Alaska

The Sunday Minefield – January 28, 2024

Published

2 years ago

January 29, 2024

While the second week of session was not as wild as the first, it was nonetheless eventful. After spending a lot of time juicing up the Senate’s bill for rural school broadband, the House majority still lacks the votes to pass it on the floor. And now Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) has weighed into the growing fight surrounding education. Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson was in Juneau with his legislative director, former Senator Mia Costello. Members of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce and members of the several labor unions were also in town. And the filing period for the April Anchorage mayoral race, Anchorage School Board races, and special Chugiak/Eagle River Assembly election closed on Friday.

I have to say one thing. I came back to Anchorage this weekend and it’s been snowing like crazy. I have not seen a single plow or grader on the roads. But last week when Juneau got an absolute dumping, crews were out 24/7 plowing and clearing the streets. And not just downtown, the Glacier Highway and the Valley too. WHY CAN’T ANCHRAGE PLOW THE FUCKING ROADS?!

A friendly message and reminder to all our readers. The Landmine is made possible by myself and a team of awesome Alaskans. I am back to Juneau soon for my sixth session in a row reporting on the Legislature. If you enjoy the content we provide, please consider making a one time or recurring monthly donation. You can click here to donate. We have a donation system that makes it super easy. We would really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who has been supportive!

Uncertainty looms on House majority’s education priorities

The following is an excerpt from this week’s edition of the Alaska Political Report. You can click here for more information about the Political Report. A subscription is $1,299/year per organization. Discounted pricing is available for non-profits and government entities. Our coverage of the budget starts with the governor’s proposed budget, and we track everything in detail through the entire process. If you have any questions or would like to subscribe, please email jeff@akpoliticalreport.com.

Note: Shortly after this was published on Thursday, the House majority made the decision not to calendar Senate Bill 140 on Friday’s floor session. It is also not calendared for tomorrow’s floor session. Also, on Thursday afternoon GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy told the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce that he would veto a standalone education bill with just an increase to the Base Student Allocation, adding further uncertainty to the growing dispute between the House and Senate.

Since the House Rules Committee made several additions to a high-profile Senate education bill last weekend, much uncertainty remains about the fate of the legislation on the House floor. It’s unknown if the House majority will be able to hold together enough support to pass the bill, or fend off amendments from the House minority. Much of this hinges on the Bush Caucus and the amount of increase to the Base Student Allocation.

To summarize the changes to Senate Bill 140, here is an excerpt from last week’s edition of the Political Report:

At the close of the last session, the bill quickly passed the Senate without change then, when it was then taken up by the House Finance Committee, it was significantly expanded in scope through amendments. The finance committee added a $680 increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) (11%), increases to pupil transportation reimbursements, and a requirement for the Department of Education to work with the Department of Labor on monitoring high school graduates.

Yesterday’s actions by the House Rules Committee further expanded the scope of the bill. The committee added in provisions allowing the establishment of charter schools in school districts, added provisions for students who are deaf and hard of hearing, removed the sunset date for education tax credits/deductions, increased funding for correspondence programs by applying the special needs factor to correspondence funding, and altered the BSA increase by reducing it to $300 (5%). This effectively merges several priorities of GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy and House Republicans into the bill.

The new version of the bill was read over the House floor on Wednesday. Anchorage independent Rep. Calvin Schrage, the minority leader, objected, saying the actions by the majority violated the Legislature’s Uniform Rules – specifically, a rule that bans changing the title of a bill after significant changes are made. He later removed his objection when it was pointed out the House Finance Committee did introduce a resolution to suspend that rule. But that resolution needs 27 votes out of the House’s 40 members to pass, which would require votes from Schrage’s minority. “There is no deal on education at this time,” Schrage told the Political Report.

The House majority could ignore the title change resolution, but the minority would point that out. And if the bill does pass the House, the Senate could raise the issue if they wanted. It’s also unlikely that the Senate’s bipartisan majority will get behind all of the changes to their original bill proposed in the House’s new version of the legislation.

The calendar for tomorrow’s House floor session has not been published yet. The House majority has a caucus meeting this afternoon, where they will decide if the bill will be on tomorrow’s floor calendar. We are told that nearly 75 amendments to the bill have already been drafted. If the bill is not on tomorrow’s calendar, the next opportunity to have it on the floor will be on Monday.

The question remains if the House even has 21 votes to pass the bill. Dillingham independent Rep. Bryce Edgmon, Bethel Democratic Rep. CJ McCormick, and Nome Democratic Rep. Neal Foster are questionable. If all three vote no, the bill won’t pass, since the 23-member majority can only afford to lose two votes without help from the minority, which is unlikely here.

There has been a lot of discussion about raising the increase in per student funding in the bill to $680 from $300. That could get the Bush members and some minority members to vote for the bill. But sources tell us the majority is considering a number closer to $500. And the minority will surely have amendments for $680, or even higher. That will put several House Republicans in moderate districts in a tough position, at risk of losing support from centrist voters who want to see more money spent on Alaska schools.

The House minority has 16 members. If Edgmon, Foster, and McCormick vote yes on any minority amendments, just two Republicans in the majority need to break away for them to pass. Keep in mind, amendments on the floor pass with a majority of members present, so if a single majority member is missing, amendments would pass with just 20 votes.

We are watching this all closely and will have updates as they become available.

Filing Closes for April Anchorage Election

The filing period for Anchorage’s April election closed on Friday. There are ten mayoral candidates, just one for the special Chugiak/Eagle River Assembly seat, and two each for the three school board seats up. While there are ten mayoral candidates, the main four are Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, Suzanne LaFrance, Chris Tuck, and Bill Popp. Congrats to Mark Littlefield for being the only candidate to file for the special election to serve out the remainder of Assembly member Kevin Cross’ term! In December, Cross announced that he was resigning from the Assembly.

The three school board races should prove to be rather loose. I would bet the races for Anchorage School Board members Pat Higgins and Carl Jacobs will be close. In 2017, Kay Schuster lost to now-School Board member Andy Holleman by just 55 votes out of more than 41,000 votes cast. That was a 0.13% margin. Chelsea Pohland is a business owner, is active in the community, and a mother of three kids attending the Anchorage School District. I am not familiar with Angela Frank, who is challenging School Board member Dora Wilson.

Other Happenings

Members of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce board were in Juneau this week. They had a popping reception at the Sealaska Heritage Institute building in Downtown Juneau. One tiny issue, several attendees were overheard cautioning folks to not eat the undercooked meatballs and chicken from an unknown Juneau catering company. Luckily no one seemed to be sick the next day. I got ahold of this handout that their board members were giving to legislators. For a group comprised of really smart people, it’s bizarre how they could have such conflicting priorities.

Bullets one, three, and four don’t exactly jibe… #akleg pic.twitter.com/ED8dW8MJwN
— The Alaska Landmine (@alaskalandmine) January 26, 2024
Advertisement

The chamber were not the only ones with a weird handout. Mayor Dave Bronson had a handout for his legislative priorities (that differ from the Anchorage Assembly’s). His handout listed him and “MAYOR DAVE BONSON.” At least his team took it in stride and had some fun with it.

At least @mayor_bronson and his team are having fun with the “Mayor Dave Bonson” spelling fail. https://t.co/HP3PhClnQp pic.twitter.com/PViLU7wzSz
— The Alaska Landmine (@alaskalandmine) January 26, 2024

Several members of labor unions were in Juneau this week with the Alaska AFL-CIO. They had an event at the Baranof the same night as the Alaska State Chamber’s event. Several people, including myself, attended both. Both events were bi-partisan, attended by legislators and staff from both parties. I gotta give a special shout out to the folks from the Teamsters, especially Tony Pro (you know who you are). And I love my man Patrick Fitzgerald channeling the legend Jesse Carr!

This Week’s Loose Unit

There was a lot of real loose shit this week in Juneau. And there was something even looser shit in Anchorage. If you had not heard, Enstar’s system is being strained because of the cold temperatures in Southcentral. One of the wells in Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska (CINGSA) was producing sand. It’s not time to turn down the thermostats just yet, but it’s close. And don’t forget we are only a few years away from potentially having to import LNG so we don’t all freeze. To live in a place with such an abundance of gas but have this kind of shit happening says a lot about our “leaders.” Anyhoo, the Loose Unit was going to be Alaska leaders for failing to do what every other place in the world with abundant gas reserves does – provide cheap energy for their people. But a late development changed that. This week’s Loose Unit is Juneau resident Naawéiyaa Tagaban.

Tagaban was invited to give a land acknowledgement at an event for Representative Mary Peltola (D – Alaska) at the Crystal Saloon in Juneau on Saturday. Tagaban opened by talking about the evils of American colonization in Alaska. He then said that “Alaska will always be connected to the victims of the Holocaust.” But he only said that to tee up his real point, that the Jews are committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. An ignorant talking point for people in the pro-Hamas crowd. He didn’t say a word about how Hamas brutally slaughtered and raped over 1,000 Jews on October 6, including many women and children. Classic fucking Loose Unit behavior.

He then called on Peltola to call for a cease fire and to end the genocide in Gaza, which really means telling Israel they can’t defend themselves against a group who literally calls for their extermination. Before he could finish, Shannon Mason, Peltola’s communications director, cut him off, telling him she invited him for a land acknowledgement and not to do what he was doing. Several people in the crowd told her to let him talk, but Mason handled it like a pro. The only thing she left out was telling him and his idiot friends to get the fuck out of their event. Peltola should tell all these useful Hamas idiots that she doesn’t want or need their votes and to please stop coming to her events.

And of course their his stunt was posted on Instagram after. You can watch the pathetic thing here.

If you have a nomination for this week’s Loose Unit, or if you have any political news, stories or gossip (or any old pics of politicians or public officials) please email me at jeff@alaskalandmine.com.

Source link

Alaska

Marten visits are a glimpse into mystery

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Marten visits are a glimpse into mystery

A trapper fresh out of the Cosna River country in Interior Alaska said he can’t believe how many martens he had caught in a small area so far this winter.

Friends are talking about the house-cat size creatures visiting their wood piles and porches. Could this be a boom in the number of these handsome woodland creatures?

Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute. Portions of this story appeared in 2000.

Source link

Alaska

Alaska Sports Scoreboard: Feb. 28, 2026

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

High school

Basketball

Girls

Monday

Kenai Central 63, Nikiski 33

Colony 68, Grace Christian 46

Tuesday

South 33, East 22

Service 62, Dimond 47

Redington 47, Houston 17

Wasilla 60, Mountain City Christian Academy 44

Kenai Central 54, Homer 27

Bartlett 53, Chugiak 29

Mt. Edgecumbe 59, Sitka 50

Wednesday

Shishmaref 82, Aniguiin 34

Shaktoolik 73, Anthony Andrews 25

Savoonga 61, White Mountain 56

Glennallen 68, Nenana 26

Seward 72, Houston 8

Service 65, South 26

Brevig Mission 65, Koyuk Malimiut 47

Chief Ivan Blunka 67, Manokotak 30

Thursday

White Mountain 76, Anthony Andrews 50

Hoonah 44, Skagway 21

Koyuk Malimiut 53, Aniguiin 51

Nunamiut 74, Kali 17

Glennallen 25, Delta 20

Birchwood Christian 42, Nanwalek 24

Ninilchik 33, Lumen Christi 30

Dimond 59, Chugiak 54

Shaktoolik 57, Savoonga 24

Colony 43, Mountain City Christian 41

Alak 67, Meade River 66

Lathrop 42, West Valley 34

Seward 78, Nikiski 32

Grace Christian 56, Soldotna 41

Kenai Central 56, Houston 10

Wasilla 72, Palmer 27

Bristol Bay 55, Chief Ivan Blunka 30

Nome-Beltz 33, Bethel 24

Scammon Bay 46, Ignatius Beans 28

Aniak 83, Akiachak 45

Shishmaref 53, Brevig Mission 51

Metlakatla 64, Haines 21

Friday

Chief Ivan Blunka 68, Togiak 38

Meade River 80, Nuiqsut Trapper 34

Nunamiut 68, Alak 50

Cook Inlet Academy 33, Birchwood Christian 32

Meade River 71, Kali 46

Kalskag 62, Akiachak 47

Hoonah 39, Kake 37

Soldotna 36, Palmer 23

Delta 54, Valdez 45

Unalakleet 61, Chevak 45

Minto 46, Hutchison 26

West 71, Bartlett 65

Seward 63, Homer 19

North Pole 61, West Valley 25

Newhalen 78, Chief Ivan Blunka 40

Birchwood Christian 43, Nanwalek 28

Bethel 42, Nome-Beltz 35

Aniak 65, Tuluksak 50

Scammon Bay 49, St. Mary’s 38

Monroe Catholic 84, Galena 42

Ketchikan 57, Redington 24

Meade River 69, Alak 62

Fort Yukon 60, Jimmy Huntington 19

Grace Christian 50, Kenai Central 45

Shaktoolik 44, Shishmaref 34

Wrangell 44, Petersburg 31

Saturday

Unalakleet 41, Chevak 37

Meade River 54, Nunamiut 51

Monroe Catholic 68, Galena 32

Newhalen 32, Bristol Bay 26

Cook Inlet Academy 65, Birchwood Christian 32

Soldotna 55, Palmer 42

Nunamiut 48, Meade River 46

Boys

Sunday

SISD 51, Yakutat 18

Monday

Eagle River 54, Birchwood Christian 52

Colony 69, Grace Christian 64

Kenai Central 68, Nikiski 30

Tuesday

Susitna Valley 48, Lumen Christi 46

Dimond 54, Service 47

South 50, East 46

Houston 53, Redington 40

Wasilla 63, Mountain City Christian Academy 50

Kenai Central 74, Homer 47

Chugiak 66, Bartlett 45

Wednesday

SISD 59, Yakutat 17

Shishmaref 85, Savoonga 45

Hydaburg 58, Hoonah 51

Shaktoolik 103, Martin L Olson 49

Skagway 68, Gustavus 24

Davis-Romoth 108, Kobuk 31

Klawock 68, SISD 27

Glennallen 61, Nenana 57

Gambell 46, James C Isabell 31

South 63, Service 60

Seward 81, Houston 73

Bristol Bay 80, Chief Ivan Blunka 61

Mt. Edgecumbe 68, Sitka 59

Scammon Bay 79, Ignatius Beans 34

Brevig Mission 73, Aniguiin 67

Thursday

Savoonga 69, James C Isabell 61

Hoonah 64, Yakutat 45

Alak 88, Meade River 38

Shaktoolik 110, Brevig Mission 30

Chief Ivan Blunka 62, Tanalian 39

Nunamiut 66, Kali 48

Davis-Romoth 91, Buckland 45

Ninilchik 83, Lumen Christi 38

Monroe Catholic 43, North Pole 42

King Cove 57, Bristol Bay 41

Metlakatla 52, Haines 46

Nome-Beltz 62, Bethel 45

Skagway 79, Angoon 30

Birchwood Christian 69, Nanwalek 63

Dimond 60, Chugiak 57

Colony 75, Mountain City Christian Academy 49

Wasilla 66, Palmer 40

Klawock 63, Hydaburg 49

Shishmaref 58, Gambell 47

Grace Christian 63, Soldotna 52

Seward 66, Nikiski 51

Kenai Central 61, Houston 48

Nuiqsut Trapper 64, Alak 51

West Valley 51, Lathrop 44

Akiachak 83, Akiak 64

Scammon Bay 62, Marshall 54

Friday

Hoonah 71, SISD 38

Hydaburg 61, Kake 50

Chief Ivan Blunka 73, Bristol Bay 68

Kali 63, Meade River 45

Nunamiut 80, Nuiqsut Trapper 62

Service 58, East 50

Angoon 61, Hoonah 56

Cook Inlet Academy 73, Birchwood Christian 34

King Cove 75, Newhalen 39

Petersburg 53, Wrangell 20

Skagway 46, Klawock 43

Metlakatla 50, Haines 42

Nome-Beltz 71, Bethel 43

Juneau-Douglas 67, Tri-Valley 45

Wasilla 73, Chugiak 43

West 83, Bartlett 36

Colony 73, Kodiak 32

Delta 62, Valdez 54

West Valley 72, North Pole 46

Palmer 57, Soldotna 47

Nenana 55, Cordova 53

Chief Ivan Blunka 63, Manokotak 48

Scammon Bay 67, St. Mary’s 54

Unalakleet 87, Chevak 64

Shaktoolik 73, Shishmaref 54

Saturday

Unalakleet 95, Chevak 44

Cook Inlet Academy 95, Birchwood Christian 50

South 73, Eagle River 35

Palmer 45, Soldotna 40

• • •

College

Hockey

Friday

UAF 2, UAA 0

Saturday

UAA vs. UAF (Late)

• • •

Women’s basketball

Thursday

UAA 79, Western Oregon 58

Saint Martin’s 99, UAF 59

Saturday

Western Oregon 73, UAF 58

UAA vs. Saint Martin’s (Late)

• • •

Men’s basketball

Thursday

Saint Martin’s 77, UAF 65

UAA 80, Western Oregon 59

Saturday

UAF 82, Western Oregon 74

UAA vs. Saint Martin’s (Late)

• • •

NAHL

Friday

Anchorage Wolverines 5, Chippewa Steel 4

Saturday

Anchorage Wolverines vs. Chippewa Steel (Late)

• • •

2026 Fur Rondy Frostbite Footrace

5K Women

1. Courtney Spann, Anchorage, AK 26:05; 2. Racheal Kerr, Alakanuk, AK 26:07; 3. Anne-Marie Meyer, Yakima, WA 27:06; 4. Riann Anderson, Anchorage, AK 27:09; 5. Nevaeh Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 27:47; 6. Rita McKenzie, Anchorage, AK 27:55; 7. Marta Burke, Anchorage, AK 28:08; 8. Rachel Penney, Eagle River, AK 29:24; 9. Victoria Grant, Eagle River, AK 29:33; 10. Gretchen Klein, Craig, AK 29:36; 11. Penny Wasem, Willow, AK 29:42; 12. Chantel Van Tress, JBER, AK 29:51; 13. Janet Johnston, Anchorage, AK 30:18; 14. Dianna Clemetson, Anchorage, AK 31:33; 15. Sarah Hoepfner, Anchorage, AK 32:02; 16. Ireland Hicks, Seward, AK 33:21; 17. Lilly Schoonover, Seward, AK 33:21; 18. Suzanne Smerjac, Anchorage, AK 33:32; 19. Mindy Perdue, Wasilla, AK 34:12; 20. Oxana Bystrova, Anchorage, AK 34:23; 21. Charlene Canino, Anchorage, AK 34:49; 22. Tami Todd, Wasilla, AK 34:50; 23. Kaiena Tuiloma, Anchorage, AK 34:57; 24. Meg Kurtagh, Anchorage, AK 35:05; 25. Larue Groves, Chugiak, AK 35:13; 26. Rose Van Hemert, Anchorage, AK 36:12; 27. Morgan Daniels, Crestview, FL 36:25; 28. Elle Kauppi, Anchorage, AK 37:31; 29. Miranda Gibson, Wasilla, AK 37:46; 30. Caroline Secoy, JBER, AK 37:46; 31. Jordyn McNeil, Palmer, AK 38:29; 32. Ryan Plant, Palmer, AK 38:30; 33. Samantha Williams, Anchorage, AK 39:00; 34. Wendy Heck, Willow, AK 39:33; 35. Stephanie Kesler, Anchorage, AK 43:29; 36. Denise Wright, Anchorage, AK 43:50; 37. Brie Flores, Anchorage, AK 46:14; 38. Anabell Lewis, Anchorage, AK 46:15; 39. Jessica Lose, Anchorage, AK 46:18; 40. Kaylie Bylsma, Anchorage, AK 46:18; 41. Alicyn Giannakos, Anchorage, AK 46:38; 42. Natasha Henderson, Anchorage, AK 46:39; 43. Shannon Thompson, Anchorage, AK 48:40; 44. Heather Holcomb, Palmer, AK 48:40; 45. Debora Milligan, Iron Mountain, MI 57:36; 46. Rondy McKee, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 57:37

5K Men

1. James Miller, Anchorage, AK 18:28; 2. Barefoot Bogey, Woburn, MA 18:37; 3. Keaden Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 19:22; 4. Maximus Tagle-Martinez, JBER, AK 20:03; 5. Gavin Hanks, Eagle River, AK 20:59; 6. Patrick McAnally, Anchorage, AK 21:37; 7. Anthony Gomez, Anchorage, AK 22:37; 8. Christopher Hilliard, JBER, AK 23:20; 9. Terry Schimon, University Place, WA 23:37; 10. Ryan Moldenhauer, Anchorage, AK 24:12; 11. Matthew Haney, Anchorage, AK 24:24; 12. Dan Burke, Anchorage, AK 25:44; 13. Paul Chandanabhumma, Seattle, WA 25:52; 14. Woods Miller, Wasilla, AK 26:51; 15. Bill Grether, Anchorage, AK 27:10; 16. Charles Simmons, Anchorage, AK 27:15; 17. Jacob Cassianni, Anchorage, AK 27:32; 18. John Brewer, Anchorage, AK 28:09; 19. Dustin Whitcomb, Eagle River, AK 28:14; 20. Greg MacDonald, Anchorage, AK 28:28; 21. Kevin Redmond, Anchorage, AK 28:38; 22. Olin Jensen, Anchorage, AK 28:45; 23. Michael Loughlin, Anchorage, AK 29:18; 24. Daryl Schaffer, Anchorage, AK 30:30; 25. Aaron Paul, Anchorage, AK 30:37; 26. Mark Ireland, Anchorage, AK 30:37; 27. Christopher Pineda, Eagle River, AK 30:39; 28. Eric Jostsons, Anchorage, AK 31:07; 29. Justin Fitzgerald, Anchorage, AK 31:36; 30. Steve Lambert, Anchorage, AK 32:09; 31. Justin Atteberry, Anchorage, AK 32:21; 32. Matthew Beardsley, Anchorage, AK 34:07; 33. Caleb Penney, Eagle River, AK 34:21; 34. Evgenii Ivanov, Anchorage, AK 34:22; 35. Eliezer Rivera, Anchorage, AK 35:12; 36. David Massey, Anchorage, AK 35:38; 37. Zachary Todd, Wasilla, AK 35:39; 38. Ed Hills, Anchorage, AK 36:52; 39. Chucky Williams, Anchorage, AK 36:54; 40. Rick Taylor, Wasilla, AK 39:32; 41. Steven Shamburek, Anchorage, AK 43:48; 42. Dave Jones, Anchorage, AK 46:46; 43. Tom Meacham, Anchorage, AK 46:47; 44. Russell Martin, Ventura, CA 47:34; 45. David Martin, Ventura, CA 47:45; 46. Zachary Lounsberry, Palmer, AK 48:41

2.5K Women

1. Kelsey Kramer, Wilmington, NC 13:50; 2. Alannah Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 15:09; 3. Kelsea Johnson, Anchorage, AK 15:45; 4. Kirsten Kling, Anchorage, AK 16:05; 5. Miriam Hayes, Anchorage, AK 16:55; 6. Brianna Slayback, Anchorage, AK 17:04; 7. Haley Hoffman, Alexandria, VA 18:01; 8. Kathryn Hoke, Anchorage, AK 18:32; 9. Rachel Stein, Palmer, AK 18:51; 10. Shayla Harrison, Anchorage, AK 19:29; 11. Danielle Harrison, Anchorage, AK 19:30; 12. Nikki Withers, Tacoma, WA 19:32; 13. Michele Robuck, Anchorage, AK 20:20; 14. Jess Adams, Anchorage, AK 20:20; 15. Ashley Martinez, Miami, FL 20:24; 16. Laura Casanover, Houston, TX 20:31; 17. Adylaine Hacker, Eagle River, AK 21:59; 18. Mary Stutzman, Tallahassee, FL 22:59; 19. Jean Bielawski, Anchorage, AK 23:24; 20. Cheryl Parmelee, Mount Dora, FL 25:45; 21. Ruth Anderson, Anchorage, AK 26:56; 22. Morgan Withers, Tacoma, WA 27:17; 23. Terri Agee, Anchorage, AK 27:31; 24. Chyll Perry, Anchorage, AK 27:35; 25. Denice Withers, Yakima, WA 28:09; 26. Sarah Camacho, Anchorage, AK 28:20; 27. Katheryn Camacho, Anchorage, AK 28:21; 28. Brooke Whitcomb, Eagle River, AK 28:41; 29. Kristine Withers, Tacoma, WA 31:19; 30. Penny Helgeson, Anchorage, AK 33:56; 31. Kimberly Halstead, Eagle River, AK 34:02; 32. Julianna Halstead, Eagle River, AK 34:09

2.5K Men

1. Riley Howard, Anchorage, AK 10:54; 2. Julian Salao, Anchorage, AK 12:26; 3. Mitch Paisker, Anchorage, AK 16:05; 4. Kaden Bartholomew, Anchorage, AK 16:24; 5. Brandon Bartholomew, Anchorage, AK 16:25; 6. Michael Hayes, Anchorage, AK 16:30; 7. Calvin Stein, Anchorage, AK 18:51; 8. Jesse Ackerson, Anchorage, AK 19:42; 9. Clinton Hacker, Eagle River, AK 21:59; 10. Daniel Hjortstorp, Gakona, AK 22:20; 11. Atlas Hjortstorp, Gakona, AK 22:20; 12. Craig Withers, Tacoma, WA 27:18; 13. Jordan Ralph, Tacoma, WA 27:19; 14. Scott King, Anchorage, AK 28:20; 15. Shawn Withers, Yakima, WA 31:18; 16. John Ruthe, Anchorage, AK 35:53

Source link

Alaska

Erica Totland, of Yakutat, Sentenced for Manslaughter

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Erica Totland, of Yakutat, Sentenced for Manslaughter

Erica Totland.Image-FB profiles

(Juneau, AK) – On Friday, February 20, 2026, Juneau Superior Court Judge Amy Mead sentenced 41-year-old Erica Totland to 14 years with 7 years suspended for Manslaughter, Assault in the Third Degree, and Driving Under the Influence. Totland will be on probation for 5 years upon her release from incarceration.

In 2025 Totland pled guilty to Manslaughter, three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, and one count of Driving Under the Influence. The convictions stem from the April 30, 2022 death of 26-year-old Anton Eriksson and injuries sustained by three passengers in Yakutat. During pre-trial litigation, Judge Mead suppressed toxicology results after finding the seizure of Totland’s blood by Yakutat Police Department without a warrant violated Totland’s rights.

At sentencing, Judge Mead rejected Totland’s request that the court find the Manslaughter was a least serious offense deserving of a lower sentence. Four Eriksson family members testified at the sentencing and discussed the impact that Totland’s actions had on their family.

Assistant Attorney General Daniel K. Shorey of the Office of Special Prosecutions prosecuted the case along with Paralegal Marley Hettinger of the Juneau District Attorney’s Office.

CONTACT: Assistant Attorney General Daniel K. Shorey, at (907) 269-6250 or daniel.shorey@alaska.gov.

# # #