Alaska Landmine Radio

Jeff Landfield spoke with UAA/ISER economist Brett Watson, builder Eric Visser with Visser Construction, and realtor July Leslie with Elite Real Estate Group about why housing prices in Anchorage have recently surged. This originally aired as a livestream on June 8. 

Jeff was joined by Anchorage attorney Becky Windt Pearson. They discuss her time as Anchorage municipal attorney, her background and how she ended up in Alaska, how she met her husband, her time working as an attorney in Anchorage, how she became municipal attorney, the Campbell Lake issue, the 2018 earthquake, and a bunch of random topics. 

Jeff was joined by Brad Keithley. Keithley is a former oil and gas attorney who currently runs Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets. They discuss the history of oil and gas in Alaska, including the long talked about gasline, why he came to Alaska, his work in oil and gas, current decisions by the Biden administration about oil development in Alaska, Alaska's fiscal problems, the dividend issue, and hi...

Jeff was joined by former Department of Labor Commissioner Heidi Drygas. They discuss her time as Labor Commissioner under former Governor Bill Walker, how he choose her, her prior work with the Laborers Local 942 in Fairbanks, becoming a lobbyist, labor issues facing Alaska, how she met her husband, and the challenges of being a working mom. 

Jeff was once again joined by Juneau attorney Joe Geldhof. They discuss the recent actions in the legislature regarding the budget, the PFD issue and Governor Dunleavy's new 50/50 proposal, why the legislature can't seem to solve big problems, the cruise ship industry, the Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority, and a bunch of other random topics. 

Jeff was joined by newly elected Senator Robb Myers (R - North Pole). They discuss his first session in Juneau as a state senator, how he used to work as in intern in the Capitol, the challenges the Senate faced with organization, why he decided to run for office, how he defeated a long term incumbent with little money, his job outside the legislature, and some of the issues facing Alaska. 

Jeff was joined by Jared Cure', owner of the Narrows Bar in Juneau. They discuss why he came back to Juneau after 15 years to get into the bar business, his purchase of the Viking right before Covid hit, the impacts of Covid on the Juneau economy and how he is using it to his advantage, and his thoughts on how Juneau will recover from Covid. 

Jeff was joined by via Zoom by Alaska travel guru Scott McMurren. They discuss the impacts of Covid on the aviation and tourism industry, some of the amazing deals on flights this summer, the airline companies that will be operating and not operating in Alaska this summer, and his thoughts on Alaska's tourism sector this year and next. 

Jeff was joined via Zoom by Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum. They discuss the last year with Covid, how it's been running the Department of Health and Social Services, working with Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, an update on vaccines, and his thoughts on what the future holds. 

Jeff was joined by lobbyist Frank Bickford. They discuss how he came to Alaska in 1980, some of the campaigns he worked on, how one of those campaigns led to a job in D.C., why he came back to Alaska, some great campaign stories that include how he ran Congressman Don Young's 1984 reelection, and why he decided to become a lobbyist. 

Jeff was joined by Rebecca Braun. They talk about her time working for and then running the Alaska Budget Report, why she moved to Alaska, journalism, covering the Capitol, challenges in politics, her time working for former Governor Bill Walker, some of the issues facing Alaska, and the changing media landscape. 

Jeff was joined by Larry Persily. They discuss his history working in Alaska politics, his time working on the gasline project, Alaska's fiscal challenges, some of the ways he thinks we can solve it, the prospects of a gasline being built, the impact Covid will have on tourism this year, and next year's election. 

Jeff was joined by University of Alaska President Pat Pitney. They discuss her 1984 Olympic gold medal in Air Rifle for Women, why she moved to Alaska, her time as OMB director for former Governor Bill Walker, her time working as the director of the Legislative Finance Division, how she became president of the University of Alaska, Alaska's fiscal situation, and the future of the University of Ala...

Jeff was joined by former Governor Bill Walker via Zoom. They discuss the November 2018 earthquake that hit right before he left office, what he has been doing since being governor, a discussion about the Alaska gasline, Alaska's fiscal challenges, his attempts to solve the Alaska's fiscal problems when he was governor, how the passing of Ballot Measure 2 will impact elections, and whether or not...

Jeff was joined by Juneau attorney Joe Geldhof. They discuss his background in Alaska, the Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority, the history of Alaska's budget, some past Alaska politicians and some of their ideas, who might be running for office in 2022, some Alaska political history, our fiscal problems, the gridlock in the Alaska Legislature, and the Permanent Fund issue. 

Jeff was joined by former Anchorage Mayor and U.S. Senator Mark Begich. They discuss his growing up in Anchorage, some Anchorage political history, issues facing Alaska, some of his businesses and projects he has been working on, the upcoming Anchorage mayoral race, and what the future holds for Alaska. 

Jeff was joined by Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink for a Facebook Live interview. This is the audio from that interview. They discuss Jeff's positive Covid test, the new Covid vaccine, an update on the Covid situation in Alaska, how it was for her getting the vaccine, some questions from the audience, her thoughts for the future, and how Covid has impacted her job and life. 

Jeff was joined by Anchorage Attorney Peter Caltagirone. They discuss him becoming a lawyer, why he came to Alaska, his time working as an assistant attorney general for the State of Alaska, his time working at the Department of Natural Resources, why he left the Republican Party, why he recently decided to go into private practice, flying in Alaska, and some awesome car stories. 

Jeff was joined by Sara Erickson. They discuss her business AlaSkins, fishing in Cook Inlet, living on the Kenai Peninsula, her role on the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, some recent issues involving alcohol, Alaska politics, how an appointment to a commission by Governor Wally Hickel led to a marriage, and then a wild story about how that fell apart years later. 

Jeff was joined by his friend Tim Weise. They talk about meeting in Australia in 2017 when they were both working and traveling there for a year. Tim is from Alaska but he and Jeff had never met. A mutual friend in Alaska who knew they were both in Australia connected them. They discuss how they met in Australia and the adventures they went on including living together in Sydney, traveling to a re...

Jeff was joined by Ben Mohr, the Executive Director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. They discuss how he came to Alaska, jobs he has held, some of the campaigns he has worked on, moving to the Kenai Peninsula for his job, a funny story about Australia, fish policy in Cook Inlet, and some talk about saunas. 

Jeff was joined by graphic designer Madi Ko. They discuss how she became a member of Team Landmine, her attending the Rhode Island School of Design, being in college during COVID, working as a graphic artist, her working on the Ballot Measure 2 campaign, and what the future holds for Alaska. 

Jeff was joined by Senator Scott Kawasaki (D - Fairbanks) and Joelle Hall from the Alaska AFL-CIO. They discuss the problem with counting Alaska's ballots, how we run elections, the recent election including some of the close races, the redistricting process, increasing the number of legislators, how Ballot Measure 2 will impact election if it passes, and some awesome stories. 

Jeff was joined by Noel Lowe, owner of Alaska Fast Cash. They discuss his time as a legislative aide in Juneau, his time on the Wasilla City Council when Sarah Palin was mayor, his time working in the IT industry, how he got into the pawn business, how the pawn business works, and some stories about working in Juneau. 

Jeff was joined by Diane Kaplan, President and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation. They discuss how she came to Alaska, her time working in radio, how she became affiliated with the Rasmuson Foundation, the role of the foundation and how they function, how much money they give out in grants, and their role in the homelessness issue in Anchorage.