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Alaska Natives defy Democrats, champion push to revive Arctic drilling that Biden shut down

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Alaska Natives defy Democrats, champion push to revive Arctic drilling that Biden shut down

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FIRST ON FOX: Democrats sounding the alarm of potential harms to Alaskan communities if their efforts were reversed and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was further opened to energy development got a very different response than they may have been expecting from a consortium of local Native Americans.

Using the Congressional Review Act, the Senate voted Thursday night to pass a resolution from Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, that formally reversed a Biden-era rule restricting more than 1 million acres to development in the refuge, where Native communities like Kaktovik reside. 

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., notably spoke out on the Senate floor against the effort, saying that Congress rightly established the refuge in 1980 but neglected to properly protect the “very fragile ecosystem” there from development, calling it “America’s Serengeti.”

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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska in an undated photo. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Getty Images)

“So far, we’ve been able to protect the coastal plain and keep it intact as it has been for millions of years, and many Americans had hoped we had moved on,” Cantwell said.

Using “the Congressional Review Act to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (could) very well backfire on our drilling advocates. If Congress votes to overturn the Biden record of decision today, it would create legal and regulatory chaos, not clarity.”

Additionally, several Democrats and at least one Republican supported a separate bill in April that would designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as statutorily protected wilderness, shutting out any development whatsoever.

LEE ZELDIN: START YOUR RIGS: ALASKA IS OUR ‘GATEWAY TO ENERGY DOMINANCE’

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“There are some places too special and too amazing and too ecologically and culturally significant to allow them to be permanently despoiled by oil and gas,” House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said at the time as chief sponsor.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., also led that bill’s introduction along with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania moderate from the Philadelphia suburbs.

Despite such claims that development would damage the land and adversely affect those living there, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE) — a group representing the communities in and around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, were ecstatic at the Senate’s reversal of the restrictive rule.

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“These joint congressional resolutions are a positive sign that congressional decisionmakers support our Iñupiaq self-determination,” VOICE President Nagruk Harcharek said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Harcharek said that the vote is turning the tide on years of “lopsided relations” with Congress and the executive branch.

Our “communities are cautiously optimistic for the people of Kaktovik following this vote — supported by our local and regional leaders — in our Indigenous homelands.”

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Kaktovik Mayor Nathan Gordon Jr., added that the Kaktovikmiut — the community’s residents — overwhelmingly support responsible development projects in their native lands because it provides a prime way for them to provide for themselves and their regional economy.

“Kaktovik is the only community within ANWR, but the federal government and Congress have disregarded our voices for generations,” Gordon said.

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A whaling captain who also attended a joint appearance in the region by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright also praised the news, crediting such officials for making efforts to engage with the Native community on issues that impact their lands.

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“Moving forward, we are hopeful to continue this positive relationship built on mutual respect with both Congress and the executive branch,” Charles C.C. Lampe said.

In a statement after the vote, Begich remarked that “America is strongest when Alaska is empowered to responsibly develop its resources.”

Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, also expressed the importance of listening to their state residents’ needs rather than the assumptions of the bureaucracy.

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BURGUM, ZELDIN, WRIGHT: THIS IS HOW AMERICA WILL ACHIEVE ENERGY DOMINANCE

Murkowski said previous Democratic administrations “paused everything, illegally canceled every lease, and then rewrote the program to ensure that neither leasing nor development would occur.” 

“Their worldview was exactly backwards,” she said.

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“Today, we are on the cusp of righting this wrong, rolling back the lawless lock-up of ANWR, and unleashing good-paying jobs and opportunity for Alaska’s working families,” added Sullivan.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Cantwell, Markey, Huffman and Fitzpatrick for comment.

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San Diego, CA

San Diegan celebrates 50 year career milestone

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San Diegan celebrates 50 year career milestone


SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man in Chula Vista celebrated a career milestone that’s a statistical anomaly.

Tom McKievick has been the director of security at Fredericka Manor for 50 years.

He responded to a newspaper ad back in 1976 and has been working at the senior living community ever since.

“When I started, I wouldn’t think in a million years I’d still be here, but I enjoy the residents and the work,” McKievick said.

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2024 the average job tenure for Americans was 3.9 years — a 15% drop from 4.6 years in 2014.

McKievick has never taken a sick day and said he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“It’s entertaining and challenging and never boring,” McKievick said. “A lot of people think working at a senior facility is very quiet, but it can be very hectic and very challenging, but that’s part of the job.”



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Alaska

The prisoner & his mom: How are candidates who’ve never visited Alaska able to run for the state’s federal seats?

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The prisoner & his mom: How are candidates who’ve never visited Alaska able to run for the state’s federal seats?


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A federal prisoner serving 20 years in a New York prison and his South Dakota mother are both on Alaska’s August primary ballot — and neither have ever set foot in the state.

They are two of several candidates running for Alaska’s federal seats from Lower 48 addresses, raising questions about whether non-residents should appear on the ballot.

“I’ve flown over it,” said Carol Hafner, the South Dakota resident and Alaska Senate candidate. “As far as boots on the ground, that’s in my future.”

Her son Eric Hafner, a federal inmate who has also not visited Alaska, is again on the ballot as a Democrat. He last ran for Alaska’s U.S. House seat in 2024 and is now seeking the same seat in 2026.

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Eric Hafner was convicted in 2022 of threatening to kill judges, police officers and others, as well as making false bomb threats. He was sentenced to serve 20 years in federal prison and is currently serving out his sentence in a New York federal prison.

His 2024 run prompted Alaska Democrats to sue the state elections division in an attempt to remove him from the ballot.

MORE: Full 2026 election coverage in Alaska

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in a 4-1 decision that Hafner could remain on Alaska’s U.S. House ballot. He was able to make it past the primary contest to the final ballot but received less than 1% of the vote in the general election.

“The state cannot put in higher requirements than what the federal constitution and federal laws have to say on this issue,” Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, told Alaska’s News Source Thursday.

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The Alaska State Constitution does have a residency requirement for state positions, like positions in the legislature or governor, but congressional seats are contingent on the U.S. Constitution, which requires candidates to “inhabit” the state they run for. The Alaska Supreme Court determined Hafner could run for office but could not take office.

It isn’t the first run for either Hafner. Carol said she has previously run for federal office in Alaska — she ran in the 2018 Democratic primary for Alaska’s U.S. House seat — and her campaign website shows a run in Wyoming as well.

The Hafners are not the only non-residents on the ballot. Five other out-of-state candidates are running for Alaska’s two federal seats.

In the U.S. House race: Yaquelin Reynoso, a Democrat with a Lawrence, Massachusetts address; John Foddrill Sr., a Libertarian with a San Antonio, Texas address; and Melanie Salazar, a nonpartisan with a San Francisco, California address.

In the U.S. Senate race: Richard Grayson, a Green Party member with an Arizona address, and Richard Mayers, a Republican with a Chicago address.

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MORE: Alaska’s 2026 primary ballot is set – here’s who is on it

The Hafners will appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. The top four candidates will advance to the November election.

The race for U.S. Senate has garnered headlines as former congresswoman Mary Peltola challenges two-term incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan for his seat.

Sullivan has accused Peltola of recruiting a Petersburg man who shares his name to appear on the primary ballot and confuse voters — an allegation the Peltola campaign denies. National Republicans have filed a formal complaint with the Lt. Governor seeking the Petersburg candidate’s removal from the ballot.

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Arizona

#Woof: Huskies Land 4 Star Wide Receiver from Arizona

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#Woof: Huskies Land 4 Star Wide Receiver from Arizona


Happy Friday Husky fans. The Huskies got some good news when 4 star wide receiver Dontay Tyson from Peoria HS, AZ committed to UW over his other finalist Texas A&M. The 6’1” and 190 pound receiver is a physically mature prospect who should contribute early for the Huskies. The Huskies honed their attention in on Tyson early and were able to secure a commitment from him after hosting him for an official visit this last weekend. In 7 games Tyson had 37 catches for 448 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Tyson is now the 3rd wide receiver commit in the 2027 class and 4th commit from the state of Arizona. The Huskies now have 17 commits and could look at to take another wide receiver which we will have more on Sunday.



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