By Shannyn Moore I was 8 years old and Frank McMichael was the most curmudgeonly man I’d ever met. He was the first person I’d heard cuss. Oscar the Grouch had Frank McMichael eyebrows. Frank carried a .44 revolver. Instead of a mattress, he slept on stacks of cardboard. At the time, my family was [...]

Alaska is a land of extremes, both good and bad. We have the most coastline, the most islands, the best fishing, the most park land, and I can confidently say the most natural wild beauty of any state in the nation. On the flip side, we have the most earthquakes, the most infant botulism, the [...]

~Palin in the headlights at the MSNBC after party So, who is the most influential journalist in America today?  Not an easy question, perhaps. It’s one that requires some knowledge of who the journalists today are. And if you’re on camera, and a politico or media type, it might also require a little diplomatic forethought.  [...]

Remember the “Bridge to Nowhere?” Remember the project that was possibly the single biggest contributor to the tainting of the word “earmarks?” That famous title was actually a misnomer. It referred to two Alaska bridges, both funded through the same “earmark” at the time. The actual “Bridge to Nowhere” referred to the Gravina Island Bridge, [...]

Here at Mudflats, we try to cover a variety of Alaska issues. Unfortunately, because of our individual projects and deadlines hitting at the same time, we haven’t been able to give as much attention to the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) elections as we would have liked. So, on this day before the election I wanted [...]

We’re hearing that those who believe Alaska should continue to get their fair share of tax on the resource that belongs to us…we the people…MUST CONTACT THE REPRESENTATIVES IMMEDIATELY. As we’ve seen in the news, there has been a HUGE lobbying push by the Governor and the oil companies towards the Alaska House. DON’T LET [...]

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Pass the Bree Hey, remember when Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan “favorited” a porn star on Twitter last year? It was quite an entertaining tale, and you can refresh your memory HERE. Little did we know that the story would have a Chapter [...]

Alaska is different. It’s said a lot, and it’s true. Things that work in the contiguous 48 states don’t necessarily work here. The lack of understanding by those “Outside” of this phenomenon contributes to Alaskans’ slightly xenophobic, and more than slight libertarian bent. “Get off my tundra, you meddlesome kids.” Nothing defines Alaska quite so [...]

My now-13-year-old daughter expressed a great deal of angst this past summer over attending middle school in a different school zone. She can be somewhat shy so my husband and I were a little concerned. As it turns out, my daughter is excelling in seventh grade! She has been on the honor roll both quarters, [...]

I’ve been regularly blogging about Sarah Palin since before she got the VP nod. And it takes a lot for me to be flabbergasted by anything she says. At this point, I kind of feel like I’ve pretty much seen it all. I have a big callous on my brain where all the Palin information [...]

Where to begin? It’s kind of like a hybrid of Sarah Palin’s “book” America by Heart, and a bad hangover. She was kind enough to dumb it down for the masses, though, to make it sound all “real” and everything. And it’s impressive how much tripe she was able to stuff in this delusion sandwich. [...]

~The mouth of the Chuitna River where 7 million gallons/day of mine waste would pour into Cook Inlet every day, right across from Anchorage, if the Chuitna Coal project goes through. By Bill Sherwonit I wish to add my voice, again, to the many and diverse Alaskans who oppose the destruction of a Cook Inlet [...]

Many of you know about the APOC complaint I filed against Rep. William Thomas, Jr. (R-Haines) because he claimed ads like this were “thank you ads,” not “campaign ads”: The status of that complaint is basically where we left it in my last post on the subject. The APOC staff re-opened the investigation, as the Commissioners [...]

It’s that time of the year again – the beginning of it. And it wouldn’t feel right, hanging up that new calendar without our yearly round up of the ne’er-do-wells, miscreants, and rogues of Alaska politics. Yes boys and girls, it’s time for the Muddy Awards. Now that our heads are clear after the holidays, [...]

I’m here at the Assembly Chambers as public testimony is being taken on the Anchorage municipal budget. (See previous post)  I’ll try to hit the highlights for those of you who couldn’t make it.  There is a long line of people waiting to testify and the room is packed to standing room only. Guy in [...]