All right, 436-522-0650. Let's open this thing up. This was in the office. KARS, K-A-R-S. Sweet and spicy trail mix. Yeah, yeah. You'll enjoy it now, but you'll pay for it later. Holy mackerel. Yep. It says Detroit Born. Oh. Carnut Products Incorporated. That's a spicy meatball. This is, I mean, this will... Yeah, yeah. And it's going to tear you up. You're going to regret this tomorrow morning. Is it? Really? I'm going to regret this? Yeah. I mean, they're hot.
And they're sweet and spicy and salty. Says it right there on the bag. Yeah. I mean, they're good, but I don't really want to be torn up, as they say. Yeah, well. I have a story about that. But it's a good thing you're eating them today because you're not going to be here tomorrow. No, tomorrow. Tomorrow is Mike Piccaro's birthday, by the way. Yes. Feel free to send him an email.
Well, it's a better, hopefully better birthday than last year. Yeah, that's true. Last year you were in the hospital. Yes, I was. And this year I plan not to be. That's probably a good plan. I try to stick with that. Yeah, I plan to be with the lovely Mrs. P. She's making me a special dinner and all kinds of neat stuff, and it should be fun. And now that I'm at the advanced age of 21, you know, what can I say? You can finally enjoy an adult beverage. Yeah.
Absolutely. And you had a birthday when you were in Japan. I was in Japan. My son and I share a birthday. It was March 15th. We were in Japan for my birthday. And my young niece wanted to go to a karaoke bar for my birthday. She was with us in Japan. I did not want to, so we went to a karaoke bar for my birthday. Yes, was there alcohol? Copious amounts of alcohol. The way they did it there was, I didn't sing in front of a bunch of strangers. You rent like a room.
Ah, okay. It felt kind of, it was nice to be secluded and all that, but it also felt like I was doing something dirty because they shuttle you off into, and there's this place we went to. It was in Osaka. downtown Osaka, there was literally like 30 to 40 rooms, right? There's all these little rooms and doors are opening and shutting and, you know, the door would open and you'd hear, wah!
People singing when the door would open. They were all soundproofed, and people were coming in and out of there. The whole building was really hot, so you were all drunk and sweaty, and you were in there singing. And it was one of those things. Karaoke is one of those things that you don't want to do.
do until you have a couple of beers in you and then you automatically consider yourself one of the great vocalists of our generation of course it's even better than the shower right so i think uh the ones that were assigned to me and my brother-in-law
figure to work around because the deal was everybody has to do at least one song. So everyone's racking their brain trying to figure out one that's going to make them sound the least like an idiot. And my brother-in-law is very shy when it comes to that type of thing. I think it's, I'm looking at it and I'm like.
This is weird that he's participating in this. So he picked the song Tequila that has one word in the whole song. Tequila. Yeah, the whole thing. I'm mad at him, and I'm marveling at his forward thinking at the same time. He fixed you. Yeah, he did. So I ended up doing Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by ACDC. Then I did Enter Sandman by Metallica. And then I was assigned Sweet Caroline by my wife. She loves Neil Diamond. And then they all made me do a Spice Girls song.
And that was born of an embarrassing character flaw, I guess, of mine. I'll admit it right here to the three people that are listening. I've always loved the Spice Girls. I don't know what it is. Which one do you like best? Ginger. And that's an easy one. call ginger spice it's an easy call but they i've always loved them but even back when i had the long hair and i was playing in the band and it was rock and roll or die man i don't know i've always loved the spice girls my wife
a couple of months ago came downstairs and I thought she was asleep and I was sitting on the couch with my iPad in my lap and it didn't dawn on me to like close the window down. She says, what are you watching? And I had watched, it was like a 90 minute concert of them in Brazil.
And I sat through the whole thing. Then I tried to find the movie, the Spice World movie. You can't find that anywhere. There's no streaming services that have it. If you try to buy it like on eBay, it's ridiculously expensive. It's either because it's a collector's item or everybody involved has burned every copy. But I've tried to no avail to watch that movie. I've always enjoyed the Spice Girls. I can't believe I'm admitting that on the radio.
Yeah, I get made fun of within the family unit all the time. All the time. That's what you should. That's ginger. Ginger Spice. Ginger Spice. Okay. And then when they were together, number two would be sporty. But now I'd go scary as number two as they all have gotten older. Ginger's still at the top, but then it would be scary. Her real name is Mel B. That would be number two for me.
And only one of them can really sing. The sporty Spice girl, she would always take the lead. And then it's Posh Spice, who's married to David Beckham. There was often rumors that when they had performed live, they'd just turn her microphone off. I don't think they were there to sing. They weren't. No. I mean, the voice of angels, man. The voice of a generation. The Spice Girls. You are sad. I know. It's really pathetic. You are sad.
President Donald Trump slapped back in Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and three other Republicans. for their support of a resolution that opposes the Trump administration's attempt to balance trade by imposing tariffs on countries that impose tariffs on America.
The ultimate goal is free trade, whereas right now the trade is massively unbalanced. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, this is from Trump, for a change, and fight the Democrats' wild and flagrant push not to penalize Canada for their sale into our country of large amounts of fentanyl.
by tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy, Trump wrote. They are playing with the lives of the American people and right into the hands of the radical left Democrats. and the drug cartels. It's a rare day when Libertarian-leaning conservative Senator Rand Paul and left-leaning Senator Lisa Murkowski see eye to eye. But as we once heard, politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. So anyway, that's what they did in the Senate.
You know, I guess the Democrats trying to drive a wedge into the Republican Party. And at least there are these four that didn't like what Trump was doing. And so. They decided to show what they were doing. I guess they're certainly free to do that. They can vote their conscience. I don't know.
What the folks in Alaska think regarding Senator Murkowski joining that group, or at least voting with that group, she has... pretty much expressed her feelings about President Trump, and he's pretty much expressed his feelings about her, but she represents you. And I'm just wondering if anybody was able to communicate with her or if you were communicating with her constituents.
to tell them what she thought and why, and why she particularly voted that way. So, just a question out there. 444, we'll be back. Show with Crash on News Radio 650.
K-E-N-I. Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday afternoon. Traffic's looking pretty good around the Anchorage Bowl, but there are a few slow spots out there. Currently, the old Seward Highway is backing up, starting at Diamond Boulevard. That backup is extending back towards Scooter, Midtown Intersections, new Seward Highway.
Also a bit busy. Do be careful out there. From the Swickard Chevrolet Anchorage Traffic Studios, I'm Daryl Dean. This report is sponsored by Stand Up to Cancer. Joe Buck and John Smoltz welcoming you back to the City Center Convenience Mart. Uh-oh. She's looking. at the cigarettes but she just grabs the gum off the counter stand up to cancer and rally want you to reduce your risk for cancer go to take a healthy stand.org are you a business owner ceo or responsible for marketing
522-0650. And I got this from Daryl. It is a Spice World movie. 1484. That's how much it cost? That's what it says here, yeah. What the hell? You can buy it now. I don't know where you're going. Is it on eBay? I can't believe I'm this excited about it. It's sold by Walmart. What the hell's the matter with me? Sold by Walmart. Oh. $14.84. Guaranteed. Can I borrow $14.84 plus shipping? It says this DVD is packed with...
Girl power. All right. Tell me what you want, what you really, really want. So I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll send this to you. All right. And then you can have it. Well, I'm leaving for Arizona for a few days in about a week. Now I've got something to watch on the plane. Yeah, I think people would probably like that. I think so, too. So let me send this to you. I've got to buy a DVD player.
All right, I'm sending it to you now. All right. So you should have it. All right, 5220650. The election happened yesterday. Believe it or not, I don't think anybody paid attention to it. Pretty much the incumbents are all going to win. We've got a new assembly person in South Anchorage. There was an open seat there. Looks like Keith McCormick easily won election there. That's fine.
But the school board remains pretty much where it did. The bonds look like they're all going to pass. The school district capital improvement bond is... is passing but not by a lot. It's got a 50.7% in favor and a 48.2% opposed. That doesn't really tell me much except percentages. I'd like to know what the actual numbers are. When I looked at it last night, it was less than 1,000 votes. So that could flip. Who knows? But it's a $63.8 million bond.
Storm drainage is passing. Parks and Rec is passing. Police bond is passing. Public safety capital improvements is passing. Senior citizen libraries and capital improvement is passing. Fire bonds are passing. Girdwood Valley Service is failing. Chugat State Park Access Bond is passing. Snow response and fleet vehicle tax levy. is passing, and a police vehicle tax levy is passing as well. No, no, that's not passing. I'm sorry. Okay, so only a couple are not passing, but they're not.
terribly expensive. So that's what's going on there. Now, according to the latest numbers, we don't have any more numbers to report. But Tuesday's turnout, they counted 39,142 ballots, putting a preliminary turnout at 16.4%. Now, that number is going to climb. So say municipal people. And there's another 8,636 ballots in custody. Not yet verified or tabulated. So that would be the next tranche of votes that would come out.
So anyway, that's where we are. So right now, they've got a turnout of 16.4%. So that's not a lot. Let's go to Chuck. Hi, Chuck. Hey, Mike, how are you doing? I'm good, thank you. Thank God we got another road bond passing because... are pristine from the last one. Well, they're perfect. I mean, take a look at our roads. I mean, we have the best roads that the money can't buy or can buy. Oh, you know, it just doesn't make sense. And then the other thing is just...
You know, all these bonds and nothing gets fixed. And why are we keep on voting for these bonds? Because people... basically go in and they see, oh, this is something good, and they don't realize they're going to have to pay for it. Well, the renters think, oh, hey, they're going to tax me like the owner of the building here to go.
Hey, I'll let this one go. We won't jack it up. We'll get you next time. Yeah, no, they won't. And then why are we voting in all the same people? Nothing's going to get fixed now, people. No, because people don't. Pay attention. Well, I mean, right now they said it's 16% voted. That's pathetic. I hope it goes up, but I don't think it's going to go up tremendously.
It was like an election that they didn't even really say nothing about. The only person I ever heard was Kelly Lessons on there going, hey, I'm worried about all the problems in the school. So I'm rerunning so I can fix the problems that I caused. So I can make new ones. Yeah. She's saying that she's worried as a parent and as an assembly person.
I broke it on my shift, so why don't you vote me back in so I can act like I couldn't put some duct tape on it or something? I kept on hearing that commercial over and over. I'm like... None of it makes sense anymore, Mike. None of it. No, it doesn't. But as long as Anchorage becomes and stays apathetic, it's going to get worse, not better. Oh, yeah. Well, then maybe the road bond is going to go for the bike lanes.
Who knows? That's all I really hope. Well, you're going to be squeezed to one lane. There's going to be like bikes everywhere. Oh, God. Because, I mean, I woke up this morning and read the headlines on all the incumbents and all the bonds, but I think one we're passing, and I'm like, oh, my God, people. Don't you learn? You know what I mean? Not much. Look at the homeless. Look at the roads.
I mean, look at the schools, and you're telling me, let's put the people back in who've broken it all already? Yeah, it's pretty pathetic, Chuck. Oh, it's beyond pathetic. I mean, I know a lot of your voters. Your listeners didn't vote that way, but the ones who did, shame on you. Shame on you. All right, Chuck. Well, navigate those good roads out there. Oh, yeah, yeah. There's not a pothole. There's smooth sailing.
Thanks for the call. Take care. Have a good day. You too. Bye-bye. All right, 4.55. Got, what, 40 seconds left in the hour, so we'll go from there. There's an interesting story that was in the New York Post, and I swear that they wrote this about you, Crash. I really do. I swear they wrote it about you. All right. But I can't tell anybody what it is yet because I want them to stay and listen. It's called a tease.
To get people to say, oh, wow, we better stay over because we really want to hear about this. Yeah, but if I'm the subject of conversation, they're all leaving like rats leaving a ship right now. All right, well, we'll get to that, get to a whole bunch of other stuff, and maybe take some phone calls as well. So one more big hour to go. Don't go anywhere. unless you're in your car of course and if you're in your car thanks for the ride we'll be back
And often for the very latest. News Radio 650 KENI. Think It Up is an initiative to activate student-powered teacher-led learning projects. Students and teachers. How can you... Mike Porcaro, behind the mic of your 50,000-watt blowtorch. News Radio 650, KENI. Live from Anchorage, it's your news and information blowtorch. We'll be right back.
Oh, yes, yes, yes. Thank you, thank you, Rich. It is 506.50. That's right, 50 degrees here in Anchorage. 54 in Palmer, 48 in Soldotna, 46 in Homer, 47 in Talkeetna. 37 in Fairbanks looking for some rain next hour. And 7 up in Prudhoe Bay. So we are warm today. Nice day. All right, it's 5.07. Todd Smolden and Todd works for the governor. Are you speaking for the governor's office or are you speaking for you?
I'll speak for the governor's office today, Mike. Okay. How are you doing, by the way? I'm doing good. I'm doing good, and I hope you are too. Yeah, I'm doing great. My bees survived through the winter. I overwintered some bees. Oh, wow. Super excited about that. Saves me about $250 for a new colony of bees. extremely excited about the fact that Crash made it back from Japan. Yes, and so are the Japanese. They're happy that he's gone. I was a former teacher, and I like to say that in case my...
former colleague Dave Steeren with Ada is listening because I know it drives him insane. So when I say that, but, and I taught Japanese at East High. So I took five different groups of students. uh to japan wow and uh yeah where did you go in japan love japan where did you I always tried to give them a mix of kind of urban and rural and modern and historical. So we would go to Tokyo. Kyoto, Nara area, Himeji, Hiroshima. I went to all of those places you just mentioned. Yeah.
uh kobe was really cool too and then uh there was the uh you go to uh hiroshima and then there's the island uh that we took a ferry to miyajima yeah miyajima island that was super cool and then i can't remember it starts with an h there was a an old
castle there that we went and saw too he made you yeah that was my favorite part of the trip was the castle there and then of course all the temples and everything that you'd visit while you're there was i mean i was there for like 10 days so i'm basically japanese Well, your stature...
resembles the Japanese. I want to make sure that when I explain this to people, I'm not overselling it. When you went there, was eating dinner at a convenience store as big of a deal as it was for me? I was enthralled at the fact that you go to like a family martyr at 7-Eleven, and there was real food in those places.
I love the konbini. Konbini shopping is great. Great for breakfast. The onigiri, the rice balls with different things. With the meat in the middle. They've got salmon in the middle and beef. Oh, man. I think that's one of the things I miss more. More than anything else, get up in the morning, heading down to Family Mart, get yourself a coffee out of a vending machine on your way there, and then you get a ball of rice with a chunk of fish in the middle. That's living, man.
It is. I love it. I love Japan. I'm actually looking forward to getting back there. But anyway, that's not why I called, Mike. But I do love Japan. So, you know, I was at the Chugiak Eagle River Chamber meeting today, and I have to say it was quite an experience. And not because of the chamber. The chamber's great. The people who run it are wonderful. The guest speaker was Superintendent Brian with the ASD. And I just, it was, I'm trying to find the right word.
It was interesting, I will say. It was about 25 minutes of we need more money, we're going to die if we don't get more money, students are going to, you know, not. Learn. And I get it. But I was, like I said, I taught for 24 years. And it seemed like every year I was a teacher, I heard the same thing. Same thing from the ASD. And then there was a lady who was in the audience who asked a question afterwards, and she started teaching in 1975 in Alaska, and she said it's the same thing every year.
I understand that inflation has eaten away at the BSA and some other things, but it's – well, I just have to say it's quite – it's something. I'm kind of speechless, right? Because what I did not hear in the presentation at all, I did not hear about outcomes. I didn't hear about learning. I did not hear parents in the presentation once. I didn't hear, I heard some mention of charter schools, which was interesting because...
Superintendent Bryan touted ASD charter schools as being some of the best in the country. And I know they are because there was a Harvard study. that told us that Alaska's charter schools are the best in the nation, but yet the education establishment, when that came out, you'll probably remember, tried to tell us that that wasn't a valid study. So I'm not...
But Superintendent Bryant said that we had the best charter school, so I'm just, it's very confusing. Well, you've got this bill that's out there, and I also found it's interesting that... There's a left-wing group that's attacking Mia Costello and David Nelson because they had the temerity to try to look at something and vote. for sense and common sense but uh... you know that's that's it that's it that's it for another day i guess but uh...
They keep adding money. There isn't the money to do what they want to do. And it's not as if nobody is trying to help fund education. It's just that they're not getting all the money that they want. And so, I mean, and I know the governor has been, he's pro-education, he's spent his life doing that, and he's getting criticized.
for not giving them all the money they want. Meanwhile, throughout the Dunleavy administrations, education has always increased. And I guess the question that I would have... is we've increased the money and not done one thing to increase the outcomes. Correct. All of that's correct. 100%. A plus.
I don't get to teach anymore, but I'll give you a grade. Thank you. I'll take it. Yeah, A+. All that's correct. Every year that the governor has signed a budget, education funding in Alaska is increased. We've got to start with that, which is just a fact. So when people talk about cuts and cuts this, cuts that, first of all, the governor, every budget that he's signed, total funding for education in Alaska has increased.
So that's a good starting point. And again, what you said as far as the governor supporting education, he obviously supports education. He supports public education, private education, home education, charter education.
you know, work experience education. If there's a young person and they want an opportunity to learn, he supports it. The difference, as you rightly pointed out, is that there is a group of people who are promoting a funding-only narrative, and they're not interested in providing more money for alternative public school models.
They don't appear to be really interested in getting money directly into the classroom or target money to learning, to outcomes. And one of the questions that I asked the superintendent, And I recognize my position working for the governor's office is maybe put him off guard a little bit. But I just asked him, I said, given the fact that the governor has clearly communicated that...
He is not going to support an increase in the BSA, a permanent increase in funding without education reforms. Is ASD ready to advocate for legislation that both includes funding and reforms? And I didn't really get a solid answer from the superintendent. Really? I would think that he should have an answer for that. Well, his answer was, we don't really know what the governor wants, but the governor filed legislation.
Yeah, it's pretty clear. If you're curious about what the governor wants, just look at SB 82 or HB 76 if you like to look at House versions, which are exactly the same. Yeah, it's really clear. Well, you know, I mean, he was also pushing a kind of bipartisan push for the Alaska Reeds. I mean, you know, so that was something that I think everybody could recognize and want to have their kids be able to read. And when you look at the numbers.
We're well below where we should be. Most of the kids, according to what I've seen, are not at grade level. They're not proficient enough in reading. Right. Well, and the READS Act is an excellent example of how when you direct good policy and you combine that with resources and funding, and you involve parents, you see results. Our first year results of the full implementation of that law has resulted in growth that far surpasses the national average growth.
It's an excellent example of how the legislature should be working with the governor to direct funding towards specific reforms that are designed. for better outcomes. And that's what the governor's interested in doing. He's been really clear about that. He's willing to fund more education, but there needs to be reforms. Well, absolutely. Reform and accountability. Those are the things that I think we need to know, because if you put money into something and you're not seeing an improvement.
then you have to question what's going on. Why are we not seeing an improvement? And it's not a question of just the money. The money, there's no direct proportionality between money and outcome. Yes, and you also have to ask why people would oppose accountability. That's, I think, a really important question as well. Yes, it is the question. Why would you be opposed to that?
Why would you be opposed to looking at reforms and policy that have shown that they work well in other places or in school districts, even in Alaska? You know, that's... I guess this is the bottom line, and I know you're close to a break here, but the governor wants better outcomes. he's willing to provide some additional funding for that. But if school districts are just going to, and education associations are just going to, you know, cling to this.
funding only narrative, it's going to result in probably, you know, no additional funding. And I don't, I mean, I don't think that's what anybody wants. no what we want is to give our kids the very finest education in the country and that's where we should be number one Yeah, definitely. I hope that you have a great rest of your show here, Mike. I got to go.
get to work. My property, surprisingly, in Willow is almost bare of snow. So I got a lot of work to do. All right. Well, you get to it. It's always good to talk to you, Todd. Take care, and any time, you just give me a holler. We're glad to talk to you. Thanks a lot, and good job, Crash. I'm glad you made it back without causing an international incident. So are we. So are we. Thanks, Todd. Take care. All right, 519. We'll be right back.
Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday afternoon. Traffic's looking pretty good around the Anchorage Bowl, but there are a few slow spots out there. Currently, the old Seward Highway is backing up, starting at Diamond Boulevard. That backup is extending back to our Thursday. This will mark the return to some rain showers. week's end. Overall, still expected to maintain this warm hold for the time being. For Alaska's weather source, I'm meteorologist Aaron Morrison.
Welcome back, everybody. 5-2-2-0-6-5-0. You know, the blood bank of Alaska is in critical need of O negative blood. And did you know that one in seven hospital patients need blood during their treatments? Just 2% of Alaskans donate annually. So by donating blood, you could save as many as three lives. It takes less than two hours. And to make a Blood Bank of Alaska donation, go to bloodbankofalaska.org. That's bloodbankofalaska.org. Or call them at 907-222. That's 907-222-5630. And crash.
This is a great, great, great cause. Yeah, if you're worried, if what's holding you back from donating blood is maybe you're scared of needles or maybe you're worried it's going to take too much time throughout the course of your day, think about the statistics Mike just gave you. About an hour and a half.
If so, maybe out of your busy afternoon, you could save the lives of three people. And the amount of people that donate compared to the demand, 2% of people, as you mentioned, that compared to the demand, the need for blood that's donated, it's a shockingly low number compared to the demand.
than two hours out of your busy afternoon you could save the lives of three people and as you can go to the website and give them a call but as is the case with everything in our lives in the world we're wading through on a daily basis there's an app for that you can download the blood bank of alaska donor app make your donation that way and if you're
Garrett and Needles, keep your eye on the prize, man. They might give you some juice and a cookie when you're all done with everything. So do yourself and somebody else a favor. Do some good. Take, like I said, 90 minutes, and you can save the lives of three fellow Alaskans. Definitely worth the time.
it takes to go ahead and do this. So check out their website, if nothing else, thebloodbankofalaska.org. All right, 525. Mark Begich, he threatened to come on and hear you. They'll let anybody in here. I know, yeah. How are you? Good, good. Yeah, the phone line, I was able to tap into it, so I'm so happy that you allow me to come on. And I know at some point someone from the FCC will shut me off, but I'm here now.
Well, we're glad. We're glad. So we just had an election, and I got to say, I mean, you know, you were mayor. Who did? We did. I mean, you were mayor, and in the old days, I guess. We used to actually have better turnout, I think, and it was certainly much more exciting. This thing was a sleeper.
Right. I was actually being a little bit circumcised. What election? And, you know, 80 percent of Anchorage folks are saying, what, there was an election last night? And, you know, it is amazing. I think. I'm not sure what it is. It was very quiet, low volume of, I mean, I think maybe I got a couple mailers, not much. You know, I didn't see, you know, I heard it. I caught a couple of debates on radio. It might have been public radio or his chamber kind of thing. But nothing.
You know, it's almost like, you know, you could not – you didn't have to have an election because basically nothing basically – Nothing changed. No, nothing changed. No, no. And so it's really – You know, I'm not sure if it's apathy or people are just overwhelmed with election after election, the political intensity of the national scene. I don't know.
But, you know, the positive, and I know you're a big supporter of public safety, you know, some good investment in public safety, which I think is good for this community. We have a lot of challenges out there. You know, I was a big supporter of the Parks and Rec bomb because there was money for Town Square to clean that junkyard up. It's a safety hazard. You know, it has crime on a regular basis. I know you.
and I and others enjoy the PAC, the Performing Arts Center at times, but that park was just, you know, a big chunk of that money is going to go to help rehabilitate that, which I think is a good thing. You know, it was interesting. I mean, police did get a low number compared to what they did in the past. And that concerns me a little bit because, you know, the need doesn't go away. You know, you still need.
I mean, it's not a question of, you know, maybe we'll get it next time and we'll need it. No, we'll just increase. So, you know, we had a mixed, you know, outcome on that, but we had, you know, the... Prop 11, the tax levy for the new vehicle didn't pass, but the service area one did pass. So it's really... You know, it's a mixed message. Our public safety needs the support. We want to keep our city safe and clean. I mean, it's just the way it is, and it takes money.
Well, that and I guess, you know, Mark, you and I have talked about this a lot. The homeless, I mean... The homeless situation, and we agree on this, it's really not being handled very well. When there was a mayor baggage, we didn't have these kinds of problems. That's right. Yeah, we, you know, every level and every year is a little different. But, you know, we, just like the gang problem back when I was mayor, you know, we...
We went after it quickly. You don't let it fester. Good example. On the gang problem, we teamed up. We hired two people. Taxpayers paid for it. We put them over in the federal prosecution. So anybody that dealt guns, gangs, and drugs... They got federally prosecuted, five-year mandatory, and they went out to Oklahoma and served their time. And it was the city's, our taxpayer money,
paying for the prosecution, it had an impact. It had a chilling effect to the crime. On the homeless issue, we did something where, you know, we gave out, I know this sounds simple, but it was a message, and that was when someone asks you for money, We printed these cards, and they could take the card, and the card would say, here's all the services. Go there, you know. And we pushed them off the street corners. We said, you're not going to be out there, you know.
hanging on windows and trying to get people in intersections to give you money. That's not happening. And so you kind of have a little tough love. That's just the way it is. And I think right now there's pieces of the puzzle missing, I think. I think that's a shame. I do too.
You know, the one thing I was going to say, I was listening just to tail end to the last conversation. I want to, I know this may shock you or maybe it won't. I don't know. You know, kind of my relationships with people. So, you know, the individual was talking just before I got on. He's right. The governor.
is asking for reforms. Now, he and I may disagree on what those total reforms might be, but statistically there is no question where we are on the scale compared to other states. We are on the bottom. Now, that is not necessarily a reflection of the teachers, the individuals. It's a reflection of what do we need to do to get the toolbox right. It might be money. It might be money in...
or it might be money and more parent involvement. It might be all above, right? Because if we don't get education right in this state, people are not going to move here and live here and retire here because they're not going to want to raise their kids here. This idea that you just give money and it solves all the problems, today it maybe does it temporary. But we have to look at how we deliver education and be forthright and honest about it. It is not acceptable.
to be in the bottom, you know, 10%. It's not acceptable, period. No. And so I've had these conversations with the governor and people in the legislature, and, you know, they need to sit down, all of them. all of them, and get past all their personality deficits, I will say, and get on with solving this problem. for the greater good of the state. Now, that doesn't mean, and I'm a big believer in this, I don't want my public money going to religious organizations. Now, that does not mean...
They do not have good programs. I live right next to the Baptist Temple. Now it's called something else. They have a great school system there. Now, people can pick that. I went to Stellar. Brothers and sisters went to Bartlett and East, and my son went to West. You know, great public education system. is a backbone to the future of your city. There's no two ways about it. Yeah, well, you're absolutely right. You need public safety. You need great education.
You need, you know, the arts. You need a whole bunch of other things. You need all of it. Yeah. And a good point about the arts. I mean, you know, you don't see me at the PC every night, but I believe that the arts and culture. give you the component of thinking and future and vision and all those things that think about a city of the future, not just, oh, we're just fine with what it is today.
No, we should always be striving for something better. And if you're not, you're going backwards. There's no two ways about that either. Yeah, absolutely. So I just want to know, did you guys... I saved you yesterday. I got everyone off the message, and then by five or whatever time it was, they were done. Yes, but you did.
And we were saved. So the next time our listener from San Francisco calls, I'm going to call you and you can talk to him. Yes, you text me. I'll come right behind him. I'll probably disagree with him. Bill Clinton was the person who balanced the budget last time. Yes. Did he have any help from the Republicans in Congress? He had a mix. But you know what? This is actually a great question.
That is what was different back then. Yes, they worked together. People actually worked together. Now, you didn't mean you caved in on your values and all that. No. And both sides have misinformation. I heard... One of your individuals call in and saying some stuff after him, and I'm thinking, well, this is not factual. You know, frankly, I think it was the woman, I would bet her, pick the number, pick the restaurant, whatever she wants, I'll bet her.
He's not going to balance the budget in four years as he promised. He's not going to do it. And I'll bet on that. We have to stop continuing resolutions, and you remember those. Yeah, they're the worst. Because that doesn't do anything. It kicks the can down the road. And here's what I would say to that. Just as everyone, you know, the president's doing his thing, laying off people. Well, here's what you should do. If I came to you, Mike, and said,
you have not been able to put your budget forward, which is fundamentally the main part of your job in Congress, then here's what's going to happen. You do another continuing resolution without a full budget, you don't get paid. It's kind of like a...
Partial firing, right? Because you can't fire an elected official. The only way that happens is during an election. But you say, you know what? We're going to measure your success by doing three things that you're supposed to do. Oversight, the budget. and appropriations. Please do that and do it confidently. Now it doesn't mean, again, you're caving in or compromising beyond your personal beliefs, but you're working together to get the result.
And all these things I just mentioned to you, why is federal government having all this turmoil? Because Congress didn't do their overview and oversight. They spent too much time on social agenda issues and all that, and they should focus on... Have oversight on the picketing department. And they don't do that anymore. So there's my rant. All right. Well, good. I'm glad. I'll send you a bill. There we go.
You just gave me a little consulting. Now I'm going to go take my wife out for her birthday. Is her birthday today? Today, yeah. Oh, mine is tomorrow. Are you kidding me? Tell her brilliant people are born in April. I'll tell her that. She'll enjoy that. Remember, you may not know this. My birthday is on March 30th, so we're all in the same place. Oh, my gosh. This is scary. That does scare your listeners. It does. It scares me.
As always, it's a pleasure. And Crash, I'm glad you got a toilet body that's working. All right. Hey, give your lovely wife our best for her birthday. And I will try to be more frequent on calling, and I do listen, as you know. I just never get the time sometimes. Well, you call in any time. It's always fun. Just tell me, if you dip it in the ratings, give me a text. All right, we'll do it. Thanks, Mark. Take care. Thanks. All right. Bye-bye. We'll be right back. KE&I. Depend on it.
Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday evening, still steady and heavy traffic around the Anchorage Bowl. Tudor Road still has that pretty solid backup on it, starting right about Tudor Center Drive. That traffic backup is now backing up past Wright Street. From the Swickard Chevrolet Anchorage Traffic Studios, I'm Derek. This report is sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. For victims of drunk and drug driving, our grief is unique.
And you know, seamless siding is something that you really should consider for your home because it's beautiful, it's durable, and it's pretty much kind of a lifetime thing. for your home because it's got just a tremendous guarantee for fading and anything else that should go wrong with it which nothing really does it's got
Well, it's constructed of heavy-gauge hot-dip G90 galvanized steel, making it far more robust than vinyl or wood. And it just, it's easy. You know, you don't really have to do much. little maintenance at all, if at all. And steel construction resists warping and fading and cracking. It'll never be scraped or repainted. And it's just dependable. In fact...
ABC Seamless uses a product that has been around since 1946. This company, not ABC Seamless Anchorage, but the company itself has been around since 1946. And they know what they're doing. Siding is just one of the many things they do.
Yeah, they do the steel siding, which I think is probably their main calling card. If you've seen the work they've done, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go to the website, check it out for yourself. There's tons of pictures. Right there on the homepage, there's a bunch of pictures of a beautiful home supporting pretty much all of the products and services they can provide.
The steel siding being one of the main ones there. If you're thinking about paint in your house, before anybody opens a can of paint, look into this because you can set it. Forget it. It looks every bit as good years down the road as it does the day they hang it. They fabricate it right there on site, so it's going to hang just perfectly. But if you're thinking about the steel siding,
You might want to look into the gutters, another one of the things that they do, so the colors match and it looks really uniform. And if you're going to do the gutters, you want to do the gutter helmet. It's this contraption that fits on top of the gutter that stops everything except for water from flowing through the gutter, and that's what's supposed to go.
through there and that's the only thing is supposed to go through there you don't have to clean them out they last a lot longer they also do roofing projects energy efficient doors and windows so if you're looking to improve the curb appeal of your spot these are the people you want to call they've been doing this forever as mike said they really know what they're doing go check out
their website yourself. All you need to know right there online at abcseamlessalaska.com. Give them a call at 907-646-2228. That's 907-646-2228. Do it once. Do it for life. Do it with steel from ABC Seamless. All right, so here's the story. It's sad but true. And this sounds almost like you. Okay. I am sad but true. So, so far, so good. I can continue to rhyme if you like. There was a company, a bathroom company in England that decided to...
check on travelers in the United States and in the UK. They surveyed 1,000 people. The data noted that 29% of travelers mainly Gen Zers. feel that they should be compensating for sitting next to somebody who breaks wind on a train, an airplane, or some form of public transportation. Okay, so, I mean...
There's so much to unpack here. I know. Literally. So do you have to be sitting right next to them or in their general vicinity? I think they're saying next to him. Okay. So, I mean, you know. Because it does travel. Oh, absolutely it does. Plus, I mean, we're all familiar. I mean, I think it's a steadfast, hard and fast rule. He who smelt it dealt it. I think we all know that. So I could just let one rip and blame it on you and sue somebody. That's true.
Can you imagine telling a flight attendant? You know, this guy next to me just broke me. You know, you wouldn't know it while we're in flight, but I've said it numerous times. The last place you want to be is next to me on an airline of travel when we land and I lift that blanket off my lap. You don't want to be anywhere near that.
Well, I mean, the actual pressure. Oh, it wreaks havoc with me. It does that. That's why I always have to have the aisle seat. I will get up, excuse myself, go to the bathroom there, and then you always lose it on your way from your seat to the bathroom. You lose it. Yeah, you get there and it just goes away. You don't have to do it anymore. As soon as you sit down, you get the bubble gut. It happens as soon as you sit down. Every time.
That's why I like traveling with my family, because they already have no respect for me. Now, here's something that you probably can relate to. 35% of the people questioned would rather hold it than use an unfamiliar toilet. It depends on what we're talking about here. I mean, if we're talking about... Okay.
If we're talking about the aspect of that journey that you would use a urinal for, I'm fine. It's the other one. The other one, I know. You can't do that. No, I would explode. I would spontaneously combust. There would be an unfortunate... Yeah, there'd be an unfortunate water landing or something like that if I was forced with that choice.
I mean, we went, oh God, I can't believe I'm telling this story. A few years ago, we went to Disneyland with my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and their kids. And about halfway through the day, nature calls, right? Yes. But I'm not doing that in a restroom at a theme park. There's no way.
I thought I almost died. I mean, when you have that going on and you're on a roller coaster, I mean, you really never know what the ramifications of such irresponsible behavior are. So I thought, I mean, I thought, well, this is it. I'm going to die and I'm taking all these people with me. No, I will. I mean, I'm not joking. If that happens to me at work, I drive home.
I mean, if you ever look up in the middle of the show and I'm gone, I'm on my way to the toilet, my half-bath, at the house down the street. I bought a house three blocks from the place of employment because I knew that this might happen. And you're one of the few people that actually carries... toilet paper in their backpack.
Yeah, and let's not dwell on the fact that I'm 55 years old and I bring a backpack to work with me every day. But yeah, I got the essentials in there. I got toilet paper, saltine crackers, and soy sauce. That's what I got in my backpack each and every day. That's all you need. That's all I need. All right, we'll leave it there. So do you think people should be compensated? I think it depends on the severity of the offense.
Well, if they're sitting next to you, they need to be. But the problem is there's no way to prove who did it. You can't. I mean, if you're on an air, you're traveling on, you're breathing recycled air. It could have been the guy up there in first class. messing with the guy in the back of the plane. I mean, that fruit and cheese platter just wreaks havoc on your insides when you're 30,000 feet. That coleslaw that they put on your sandwich. Yeah, come on. All right.
All right, it's 547. We'll be back. The Mike Percaro Show with Crash on NewsRadio 650. KENI. Looking at your Alaska Total Traffic cameras on this Wednesday. It's been a warm week. We're holding on to some sunshine, although clouds do increase tonight into our Thursday. This will mark the return to some rain showers by week's end. Overall, still expected to maintain this warm hold.
For Alaska's weather source, I'm meteorologist Aaron Morrison. The Mike Forcaro Show on News Radio 650 KENI. All right, it's 549. You know, for over 45 years. Yep. has been your trusted local expert in business printing services. Whether you need a custom commercial printing job like newsletters, brochures, or annual reports, PIP.
We'll have you covered. They specialize in high quality signage and banners, ensuring your brand will get noticed wherever you may be. And if you've got company vehicles or trucks, well, guess what, Pip? can design and apply eye-catching vehicle decals, and we've seen them do this, and wraps, keeping your branding consistent across their entire fleet. From one vehicle to an entire team of trucks, PIP ensures your logo makes an impact.
on the road and and it's really pretty cool the way they can print this on their on their computers and machinery and then they they actually perform the application on the trucks inside one of their facilities.
Yeah, we actually, when we went out there not too long ago, they were in the middle of doing that right before our very eyes, and it was one of those things where I kind of assumed... Really cool. They kind of knew they'd help with the design of basically a big, giant sticker, and then the printing, but I was surprised...
The fact that you didn't have to go anywhere else, a third party drive all over the place to get somebody to actually wrap the vehicle for you. So if you think about vehicle wraps and things of that nature, it's a great way to advertise your business. If you've got a fleet of vehicles, you might as well slap something on them so people know what you're all about. Get your message out.
there and you want it to look great so not only will they wrap the vehicles and print out the the job for you they'll help you with the design of it as well uh for as far as non-profit organizations that they're they're the go-to partner for direct mail appeals uh they do what they do to ensure your message reaches uh
with professionalism and care. So it's not just the print job. It's everything before and after the print job they can facilitate as well. And I'll tell you, if you want to see what they're all about, short of going down there, it's a great resource for you. Their website, pithalaska.com. Go to the portfolio section. That's what they call the gallery section.
And the first thing that you're going to notice is you recognize a lot of the subjects, the photographs, because it's things you see all over town that they're responsible for. They celebrated their 45th anniversary last year. It's even more impressive when you think about that.
considering how they started, is a two-person operation, and they're not going to find anybody that's not familiar with PIP. They're known as Alaska's printer, and for good reason. Nobody does it better. So, again, the website, check it out for yourself right there online at pipalaska.com. Call them at 907-274-3584. That's 907-274-3584. And we're talking about PIP. P-I-P. All right, 551. It's, you know, kind of a...
Interesting week we're having. I won't be here tomorrow. I'm going to be taking the day off. A little bit of day drinking? No, I don't think so. Why not? No, it's going to be a celebration. When you're an old guy like me, you celebrate the ones you got. Right. Again, a little bit of day drinking.
Okay. Freaking wine right out of the bottle. Yeah, well. Out of a frosty mug. I know that's not how you like it. Frosty mug wine, yes. Out of a straw. Get one of those cool curly straws. Dump your Chivas Regal or whatever it is. Yeah. I don't know. Into a frosty mug and drink it out of one of those twisty straws. It sounds exciting. Yeah, because, I mean, without the oxygen, you're drinking the straight booze. It affects you quicker. It's more fun. Does it? You get more bang for your buck.
Do you drink anything through a straw? Not anything. I wouldn't drink buttermilk through a straw. Otherwise. Do you drink your cheap beer through a straw? No, I shotgun that. You just let them rip. You know, I drink my cheap beer off the nightstand the next morning. It's half opened, half done, fall asleep. That's how I drink my cheap beer. You know, I was trying to help you by getting you some decent beer.
like that too don't get me wrong all right but see but i don't the sam adams that's my fancy beer that's that's what i like if i gotta go somewhere i gotta bring something they look at you sideways when you show up with an 18 pack of keystone light and throw that bad boy down on the dining room table and say Who's ready to party? Like a Pepsi and a ring ding. Seinfeld reference and a good one, by the way.
But the Sam Adams, and I like the regular, the Boston Lager. I'm not a fan of all those weird winter mixes and red beers and IPA. Are you kidding me? No, thank you. I mean, after a nice warm day, you mow the lawn, slugging down an IPA. That's like drinking a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, if that's how you say that. Worcestershire. That's what I said. Yeah.
Somebody posed the question online. I thought it was great. Has anybody lived long enough to buy a second bottle of that? You know, that's true. I have a bottle of that that's been sitting in my house since I bought it. Because you never make anything with it requires a large amount. No, a small amount. Yeah. A little bit. Yeah, so I don't know that I've ever bought a second bottle of that. That or the Tabasco.
Yes. I don't do a lot of Tabasco. Frank's Red Hot is my weapon of choice because you get the sensation and the taste of the spice, but it doesn't overpower the meal. Ding! Okay, well, I know in certain parts of the country... When you get eggs, they give you Tabasco. I'll do that once in a while when we're out for breakfast and it's always on the table there. Scrambled eggs, I'll throw Tabasco on it once in a while, but not very much because a little bit goes a long way. A lot like the show.
I mean, there's a such thing that's too much. A little bit goes a long way. A little bit goes too far. Right. You know. All right. Well, we've got a minute left. So there. Let's just stare at each other in awkward silence for the next 60 seconds. We can do that. So did you get me an expensive present for my birthday? It's in the mail. Okay. Veer, before you know it, if it doesn't show, if you can blame it on USPS, it's not my fault.
By the way, that chocolate that you brought back from Japan is wonderful. Yeah, I think we've just about rifled through all of the Japanese treats we brought home. I mean, like I said, I was there for almost two weeks. I'm basically Japanese now. And we get back and I was all motivated to get a better understanding of the language. That's way too hard. It's way too hard. It would require way too much work for me to learn that language.
Well, did you learn, did you pick up any words or any phrases? I can say hello and thank you. Okay, well, say hello. Konnichiwa. Is that how you say it? Say thank you, yes. Oh, arigato gozaimasu. Okay, there you go. Yeah. All right. And then my son, I don't know whether it would offend anybody, but he'd never been there before. And the first couple days we were there, he was bowing to everybody.
And my wife, who lived there for... She goes, they don't do that. Stop doing that. That's only in the movie. You don't have to bow to the guy that sold you a sandwich. And they bowed for 15 minutes. Yep. All right. Have a great day tomorrow. I will. We will see everybody on Friday. Stay safe. Stay happy. We'll see you Friday. Hi, this is Morgan Freeman. Has anyone ever said, you're the picture of health? You look healthy, you feel fine, but that may not be the full picture.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer of men and women over 50. Since it doesn't always cause symptoms, you may not know you have it. The only way to know is by getting screened. Screening can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. This is one cancer you can prevent.
Screening can find colorectal cancer at an early stage when the chance for a full recovery is very high. Talk with your doctor and get tested for colorectal cancer. Medicare and many insurance plans help pay for screening. Get screened. Make sure you are the picture of health. A message from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hi, this is Danielle Lynn. Love to have you join us each weekend for great conversations with the brightest minds on the planet with ways to navigate life for greater wealth, health, wellness, leadership, and personal development at all levels. best-selling authors, life coaches, entrepreneurs, scientists, innovators, and nutritional experts. It's the Danielle Lynn Show, The Art of Living and Science of Life, Sunday mornings at 5 on News Radio 650 KENI.
Join us. When news breaks out, we break it to keep you informed. News Radio 650 KENI. Hey, Alaska Airlines Club 49 members. We know you love to save money with your two free bags benefit, but there's even more to membership, like short notice travel discounts for when you need to go somewhere quick. Low-cost cargo shipping for when you need to move some personal freight within the state. And first notice of special fares through the Alaska Airlines Club 49.