Dear readers,
We are building a case to stop the PFD steal. If you have been following the Great Debate series, you know that your right to the PFD is based on long-standing, continuous, reliable use. The Legislature thinks it can reappropriate your money. We disagree. Share your PFD testimony with us!
Email your PFD testimony to [email protected]. Please tell us how you/ your family has been impacted by the PFD and why you believe in Alaskans’ right to a full PFD.
We appreciate the generous Alaskans who keep this conservative voice alive! Thank you for being a subscriber to Must Read Alaska.
Visit our website at www.mustreadalaska.com. Also find us on X and Facebook.
Table of Contents
The Great Debate Continued
Part X: How Historic Citizen Reliance Constitutes Legal Possession
By Michael Tavoliero
As economic uncertainty hurts Alaskans, every household must document their historic reliance on the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). Start this today. Catalogue how your family used the PFD over 34 years and send it to Must Read Alaska.
The legislature stopped treating Alaskans as beneficiaries of a public trust in 2016, when Governor Walker started treating the PFD as a discretionary government appropriation. Without protest or legal challenge, the PFD will likely disappear.
One avenue of challenge is Alaska’s public-trust doctrine, whereby resource wealth is held in trust for the people and the legislature acts as trustee, not “owner”…
Alaska Crime Watch
FBI Issues Urgent Warning on Rising Government Impersonation Scams Targeting Alaskans
By Todd Lindley
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sounded the alarm on a surge in sophisticated scams where fraudsters pose as law enforcement or government officials, preying on unsuspecting residents with threats of arrest for fabricated offenses like missed jury duty or court dates. This impersonation tactic, often amplified by AI-generated voices and spoofed caller IDs, has emerged as one of the newest and most harmful scams, extorting victims through urgent demands for payment via cryptocurrency ATMs, prepaid cards, or wire transfers.
Nationwide, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded 17,367 complaints related to government impersonation scams in 2024, resulting in over $405 million in losses. In 2024, Alaskans suffered losses exceeding $1.3 million…
Alaska Industry
Sullivan Celebrates Win for Alaska’s Small Businesses Serving Key Industries
By Natalie Spaulding
Today, Senator Dan Sullivan celebrates the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) reform of the Business Development program provided in SBA policy 8(a). Sen. Sullivan has been fighting for this reform since October 2020.
SBA’s Business Development program is a “federal contracting and training program for experienced small business owners who are socially and economically disadvantaged.” The program benefits include sole-source contracts, one-on-one business development assistance, mentorship, networking, and free training from SBA’s Empower to Grow program.
Alaska Politics
PFD Reductions Subsidize the Unorganized Borough
By Ed Martin, Jr.
Alaska’s Constitution promises equal protection, maximum local self-government, and uniform taxation within units of government. Yet Alaska’s local governance framework—unique in the United States—creates an inherent disparity between organized boroughs, which must assess property at “full and true value” and fund schools, public safety, planning, roads, and local services, and the Unorganized Borough, which pays no local taxes, conducts no property assessments, and depends entirely on State general funds for many of the same services.
For decades, this imbalance was tolerated as a product of geographic remoteness and historical development. However, since 2016, the Legislature’s repeated reduction of Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs) has introduced a new constitutional tension…
Alaska Reaches $7.8 Million Settlement with Juul and Altria Amid Youth Vaping Crackdown
By Todd Lindley
In a significant victory for public health, the State of Alaska has finalized a $7.8 million settlement with vaping giants Juul Labs and Altria Group, accusing them of aggressively marketing high-nicotine products to young people. The agreement, announced on December 9, 2025, concludes five years of litigation and ranks among the nation’s highest per-capita recoveries for such cases. The funds will bolster prevention programs aimed at curbing youth nicotine addiction, addressing a crisis that has plagued Alaskan teens.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that Juul and Altria designed sleek, flavored devices resembling USB drives, which appealed directly to adolescents while delivering nicotine doses far exceeding traditional cigarettes.
Health in Alaska
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Grants Total of $7.2m to 22 Organizations
By Natalie Spaulding
At the close of the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority awarded $7,216,838 in grants to organizations that provide services to Alaskans struggling with mental health issues.
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is “a state corporation that administers the Mental Health Trust, a perpetual trust, created to ensure that Alaska has a comprehensive mental health program to serve Trust beneficiaries.” Trust funds support efforts to help Alaskans suffering from mental illness…
Children’s Health Defense Petitions to Revoke the Licenses of Pfizer & Moderna Covid Vaccines
By Natalie Spaulding
On December 8, Children’s Health Defense submitted a petition to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary. The petition requests that the Commissioner “deem Moderna’s SPIKEVAX and all its currently marketed Biologics License Application (“BLA”) versions (including MNEXSPIKE) and Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty, and all its BLA versions, misbranded.” Additionally, it requests that the BLA licenses for these vaccines should be revoked “due to a lack of compliance with FDA regulations.”
Alaska Culture Hotspot
Alaskan Spruce Shines Light on Timeless Christmas Tree Tradition
By Todd Lindley
The Christmas tree’s roots trace back to ancient pagan practices, where evergreens symbolized renewal amid winter’s darkness. The Christmas tree was later Christianized by figures like St. Boniface in the eighth century. In Western culture, it evolved from medieval “Paradise Trees” adorned with apples and wafers — representing original sin and redemption — to the candlelit firs popularized in 18th-century Germany and spread globally. Symbolically, the evergreen stands for eternal life and peace, its upward tip pointing to heaven, while twinkling lights evoke Jesus as the “true light” illuminating the world, as noted in biblical references like John 1:14. This fusion of pagan vitality and Christian hope has made it a centerpiece of holiday celebrations, fostering family unity and joy.
In 2024, Washington, D.C received a towering 75-foot spruce from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest that stood as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree…
Facts and Figures
Only in Alaska
Not only is the Alaska Native Corporation structure provided by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 unique to the United States of America, but there is no equivalent in any other country world-wide.
Key Industry Numbers
Alaska Oil: ~$60.51 per barrel
Henry Hub Gas: ~$4.23 per mmBTU
Alaska Residential Gas: $15.38 MCF
Alaska North Slope Production: ~478,600 barrels per day
Permanent Fund (Principal + Earnings Reserve): ~$87.8 billion
Community Meetings
Do you want to know more about what is going on in your local community? Consider showing up to a local political or utilities meeting, learn the details for yourself, and add your own voice to the conversation.
Download the pdf below to see upcoming community meetings happening this week in Alaska!
In Pursuit of Wisdom
All the towering materialism which dominates the modern mind rests ultimately upon one assumption: a false assumption. It is supposed that if a thing goes on repeating itself it is probably dead; a piece of clockwork.
Must Read Alaska Show
We hope to get our podcast back up and running in the near future. Plus, we are continuing to develop our sortable audio-files for easy listening of our stories.
Submit Your Feedback
Do you have story ideas? Do you want to submit an op-ed for consideration? Or perhaps you have feedback for us on how we can improve your experience. If that’s you, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We love to hear from our readers!
Thank you for reading! Until next time,
The MRAK Team
A Force for Good