Alaska

State Supreme Court prepares for vacancy as Alaska’s Chief Justice set to retire

Published

2 weeks ago

June 11, 2024

State Supreme Court prepares for vacancy as Alaska’s Chief Justice set to retire

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Alaska Judicial Council is accepting applications to serve as a justice on the Alaska Supreme Court after it announced Friday that Chief Justice Peter Maassen will retire in January 2025.

The vacancy will open when Chief Justice Maassen turns 70. The Alaska Constitution establishes that a state Supreme Court justice can stay on the bench until they reach 70 years of age.

“We will miss working with him,” Alaska Court System Public Information Officer Rebecca Koford said. “He’s been a wonderful presence. I haven’t met anyone who disliked working with him. He’s very professional. At the same time, he’s a very witty person, and his presence will be missed.”

Koford said she worked with Chief Justice Maassen at the Anchorage Youth Court, and describes him as a calm and even-tempered person, along with being thorough and thoughtful.

“Everyone that has worked with him is going to miss having him there,” Koford said. “I’m sure that whoever takes his place will also be a wonderfully competent justice, and I look forward to working with them as well.”

Maassen serves as the administrative head of the judicial branch of government, presides over Supreme Court arguments, appoints presiding judges for Alaska’s judicial districts and serves as the chair of the Alaska Judicial Council.

“The Chief Justice has additional duties, because they are also the administrative head of the court,” Koford said. “They oversee the administration, which includes things varied from HR to our information services, to my job as a public information officer, public outreach across the board, or the administration of the courts.”

The Alaska Judicial Council, established by the Alaska Constitution, comprises seven members who screen applications for all state judges including those from the Appellate, Superior, District and Supreme Courts.

“Being a judge is a hard job, and attorneys in this state think very long and hard about whether they’re even going to put their name in,” said Susanne DiPietro, executive director of the Alaska Judicial Council. “That’s part of the reason why we have a lengthy application period, because it’s a heavy decision to put your name in for this very public process.”

“People take it very seriously before they put their names in, and during the process,” she said. “It’s a hard and very rewarding job.”

The Judicial Council will spend the next several weeks receiving, vetting and investigating applications and applicants before sending a survey to all members of the Alaska Bar Association. Then, they’ll ask anyone with direct professional experience with the candidate to give information about their qualifications. There will be interviews, a public hearing and nominations. Final names are sent to the governor for a final appointment.

After being appointed as a state judge, public evaluations on a judge’s performances happen every couple of years when there’s a retention election. The public votes whether or not a state-appointed judge should remain on the bench. There are 19 judges up for retention this November.

“The process needs to be thorough, and it is a thorough process, because these are very important positions,” DiPietro said. “They’re tough positions, and you want to know as much as possible about each person who applies, to be able to gauge whether you think they’re going to be able to handle the intellectual and emotional challenges of the position.”

Maassen was born and raised in western Michigan, and got his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1980 after attending Hope College and Wayne State University Law School. Maassen and his wife Kay Gouwens arrived in Alaska in 1981. Chief Justice Maassen spent most of his legal career as a private practice attorney in Anchorage before being selected by the governor to serve on the high court in 2012. He was elected to the Chief Justice position in Febuary of 2023.

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines adds nonstop flight from Portland to New Orleans – The Points Guy

Published

5 hours ago

June 23, 2024

Press Room

Alaska Airlines adds nonstop flight from Portland to New Orleans – The Points Guy

Alaska Airlines is adding a new route to the Big Easy from one of its West Coast hubs.

Starting in January, the Seattle-based carrier will offer nonstop, seasonal service from Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

The service will launch Jan. 6 and run through May 14. Booking is now open.

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Though it’s just a five-month span for the new route, it will certainly give Pacific Northwest travelers some more opportunities to travel to New Orleans at a key time of year.

On top of the city’s iconic Mardi Gras festivities early in the year, New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome will play host to the next Super Bowl on Feb. 9.

Route details

Alaska will operate the winter seasonal route with a Boeing 737 mainline aircraft on a daily basis. Here’s how the itinerary shakes out:

PDX-MSY: Departs 9:05 a.m. Pacific time; arrives 3:30 p.m. Central time
MSY-PDX: Departs 4:35 p.m. Central time; arrives 7:50 p.m. Pacific time

Growing its Portland, New Orleans capacity

The addition of New Orleans will give Alaska Airlines 55 nonstop destinations out of its Portland hub.

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Notably, though, Portland will be just the second city serving the Big Easy in its network. Right now, Alaska only operates a New Orleans nonstop from its home base, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

In fact, no carriers currently serve the Portland-New Orleans route, which makes it an intriguing option for travelers, leaders in both cities said.

“Portland has been the top unserved destination from New Orleans, and this new route not only strengthens the connection between our vibrant cities but also underscores our commitment to enhancing the travel experience for our community and visitors alike,” MSY director for aviation Kevin Dolliole said in a statement.

For Alaska’s part, the carrier’s seats out of Portland are set to grow just over 12% in 2024, even prior to launching this new nonstop in early 2025, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. However, its seats there still trail 2019 levels.

Bottom line

It’s worth mentioning that though this seasonal route will feed more traffic into New Orleans for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, Alaska will just barely miss another major event: the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl. That event will serve as one of the first-ever college football quarterfinal games this upcoming season.

Still, there’s nary a bad time to fly to a city with rich food and plentiful cultural and entertainment options like New Orleans — not to mention some top-notch hotels.

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Alaska

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Published

12 hours ago

June 23, 2024

Press Room

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.60.

ALK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Alaska Air Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th.

View Our Latest Analysis on ALK

Alaska Air Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of ALK stock opened at $41.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $42.60 and its 200-day moving average is $39.77. Alaska Air Group has a 1 year low of $30.75 and a 1 year high of $57.18. The stock has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.61.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.09) by $0.17. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.62) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alaska Air Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALK. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,461,295 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $536,225,000 after purchasing an additional 47,871 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,439,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,543,000 after purchasing an additional 660,455 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in Alaska Air Group by 4.1% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,966,594 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $170,533,000 after buying an additional 155,403 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 16.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,554,257 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $94,712,000 after buying an additional 358,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alaska Air Group by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 1,387,734 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,219,000 after buying an additional 253,984 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.90% of the company’s stock.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Cynthia Hoffman’s father Timothy honored by fellow riders in funeral procession

Published

19 hours ago

June 22, 2024

Press Room

Cynthia Hoffman’s father Timothy honored by fellow riders in funeral procession

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Over 50 riders and drivers followed a black hearse through the streets of Anchorage Saturday afternoon honoring the life of Timothy Hoffman, who died during a memorial ride for his daughter earlier this month.

“We didn’t know we were gonna have this kind of turnout,” Donald Hoffman, Timothy’s big brother, said on Saturday. “As you can see by his family, he had many that loved him.”

Dozens of bikers filled the parking lot of the Alaska Cremation Society on Saturday as they waited to escort Hoffman’s remains from the cremation center to Faith Christian Community for his memorial service. Even Timothy’s dog, tucked into the arms of a loved one, came along to join the parade of cars and motorcycles.

“I feel good. I’m definitely honored to be Tim’s brother,” Hoffman said. “To ride amongst these great bikers, you know, we have different clubs here. They didn’t have to come. They came on their own.”

Hoffman, known to his loved ones as an avid Harley-lover, a hard worker, and someone who would give the shirt off his back, passed on June 3 while riding in a memorial ride for his daughter Cynthia Hoffman, who was murdered in 2019.

“He’s an advocate for justice,” Hoffman said. “We were just trying to carry on that tradition when we had a tragedy on the ride.”

According to Alaska State Troopers, Hoffman lost control of his motorcycle on the Park Highway. His wife Jeannie, who was riding with Hoffman, is still hospitalized from injuries sustained during the crash.

“She opened her eyes but they still say she’s not there. So there’s no brain activity,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said his family plans to continue holding the yearly memorial ride for Cynthia as they continue to seek justice for her murder. But he says next year, they will also be riding in Timothy’s honor whose death came on the fifth anniversary of Cynthia’s passing.

Another memorial will be held for Timothy next Sunday at the Carousel Lounge at 4:30 p.m. Riders will head to the Victims of Justice building before returning to the Carousel Lounge for karaoke and food.

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