Alaska

Alaska Supreme Court finds Republican gerrymander in Anchorage districts, orders new map

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2022

Alaska Supreme Court finds Republican gerrymander in Anchorage districts, orders new map

The Boney Courthouse in downtown Anchorage, throughout the road from the bigger Nesbett Courthouse, holds the Alaska Supreme Courtroom chambers. (Picture by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The Alaska Supreme Courtroom on Tuesday confirmed that Alaska’s redistricting board gerrymandered the boundaries of state Senate districts in Anchorage with a view to favor Republican-leaning Eagle River.

In a short discover, the Supreme Courtroom upheld a prolonged Superior Courtroom order issued earlier this month.

“We affirm the superior courtroom’s willpower that the board once more engaged in unconstitutional political gerrymandering to extend the one group’s voting energy on the expense of others,” the Supreme Courtroom wrote.

The courts’ resolution means the redistricting board should undertake a special plan for this 12 months’s legislative elections, ordered by the Superior Courtroom choose. The board might proceed work and probably write a special map for the elections from 2024 onward.

The Senate map adopted by the board, generally known as “Possibility 3B,” joined south Eagle River with South Anchorage and Girdwood; north Eagle River was joined with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the Authorities Hill neighborhood.

The end in Anchorage, primarily based on voting patterns from 2016 via 2020, would have been two solidly Republican Senate districts, two solidly Democratic ones and 4 aggressive districts, one Republican-leaning.

The courtroom’s motion means the board should undertake “Possibility 2,” which joins Eagle River right into a solidly Republican Senate district. Possibility 2 additionally leads to two solidly Democratic districts and 5 aggressive districts, two of which lean Republican.

Tuesday’s courtroom order is sort of definitely the ultimate phrase in redistricting earlier than this 12 months’s legislative elections. The submitting deadline for candidates is June 1, and the Supreme Courtroom is the choice of final resort for authorized appeals.

Considerably, its resolution seems to substantiate that Republican-appointed redistricting board members colluded to attract maps favorable to Republican candidates.

That isn’t fully clear; the courtroom stated a extra prolonged rationalization will observe at a future date.

This text is creating and shall be up to date.

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Alaska

Plane crashes into river in Alaska

Published

2 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Press Room

SAN FRANCISCO: A Douglas DC-4 airplane has crashed into a river in Fairbanks in US state of Alaska on Tuesday, authorities said.

First responders were conducting an “active rescue” Tuesday after the plane crashed in the area of the Tanana River in Fairbanks, according to local officials, reported Xinhua.

Clint Johnson, Alaska chief of the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was not clear how many people were on the Douglas DC-4 when it crashed around 10.30 am shortly after departure south of Fairbanks International Airport.

“We acknowledge the ongoing situation involving the Douglas DC-4 aircraft on the Tanana River near Kallenberg Road,“ the airport said in a statement. “Alaska State Troopers are actively leading the response and we are cooperating with them.”

A spokesman for Fairbanks International Airport urged the public to avoid the area.

Alaska State Troopers, along with local, state and federal agencies, were responding to the crash near Kallenberg Road on Tuesday morning.

A witness said he heard a loud explosion and saw a plane overhead with an engine on fire, according to a report by the Anchorage Daily News. – Bernama, Xinhua

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Alaska

Bringing Broadway productions to Alaska | Talk of Alaska

Published

9 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Press Room

Bringing Broadway productions to Alaska | Talk of Alaska

The Atwood Concert Hall is the largest theater in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. (Ernesto Andrade/Creative Commons)

Putting on a touring Broadway Musical in the Lower 48 is an expensive, complicated, and difficult process. When bringing one to Alaska though, it starts to cross the line from difficult, to logistical nightmare. However, over the last year not one, but four Broadway shows, counting hundreds among their cast and crew, came to Alaska to perform. How is it that shows like Hamilton and Six brought not just their people, but their massive, complicated sets, up to the 49th state? We answer that question and more about Broadway Alaska’s very first season on this Talk of Alaska.

Listen:

<br />

HOST: Lori Townsend

GUESTS:

Codie Costello, President & COO, Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, and General Manager, Broadway Alaska

PARTICIPATE:

Call 907-550-8422 (Anchorage) or 1-800-478-8255 (statewide) during the live broadcast

Send an email to talk@alaskapublic.org (comments may be read on air)

Post your comment before, during or after the live broadcast (comments may be read on air).

LIVE Broadcast: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. on APRN stations statewide.

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Alaska

Travel Math: How your spending habits actually earn you travel perks – Alaska Airlines News

Published

16 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Press Room

Travel Math: How your spending habits actually earn you travel perks – Alaska Airlines News

First, there was the TikTok™ trend, ‘girl math.’ Then, we saw ‘boy math’ take off. Even dogs got in on the equation! Now, we give you: travel math. It’s a playful concept that’s grounded in the very latest consumer insights where “the math” justifies the purchase, all for the sake of indulging in a little treat.

We know travelers are using credit card rewards and miles to book their travel and to stretch their dollars, especially Gen Z and Millennials. So, next time you want to book that flight or buy that pair of shoes with your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card, we say go for it. Because you’ll earn valuable miles. And of course—travel math.

Do you want to hit Alaska’s elite status even faster?
Get the boots.

✨ New this year: A faster way to earn status through your Alaska Airlines credit card. Throughout 2024, for every $10,000 you spend on purchases, you’ll automatically earn 4,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) (up to 20,000 EQMs total).* Learn more.

With elite status, you get a range of benefits designed to enhance your travel experience. Elite perks include:

Priority boarding
Complimentary upgrades to First Class or Premium Class when available
Waived fees for checked baggage
Bonus miles on flights
Access to priority check-in and security lines
Dedicated customer service support
Learn more!

The specific benefits you receive depend on your elite status level within our Mileage Plan program (tiers include MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K).

Buy surf gear to earn miles for your Maui trip.

Rack up miles every time you make a purchase with your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card—it’s that easy!

With the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card, your purchases = miles:

3 miles for every dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases (flights, inflight purchases, Lounge).
2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, local transit (including ride share), cable, and select streaming services purchases.
1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

You’ll also earn Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ every year after qualifying purchases.* This popular benefit allows a cardholder to bring a companion on a round-trip domestic flight for $99 (plus taxes and fees).

Buy the bag, check it for free as a cardholder.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card grants you a first checked bag free for you and up to 6 guests on your reservation paid for with your card.

Plus, cardholders can get priority boarding in Group C (even with a Saver fare) on Alaska flights when you pay for your flight with your card.

Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card

Alaska’s Famous $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.

Check your first bag free on every Alaska flight purchased with this card and up to six guests traveling on the same reservation.

Priority boarding in Group C (even with a Saver fare).

3x miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, such as inflight food and beverages.

2x miles on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services, and local transit (including rideshare) purchases.

1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

20% back on inflight purchases such as food and drinks and $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your Alaska card.

10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.

Terms & Conditions

*Earn 4,000 elite-qualifying miles (maximum of 20,000) that count toward elite status qualification if you make any combination of purchase transactions totaling at least $10,000 (exclusive of any fees, such as the annual fee) that post to eligible Alaska Airlines Visa consumer and business cards from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. Returns, credits and adjustments to this card will be deducted from purchases, even if this card was not the original payment method. Cash Advances and Balance Transfers are not considered purchases and do not apply for purposes of this offer. If a cardholder has multiple Alaska Airlines Visa consumer and business credit card accounts linked to one Mileage Plan account, purchases made with those cards can be combined to reach the $10,000 spend requirement. One individual can only earn a maximum of 20,000 elite-qualifying miles via this campaign, even if they hold multiple Alaska Airlines Visa cards. Allow 8-12 weeks from qualifying for the elite qualifying miles to be posted to your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. To qualify for this offer, your credit card account must be open with active charging privileges. Bank of America is not responsible for fulfillment of this elite qualifying miles offer and posting of miles directly to your Alaska Mileage Plan account. Elite qualifying miles will not appear on your credit card statement. Elite-qualifying miles count toward elite status qualification only for calendar year 2025, are non-redeemable and cannot be used toward award travel.

** $99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23 after making at least $6,000 in purchases within the anniversary year. Terms and conditions apply. Visit MyAlaskaCard.com to learn more.

This credit card program is issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Visa and Visa Signature are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association and are used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A., Inc.

Bank of America is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation.

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