Local Ski Patroller Finds Fear, Loathing, and Adventure in War Zones
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Local ski patroller Kyle Beckler rides shotgun in a van as it rattles along a dusty strip near the Ukrainian frontline in its war against Russia.
A bridge comes into view, pieces missing, one span tilted into a river.
The white van, a rented jalopy with a window missing from a shrapnel blast, carries cans of meat and packages. Its glove compartment is duct-taped shut.
The van passes buildings with skeletal roofs and crumbled walls. It passes a rusted, wheel-less transport truck slumped on the side of a road with a door hanging open.
What looks like a school has blackened, pocketed walls and its windows are punched out.
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Dump Found Shows Little Trace of Oil
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A dump uncovered during construction of a road to "Holtan Hills" was determined to have a low amount of toxic pollutants, according to an official with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Six soil samples taken from material dumped decades ago near Girdwood's school revealed petroleum and other chemicals well below a threshold mandating an extensive clean up, said Jade Gamble, who works in the DEC's "Rapid Response" division.
DEC received a report August 6 and the agency closed the case six days later after testing samples from the site.
A consultant screening for "volatile organic compounds" found that "nothing was deemed a threat to groundwater or surface water or to the general public," Gamble said. "And now they're just running into garbage." She said that "several hundred cubic yards" of trash-strewn dirt have been removed.
In early August workers excavating an access road and sewer line for the controversial "Holtan Hills" project turned up refuse—from oil drums to trash-filled plastic bags to car axles—of a dump closed in 1979. A portion of the garbage was removed in 2002 after children at the school complained of bad smells and orange sludge coming from the playground. The remediated playground area was unlisted as a contaminated site, according to the DEC.
But while garbage uncovered this month is part of the same dump and also had an odor, soil samples from recent excavations had "diesel-range organics" in the 30s parts-per-million and the threshold triggering more stringent regulations is 230 ppm, Gamble said. Tests for heavier oils, like engine oils, showed no amounts of the hazardous waste, she said.
Read the entire story st the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/dump-found-shows-little-trace-of-oil
Holtan Hills Could be a Money Loser for Muni, Assembly Member Warns
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Given the structure of a deal between a developer and the Municipality of Anchorage on a planned subdivision called "Holtan Hills", the city will likely gain little, break even, or it will stand to lose money, an Assembly member said last week.
The city stands to gain about $1.5 million from the first phase of the project before subtracting expenses, according to data provided publicly for the first time. While the municipality splits proceeds from lot sales, it must subtract costs. For developer Connie Yoshimura revenue from selling lots is profit.
"I don't think this is the way we should be playing with public money because that's what we're doing here," Zac Johnson, who represents Girdwood and South Anchorage said during the meeting. "The risks are real. The costs are real. And, the upside—the benefits—is entirely hypothetical at this point."
Yoshimura, Assembly members and a city spokesperson fired back at Johnson, saying the deal brings new homes, roads and an upgraded sewer system to a valley desperate for housing and infrastructure.
"I am well aware that what Girdwood needs is homes for teachers, for engineers. The calls I get for Girdwood lots... are from people who want to live in Girdwood. They have children that are in the ski program that this project is named after, 'Holtan Hills', Howard Holtan," Yoshimura told the assembly.
In the past four years, 80 percent of the new housing units sold in Girdwood have become unoccupied year round, or "dark homes", and of 25 new condos only one is occupied, Mike Edgington, chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisors, said in public testimony.
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Holtan Hills Construction Unearths Decades-Old Landfill
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Workers constructing a municipal access road for a planned subdivision encountered tons of garbage from a landfill that was only partially excavated decades ago.
Crews piled old car parts, crushed propane tanks and other debris into a 20-foot high mound and covered it with a white tarp. The clean up has caused construction delays for road and sewer line access for the 60-acre "Holtan Hills" development, according to a municipal official.
Refuse was uncovered at least two weeks ago. Questions sent to a municipal point-person were answered in a brief response Friday that verified the finding.
"Material needed to be excavated, sorted and tested prior to disposal which has caused a short delay in construction," wrote public involvement coordinator Kenny Friendly. "However, the project is still scheduled to be completed by September 30."
As of Saturday, the material remained on site. Calls and emails sent to a state agency that oversees contaminated sites did not respond to questions as of Friday, so whether the rubbish containes dangerous and toxic contaminates is still unknown.
Though Friendly's email suggested landfill material has been excavated, he wrote in another part of the message that "additional garbage/debris needs to be removed" before paving a road and bike path.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/holtan-hills-construction-unearths-decades-old-landfill
US housing secretary visits Alaska to gather insights into urban and rural challenges
By Yereth Rosen
The secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visiting Alaska this week, said he hopes to learn about challenges facing both the state’s urban centers and remote rural communities.
“I came here to be a great listener, to understand the needs of the people of Alaska, to understand the challenges of the people of Alaska and particularly when it comes to homelessness and affordable housing,” Scott Turner, the Trump administration’s HUD secretary, said at a news conference Tuesday in Anchorage.
Turner is among several Trump administration cabinet members touring Alaska this summer.
He spent part of Tuesday meeting with Anchorage municipal officials who discussed the challenges of homelessness in the state’s largest city.
It is a national issue, Turner said.
That 770,000 people identified as homeless in the nation “is unacceptable to me, it’s unacceptable to my colleagues and I know it’s unacceptable to you,” he said.
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Land Use Committee and Housing Committee Recommend Seeking Ruane-Alyeska Highway Land for Housing Project
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Board of Directors
Girdwood’s Land Use Committee and Housing and Economic Committee have approved asking the Heritage Land Bank to survey and subdivide HLB property at the intersection of Ruane and Alyeska Highway. Subdivision would be an initial step in potential development of half of the property for work force housing.
The concept originated with the Girdwood Community Land Trust. A public-private partnership for development between HLB and a Girdwood non-profit (not necessarily GCLT) is envisioned.
The concept presented to the LUC and GHEC identifies an initial phase consisting of 28-32 apartments, 10 townhouses and 16 “tiny” (750 sq. ft) bungalows. Half of these units would be developed as “market rate” housing by a private developer.
Half of the units would be managed by the Girdwood non-profit for workforce housing. Profits from selling market rate units would be shared equally between the Girdwood non-profit, the Girdwood Valley Service Area, the Anchorage General Fund and HLB.
According to GCLT Board member Krystal Hoke, GCLT sought LUC and GHEC approval as a show of community support for the concept. The Land Use Committee approved recommending the Girdwood Board of Supervisors ask HLB to subdivide the parcel by a vote of 8-0 with 4 abstentions on July 14. GHEC also unanimously approved the concept at its Aug. 4 meeting.
A draft resolution of support will be considered bythe Girdwood Board of Supervisors at its Aug. 18 meeting.
Read the entire at the link below:
Summer Trail Maintenance Includes Path Through Contested ‘Holtan Hills’ Development
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Enabled by a young, sturdy trail crew, local volunteers and a $110,000 grant Girdwood's network of trails became more deliberate this summer—with particular focus on a trail that crosses through an impending subdivision development.
Three new bridges, gravel, brushing and drainage have altered slightly the character of local trails, especially the middle portion of the Iditarod Trail from Girdwood School to the out-of-service hand tram.
"Trails play an important aspect in community. They should be available and, historically, they've been there," said Kyle Kelly, Girdwood's service area manager.
Facing continual pressure from development of local lands, Girdwood's trails committee worked to get a trails plan adopted by the Anchorage Assembly in March.
"It was a tough process, but we got through it and now we can refer to it all the time," Kelly said.
The addition of a bridge and gravel to a 2-mile section of the Middle Iditarod Trail, between the school and Crow Creek Rd., adds permanence to a path whose fate has been called to question due to a competing plan for a "Holtan Hills" subdivision.
With looming development, trail crews have put a "focus" on the trail, which runs along a bluff overlooking Glacier Creek, Kelly said.
"Nobody has officially told me it's going to change, so I'm going to keep working on it and making it better. What I'm trying to show also is that the community is investing in this and they have been for a long time. If it's a broken down trail that doesn't look very useable, then it's like, 'you guys don't really care about this trail'. But we're showing that we care. Showing that investment puts us in a stronger position," he said.
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MOA responds to TNews Inquiry on current ‘Holtan Hills’ construction
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Municipality of Anchorage responded late Friday to a slew of questions by Turnagain News regarding the so-called "Holtan Hills" subdivision development currently underway off Hightower Rd. near the school.
The project is a joint effort by Anchorage developer Connie Yoshimura and the city's Heritage Land Bank, which manages most of the land in Girdwood's valley. "Holtan Hills", so named by a small group acting without community consent, has little local support. It was nevertheless approved by the Anchorage Assembly in January, 2024.
The HLB recently signed an agreement for $2 million with Anchorage-based GMC Contracting for "off-site" development of a road and sewer connection, impacting approximately 2.5 acres, according to the city and Yoshimura. The project is expected to last into August when children return to school.
GMC began tearing a swath to the toe of the 60-plus acre housing development on July 7.
Responses, provided through an email from the muni's public affairs office, are in italics.
Has a traffic study been conducted to determine existing traffic patterns, densities, and vehicle traffic amount on Hightower Road?
During the early planning stages of this project, both the [Municipality of Anchorage] Planning Department and Traffic Engineering Department reviewed the potential density within the development and concurred that the road improvements would be built to local residential street standards which would not require a (traffic study) traffic impact analysis prior to construction.
Where can we view the traffic plan?
See previous response regarding the traffic study. A traffic control plan will be submitted and available for public review prior to disturbance and reconstruction of affectioned portions of Hightower Rd.
Read the entire response from the Municipality of Anchorage at the link:
US Senate GOP under pressure on Trump demand to defund NPR, PBS, foreign aid
By Jennifer Shutt
Alaska Beacon, States Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Congress has just one week left to approve the Trump administration’s request to cancel $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media and foreign aid, setting up yet another tight deadline for lawmakers.
The Senate must pass the bill before July 18, otherwise the White House budget office will be required to spend the funding and be barred from sending up the same proposal again for what are called rescissions.
But objections from several GOP senators could stop the legislation in its tracks, or change it substantially, requiring another House vote in a very short time frame. Rejecting the plan would represent a loss for the Trump administration after passage of the “big, beautiful” tax and spending cut law earlier this month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appears optimistic he can secure the votes needed to begin debate, though he hasn’t said publicly if he thinks the bill can actually pass.
“We’ll have it up on the floor next week. Hopefully, we get on it and then we’ll have an amendment process,” Thune said during a Wednesday press conference. “And kind of like a budget reconciliation bill, it’s an open amendment process, a vote-a-rama type process, which I’m sure you’re very excited about.”
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Update: ‘Holtan Hills’ Road Construction Begins
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
In a slight drizzle of rain Monday morning a group of concerned citizens stood outside a gate to the contentious "Holtan Hills" development.
Then trucks began to roll in, first white trucks with men who jumped into "Hydro-Ax" mulchers. After a couple hours, the protesters left.
Then a gym-length tractor hauling an enormous excavator arrived. Later more machines rumbled through town down Hightower Rd.
The first day of the city's 75-day contract with a major construction company—GMC Contracting—to drive a road, sewer, gas and electric into the forested hills behind Girdwood's school began with the staging of heavy equipment.
Construction delays on the Seward Highway slowed traffic on the opening day foray.
Meanwhile, responses from municipal public officials to questions emailed last week regarding the project have not been answered as of late afternoon.
"Thank you for reaching out. We haven’t forgotten about you," wrote Kenny Friendly, a public involvement coordinator for the Municipality, said in an email Monday.
"We are currently fielding all public inquiries surrounding the project including yours. When we have the answers, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible," he wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back with TNews for updates.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/update-holtan-hills-road-construction-begins
Forest Fair Signs Down, Up Again
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Dozens of colorful, quicky and instructive signs that line Alyeska highway every Forest Fair weekend were suddenly removed yesterday by transportation officials.
But, following a slew of angry comments and negotiations with DOT officials, the signs were back up Friday.
The signs have been a hallmark prelude for the summer festival, in its 50th year, and their disappearance caught many by surprise.
Longtime local resident Drew Motsinger, who retired from DOT, wrote on Girdwood's Facebook page that the state transportation department personnel removed the signs over right-of-way concerns, though DOT officials could not be reached during the holiday.
DOT took the signs down "due to the pedestrian crossing being painted by someone other than DOT", according to Motsinger, who later said he still keeps in touch with friends from the department.
Pedestrian lines at the intersection of Hightower and Alyeska Highway were painted in different colors this year and that triggered an inspection which led to the removal of nearby signs.
Motsinger said in his post the DOT is trying to be proactive, but he also understood the complaints of Forest Fair volunteers about the abrupt, unannounced removal of the signs.
"There's so much jay walking in town. That's obviously a problem and then there are so many people on their phones not paying attention and driving," he said Friday.
In the past few years, the number of accidents involving pedestrians in Southcentral Alaska has grown significantly.
As a DOT employee, Motsinger was asked to take down crosses along the highway (he refused). "My motto was, 'You got friends and family on the road, you do the best you can," said Motsinger of his work to keep highways safe.
He decried the speed of traffic through Girdwood.
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-signs-down-up-again
‘Brushing’ Gets Underway at ‘Holtan Hills’ Site
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
As she has for nearly 30 years, Jody Carlsen set out for a walk along a favorite trail Wednesday.
It was a warm sunny afternoon, and she was joined by her friend, Loey Stayden, and two energetic dogs, Paco and Ebi.
The outing would be abruptly upset.
Three white pickup trucks, lights flashing, were parked at the trailhead, one bearing the license plate "AXXXX". A cacaphone of clanging metal and crunching trees erupted from a utility path.
The group skirted construction on Girdwood School's trail system then stopped on the Middle Iditarod Trail where a red excavator clawed at tree roots.
"I thought they were going to start Monday," Carlsen said.
Two Hydro-ax mulchers, the excavator, and a worker with a chainsaw, Caden Bevegni, had cleared a wide swath of vegetation and ancient hemlock trees past the trailhead. The Iditarod Trail's informational post stood naked amid a field of wood chips.
"It hurts my heart," Carlsen said. "It feels like this (project) was punched down our throats."
Read the entire story ad more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/brushing-gets-underway-at-holtan-hills-site
Confusion and Few Answers Mark July 7 ‘Holtan Hills’ Construction
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
With development of a controversial "Holtan Hills" subdivision project less than a week away, government agencies have so far given few answers on environmental, traffic, safety and other questions.
The Municipality of Anchorage has failed to assign a liaison for the project. No one responded to its first bid for the position and a subsequent bid had only one prospect, who was denied the job.
Since then, the city's Heritage Land Bank, the municipality's partner in the sprawling 60-acre venture, has directed questions to developer CY Investments and the company's website.
The site's contact email, however, led to a broken link.
In an email last week, company owner Connie Yoshimura directed questions to George Passantino, but provided no contact or other information.
Passantino works as a consultant for a national lobbying and media relations firm and has represented such companies as Walmart, Lowes, and GE Energy on development projects.
For its part, the Anchorage School District, which owns land adjacent to the development, has been unable "to connect with" people managing the project and the District is closed this week, according to M.J. Thim, ASD's public relations officer.j
“We haven’t been able to get answers," Thim wrote in an email.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Editorial: ‘Action’ is the Antidote to Despair
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
On July 7, SHOW UP
A fundamental purpose of a free press is to serve as a watchdog on power. It's right there in the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law ... prohibiting ... the freedom ... of the press..."
Even our nation's founders knew they—and their projects—needed to be watched.
"Bearing witness" is also a form of nonviolent resistance. It often takes courage to not look away from injustice.
Witness is one of the quietest, yet most powerful forms of nonviolent resistance. To witness is to stand present—to injustice, to suffering, to oppression—and refuse to look away. It is an act of moral courage that declares: “I see, I will not be silent, and I will not allow harm to happen unnoticed.” In a world where denial and distraction often shield systems of power from accountability, the simple act of being present becomes radical, writes Kate Laverty of a Belfast, Ireland intercommunity fellowship.
On Monday, July 7, clearcutting, digging and filling of a beloved Girdwood rainforest will commence.
Monday brings development of a subdivision no one in town went on record to support.
Everyone locally, that is to say, dislikes "Holtan HIlls".
What is insidious about the "Holtan Hills" affair is the way it was approved: Anchorage Assembly members slipped it through on a winter day after first postponing it indefinitely and after ignoring countless community comments, testimony, letters, local votes and even resolutions from sympathetic councils in town
Read the entire editorial at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/editorial-action-is-the-antidote-to-despair
New Outdoor Concert Series Brings Out Girdwood's Finest
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
For many years, between the late 90s and early aughts, a music scene percolated alongside Holmgren Place in downtown Girdwood.
In a slumping one-room cabin called Studio B, the legendary Photon Band(later just "Photonz") rehearsed original jams, bluegrass staples and, occasionally, funky disco hits.
As the space fell into disrepair and the Photonz drifted into different orbits, the crumpled shed and adjacent yard became an itinerant open mic—sans mic, que fire—for guitar pickers, jam sessions and sing-alongs.
A winter evening might bear a footpath leading to stumps and rickety lawn chairs with dark, hunched figures and Old Crow Medicine Show renditions in gravelly voices.
Bordering the smoke-drifted yard stood a ramshackle second-hand store, "Thriftwood", and farther in back the building housed the offices of building contractor Ralph Brodin.
Some of those musical magicians have passed onto the cosmos like sparks from their fires: Sean, Jonas, Dusty, Dion, Dennis and Vesna. Everyone local heard them, were helped by them.
In the past few years, 148 Holmgren has experienced a revival mostly under the drive of longtime dancer, drummer and builder James Glover, 49, who worked with Brodin as a sub contractor and would go on to lease and eventually own two lots next to the Girdwood Laundramall.
When Thriftwood closed during COVID Glover went to work revitalizing the building, ripping out drywall from the ceiling, painting the walls black and replacing a deck with a paved path.
Last year, Glover opened the Raw Market, an upscale organic grocery store to "create a space for mindful living" where, says its brochure, "everything we do is guided by intention and a deep love for this place we call home."
The market carries bulk ingredients, sells produce and fruit, juices and smoothies and now offers a kitchen menu.
"We're trying our best to have naturally-sourced food with the fewest ingredients possible," Glover said. "Everything in here you can be certain is as good as possible for your body, or as good as we can do on the planet right now."
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/new-outdoor-concert-series-brings-out-girdwoods-finestnbsp
Looming ‘Holtan Hills’ Construction Falls on Community Long Opposed
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A developer's news Monday that excavation for a major subdivision in Girdwood is imminent follows years of sweeping local opposition to the "Holtan Hills" project.
Speaking in multiple town hall, local board, and Anchorage Assembly meetings, in comments on social media, and through written testimony, hundreds of residents have expressed dismay at a plan conceived by developers and politicians outside community engagement.
On Wednesday, two local residents responded via text messages to news of impending construction. Both served on a board—Holtan Hills Housing Advisory Committee—formed years ago to investigate, evaluate, and make recommendations on the controversial proposal.
"As a 26-year resident, homeowner, small business owner, and parent, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Girdwoodians in a request to carve out some of the development proposal so that it could represent the greater desires of our community," said Emma Kramer, who served as the committee's co-chair.
"We offered a multitude of options to help keep its community character—from (short-term rental) restrictions, to deed restrictions, to requirements for a percentage of affordable housing, to zoning for both residential and commercial, to including affordable apartments. Time and time again, our committee was shut down. Ironically, the idea for the committee came from (the Heritage Land Bank, a municipal agency) and the Anchorage Assembly, and yet it offered no more power than a recommendation."
Read the entire story at the link below:
Colorful Local Pride Parade Marks 5th Year—’Stand Up For Who You Are’
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Raising colorful signs, banners, flags and balloons, more than a dozen residents joined Girdwood's fifth annual Pride Parade Saturday to the hoots and horns of passing cars showing support.
More than a dozen marchers left the Daylodge walking the bike path to the brewery, stopped at a lemonade stand and continued down Alyeska Hwy. to Forest Fair's main stage.
"I believe everybody should be able to say who you are and stand up for who you are," said Beverly Peterson.
The local march is a grassroots effort not held in coordinated with Anchorage's Pride Parade scheduled for June 28.
"It's not just about pride, but anybody should be able to say, 'I am...'," Peterson said.
See more pictures at the link below:
‘No Kings’ Protest: Residents flock to Girdwood Rally
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Prior to Girdwood's "No Kings" protest Saturday a group of birders called for a vote.
Should the group participate in a local event held in conjunction with national rallies and marches to oppose policies of the Trump Administration?
"We all knew (protests) were happening," said Jake Mohlman, a guide for the birding group Wings. "Without a unanimous decision we wouldn't have come out."
So, on Saturday, they bought some materials, made signs and stood together on the corner of Hightower and Alyeska to help spread messages of dissent.
"We took a break from birding for one hour," Mohlman said.
"Which is a real sacrifice," added Sheri Robison, a birder from Idaho.
The birding group joined more than 70 mostly-local residents in the largest of four anti-Trump protests held in Girdwood, and one of among at least 17 protests held statewide. Demonstrations took place in more than 2,000 cities nationwide and in all 50 states.
"I'm really concerned about (Trump's) lack of respect for research and science," Robison said. "We can go on... with medicine, too."
Birders are worried about climate change and habitat protection, said another guide, particularly in the Arctic where threatened species like the spectacled eider face impacts from the loss of sea ice and the effects of oil and gas development. Between 1970 and 1993, spectacled eider population had dropped by 96 percent, researchers found.
Cuts to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, clean water and air regulations and research grants all have the effect of undermining protections for birds, said Mohlman.
Others attending Saturday's protest in Girdwood said they were worried about threats and attacks on immigrants and protesters.
Rocky Plotnick, a third-generation Alaska, was on her way south from Anchorage when she heard there was a protest and wanted to help increase participation in Girdwood.
"Our numbers here in Girdwood are more important than in Anchorage," said Plotnick. "It's important to stand up to what's happening (to immigrants)."
Saturday's rally against policies of the Trump administration was the fourth held in Girdwood.
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/no-kings-protest-residents-flock-to-local-no-kings-rally
Amid gas crunch, Alaska could revoke leases from a company whose drilling has stalled
By Nataniel Herz
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration is threatening to strip a company of oil and gas leases in Cook Inlet outside Anchorage, saying it’s sitting on deposits that could delay an impending shortage of gas needed for heating and power generation in urban Alaska.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources recently placed in “default” the Cosmopolitan Unit, a block leased by Texas-based BlueCrest Energy, saying it hasn’t met commitments to drill.
The company has held leases at Cosmopolitan for more than a decade. It conducted initial drilling several years ago but has not drilled any new wells since 2019, according to state records.
Company executives say that BlueCrest experienced a cash crunch when, amid a budget crisis beginning in 2014, the state of Alaska chose not to pay tax credits to oil firms that had spent money on drilling. BlueCrest has also had to ask Alaska’s economic development agency to approve delays in paying back a $30 million state loan.
The state’s new notice to BlueCrest, signed in May by Commissioner John Boyle, gives the company until Aug. 21 to show proof that it’s secured investment to drill a $55 million new oil well, as well as to advance development of a new offshore platform that would target natural gas.
That platform could cost $350 million or more, according to BlueCrest officials.
“We want to see aggressive, defined momentum towards putting our resources into active production,” Boyle said in an interview Thursday. “We need to see some drilling. We need to see some action.”
BlueCrest is negotiating with multiple companies about potential investment, Benjy Johnson, its chief executive, said in a phone interview.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get it done,” he said. “I think we will.”
Johnson said he understands the state’s perspective, but added that defaulting BlueCrest’s leases is “not the solution to the problem.”
“The solution to the problem is helping us get funding to drill these wells, and to get the gas development going,” he said.
Read the entire article at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/k6bmrqyvmh8x4c8m5afzz59ff6rprs-lts2p
Judge: Alaska limits on intoxicating hemp products do not violate the U.S. Constitution
By James Brooks
A federal magistrate judge has ruled that the state of Alaska did not violate the U.S. Constitution when it acted to limit intoxicating hemp products in 2023.
In an order published May 23, Magistrate Judge Kyle Reardon granted summary judgment in favor of the state and against the Alaska Industrial Hemp Association, which sued two years ago in an attempt to overturn regulations imposed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
The court order means intoxicating hemp products, common in many other states, will remain illegal in Alaska unless sold through a licensed marijuana retailer.
“It was rewarding to be part of the process developing the regulations, and I was happy when we successfully defended against the motion for a preliminary injunction in 2023,” said Assistant Attorney General Kevin Higgins, by email. Higgins represented the state in the case.
“I’m not patting myself on the back too hard though,” he said. “The Division of Agriculture was motivated by public safety concerns when it took measured action to regulate an emerging industry. This was an easy case to make, which is probably why the plaintiffs didn’t file an opposition to the motion for summary judgment.”
An attorney representing the plaintiff did not answer a request for comment on Wednesday.
Alaska legalized the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2014. The state subsequently created a tightly regulated market in which only licensed businesses may grow, process and sell marijuana.
Read the entires story at the link below: