The Weekend Off – News You Missed

Homer, Alaska by Zach D Roberts

Alaska

National Hazards Center – Losing Place and Losing Hope

THE ALASKA NATIVE TOWN of Newtok is expected to be under water by 2017, according to the Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2009). The town is hardly an exception; there are eleven other tribal communities in the Arctic Circle that are in the same predicament (GAO, 2009). However, it is unlikely that these towns will be able to move to higher ground any time soon without the creation of a federal framework that can assist, overlook, and fund their relocation.

ADN.com – Fear of a Begich bid for governor looms large over Alaska GOP convention

The Alaska Republican Party’s new second in command is convinced that former Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich will run for governor in 2018, and his potential candidacy loomed like a specter over the state GOP convention in Fairbanks Saturday.

ADN.com – Grappling with how to deal with domestic violence, Iditarod bans musher indefinitely

The Iditarod Trail Committee on Friday voted to ban musher Travis Beals from at least the 2017 race while it reviews its rules to better address domestic violence.

Beals was charged four months ago with fourth-degree assault and fifth-degree criminal mischief in a domestic violence case. He also pleaded guilty earlier in 2015 to a criminal mischief charge in a domestic violence case.

National

Politico – Inside Trump’s Press Pen

For all its brass, though, the New York tabloid environment is insular, small and transactional, with an established set of protocols and a relatively limited cast of characters. Trump has a great instinct for what will hit, and has always served as his own publicist, cultivating relationships with reporters who play ball, planting tips, navigating negative stories through sheer bombast, ditching anyone who causes too much trouble—often by feeding scoops to competitors at their own organizations.

ZeroHedge – With A Double Digit Lead In Indiana Polls, Trump Calls The Race: “It’s Over, Cruz Can Not Win”

Ahead of the Indiana primary on Tuesday, Donald Trump holds a 15 point lead in the polls according to the Wall Street Journal, and it is starting to become inevitable (at least for those not named Cruz and Kasich) that The Donald will be the Republican’s choice to run against Hillary in the fall.

NYTimes – Puerto Rico Debt Deadline Looms With Washington Still Haggling

In December, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan instructed lawmakers to find a “responsible solution” to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis in the first three months of this year, giving the island plenty of time to prepare for a May 1 deadline on a $422 million debt payment.

International

BBC – Elephant summit: Kenya sets fire to huge ivory stockpile

More than 100 tonnes of ivory was stacked up in pyres in Nairobi National Park where it is expected to burn for several days.
The ivory represents nearly the entire stock confiscated by Kenya, amounting to the tusks of about 6,700 elephants.

The Guardian – Green zone protests raise questions over viability of Iraq’s government

For 13 years, Baghdad’s green zone had been off limits to nearly all Iraqis; a place where wars have been run, power has been bitterly contested and from where the country’s unaccountable leaders have filleted its finances.

Washington Post – Green Beret officer blames ‘moral cowardice’ for Doctors Without Borders strike

Declassified military documents released Friday detail not only how the United States mistakenly struck a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan last year but also frustrations among Special Operations troops.

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