocation.
&#8220;This is just some advanced notice for those of you who have a hard time accepting that some people have beliefs that are different than your own,&#8221; Andersen said. &#8220;You can turn your back and walk out like I witnessed this evening.&#8221;
It isn&#8217;t the first time a Satanic Temple member has forced the government to include them. In 2018, the Chicago chapter of the Satanic Temple forced officials to display its &#8220;Snaketivity&#8221; statue next to a huge Christmas tree in the Illinois Statehouse rotunda, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39049/satanic-statue-mocking-christmas-illinois-james-barrett">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
The statue, which featured a hand holding up an apple with a serpent wrapped around it, was included alongside a Nativity scene and a Hanukkah menorah. It&#8217;s title, &#8220;Knowledge Is The Greatest Gift,&#8221; overtly mocks the idea of Christ as God&#8217;s great gift to the world.
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/673422143/satanic-sculpture-installed-at-illinois-statehouse-just-in-time-for-the-holidays">NPR</a> reported that a note nearby sought to explain that the inclusion of sacrelegious statues like the &#8220;Snaketivity&#8221; wasn&#8217;t officials&#8217; fault:
<blockquote>
The State of Illinois is required by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to allow temporary, public displays in the state capitol so long as these displays are not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Because the first floor of the Capitol Rotunda is a public place, state officials cannot legally censor the content of speech or displays. The United States Supreme Court has held that public officials may legally impose reasonable time, place and manner restrictions regarding displays and speeches, but no regulation can be based on the content of the speech.
</blockquote>
The statue was included because while the Satanic Temple says it is a &#8220;non-theistic organization,&#8221; the group is still considered by the state to be a religious organization and thus is given the same rights as others.

State Government Meeting Opens With ‘Hail Satan’ Prayer; Officials Storm Out

Religion

Investigators in Alaska have pieced together the tragic murder of 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman. The young woman was murdered by five other teenagers after one of them, 18-year-old Denali Brehmer, was allegedly offered millions of dollars for photos of the killing by a 21-year-old man in Indiana who was pretending to be a millionaire.
It all started when Brehmer met &#8220;Tyler&#8221; (real name, Darin Schilmiller) online and began a relationship. Tyler said he was from Kansas, but he was actually from New Salisbury, Indiana, and sent Brehmer a photograph of another man claiming it was him. Schilmiller looked nothing like the young man in the photo. Tyler claimed to be a millionaire, but he was not. This is known as &#8220;catfishing.&#8221;
Weeks before Hoffman was murdered, Brehmer and Schilmiller &#8220;began discussing a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska,&#8221; <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2019/06/15/indiana-man-offered-millions-of-dollars-to-teens-to-kill-cynthia-hoffman-new-charges-say/">court documents</a> posted by The Anchorage Daily News said. Schilmiller offered Brehmer $9 million or more to murder someone and send him photos and videos of the crime. Brehmer agreed.
Brehmer then recruited four of her friends &#8212; 19-year-old Caleb Leyland ,16-year-old Kayden McIntosh, and two others who are too young to name &#8212; to help commit the murder. Each was promised a share of the $9 million. Leyland, who allegedly lent his car for use in the killing, said he was offered $500,000.
The friends gathered in either May or early June 2019 to plan the murder of Hoffman, whom Brehmer had once described as her &#8220;best friend.&#8221; On June 2, 2019, Brehmer, McIntosh, and Hoffman traveled to Thunderbird Falls. Hoffman thought the three were going for a hike. Instead, Hoffman&#8217;s hands and feet were bound, and duct tape was wrapped around her head to cover her mouth. McIntosh allegedly shot Hoffman in the back of the head with Brehmer&#8217;s gun. Hoffman&#8217;s body was then pushed into the Eklutna River.
Brehmer sent photos and videos of the killing to Schilmiller over Snapchat, which were obtained by police. Brehmer and McIntosh then allegedly burned Hoffman&#8217;s belongings and sent texts to her parents saying she had been dropped off at Polar Bear Park in Anchorage.
Brehmer and McIntosh were questioned on June 4. At that time McIntosh confessed to the shooting. Brehmer at first claimed she didn&#8217;t know McIntosh was going to kill Hoffman.
After the Snapchat information was discovered, Brehmer confessed on June 7, 2019.
Brehmer did not realize she had been catfished until after the murder.
Schilmiller admitted to his role in the murder on June 9. He told police he chose Hoffman as the victim, planned the murder with Brehmer for three weeks, and that he had convinced Brehmer by promising to pay her millions of dollars for the crime. He also said he and Brehmer discussed another murder, but the pair didn&#8217;t follow through. Schilmiller also admitted to blackmailing Brehmer after the murder by having her sexually assault girls aged 8 to 15. Schilmiller was arrested on federal child pornography charges since he asked Brehmer to send him pictures of the assaults, according to the Daily News. &#8220;He is awaiting extradition to Alaska on a $1 million arrest warrant,&#8221; the outlet reported.
<a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielmalor/status/1141072511792230400?s=11">H/t Gabriel Malor</a>

Indiana Man ‘Catfished’ Alaska Woman, Promised Her Millions Of Dollars To Kill Her Friend, Police Say

Indiana

Murder

On Friday, a massive earthquake registering at a 7.0 magnitude hit Anchorage, Alaska, causing major infrastructure damage, power outages, and chaos.
&#8220;There is major infrastructure damage across Anchorage,&#8221; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/magnitude-67-quake-rocks-anchorage-alaska-officials/story?id=59523391">said</a> the Anchorage Police Department in a bulletin, according to ABC News. &#8220;Many homes and buildings are damaged. Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don&#8217;t need to drive. Seek a safe shelter. Check on your surroundings and loved ones.&#8221;
The quake reportedly hit at around 8:30 a.m. local time, about 7.5 miles north of the city of Anchorage. There was a brief tsunami warning issued for coastal regions of Cook Inlet and the Southern Kenai Peninsula, though it was later canceled, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672240051/magnitude-7-0-earthquake-shakes-alaska-tsunami-warning-in-effect">reports</a> NPR.
&#8220;It was very loud when it came,&#8221; said Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. &#8220;It was very clear that this was something bigger than what we normally experience.&#8221;
Schools were evacuated due to the damage and parents were called to pick up their children. A reported 21,000 patrons of Alaska&#8217;s largest electric utility, Chugach Electric, lost power.
&#8220;We currently have 21,000 members without power, and will restore as quickly and safely as possible. We have all crews called in and working. If you see a downed power line or any associated hazard, do not approach it,&#8221; read a tweet from Chugach Electric.
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We currently have 21,000 members without power, and will restore as quickly and safely as possible. We have all crews called in and working. If you see a downed power line or any associated hazard, do not approach it. Report through our customer service line at <a>563-7366</a>.
&#8212; Chugach Electric (@chugachelectric) <a href="https://twitter.com/chugachelectric/status/1068579246346395648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Video footage and photos of the actual quake and aftermath quickly hit social media:
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I just got sent home from work after a massive earthquake in Anchorage, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Alaska?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Alaska</a> : <a href="https://t.co/gOXsUrzdGT">pic.twitter.com/gOXsUrzdGT</a>
&#8212; Ryan Hobbs (@RyanHobbsMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanHobbsMMA/status/1068580139322171392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A 7.0 earthquake that rocked Anchorage, Alaska caused a roadway near the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to buckle and break apart. <a href="https://t.co/b0j5XMIQNL">https://t.co/b0j5XMIQNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/xHbZsts8b1">pic.twitter.com/xHbZsts8b1</a>
&#8212; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1068586774006562816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Pipes broken <a href="https://t.co/a60pf39JyH">pic.twitter.com/a60pf39JyH</a>
&#8212; Chase (@Chase_AK) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chase_AK/status/1068559207966793728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Highway exit ramp collapses
after 7.0 Anchorage, Alaska Earthquake.
Note the SUV stuck in the middle of roadway!
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Alaska?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Alaska</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Quake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Quake</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FridayFeeling?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FridayFeeling</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZD9DcOfFK3">pic.twitter.com/ZD9DcOfFK3</a>
&#8212; Tom Hall (@TomHall) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomHall/status/1068588889361702912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Our post earthquake Alaska libraries. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Alaskaearthquake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Alaskaearthquake</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/earthquake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#earthquake</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/anchorage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#anchorage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/anchlibrary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anchlibrary</a> <a href="https://t.co/MhtPpVW9PA">pic.twitter.com/MhtPpVW9PA</a>
&#8212; Elizabeth Queen of the North(ern Youth Services) (@lizinthelibrary) <a href="https://twitter.com/lizinthelibrary/status/1068611287989411840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Here is the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Anchorage <a href="https://t.co/Bsnk86L5fL">https://t.co/Bsnk86L5fL</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Fsq8oJ4Sy">pic.twitter.com/2Fsq8oJ4Sy</a>
&#8212; TIME (@TIME) <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1068595674655150080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Video shows terrifying moment in an Anchorage courthouse when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit. <a href="https://t.co/wyOixiXRYo">https://t.co/wyOixiXRYo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uaPdEnZYIw">pic.twitter.com/uaPdEnZYIw</a>
&#8212; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1068645546145927169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnchorageEarthquake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnchorageEarthquake</a> my truck dancing to the earthquake this morning. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Anchorage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Anchorage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/earthquake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#earthquake</a> <a href="https://t.co/nhytgpNf1m">pic.twitter.com/nhytgpNf1m</a>
&#8212; Mike (@VactusSerakai) <a href="https://twitter.com/VactusSerakai/status/1068609876559982592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Earthquake just happened right now i &#8217;m actually shaking <a href="https://t.co/PoZGOlJGWS">pic.twitter.com/PoZGOlJGWS</a>
&#8212; Alyson Petrie (@AlysonPetrie7) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlysonPetrie7/status/1068558557354704896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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We are safe at Cottonwood Lake in WASILLA. Everything is on the floor. No structural damage to the house. <a href="https://t.co/xKKnVopwjW">pic.twitter.com/xKKnVopwjW</a>
&#8212; Dan Kennedy (@DanFKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanFKennedy/status/1068580779943321601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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KTVA&#8217;s newsroom felt the blow of the earthquake this morning. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/anchorage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#anchorage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alaska?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#alaska</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/earthquake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#earthquake</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weather?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weather</a> <a href="https://t.co/d1SaxriGw9">pic.twitter.com/d1SaxriGw9</a>
&#8212; Cassie Schirm (@cassieschirmtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/cassieschirmtv/status/1068571410363146240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Political leaders issued tweets of support and requests for prayer for the Alaskan people in the wake of the earthquake.
&#8220;To the Great people of Alaska. You have been hit hard by a &#8216;big one.&#8217; Please follow the directions of the highly trained professionals who are there to help you. Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL,&#8221; said President Donald Trump.
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To the Great people of Alaska. You have been hit hard by a &#8220;big one.&#8221; Please follow the directions of the highly trained professionals who are there to help you. Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL!
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1068600355225690112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin wrote, &#8220;[Pray] for Alaska. Our family is intact &#8211; house is not&#8230; I imagine that&#8217;s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake.&#8221;
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for Alaska. Our family is intact &#8211; house is not&#8230; I imagine that&#8217;s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake.
&#8212; Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA/status/1068578031176957952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Devastation, Chaos After 7.0 Earthquake Hits Anchorage, Alaska

Donald Trump

Sarah Palin

Just 18 days from a three-way election, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, a former Republican turned Independent, abruptly suspended his campaign and threw his support to the Democratic candidate, Mark Begich, who he said has &#8220;a better chance&#8221; of winning against the Republican.
Just over two weeks out, Walker and Begich were handily losing to Republican Michael Dunleavy in the state&#8217;s three-way gubernatorial race, so on Friday night, Walker announced that he was dropping out and hoping his supporters would embrace the Democrat.
&#8220;With more time, I am confident that Val and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election,&#8221; Walker wrote in an Instagram post. &#8220;But there are only 18 days remaining before election day. Absentee ballots have already been mailed, and Alaskans are already voting. In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race.&#8221;
He continued: &#8220;This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds. Alaskans deserve a competitive race.&#8221; Full post below:
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Dear Alaskans, I ran for re-election because I still believe that, more than anything else, Alaska deserves integrity, honesty, and courage. Alaska First is, and cannot only be, a campaign slogan. When I said I ran for governor to do the job, not make the decisions to keep the job, I meant exactly what I said. Every decision I have made as your governor, I have made on the basis of what I believe is best for Alaska. With that said, effective today, I am suspending my campaign for re-election as Governor. With more time, I am confident that Val and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election. But there are only 18 days remaining before election day. Absentee ballots have already been mailed, and Alaskans are already voting. In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race. This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds. Alaskans deserve a competitive race. Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy, whose record and campaign rhetoric indicate he will: eliminate Medicaid Expansion that has provided healthcare access to 44,000 Alaskans, created jobs and brought $1 billion federal dollars into the Alaskan economy while decreasing State healthcare expenditures by $16 million, kept hospitals from closing, and saved lives; defund the Alaska LNG Gasline project that has made historic progress, will create 12,000 high paying construction jobs, 88,000 direct and indirect jobs and deliver low cost energy to our homes and businesses; undo the bipartisan approved sustainable fiscal plan that has resulted in fiscal stability, significantly reduced the deficit, improved our credit rating and preserved the PFD program into perpetuity; cause our most vulnerable to suffer the brunt of the additional $1 billion in budget cuts he vows to make to education, rural Alaska and those receiving healthcare.
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<div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIdBnkH7aZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIdBnkH7aZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dear Alaskans, I ran for re-election because I still believe that, more than anything else, Alaska deserves integrity, honesty, and courage. Alaska First is, and cannot only be, a campaign slogan. When I said I ran for governor to do the job, not make the decisions to keep the job, I meant exactly what I said. Every decision I have made as your governor, I have made on the basis of what I believe is best for Alaska. With that said, effective today, I am suspending my campaign for re-election as Governor. With more time, I am confident that Val and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election. But there are only 18 days remaining before election day. Absentee ballots have already been mailed, and Alaskans are already voting. In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race. This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds. Alaskans deserve a competitive race. Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy, whose record and campaign rhetoric indicate he will: eliminate Medicaid Expansion that has provided healthcare access to 44,000 Alaskans, created jobs and brought $1 billion federal dollars into the Alaskan economy while decreasing State healthcare expenditures by $16 million, kept hospitals from closing, and saved lives; defund the Alaska LNG Gasline project that has made historic progress, will create 12,000 high paying construction jobs, 88,000 direct and indirect jobs and deliver low cost energy to our homes and businesses; undo the bipartisan approved sustainable fiscal plan that has resulted in fiscal stability, significantly reduced the deficit, improved our credit rating and preserved the PFD program into perpetuity; cause our most vulnerable to suffer the brunt of the additional $1 billion in budget cuts he vows to make to education, rural Alaska and those receiving healthcare. (Please see the rest of the speech in comments section)</a>
A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/walkermallottforalaska/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Walker for Alaska</a> (@walkermallottforalaska) on Oct 19, 2018 at 3:50pm PDT
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The announcement comes just three days after Walker&#8217;s lieutenant governor Byron Mallott suddenly resigned, citing &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/politics/bill-walker-reelection-bid/index.html">inappropriate comments</a>&#8221; that he apparently once made. No further explanation has been offered by Mallott or Walker.
With Walker out, Republican Dunleavy is still theoretically in the lead. According to Alaska Survey Research&#8217;s latest poll (conducted Oct 12-14), Dunleavy holds a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/governor/ak/alaska_governor_dunleavy_vs_begich-6711.html">7-point lead</a> in a head-to-head against Begich, 52 &#8211; 45. A previous survey by the same group (conducted Oct 1-6) found Dunleavy ahead by 14 points, 55-41.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/37360/sen-heitkamp-makes-her-massive-metoo-error-even-james-barrett">Sen. Heitkamp Makes Her Massive #MeToo Mistake Even Worse With Possible FEC Violation</a>

Alaska Governor Suddenly Suspends His Campaign, Throws Support To Democrat

Democratic Party

Republican Party

The Alaska Republican party has requested that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) submit any information she has that might dissuade them from reprimanding her for opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s confirmation.
As <a href="https://apnews.com/93cee785826a467a9f5bad4bcb75980a/Alaska-GOP-to-weigh-potential-action-against-Murkowski?utm_medium=APWestRegion&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter">AP reports</a>, &#8220;Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock says the committee could decide to issue a statement. Or he says it could withdraw support of Murkowski, encourage party officials to look for a replacement and ask that she not seek re-election as a Republican.&#8221;
Babcock noted that the Alaska GOP has, in the past, withdrawn support for other Republicans who caucused with Democrats.
After Murkowski voted against cloture last Friday, indicating she would vote against Kavanaugh in the Senate vote for confirmation to the Supreme Court, Babcock<a href="https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Chair-of-Alaska-Republican-party-shocked-Murkowski-voted-against-Kavanaugh-495315371.html"> said</a> he was &#8220;surprised.&#8221; He added, &#8220;It&#8217;s significant enough that I&#8217;m going to convene the whole state central committee, which is about 80 grassroots volunteers around the state, and we&#8217;ll start drafting what our response should be.&#8221;

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Alaska GOP Considering Whether To Throw Murkowski Out Of GOP For Opposing Kavanaugh

Brett Kavanaugh

A homeless shelter serving battered and sexually abused women in Anchorage, Alaska is being targeted by the state&#8217;s equal rights commission for refusing to allow biological men into the shelter&#8217;s shower and living facilities.
The nonprofit, Downtown Hope Center, has been under &#8220;investigation&#8221; for months after a homeless man named Timothy Coyle, who identifies as a female named Samantha Coyle, filed a complaint with the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission for alleged discrimination.
Coyle showed up at the center on the night of January 18 after he was kicked out of a neighboring shelter for physical violence. Since Coyle was drunk and injured, Hope Center Director Sherrie Laurie <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/anti-discrimination-laws-used-against-battered-women-shelter/">sent</a> him to the hospital and kindly paid for his transportation.
Since the charitable center is not a &#8220;public accommodation&#8221; and should be awarded an accommodation rooted in religious liberty because it is a faith-based shelter, an attorney for Hope Center tried to get the outlandish complaint dismissed.
But the commission refused to drop the complaint and insisted on attempting to force the homeless shelter to allow men into living facilities where women who just escaped the horrors of sexual abuse reside. To make matters worse, Hope Center was forced to go silent and seek new counsel after their lawyer spoke to the media about the facts of the case. This was apparently in violation of an anti-discrimination law, per the commission.
The center is fighting back, however. On Thursday, Downtown Hope Center filed a complaint against the Municipality of Anchorage and Anchorage Equal Rights Commission. The charity is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the organization behind vital religious liberty suits like <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-111_j4el.pdf">Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3490093209526037444&amp;q=National+Institute+of+Family+and+Life+Advocates+v.+Becerra&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6,33&amp;as_vis=1">National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra</a>.
&#8220;This challenge seeks to protect the right of a faith-based homeless shelter to exercise its religious beliefs and to speak about those beliefs so that it can help homeless and hurting women in downtown Anchorage,&#8221; reads the complaint. &#8220;But [Municipality of Anchorage] is interpreting its laws to force the Hope Center to admit men into its women&#8217;s shelter and to stay silent about the differences between men and women. That violates Anchorage&#8217;s own laws and the Constitution.&#8221;
The complaint notes that an enforcement of such &#8220;anti-discrimination&#8221; policies would &#8220;force homeless women to sleep alongside and interact with men in intimate settings&#8212;even though those women may have just been beaten, raped, and sexually assaulted by a man the day before.&#8221;
Hope Center argues that the municipality &#8220;is harassing the Hope Center in bad faith, pressuring the Hope Center to 
change its policy and to stay silent when the Hope Center has done nothing illegal.&#8221;
&#8220;These investigations prove that Anchorage is using its law&#8212;a law which contains an express exemption for homeless shelters&#8212;and will continue to use this law in the future to force the Hope Center to change its faith-based policies, to allow biological men into its women&#8217;s shelter, and to stay silent about its religious beliefs,&#8221; states the complaint.

Shelter For Abused Women Targeted By Equal Rights Commission For Barring Biologically Male Transgenders. Now They’re Fighting Back.

Discrimination

Gender

Transgender

An Alaskan father and son are accused of illegally shooting a sow black bear and its two newborn cubs last April, then hiding what they did, without knowing a game camera was running the whole time. The bears were part of a U.S. Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game study.
This week, Andrew Renner, 41, and Owen Renner, 18, were charged with felony and misdemeanor charges. According to a sworn summary of an Alaska Wildlife Troopers report, the two men were skiing on Esther Island in Prince William Sound when they saw the sow, which was collared, and Owen Renner shot at it twice.
According to charging documents in the case, 30-second video clips from a motion-triggered game camera show &#8220;cubs begin shrieking in the den after the initial shots are fired.&#8221; As the <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2018/08/08/troopers-game-camera-captures-wasilla-men-shooting-bear-and-cubs-in-den/">Anchorage Daily News</a> reports, &#8220;The men listen for several minutes before realizing the cubs are making the sounds, the document says. They move closer and Andrew Renner, just a feet away, takes aim through his rifle scope and fires several more shots, killing the newborn cubs.&#8221;
Assistant District Attorney Aaron Peterson wrote, &#8220;Andrew Renner is captured on video saying &#8216;It doesn&#8217;t matter. Bear down.&#8217;&#8221; Tape shows the men pulling the sow out from the den and noticing the collar; Renner&#8217;s voice is heard asserting, &#8220;I&#8217;m gonna get rid of these guys&#8221; as he throws the carcasses of the cubs out into the snow, then takes the cubs while his son stays behind.
On the tape, Owen Renner, who was then 17, says, &#8220;We got the collar off.&#8221; Andrew Renner points away from the den, replying, &#8220;We&#8217;re gonna skin it that way,&#8221; pointing away from the den, prompting Owen Renner to say, &#8220;They&#8217;ll never be able to link it to us.&#8221; Then the men butcher the sow, stow the meat in bags and ski away.
ADN adds, &#8220;The camera also captured the men returning to the den site two days later to retrieve the collar, pick up spent shell casings and discuss disposing of the bear cubs, the document says. One of the men says he&#8217;s going into the den to &#8216;make sure there aren&#8217;t any little parts.&#8217;&#8221;
On April 30, Andrew Renner brought the sow bear skin and collar to Fish and Game in Palmer; he said that he&#8217;d shot the bear near Granite Bay, according to troopers. He added that although he recognized that the sow had teats, he didn&#8217;t spot the cubs. ADN adds, &#8220;He is also accused of falsifying the document by saying he shot the bear when his son was seen doing it, and not describing the kill as an &#8216;illegal take.&#8217;&#8221;
The Renners were <a href="http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Wasilla-men-caught-on-video-shooting-bear-and-shrieking-newborn-cubs-in-den-AST-says-490380381.html">charged</a> with illegal hunting of the mother bear with cubs, of killing the cubs, and possessing and transporting the bears.

Father And Son Charged With Killing Mother Bear And Her Cubs As Cubs ‘Begin Shrieking In the Den’

Carol Hafner, a Democrat, is running for an Alaska U.S. House seat, but she doesn&#8217;t live in the state, nor has she ever even visited the state.
The Associated Press reports that Hafner listed addresses in New Jersey and South Dakota on her candidate filing, and says <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-alaska-carol-hafner-house-20180718-story.html">she&#8217;s not even going to campaign in person</a> in The Last Frontier.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t lock me out just because I&#8217;m not a homeboy,&#8221; Hafner told the AP, adding: &#8220;You ought to be thankful that I care enough and I&#8217;m interested enough and passionate enough to want to make things better.&#8221;
She also said she wants &#8220;to do good in a place that I feel a kinship for.&#8221;
Hafner can legally run in Alaska despite not living there or even visiting, but she is unlikely to win the November election against Republican incumbent Don Young, even if she survives the Democratic primary. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that candidates have to live in the state they are running in at the time they are elected, but there have been some exceptions.
For example, a New York man ran against then-Sen. Mark Begich in Alaska in 2014 but was soundly defeated. And an Arizona man ran against Rep. Cynthia Lummis in Wyoming that same year, and also lost.
For her part, Hafner is just focusing on a social media campaign, hoping Twitter can win her the election instead of good old-fashioned human contact.
She may feel she has a &#8220;kinship&#8221; for Alaska, as she told the AP, but if she can&#8217;t even be bothered to visit the state to campaign, she likely won&#8217;t be able to convince many Alaskans of her authenticity.

Democrat Running In Alaska Has Never Been To The State

U.S. House of Representatives

A United Airlines passenger is in deep you-know-what after &#8220;<a href="http://www.ktva.com/story/37197251/man-smearing-feces-redirects-flight-to-anchorage">smearing feces everywhere</a>&#8221; aboard a Chicago to Hong Kong Flight, forcing it to land in Anchorage overnight Thursday.
The passenger, a 22-year-old man who apparently speaks little English, was <a href="http://www.ktva.com/story/37203478/witnesses-describe">reportedly</a> released from jail just two days prior in Indiana, where he was living with his aunt. His family, reporter Scott Gross said, had bought a one-way ticket for him to Vietnam.
Aboard the flight, prior to using the restroom, the man spilled drinks on the floor, spit food from his mouth, shook adjacent seats, and &#8220;fidgeted with the emergency exits.&#8221; Once in the bathroom, witnesses say, he locked himself in. 
Fellow passenger BJ Canup said they &#8220;heard a loud bump in the bathroom.&#8221; Two other passengers, Tri Nguyen and Evans Mendonca, then &#8220;calmly talked the young man out.&#8221;
But that was just the beginning. 
Canup said the lavatory was &#8220;quite a sight,&#8221; with &#8220;crap everywhere.&#8221;
&#8220;He was stuffing his shirt in the toilet then wiping it on the walls,&#8221; Canup said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if he was trying to wipe crap on or wipe it off. He was shirtless and his shirt was beyond wearable again.&#8221;
Officials said the man even tried to cram his shirt <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/01/05/a-united-passenger-befouled-the-bathrooms-so-badly-the-plane-had-to-land/?utm_term=.acaf7c1ddedc">down the toilet</a>. The Washington Post reported that officials said the man soiled &#8220;a couple&#8221; bathrooms on board.
After calming him down, three passengers stood behind the man once he sat next to Nguyen. When the flight landed at 6:30 p.m. at Ted Stevens International Airport, the police, FBI, Homeland Security, and border patrol were waiting. 
The man did not resist as law enforcement officials handcuffed and guided him to a secure location in the airport, where they interviewed him.
&#8220;The translator got the impression that this young man was gravely disabled,&#8221; Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Lt. Joe Gamache said.
Although the man wasn&#8217;t charged, officials took him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
The Boeing 777 was held overnight for &#8220;maintenance&#8221; as United put up passengers in hotels. 
United 895 was scheduled to take off for Hong Kong at 1:30 p.m. local time Friday, but was <a href="https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL895">delayed</a> by one hour and 18 minutes.
<div> </div>

GROSS: United Airlines Flight Grounded After Passenger Goes Ballistic In Bathroom

United Airlines

Vietnam

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke called Alaska&#8217;s two senators &#8212; both Republicans &#8212; to express the Trump administration&#8217;s displeasure with Sen. Lisa Murkowski&#8217;s (R-AK) vote against debating the Republicans&#8217; ostensible moves to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA/&#8221;Obamacare&#8221;).
Alaska Dispatch News wrote:
<blockquote>
Early Wednesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890168183079960576">Trump took to Twitter</a> to express displeasure with Murkowski&#8217;s vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska&#8217;s two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska&#8217;s future with the administration in jeopardy.
</blockquote>
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) described Zinke&#8217;s call as carrying a &#8220;troubling message&#8221;:
<blockquote>
I&#8217;m not going to go into the details, but I fear that the strong economic growth, pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-jobs and personnel from Alaska who are part of those policies are going to stop.
I tried to push back on behalf of all Alaskans. &#8230; We&#8217;re facing some difficult times and there&#8217;s a lot of enthusiasm for the policies that Secretary Zinke and the president have been talking about with regard to our economy. But the message was pretty clear.
</blockquote>
President Trump expressed displeasure with Murkowski&#8217;s no vote via Twitter on Wednesday:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/lisamurkowski">@lisamurkowski</a> of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890168183079960576">July 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
Murkowski described her no vote against continuing deliberations on repealing or changing the ACA as serving &#8220;Alaska&#8217;s best interest&#8221;:
<blockquote>
I base my votes on what I believe is in Alaska&#8217;s best interest. So I know that there are those who wish that I would be more in line with following the party platform, but I don&#8217;t think it should come as any surprise that there have been occasions that I have not followed the lead of the party.
</blockquote>
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.

Trump Threatens State Of Alaska To Pressure Senator Murkowski On Trumpcare

American Health Care Act (AHCA)

Health Care

Obamacare

Trump Administration

Trumpcare

On Tuesday, in what could easily appear to be a deliberate attempt to test the resolve of President Trump, two Russian bombers flew within 35 miles of the Alaskan coast, much closer than two other bombers did on Monday.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
NEW: Two Russian bombers flew within 35 miles of Alaskan coast yesterday; second day in a row Russian bombers have neared US airspace.
&#8212; ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/854750281451569154">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
What flies in the face of those who might assume Russian president Vladimir Putin would try to provoke Trump is the fact that Exxon, where Secretary of State Rex Tillerson served as CEO before his appointment at State, has applied to the Treasury Department for a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-seeks-u-s-waiver-to-work-in-russia-despite-sanctions-1492620677">waiver from U.S. sanctions on Russia</a> so it can resume its joint venture with Russian state oil giant PAO Rosneft. The State Department is one of several U.S. government agencies that decide whether Exxon is granted a waiver.
On Monday, the U.S. military <a href="http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/us-intercepts-two-russian-bombers-off-alaskas-coast-786222.html">intercepted</a> two Russian bombers in international airspace off Alaska&#8217;s coast, according to a Pentagon spokesman. Navy commander Gary Ross stated that two F-22 Raptor aircraft intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear bombers when they flew within 100 miles of Alaska&#8217;s Kodiak Island. The American jets escorted the Russian bombers for 12 minutes; the Russian bombers then flew back to eastern Russia.
U.S. territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from shore.
Unlike Monday&#8217;s incident, when U.S. fighter jets were scrambled for the intercept, on Tuesday the U.S. military <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/19/russian-bombers-again-fly-near-alaska.html">launched</a> a single E-3 Sentry early warning aircraft, known as AWACS, to ensure that no other aircraft were flying underneath the Russian bombers.
Last week, when Tillerson visited Moscow, three Russian bombers flew near the east coast of Japan; the Japanese military scrambled 14 fighter jets to intercept them.

For Second Straight Day, Russian Bombers Near Alaskan Coast

Military

Russia

Vladimir Putin

This is how badly it&#8217;s going for Donald Trump: a new poll conducted in Alaska shows a virtual tie between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. <a href="http://midnightsunak.com/2016/10/16/midnight-sun-exclusive-new-poll-shows-trump-clinton-tied-alaska/">The Midnight Sun</a> reports that a poll conducted by Washington D.C. based Lake Research Group from October 11-13 found Trump gaining 37% of the vote and Clinton with 36%. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson gleaned 7% of the vote; Green party candidate Jill Stein got 3%.
When the same poll was conducted between August 9-14, Trump got 38%, Clinton 30%, Johnson 11%, and Stein 2%.
Last week the Alaska Dispatch News <a href="http://www.adn.com/politics/2016/10/08/new-poll-shows-trump-leads-in-presidential-race-in-alaska-but-not-by-much/">released a poll</a> with Trump only up by 5.5 points; Sen. Lisa Murkowski&#8217;s <a href="http://midnightsunak.com/2016/10/07/murkowski-polling-data-shows-clinton-3-points-alaska/">internal polling</a> showed Trump up only three points. And those polls were taken before the infamous &#8220;p***y&#8221; tape went public. videotape
Alaska Democratic Party Communications Director Jake Hamburg commented, &#8220;In every poll conducted over the last several weeks, one thing is consistent. The race is a toss-up. In light of the most recent revelations and Republican defections, things do not bode well for Donald Trump and the Alaska Republican Party with three weeks left to go until the elections.&#8221;
Alaska Republican Party Vice-Chair Rick Whitbeck was still confident, saying, &#8220;I think Alaska voters are going to reject (Clinton&#8217;s) campaign and what she stands for and what she has said about Alaska.&#8221;
Since Alaska was accepted into the Union in 1959, it has voted for the GOP presidential candidate every time except in 1964, when the state chose Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. In 2012, Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama by 14 percentage points.

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For Second Straight Day, Russian Bombers Near Alaskan Coast

Trump In Danger Of Losing Hardcore GOP Alaska

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Alaska

Seven Killed, Including Alaska State GOP Lawmaker, After Mid-Air Plane Crash

Maya Angelou Book One Of 5 Banned By Alaska School Board For Being ‘Controversial’

Evacuees From Coronavirus Outbreak Center Wuhan Arrive In California

Ocasio-Cortez Hits Alaska Gov. For Slamming ‘Green New Deal’; He Fires Back

Environmentalists Irate: Trump Administration Strikes A Blow For U.S. Energy Independence

State Government Meeting Opens With ‘Hail Satan’ Prayer; Officials Storm Out

Indiana Man ‘Catfished’ Alaska Woman, Promised Her Millions Of Dollars To Kill Her Friend, Police Say

Devastation, Chaos After 7.0 Earthquake Hits Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska Governor Suddenly Suspends His Campaign, Throws Support To Democrat

Alaska GOP Considering Whether To Throw Murkowski Out Of GOP For Opposing Kavanaugh

Shelter For Abused Women Targeted By Equal Rights Commission For Barring Biologically Male Transgenders. Now They’re Fighting Back.

Father And Son Charged With Killing Mother Bear And Her Cubs As Cubs ‘Begin Shrieking In the Den’

Democrat Running In Alaska Has Never Been To The State

GROSS: United Airlines Flight Grounded After Passenger Goes Ballistic In Bathroom

Trump Threatens State Of Alaska To Pressure Senator Murkowski On Trumpcare

For Second Straight Day, Russian Bombers Near Alaskan Coast

Trump In Danger Of Losing Hardcore GOP Alaska

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