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OPINION: Alaska’s new voting system is already showing it works better for our state

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OPINION: Alaska’s new voting system is already showing it works better for our state


By Jason Grenn

Up to date: 5 hours in the past Revealed: 5 hours in the past

Ask anybody who lives in our nice state to explain it in a single phrase, and also you’ll hear “unbiased.”

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From bumper stickers that say “We don’t care how they do it Outdoors,” to our distinctive enterprise ventures (like kelp salsa!) and even our style decisions, we do issues our manner. And our election system now encourages and rewards that unbiased Alaskan spirit, which is able to present extra decisions for voters — similar to we noticed on this yr’s particular main.

Getting by an election is tough for any candidate – however particularly those that, like most Alaskans, don’t belong to a political get together. Once I ran for workplace, an unbiased candidate couldn’t seem on the first poll and needed to gather quite a few signatures from registered voters – no less than 10% of the turnout within the final common election – to be on the November poll. That quantity may not be huge in case you are operating for a Home or Senate seat, nevertheless it was an enormous activity for a statewide workplace.

In order that left candidates with a selection – both be part of a celebration to get these advantages or stay true to your unbiased Alaskan nature and bounce by further bureaucratic hoops to get the chance to serve your neighborhood. As an alternative of bringing extra competitors and free-thinking candidates, the system discouraged anybody who didn’t slot in a field and put them at a drawback earlier than the voting even began.

That very same system created a disincentive for elected Republicans and Democrats to specific their independence and vote in the most effective curiosity of their constituents when it conflicted with partisan ideologies. There was a palpable worry of the closed main system and potential retribution for not toeing the get together line. I can recall a number of cases throughout my time as a legislator when, after a vote, a colleague and I might talk about the result, and they’d inform me, “I want I may’ve voted sure, however my get together would chew me up.” They didn’t say constituents can be upset; they stated the get together can be mad at them.

Extra importantly, legislators would worry working throughout the aisle and specializing in what’s greatest for Alaska as an alternative of their political get together. Courageous legislators who centered on executing the state’s enterprise as an alternative of the needs of get together leaders had been punished; they typically wouldn’t be again in Juneau the next session after shedding to a extra partisan candidate within the main.

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Fortunately, our Alaska-style election system provides new and long-lasting incentives to our elected leaders to suppose and vote independently – with Alaskans in thoughts above get together. The open main is simply that – open to all Alaskans who wish to serve their neighborhood and open to all voters to decide on amongst any candidate on the poll. The ranked selection common election then requires candidates to earn the help of a majority of voters. This voter-centered course of has already been extremely profitable and can encourage actual management and unbiased thought and motion with elected officers answering on to their actual bosses – Alaska’s voters.

Jason Grenn is a fourth-generation Alaskan and former unbiased Alaska state consultant. He now serves as the chief director for Alaskans for Higher Elections.

The views expressed listed below are the author’s and usually are not essentially endorsed by the Anchorage Day by day Information, which welcomes a broad vary of viewpoints. To submit a bit for consideration, electronic mail commentary(at)adn.com. Ship submissions shorter than 200 phrases to letters@adn.com or click on right here to submit by way of any internet browser. Learn our full tips for letters and commentaries right here.





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Alaska

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Gets Fired For Twerking On The Job

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Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Gets Fired For Twerking On The Job


A flight attendant’s viral TikTok video ended up costing her job. Nelle Diala, who was working as a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines for over six months was reportedly fired from her job after recording a twerking video while at work, the New York Post reported. After losing her job for “violating” the airline’s “social media policy”, Diala set up a GoFundMe page for financial support. The twerking and dancing video, posted by Diala on her personal social media account, went viral on TikTok and Instagram. The video was captioned, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

After being fired, Diala reposted the twerking video with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” She added the hashtag #discriminationisreal.

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According to Diala’s GoFundMe page, she posted the “lighthearted video” during a layover. The video was shot in an empty aircraft. She wrote, “It was a harmless clip that was recorded at 6 am while waiting 2 hours for pilots. I was also celebrating the end of probation.”

“The video went viral overnight, but instead of love and support, it brought unexpected scrutiny. Although it was a poor decision on my behalf I didn’t think it would cost me my dream job,” she added.

Also Read: To Wi-Fi Or Not To Wi-Fi On A Plane? Pros And Cons Of Using Internet At 30,000 Feet

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Talking about being “wrongfully fired”, she said, “My employer accused me of violating their social media policy. I explained that the video wasn’t intended to harm anyone or the company, but they didn’t want to listen. Without warning, they terminated me. No discussion, no chance to defend myself-and no chance for a thorough and proper investigation.”

The seemingly “harmless clip” has led Diala to lose her “dream job”. She shared, “Losing my job was devastating. I’ve always been careful about what I share online, and I never thought this video, which didn’t even mention the airline by name, would cost me my career. Now, I am trying to figure out how to move forward.”






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Federal funds will help DOT study wildlife crashes on Glenn Highway

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Federal funds will help DOT study wildlife crashes on Glenn Highway


New federal funds will help Alaska’s Department of Transportation develop a plan to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife on one of the state’s busiest highways.

The U.S. Transportation Department gave the state a $626,659 grant in December to conduct a wildlife-vehicle collision study along the Glenn Highway corridor stretching between Anchorage’s Airport Heights neighborhood to the Glenn-Parks Highway interchange.

Over 30,000 residents drive the highway each way daily.

Mark Eisenman, the Anchorage area planner for the department, hopes the study will help generate new ideas to reduce wildlife crashes on the Glenn Highway.

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“That’s one of the things we’re hoping to get out of this is to also have the study look at what’s been done, not just nationwide, but maybe worldwide,” Eisenman said. “Maybe where the best spot for a wildlife crossing would be, or is a wildlife crossing even the right mitigation strategy for these crashes?”

Eisenman said the most common wildlife collisions are with moose. There were nine fatal moose-vehicle crashes on the highway between 2018 and 2023. DOT estimates Alaska experiences about 765 animal-vehicle collisions annually.

In the late 1980s, DOT lengthened and raised a downtown Anchorage bridge to allow moose and wildlife to pass underneath, instead of on the roadway. But Eisenman said it wasn’t built tall enough for the moose to comfortably pass through, so many avoid it.

DOT also installed fencing along high-risk areas of the highway in an effort to prevent moose from traveling onto the highway.

Moose typically die in collisions, he said, and can also cause significant damage to vehicles. There are several signs along the Glenn Highway that tally fatal moose collisions, and he said they’re the primary signal to drivers to watch for wildlife.

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“The big thing is, the Glenn Highway is 65 (miles per hour) for most of that stretch, and reaction time to stop when you’re going that fast for an animal jumping onto the road is almost impossible to avoid,” he said.

The city estimates 1,600 moose live in the Anchorage Bowl.



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Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’

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Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’


They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.

The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. TikTok / @_jvnelle415

She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

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Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.

Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.

The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.

Diala was ripped online over her GoFundMe page. GoFundMe

Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”

The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.

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The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”

“Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive,” Diala wrote on TikTok while reacting to news of her firing. “What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” Getty Images

She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.

While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.

As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.

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Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.

“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”

“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”

“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”

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