If you want to come to the most dangerous city and state in the United States, well it turns out I live there.

Courtesy of KTVA: 

Based on 2016 stats, Alaska has been named the most dangerous state in the country. 

24/7 Wall Street released its annual report on the "Most Dangerous States in America" on Friday. 

By examining the FBI's 2016 Uniform Crime Report, which was released this week, the report found that Alaska is the most dangerous state in America, and concluded that Anchorage is the state's most dangerous city. 

The report states that in 2016, there were 804 violent crimes per 100,000 Alaskan citizens, 52 murders and 409 adults per 100,000 residents were imprisoned. 

Louisiana, Tennessee, Nevada and New Mexico rounded out the top five. 

Nationwide, of the 10 most violent states, nine are either in the South or the West, while New England states made up half of the country's 10 safest states. 

Overall, the violent crime rate rose in 38 states from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, the national rate was 397 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens, shy of the national violent crime rate at its peak in 1991, which was 758 violent crimes for every 100,000.

This report is actually a few months old, but I only saw it last night when my daughter sent it to me. 

For the record Alaska has been in the top ten most dangerous states for about as long as I can remember.

However being number one is still a little unsettling.

When you grow up here, you just know to follow certain rules.

In the wilderness you make lots of noise and hang your food from a tree when you camp.

In the city you avoid certain areas, keep your neck on a swivel, and keep a dog in your home.

I have had more than my fair share of violent interactions, but virtually all of those occurred when I was a kid and sought out dangerous situations.

As an adult most of my scrapes with the criminal element come from working with people suffering with mental illness or behavioral problems. 

I still think this is a beautiful place to live and visit, but I would caution that if you do keep your eyes open. Wide open.

Track Palin's trial has been pushed to March 27th.

Courtesy of KTVA: 

Sarah Palin's oldest son is scheduled for trial in a case accusing him of assaulting his father at the family's Alaska home. 

A judge Friday set trial for the week of March 27 for Track Palin after his lawyer said the case would not be ready for a late-February trial as initially set. Palin participated in the proceeding by phone from an undisclosed treatment location. Afterward, the lawyer declined to say what kind of treatment. 

The 28-year-old Palin pleaded not guilty last month to a felony burglary charge in the December incident. He also faces misdemeanor charges of assault and criminal mischief.

I am a few days late in reporting this, mostly because I predicted the trial would be postponed repeatedly and figured all of you did as well. 

In other words this might not be the last postponement we see in this case.

When the trial does take place it is going to be covered by a number of national news outlets so we will be kept well informed as it unfolds.

I would also like to take a moment to address the growing gossip about Bristol's marriage.

Currently there is no definitive evidence that the marriage is over, despite numerous comments declaring it to be so.

Yes it does not appear that Dakota and Bristol are spending much time together, and in fact Dakota has not appeared in any of Bristol's Instagram photos since December.

But that does not constitute proof.

I think we can all predict, based on Bristol's past, that this relationship will not stand the test of time.

But as of now we do not know that it has definitively hit the skids.

Once we have evidence to prove that, trust me I will gladly report that here.

Alcoholism is now so out of control in Alaska that some stores are forced to keep everyday products containing alcohol behind lock and key.

Common household products alcohol addicts are abusing... can you guess what they are? We'll tell you at 6 @ktva pic.twitter.com/tj2oQUQFT2

— Daniella Rivera (@RiveraDanie) September 14, 2017

The answer, by the way, is vanilla extract, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, and brake fluid. All containing enough alcohol to make them irresistible to addicts.

Courtesy of KTVA: 

While alcohol abuse in Alaska is nothing new, desperation among addicts is becoming more visible inside Anchorage grocery stores. When users can no longer legally buy liquor, they turn to common household products, forcing many businesses to move them behind the counter, in some cases storing them under lock and key.

Last month, while filming an unrelated story, a KTVA news crew watched a man near Bean’s Café down two small bottles of liquid, throw them on the ground, and ride away on a bike while the camera was rolling. The bottles on the ground, now empty, once held vanilla extract. 

Krystal Taddicken, who lives at the Brother Francis Shelter, told KTVA a the time, vanilla extract is an easy way for an addict to get drunk if they can’t buy alcohol. 

“It shows that it’s 35 percent minimum of alcohol, it’s one of the highest alcohol there is,” she told KTVA, picking the bottle up off the ground and pointing to the ingredients listed on the back. 

It’s not just vanilla extract, addicts are using anything that contains alcohol to get drunk, including mouth wash, hand sanitizer and according to the Anchorage Fire Department, brake fluid.

Alcoholism has been a problem in this state, I believe even before we became a state.

My family is essentially wall to wall alcoholics, with only a few nonconformists like my daughter and I standing out from the herd.

And it is much worse among the homeless community.

All of my life I have seen drunks passed out in the woods and along bike paths laying next to bottles of everything from store bought booze to cleaning products that they have huffed or ingested.

I once saw a homeless guy spraying what looked like a disinfectant of some kind into a clear bag and then drinking the contents.

It is hard to imagine how that could get any worse.

But if it has that is very troubling indeed.

Wasilla lawmaker suggests that if senior citizens don't like her budget cuts because then they can't afford to live in Alaska they should get the hell out.

Courtesy of KTVA:  

Rep. Lynn Gattis says seniors who can’t afford to live in Alaska, should consider moving out of state. AARP, a senior citizens advocacy group, warns reductions in the state budget proposed last week by the House Finance Committee, which includes Gattis, may force many to leave. 

“I had that in my mind that I wanted to grow old and die here in Alaska,” said Ken Helander, associate state director for AARP. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to. It frightens me to think of that.” 

Alaska has the fastest growing senior population in the nation, and AARP said House members are targeting seniors with their scissors. According to calculations by the group, the Alaska House of Representatives is proposing more than $23 million in cuts to programs that will affect Alaska seniors. 

Gattis said she thinks seniors might be better off elsewhere anyway. 

“Alaska is a tough state for older folks to live in: slipping, falling, icy so on and so forth,” Gattis said. “So if you’re not working, on a fixed income, sometimes there are other places that are less expensive to live.”

You know what, all of us are getting older.

However many of the elderly living in Alaska are some of the toughest old coots you ever want to meet.

Some of these folks have been living here since before it was a state, when driving on a paved road was a rare occurrence, and EVERYBODY dug their own wells and cesspools, and raised much of their own food.

So if they want to live the rest of their lives in one of the most beautiful places on this planet, well by gosh they should have that right and nobody should suggest otherwise.

And perhaps somebody should tell this Lynn Gattis lady that another group who has trouble navigating on icy sidewalks are fat people, so perhaps she should hoist her lard ass onto a plane and fly the fuck out of our state before some elderly lady gives her a good old fashion Alaska beat down.

Or if that seems too extreme perhaps she could simply shift her attention to being a good parent for a change.

Just in case you thought Alaska was going to start treating every one equally without somebody trying to stop it. Nope.

"That didn’t take long, did it? Less than two months after the Assembly passed a ground breaking civil rights ordinance, a group of 10 women are leading the effort to repeal it."
Posted by KTVA 11 News on Thursday, December 17, 2015

This bullshit about transgender folks haunting restrooms for the opportunity to assault our children is such a weak argument.

First off as we have said before gay or transgender is NOT the same as being a pedophile. THAT is the shit that certain Baptist Temples in Anchorage try to shove down the throats of their congregants.

We have no more to fear from a transgender person using the same bathroom as our child than we do from ANY OTHER PERSON using the same bathroom as our child.

By the way let me just mention how nice it is to see John Tracy back reporting the news.

He was my go to local anchor back when he was at KTUU, and I really miss his reporting skills.

Mayoral candidate Dan Coffey threatens to sue media outlets that report on that time he talked about bribing Anchorage Assembly members to vote his way. Oops.

Courtesy of KTVA:  

Mayoral candidate Dan Coffey has stated he doesn’t want the public to hear a private conversation he had with current Anchorage Assembly member Bill Starr back in 2008. The conversation with Starr was recorded onto an answering machine. 

Coffey said Thursday he hired Anchorage lawyer Thomas Amodio to “look into the issue” — referring to whether or not it is legal for media to broadcast or publish the conversation that took place when Dan Coffey was on the Anchorage Assembly. Coffey has already made public a transcript of some of the conversation, which is posted on his campaign website. 

The transcript has profanity in it, but more concerning to some people is the reference Coffey makes to paying Assembly members to vote his way. In an accompanying letter, Coffey says he was “joking” when he said “I’m doling it out 250 at a crack.” 

In a letter to KTVA 11 News, Amodio writes, “With the election merely weeks away, we strongly urge you not to violate state and/or federal law by broadcasting the conversation or any portion of it.”

Yeah why should Anchorage citizens be made aware of the fact that one other candidates for mayor of their fair city might be a person who plays fast and loose with ethics rules.

I mean after all how could THAT help them decide who not to vote for?

What I find interesting is that this is essentially old news that was reported on way back in 2008, and Coffey himself has part of the transcript on his website so seriously on what grounds could Coffey file suit against a news agency that reported on this story?

He's such an asshole, I would not vote for him if he were running against Charles Manson.

Today we learn more about the news reporter who said "fuck it" and quit her job to run her cannabis club.

The news outlet Vice caught up with the now infamous Charlo Greene, to ask her a few questions.

Here are a few of her answers.

When did she start her business of selling marijuana?:

Charlo Greene: We purchased a business license on 4/20/2014!

When did she first start using weed in her personal life?:

I’m Alaskan. Alaskans smoke weed. (I have to say that there is a part of me that wants to argue with this, but I really can't say that she's wrong.) It just is what it is. But I first tried it when I was in high school, and I didn’t like it at all, so I quit completely and I just drank like, a ton, which is also a really big issue here in Alaska. It got to the point when I was in college that I’d been drinking so much I ended up not even going to class, I failed out of an entire semester and I took a really heavy course load. Out of seven classes, I failed all of them, except for gym, and that’s only because he felt sorry for me. 

I knew that alcohol, as a vice, wasn’t going to allow me to become the person I was meant to be. So I needed something else to do that maybe wasn’t so harmful, and I picked up smoking weed. I went from failing an entire semester, to the next semester, and every semester after that, being on the Dean’s List. I graduated cum laude... And that’s because I was smoking weed! I sat my ass at home and did what I needed to do, and I never woke up with a hangover because of it, or got behind the wheel and ran over a family or anything because of it.

Wow, to here her tell it marijuana almost gives you super powers.

I have never seen a definitive study that suggests that smoking pot has a less deleterious effect on completing your school work than does alcohol consumption, but I will admit that I have never had to hold anybody's hair back while they vomited bong water.

Did she plan her big exit from KTVA? (Duh!):

Vice: Why did you decide to quit in such an extravagant fashion? 

[Laughs] To draw attention to the issue. You, as a journalist, know that all of us are replaceable. The people aren’t really going to miss you, or me, or any random reporter for the most part. So why not just use the position I was put in to make sure that my next chapter is just wide open for me? 

Can't argue with that logic.

What about that tweet from KTVA that she was fired?

[Laughs] Yeah. [Laughs some more] I saw that. That was stupid.

Her advice  to others thinking of quitting their jobs.

Do it big. If you’re going to quit your job, do it big. Why not? Your job probably sucks, so go ahead and get whatever you can out of it. If your job gives you access to information that might help wherever you’re going to go next, then get that! If you’re just a cog in this massive machine, and you know you’re replaceable, and you’re treated that way. Then replace them. Be brave. Be ballsy. And make sure you’re going to be okay afterwards.

There were a few naysayers yesterday suggesting that Greene had not only damaged her credibility by dropping the F bomb, but that she has also single handedly doomed the entire ordinance.

I have to say that hearing that really made me laugh.

Those people clearly know NOTHING about Alaskans.

We fucking love straight talkers who don't take any shit.

This young woman is right now just about one of the most popular people in our state, and I can guarantee that as new organizations start to cover our attempt to legalize marijuana that you will see that she will be their "go to girl" on getting the story.

Not only is she going to be famous, but once the ordinance passes and her cannabis club opens up she is going to have a line around the damn block.

Welcome to Alaska, where "fuck it" should be our state motto.

Alaskan reporter quits on air to fight for marijuana legalization.

Courtesy of Mediaite:

A KTVA reporter in Anchorage, Alaska ended a segment on marijuana legalization Sunday evening by announcing herself as the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club and quitting on-air. 

“I — the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club — will be dedicating all of my energy for fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska,” reporter Charlo Greene said. “And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but… fuck it, I quit.”

As you can see the KTVA anchor was a little caught off guard, and later KTVA issued this apology via Twitter: 

Viewers, we sincerely apologize for the inappropriate language used by a KTVA reporter on the air tonight. The employee has been terminated.
— KTVA 11 News (@ktva) September 22, 2014

Yes well nice try KTVA but I totally just heard her quit.

I never, ever, watch KTVA News so I don't know anything about this reporter, however I will say that she has now replaced my father's quitting of his job by playing Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It" on a phonograph and walking out, as my favorite resignation of all time.

Oh well, at least she has a job to fall back on.

Ever wonder what happened to Sarah Palin's old spokesperson?

Courtesy of The Ear:

MOVED ... Newsman Bill McAllister is gone from KTVA, having resigned after being charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly using an electronic device to put a person in fear of injury or death. Public records indicate he's out on bail. A court hearing scheduled for this past week was postponed to June 24. 

Seriously this is the first I am hearing about this. In fact I don't think I've written about McAllister since April of 2011.

Well this story sounds interesting. Hmm now what am I doing on the 24th?

I will have to check my calendar.

Denied the opportunity to slap Professor Scharlott, it looks like ex-Palin aide Bill McAllister found somebody else to slap!

This from the Alaska Ear:

Ear hears that political flack/reporter/actor Prickly Bill McAllister -- he of the famously short fuse and flaming emails -- managed to get himself on the court calendar this week, and not in a good way.

What is this you ask?  Well according to Court View Bill's wife Christina Holmgren filed a restraining order against Palin's ex-spokesperson on April 16, only nine days after McAllister threatened Professor Scharlott with the words: “If we ever meet, I’ll slap you."

Temper, temper, temper Mr. McAllister. We know that having to defend Sarah Palin can drive anybody a little crazy, but that is no reason to take it out on your wife. 

One has to wonder how your new bosses at KTVA will take the news that they just hired a man who threatens violence against strangers, and actually carries out those acts of violence against his loved ones?