Author: Dustin Allen

Alaska – A federal grand jury returned a 16-count indictment charging 10 defendants with running a large-scale drug trafficking ring in Alaska. According to the indictment, Christina Reyna Quintana, 38, Angela Marie Jasper, 39, Amber Young, 28, Rochelle Monique Wood, 37, James Anthony Schwarz, 41, Elroy Daniel Bouchard, 58, Khamthene Thongdy, 45, Colleen McDaniel, 68, Tamberlyn Solomon, 25, and Lois Jean Frank, 63, engaged in a conspiracy to traffic at least 12 kilograms of fentanyl into Alaska. The indictment also charges Jasper, Wood, Schwarz, Bouchard, Thongdy, McDaniel and Solomon with laundering money to promote drug trafficking and concealing the source…

The board in charge of Alaska’s retirement system for public employees has recommended the closure of its commonly used managed accounts program after an independent review found workers were being charged high fees and receiving lower-than-expected returns. Managed accounts cover more than 10,000 of the 122,000-plus accounts in Alaska’s state employee retirement system and were the default option when the state switched from a pension-style retirement system to its current 401(k)-like approach in 2006. Many of those employees are only now discovering that they’ve been in a managed account program. “I’m feeling a little duped,” said Susan Ritter, an Anchorage…

Cloudy skies have moved in over most of Alaska as we close out this last weekend in October. High pressure has moved to the east allowing for shortwaves of moisture to move into the Southcentral region. This morning some spots in Anchorage had slippery road conditions from light freezing rain. Downsloping should keep that from happening again tonight, but there’s always the possibility depending on your location. Overall, most of the rainy weather and mixed rain/snow will occur on the windward sides of the mountains with snow at the higher elevations. This will keep Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley mostly…

National Bank of Canada (National Bank), the country’s sixth-largest bank, has announced that it’s cutting several jobs in its capital markets business, according to sources familiar with the situation. Overview of layoffsIn an effort to restructure and manage its business needs and priorities effectively, National Bank has slashed staff within the equity research and sales and trading divisions. The specifics of the job cuts, such as the number of positions eliminated, have not been disclosed. Spokesperson’s statementMarie-Pierre Jodoin, a spokesperson for the Montreal-based bank, made a brief statement regarding the changes, referencing “a few adjustments to our Financial Markets structure…

This isn’t a story about whether Buffy Sainte-Marie — musical icon, activist, community member and beloved Auntie — is biologically Indigenous. Rather, it’s more important to understand the deep impact a CBC report casting doubts on the singer’s ancestry is having across Indigenous lands — and how the fallout from the report shows what reconciliation is not. But before I go there, allow me to situate myself. It will shed some light about why this story may not sound like the one you are looking for — like most Indigenous peoples, I still need time to digest this news about…

More and more Canadians are seeking Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), according to recent federal data. There were 13,000 assisted deaths in this country in 2022, Health Canada says. That’s up 30 per cent from the previous year. Cancer is the most common condition for those seeking MAiD, making up 63 per cent of all recipients last year. Alex Muir speaks for Dying with Dignity Canada. The national charity is now urging the government to expand the eligibility criteria to encompass a broader range of illnesses, diseases, and disabilities. “What people want is they want to be able to say…

Two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won Skate Canada and vaulted to No. 1 in the world this season by best score. Sakamoto totaled 226.13 points between Friday’s short program and Saturday’s free skate in Vancouver. She had seven triple jumps in an overall clean free skate to distance 16-year-old Kim Chae-Yeon of South Korea by 24.98 points. Sakamoto displaced world bronze medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium as the world’s top woman on the early season by best total score. Hendrickx won last week’s Skate America with 221.28. Sakamoto’s score was also better than any from last season. “I…

Months after leaving the White House, former President Donald Trump allegedly discussed potentially sensitive information about U.S. nuclear submarines with a member of his Mar-a-Lago Club — an Australian billionaire who then allegedly shared the information with scores of others, including more than a dozen foreign officials, several of his own employees, and a handful of journalists, according to sources familiar with the matter. The potential disclosure was reported to special counsel Jack Smith’s team as they investigated Trump’s alleged hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, the sources told ABC News. The information could shed further light on Trump’s handling of sensitive government secrets.…

Brussels (12/09 – 18.18) Elseddik Haftar, eldest son of eastern Libyan strong man Khalifa Haftar said on Monday he was open to a presidential bid, but cautioned that nationwide elections in the OPEC member could only occur if the country was stable and a new unified government was in place. Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising and it split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions. Though major warfare paused after a 2020 ceasefire, there is little trust between the main factional leaders. Many Libyans suspect their political leaders have little interest in…

Former US president waives formal arraignment in case accusing him and 18 others of subverting 2020 election. Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to election interference charges in the US state of Georgia, a court filing showed, as the former United States president waived a formal arraignment hearing in the widely watched case. Thursday’s court filing, which was signed by Trump, reads: “As evidenced by my signature below, I do hereby waive formal arraignment and enter my plea of NOT GUILTY to the indictment in this case.” The former president faces 13 criminal charges in Georgia, where prosecutors have accused him and…