We're back with three fun topics on Alaska politics, including a surprise (spoilers for that in the article sources below). Our audio got a little messed up in our opening segment, but it gets better.

We cover the ongoing flood prevention issue from the melting Mendenhall Glacier. The Army Corps of Engineers is spending $4.45 million not on a feasibility study, but on a technical report to inform a later feasibility study all to prevent flooding Derik's house. We also discuss the Governor's proposed changes to how Alaska judges are selected, and we compare that to other selection processes. But first, a surprise segment as one of us reacts live on air to a proposal put before the Alaska House of Representatives.

Resources used in this episode:

Money for a Study to Study Flooding:

https://www.ktoo.org/2025/03/19/army-corps-secures-funding-to-find-a-long-term-flood-solution-in-mendenhall-valley/

https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll6/id/2544

Proposed Change in Appointing Judges:

https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/03/03/alaska-governor-proposes-new-method-for-picking-state-judges/?emci=c65be3e3-b5f8-ef11-90cb-0022482a9447&emdi=6a7f245c-09f9-ef11-90cd-0022482a9fb7&ceid=148052https://alaskapublic.org/news/2024-05-29/judicial-council-recommends-alaskans-keep-all-judges-including-jurist-behind-correspondence-ruling

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2018/11/06/anchorage-judge-targeted-for-role-in-controversial-plea-agreement-trailing/

https://www.ajc.state.ak.us/retention/retent06/landry06.pdfhttps://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-debate-musk-trump-30b8b9cacb02c8bc9c7c9a26e7fe376cSurprise Topic (spoilers):

https://www.juneauempire.com/news/turning-governors-house-into-a-short-term-rental-proposed-by-alaska-lawmaker/

The news from Alaska is starting to make us sound like Florida. We give our takes on some local issues, such as some exotic pets, a crocodile and an alligator, being tossed out in the snow up in the Mat-Su, someone in Juneau taking a dump truck for a joyride, and the governor using AI to make pictures of Alaska rather than, well, a picture of Alaska. Then we discuss the governor's proposal to ban one party consent to record a conversation. We do our best to explain why Anchorage prosecutors keep delaying charges in criminal trials. Finally, we catch up with each other about our personal lives and discuss some Facebook drama that happened recently.

Sources used in this episode:

Governor uses AI:https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/12/19/loch-ness-ducks-or-vampire-grebes-alaska-governor-report-for-trump-comes-with-ai-hallucinations/?emci=dc95e865-84be-ef11-88ce-0022482a93af&emdi=adb93712-e3be-ef11-88ce-0022482a93af&ceid=148052Crocodile Lost in the Snow:https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/12/06/pet-croc-dead-after-being-tossed-into-snow-2-brothers-behind-bars/Dump Truck Joyride:https://www.juneauempire.com/news/stolen-dump-truck-hits-power-lines-knocks-out-electricity-on-industrial-boulevard-driver-arrested-for-dui/Proposed End to One Party Recording:https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/gov-dunleavy-proposes-new-limits-on-alaskans-ability-to-record-conversations/?emci=85af6fc5-3fe4-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&emdi=8a61780c-9be4-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&ceid=148052Issues with Anchorage Prosocuters:https://www.propublica.org/article/anchorage-alaska-pretrial-delays-sexual-assault?utm_content=buffer8c050&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=propublica-bskyandhttps://www.adn.com/opinions/2025/01/18/opinion-alaskas-criminal-legal-system-is-drowning-but-theres-another-side-to-the-story-on-trial-delays/Facebook drama:https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10235441734733345&set=a.10201958746439564andhttps://akasks.blogspot.com/2025/01/on-maga-thought-terminating-cliches.html