Episode 15: We Make News Over Local Flooding, Tying Up More Tourists, Anchorage Drops Charges, New Kid vs European Vacation, Pastor Needs a Sign, and Alaska is Run by AI; Recorded November 20th, 2024
Description
We're back and this time, we're in the news! We've got a quick update on the PFAS firefighting foam issue and then we give you the inside scoop about the glacial flooding that swept through Juneau. Your intrepid co-hosts even made the local paper over it. Next, we discuss the announced plans for new cruise ship docks in Juneau. Our next story takes us to Anchorage, where hundreds of criminal cases have been thrown out due to a lack of prosecutors.
We catch up on each other's lives, one of us had a kid and one of us backpacked around Europe for two months. After that, we discuss the latest antics of pastor Mark Driscoll and his illegal street signage. Finally, we discuss AI's effect on Alaska, our governor's obsession with it, its use in writing state policy, the possibility of AI data centers, the proposals for powering them, and the recent announcement of a Bitcoin mining facility on the North Slope.
There's a lot of wild things happening in Alaska. Give us a listen to catch up on life in the last frontier.
Sources Used in this Episode:
PFAS Bill:
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/07/26/__trashed-2/?emci=c26923ed-e74a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&emdi=be607f5f-574b-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&ceid=148052
Juneau Flooding:
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/08/06/juneau-flood-inundates-at-least-100-homes-triggers-state-and-federal-response/
https://www.ktoo.org/2024/11/19/juneaus-proposed-flood-fighting-plan-would-cost-flood-zone-homeowners-8000-each-some-say-they-dont-want-it/
https://www.juneauempire.com/news/residents-spend-their-hours-before-peak-of-flood-preparing-for-worst-case-scenario-in-various-ways/
https://www.juneauempire.com/news/hundreds-of-property-owners-in-flood-zone-may-have-to-pay-7972-apiece-for-hesco-barrier-levee/
New Cruise Ship Dock:
https://www.ktoo.org/2024/10/16/goldbelt-royal-caribbean-announce-new-cruise-ship-port-plans-on-douglas-island/
https://www.ktoo.org/2022/12/06/juneau-residents-get-a-closer-look-at-the-proposal-for-aakw-landing/
Anchorage Dismisses Criminal Cases:
https://www.propublica.org/article/criminal-case-dismissals-anchorage-alaska
Pastor Refuses Sign from Higher Authority:
https://www.christianpost.com/news/mark-driscoll-refuses-city-order-to-take-down-jesus-christ-sign.html
AI In Alaska:
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/10/28/alaska-education-department-published-false-ai-generated-academic-citations-in-cell-policy-document/?emci=fe166e85-5a93-ef11-88ce-000d3a98fa6b&emdi=03cadaeb-3495-ef11-88ce-000d3a98fa6b&ceid=148052
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/10/18/data-centers-face-growing-opposition-outside-gov-mike-dunleavy-wants-them-in-alaska/?emci=98493323-e08d-ef11-8474-000d3a98fa6b&emdi=0d129a6e-228e-ef11-8474-000d3a98fa6b&ceid=148052
https://sherwood.news/snacks/tech/tech-titans-invest-in-nuclear-energy-to-fuel-power-hungry-ai-servers/?utm_source=snacks&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=snacks_20241021&utm_content=f5b0cbc38ab6ce19328a0d2bc87c5389
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/11/04/data-centers-which-require-massive-amounts-of-energy-and-few-jobs-have-downsides-for-alaska/?emci=cbaf4371-2a9b-ef11-88ce-000d3a98fa6b&emdi=609feaa5-869b-ef11-88ce-000d3a98fa6b&ceid=148052
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/11/20/arctic-bitcoin-hilcorp-tech-firm-aim-to-test-north-slope-data-center/?emci=fb0b3c0f-1aa7-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&emdi=8dd04b20-50a7-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&ceid=148052
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