LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I am writing to urgently request that our government officials take immediate action in response to the ongoing and dangerous snowfall affecting our community. This plea is backed by critical information highlighted in a recent ADN article by Emily Goodykoontz, which brings to light the precarious situation many building owners in our town are facing due to potential structural failures exacerbated by snow accumulation.
The article reveals that the city had previously identified more than 1,000 buildings at risk due to a particular construction flaw, making them susceptible to collapse under the weight of heavy snow.
This situation was starkly illustrated by the recent closure of a laundromat in Muldoon, which was found to have trusses in “active failure” due to the snow load on its roof. This incident led to the temporary shutdown of several businesses in the same strip mall, highlighting the immediate danger and economic impact of inaction.
It is commendable that the community and business owners, like those at the local Waffles and Whatnot restaurant, have taken steps to mitigate these risks by removing snow from their premises.
However, these individual efforts, while valuable, are not sufficient to address the scale of the problem facing our community.
The risks posed by the current snowfall are not limited to structural damage. They also severely hinder the access and egress of emergency vehicles, putting all residents at risk in the event of a fire or medical emergency.
Furthermore, buried fire hydrants pose a significant challenge to firefighting efforts, potentially delaying response times in critical situations.
Given these circumstances, I urge our officials to declare a state of emergency, akin to the response we would expect during severe flood threats. This declaration should mobilize not only financial resources but also support from state and federal agencies, including the possibility of deploying the National Guard to assist in snow removal efforts, particularly from critical infrastructure such as roofs and around fire hydrants.
The safety and well-being of our community must be the top priority.
We must act with the same urgency and commitment to resource allocation as we would in response to any other natural disaster. Let us come together to ensure the safety of our buildings, the accessibility of our emergency services, and the economic viability of our local businesses.
— Ron Alleva
Anchorage
As I lay in bed and pondered the governor’s State of the State address, I just thought (as usual), “How ridiculous.” He actually emphasized our slogan. And Cathy Tilton applauded that? “North to the Future” does not apply when you are losing working- age adults and won’t fund education. When you are a one-trick pony and all you do is lean on the same tired old plan and resource development, how’s that working out for us? Unsurprisingly he blames imaginary forces for allegedly curbing resource development when we are going forward with the Willow project (fact) and opening new mines (fact).
I honestly believe Dunleavy doesn’t care about our state. You see, resource development doesn’t need Alaskans; never has. On my way to vacation two days ago, the lounge was full of workers from other states flying home or to work in resource jobs. Red Dog, North Slope. Jobs that could be for Alaskans, but if you are one of these guys, why live here where we don’t fund basic things like schools? New motto: “Turn the lights off when you leave.”
— Shawn O’Donnell
Anchorage
For crying out loud, increase the Base Student Allocation and pass the retirement repair bill.
Alaska’s school districts are very diverse, and each community best knows the needs of its children.
Spending money on teacher bonuses is just going to help them move out of state to a job with a real pension.
Have the governor or our legislators been in a school lately? We should be paying our special education teaching assistants twice as much, cafeteria managers need decent pay, too, and the list goes on and on. The governor is resistant because he doesn’t see test scores increasing with new money. For that, we’d need universal basic income, and then I’d need to write a much longer letter.
— Emily Becker
Anchorage
Recently, President Joe Biden was cleared of all charges concerning accusations of mishandling documents. That is where the report should have ended.
The extraneous comments about his age and memory did not need to be included. Opinions like these should be expressed responsibly by a licensed medical doctor. All medical professionals are restricted by HIPAA laws that address privacy and confidentiality.
As far as I know, the special counsel is not qualified to do a mental status exam. His comments should be removed from the report.
— Spruce Lynch
Anchorage
At a political rally in South Carolina on Jan.
10, Donald Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member country that didn’t meet its financial obligations to the defense alliance. He said that while president, he told NATO leaders he would “encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want” to alliance members that are “delinquent” in meeting the group’s spending targets. Unbelievable — this man is unhinged and, more than ever, simply dangerous.
All of these pending criminal trials need to move ahead ASAP and get him out of the picture.
— John Lapkass
Anchorage
GCI owes every one of its customers a $20 credit for their lousy service during the Super Bowl.
They said they had to change from cable, which actually worked, to Yukon streaming service, which doesn’t.
All for their profit, not ours. Alaskans have it hard enough this time of year. Bite your profit bullet, GCI, and pay back what you owe your customers.
— Maurice Riner
Chugiak
