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Lying above Latvia, Estonia is the northern most Baltic country. Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, is a short ferry ride from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. From 2001 - 2003, I lived in Tallinn. I have watched the war in Ukraine with particular alarm given so many of my friends live so close to the conflict. In this episode, I speak with two of them: Eva Finch, an Estonian living in Turku, Finland, and Valeri Zahharov, who moved to Estonia from Russia as a teenager, but strongly identifies today as an Estonian. We spoke via Zoom. 

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In December 2021, the East Anchorage Book Club held a Zoom event with Rabbi Abram Goodstein of Congregation Beth Shalom and Reverend Matthew Schultz of First Presbyterian Church. These two local progressive clergy co-host a podcast together called “What Divines Us.” After months of holding Zoom events that were not recorded, we experimented with recording this one; however, at the time it was decided that it was too controversial. We discuss the brandishing of the Stars of David at Anchorage Assembly meetings, the Mayor's apologies -- good and bad -- and the propensity of the religious right to follow-the-leader. 

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Homelessness has been front and center in Anchorage politics for years, but particularly during the covid pandemic with the conversion of the Sullivan Arena into an emergency mass shelter. The debate has been dominated by those of us who have never been homeless; in fact, few of us have ever had a meaningful interaction with a homeless person. Today we talk with a woman who has experienced homelessness at various stages of her life in multiple cities in Alaska including Anchorage. Natasha Aġnaŋuluuraq Gamache will explain how she first ended up on the streets as a child, what has kept her there, and what she most wants listeners to know about the homeless. Warning: this episode contains graphic content including descriptions of substance abuse, rape, suicide, and the physical and sexual abuse of children.

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Eitan Hersh is a political science professor at Tufts University in Boston where he focuses on US elections, civic participation, and voting rights. In 2020 he published his second book, Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change.  That book led to the start of this podcast, so it is a great honor to have him on the show. Eitan participated via Zoom from his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of a group event. 

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Vanessa Stephens is a third-generation Chugiak resident running to represent district 2 on the Anchorage Assembly. She happens to be transgender but is adamant that this is not an important aspect of her campaign. Much of her advocacy focuses on making Chugiak-Eagle River more compliant with the Americans for Disabilities Act, as she has been using a wheelchair for over 20 years. Although encouraged to run by current Assembly member John Weddleton, her campaign does not have a website, has submitted no fundraising reports to APOC, and has no discernable field operation. She opposed the Anchorage Assembly’s mask mandate, dislikes Sen. Lisa Murkowski for being a “RINO,” and supports former president Donald Trump.

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Save Anchorage is a powerful far-right propaganda machine that exerts a strong influence on our current mayoral administration and is informally led by Eagle River Assembly woman Jamie Allard. Today we are joined by community organizer and early member of the Save Anchorage Facebook Group, Yarrow Silvers . We are also joined by the anonymous Blogger The Blue Alaskan; The Blue Alaskan has done important work combatting misinformation put out by the Alaksan right-wing media. They have also reported on important stories that have not been covered in the mainstream press. Because of their anonymity, questions were submitted in advance, and are read today by Homer resident and former columnist, radio show personality,  and Raw Story podcast host Shannyn Moore. 

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Many of us think of Eagle River-Chugiak as a conservative stronghold where an independent non-partisan candidate wouldn’t have a chance. However, the truth is that Eagle River-Chugiak, like most parts of Alaska, is a heterogeneous community with many different voices. Assembly Candidate Gretchen Wehmhoff is counting on that diverse population taking a chance on her. After 21 years as a teacher at Chugiak High School, she officially retired but has continued part-time teaching, both within the school district and at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, she became the co-publisher of the Skagway News and out of necessity has turned into an expert on that southeast community. In 2018, she was appointed to fill the seat left behind when Assembly member Amy Demboski went to work in Gov. Dunleavy’s administration, which means that Gretchen knows what she’s in for if she gets elected. NOTE: there are some sound issues with the first couple of minutes of recording, but they resolve after the first 3 minutes.

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Here in the Anchorage School District our student body is over 60% students of color while less than 15% of our teachers identify as non-white. Today we sit down with Danyelle Kimp and Rozlyn Grady Wyche, founders of the Alaska Coalition of Black, Indigenous and People of Color Educators (ACBE) who advocate for better hiring practices that address this racial disparity. But beyond that, their organization strives to improve the health and safety of our students of color, while supporting a more inclusive curriculum that honestly portrays their people’s history.

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This is the first part of our exploration of the private Facebook group Save Anchorage. These staunch Bronson supporters dominated the mask debate last Fall and are currently fielding viable candidates in our upcoming local elections. Here to talk about it is independent reporter for the Midnight Sun Blog Matt Buxton. He is one of the most prolific journalists working in Alaska today and also hosts his own podcast with Pat Race called "Hello, Alaska." 

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On this special bonus episode we debunk an inflammatory story about Assembly chair Suzanne LaFrance. The inaccurate article was authored by Suzanne Downing, a widely read right-wing blogger. For Anchorage residents who have been watching  Suzanne LaFrance chair the assembly this past year, the story seemed farfetched. LaFrance does not present herself as someone with an out-of-control temper. And as you’re about to hear, the story is not true. The facts are that the mayor and his staff left LaFrance out of the loop regarding the new police chief's confirmation, misrepresented her and the assembly to the police department, and allowed a defamatory story to circulate in right-wing media.