UPDATED: Massive Landslide at Bingham Mine – Is this what Pebble will bring?
UPDATE: Quoted from Dow Jones 4/16/2013 RIO Tinto has asked employees to take vacation or unpaid leave after a massive landslide at its Bingham Canyon mine in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley, one of the world’s largest copper producing mines. Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper unit said it has asked for workers to volunteer to take leave because the operation isn’t running at full capacity. “The slip has destroyed the main access decline into the pit, so a new decline will need to be constructed before mining can resume. We have no guidance from Rio on how long this will take, but…
The Legislative Session – A Review
The good news is that it’s over. We knew it would be bad, and it was worse. Now it just needs to be hauled out behind the shed, and put out of its misery. There is no candy coating a big pile of bear scat, so all we must do is march on. We’ve been told that THIS session just dealt with financial issues. So, now that we’re screwed in that department, next session we’re free to tackle the social issues. And if we all survive that, there’s a big fat election in 2014 that could wipe the slate clean…
The View from Juneau
An old saying goes something like this, “We hate in others what we hate in ourselves.” I don’t think I’ve seen a better example of that than this 28th legislative session. I flew to Juneau to watch the last days of the session for myself. Home in Anchorage, I spend a remarkable amount of time watching Gavel to Gavel – I even Tivo it. But the cameras don’t show what’s really going on in the Capitol, restaurants and bars; they don’t show the lobbyists following lawmakers into the bathroom or to the smoking porch. (I have to wonder whether the…
“Active Homosexuals” to be “Embraced” by Boy Scouts?
Read it and weep. Jim Minnery, of Alaska Family Council sent out an email calling supporters to show up at a Town Hall meeting of the Boy Scouts to address whether “active homosexuals” will be “embraced” by the Boy Scouts. Not sure about those inactive people who have let their homosexual memberships lapse, but “embracing” is definitely a red flag. If you get his meaning. *ahem* Next month, the Boy Scouts of America plans to vote about whether to lift the ban on gays in scouting. And one 16-year old Maryland Eagle Scout candidate who has come out, may be…
CT ‘Overreacted’ with ‘Draconian’ Gun Laws Says AK Lawmaker
On Sunday night, 60 Minutes featured an unforgettable interview with some of the family members of those killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. It’s been nearly four months since the unspeakable tragedy that left the nation in shock and mourning. This month, Connecticut passed a gun control law that expands background checks, and limits the number of rounds in ammunition magazines to 10. The families are now urging changes of a similar nature in Washington. This transcript begins at 4:57 in the clip. When asked what changes they would like to see, the following…
ACLU Investigates Censorship in Juneau
Last week, on two consecutive days, an assortment of government vans from at least two different entities, parked in front of the Capitol building in Juneau, blocking protesters who had come with signs to demonstrate. The protesters had been clearly visible from certain offices in the Capitol. Joe Miller’s blog describes the situation as reported by en eyewitness: “The trucks were parked across the street from the capital building, in the “active loading and unloading zone” and in the road congesting traffic, obviously in answer to a command to block the protesters. There were witnesses at the protest who heard…
Rep. Could Cash in from Bridge
A legislative audit recently revealed that Alaskans could be on the hook for up to $1.4 billion dollars as a result of insufficient projected toll revenue from the Knik Arm Bridge (aka KABATA, aka The Bridge from Hell). Not only that, but a land ownership analysis found that at least one state Representative in Juneau could stand to cash in from road construction to the area. The family of Representative Lynn Gattis (R-Wasilla) just happens to own land adjacent to the Knik Arm Bridge approach in the Mat-Su Borough, and would see her land become much more valuable as a result of the…
A Present for Linda! (VIDEOS)
Please join me in wishing Linda Kellen Biegel a very happy birthday! Linda is one of the three managing editors here at the Mudflats, and probably the one that gets the least appreciation and understanding of exactly how much she does. Linda’s the one that sits through endless school board meetings, Assembly meetings, brainstorming meetings… She’s the one who volunteers to oversee vote counts, examines ballots, and watch polls. She’s our workhorse, our researcher who disappears, burrows to the center of the earth, and comes up with a carrot. She’s our APOC guru, our ethics expert, and the one who…
Giessel Says Scrutinize Foreign Students
Looks like another piece of legislation is coming from the Xenophobe caucus. Rep. Bob Lynn (R-Anch) has proposed HB1, which will basically turn the DMV into a branch of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and require extra work for multiple state agencies who will now have to process drivers licenses more frequently, attempt to know law that is not their job; and create a bunch of hassle for foreign students in our university system. Yes, this isn’t just any nefarious terrorist threat, this is students. Let’s hear from Cathy Giessel (R-Anch/Turnagain), who proudly never had any of her children in…