The Alaska Landmine

The Alaska Landmine provides unbiased news about Alaska that you might not find in other media sources. We present our stories in an engaging, lively, and enjoyable manner!

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The Terry Miller Naughty Nine: Where are they now

3 days ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

On April 6, 2021 all hell broke loose in the Capitol after Must Read Alaska’s Suzanne Downing published a story, “Party Capitol: Beer pong, leg wrestling, and a terse memo from Legislative Affairs.” The story stemmed from a gathering of nine politicos (who were later dubbed the Naughty Nine) that had taken place at the Terry Miller legislative gym six nights prior.
The Sunday Minefield - May 11, 2025

5 days ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

Just ten days remain until the end of the regular session. Surprisingly, things seem to be moving along rather smoothly. The House failed to concur with the Senate’s changes to the operating budget, sending it to a conference committee. The House is scheduled to hear amendments to the capital budget tomorrow. The House also spent all day on Saturday (5/10/2025) hearing several bills, including the pension bill.
The Sunday Minefield - May 4, 2025

1 week ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

May the Fourth be with you! Only 17 days remain until the end of the regular session, and things finally look like they are starting to come together. First, after a small hiccup, the Legislature passed a new education bill and transmitted it to Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska). A veto seems likely, but the Legislature has the override votes this time. Both finance committees introduced committee substitutes for the operating and capital budgets.
Aloha: Crum caught cold on unauthorized Hawaiian vacation

2 weeks ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

On Friday, April 4, then-Deputy Revenue Commissioner Fadil Limani got a call from Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum at the end of the workday. Limani did not know that he was about to be fired over the phone by Crum. Limani had worked as Crum’s deputy since March 2023, and had done much of the high-level finance related work at the department. What Limani – and the Governor’s Office – did not know was that Crum was in Hawaii on an unauthorized family vacation when he called Limani.
The Sunday Minefield - April 27, 2025

2 weeks ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

We are approaching day 100 of the legislative session, which means there is just over three weeks left in the regular session. The annual Legislative Skits was held last night in Juneau at Centennial Hall. Minus some AV and tech issues, it was a fun and packed event. The House and Senate finally transmitted the operating and capital budgets to one another. The Senate is continuing to cut spending to avoid a savings draw.
Legislature should provide lobbyists with key fobs to bypass new Capitol security screening

3 weeks ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

Let me start by saying I totally disagree with the recent decision by Legislative Council to require visitors to the Capitol to go through a metal detector. I think it was a huge mistake. It’s too bad Juneau can’t properly police their vagrant problem – the real reason this was implemented. The decision was not well thought out and will result in many unintended consequences – namely long waits to get into the Capitol when there are large groups of visitors like students, trade groups, or tourists.
Speaker Edgmon told Minority Leader Costello about controversial PFD amendment hours before it was offered

3 weeks ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

On Friday, April 11, the House passed a floor amendment to the budget that lowered the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) from the statutory amount to an amount equal to 25% of the yearly draw from the Permanent Fund, referred to as 25/75. This lowered the PFD in the House budget to approximately $1,400 from $3,900. It also lowered the deficit from $1.8 billion to $238 million. This was the only amendment offered that day by the House majority.
The Sunday Minefield - April 20, 2025

3 weeks ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend! It was a short week in Juneau as many people headed home for Easter. Tomorrow is day 90 of the legislative session, which means another year of not finishing by the statutory deadline. The big news this week was Governor Mike Dunleavy’s (R – Alaska) veto of the education bill that increased the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000. A joint session to consider a veto override is supposed to happen on Tuesday, though it has not been scheduled yet.
The Sunday Minefield - April 13, 2025

1 month ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

It was a loose and eventful week in Juneau. First, the House majority and minority held strange, dueling press conferences. Second, the House Finance Committee tried to introduce a new version of the budget, only to see the whole thing blow up on the record. Third, the Senate decided to take everything out of the education bill except the $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation, and then passed it the next day.
Loose email exchange shows new legislative staffer's inexperience and cockiness

1 month ago | alaskalandmine.com | Jeff Landfield

Twenty-five-year-old Ryan Sheldon is new to the Capitol. He’s been working for Representative Julie Coulombe (R – Anchorage) for the last few months. His inexperience was revealed in an email exchange with Nate Graham, who works for Representative Andrew Gray (D – Anchorage). Gray chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Coulombe has a bill, House Bill 77, that was in Gray’s committee. The bill, introduced on January 31, aims to make mail theft a felony. The bill had hearings on February 21 and March 5.