Alaska Landmine Radio is the podcast for the Alaska Landmine, hosted by Landmine Editor-in-Chief Jeff Landfield. The Alaska Landmine focuses on delivering non-partisan Alaska news that other media outlets don't always report. Alaska Landmine Radio focuses on real talk with real Alaskans from all backgrounds.
Jeff was joined by Juneau attorney Joe Geldhof. They discuss a recent anti-Trump protest outside the Capitol in Juneau, how Alaska used to attract people, the contrast of addresses to the Legislature from Senator Lisa Murkowski (R - Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R - Alaska), some of the challenges of Governor Mike Dunleavy's (R - Alaska) administration, issues with the growth of the Permanent Fund, chronic homelessness, and some Alaska political history.
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance discusses her first year, addressing homelessness, fire risks, and housing shortages. She outlines plans for more shelter, clearing debris, and building 10,000 new homes. The conversation also covers a proposed sales tax, volcano preparedness, and attracting young people to Anchorage.
Jeff was again joined by Representative Will Stapp (R - Fairbanks). They discuss the problems with the budget that include the amount of the Permanent Fund Dividend, increased education spending, and other budget additions, what is happening this year compared to the last two years when he was in the majority, some of the current tensions between the Republican minority and the coalition majority, some interesting bills he recently filed including renting out the Governor's Mansion, and his idea...
Jeff was joined by Juneau Assembly member Neil Steininger. They discuss his election to the Assembly last year, his time as director of the Office of Management and Budget under Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R - Alaska), the precarious fiscal situation the Legislature is in due to the Permanent Fund Dividend, increased education funding, other budget additions Dunleavy and the Legislature want, decreased revenues, and the fact that the Senate majority has said they do not want to tap into savings despite ...
Jeff was joined by Anchorage resident Brandon Kennedy. They discuss a medical event his son Marcus had at the Mountain View Boys and Girls Club during a basketball game last August, his son's time at Alaska Regional Hospital, the start of the problems he had with Aetna when his son needed to go to a brain injury facility outside of Alaska, how his son eventually ended up at Shirley Ryan in Chicago, the insurance nightmare he has had to deal with since his son went to Chicago, and some of the hel...
Jeff was joined by Jon Glover, Wildfire Division Chief for the Anchorage Fire Department. They discuss his background in wildland fire fighting with the state and federal government, the bad fire season in the summer of 2019, the fire risks facing Anchorage, some of the techniques to mitigate wildfire damage, the fire risks homelessness and public camping create, what property owners can do for fire mitigation, how fire prevention is so much cheaper than fire damage to property, and the amount o...
Jeff was joined by stuntman and Anchorage resident Peter Wallack. They discuss his growing up in Anchorage, why he decided to join the Marines after high school, his time in the Marines, his thoughts about how warfare is changing, hoe he ended up becoming a stuntman, some of the movies and shows he has worked on, some of the risks of being a stuntman, and his thoughts on the old film tax credit program in Alaska.
Jeff was joined by Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) President Frank Richards. They discuss a recent announcement about a deal between AGDC, Enstar, and Glenfarne to potentially construct a gasline, the different gasline ideas from former governors, the issues with building a line to Fairbanks and the railing LNG to the Valley, the sheer amount of gas on the North Slope, the problems with relying on imported LNG for our energy needs, the obstacles to getting a gasline built, how thei...
Jeff was joined by Jacob Hersh. They discuss his summer internship at the Alaska Department of Law, the recent tragedy in New York City where a woman was set on fire, the homelessness problem in Anchorage, Alaska's continued population loss, his halfway mark through law school, his plans for his next summer internship, the importance of the First Amendment, and Donald Trump's incoming presidency.
Jeff was joined by Representative Andrew Gray (D - Anchorage). They discuss his podcast, East Anchorage Book Club, his recent re-election victory, his last two years serving in the House minority, the history of how Mt. McKinley was changed to Denali, the incoming 21-member majority he is a member of, Gov. Mike Dunleavy's (R - Alaska) recent proposed budget, and some of the challenges facing Alaska.
Jeff was joined by Tyler Arnold from the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC). They discuss his background growing up in Anchorage, how he got into web development and investing in startups, some past speeding tickets, why Anchorage is failing to attract more remote workers, some of the issues new business owners face, the number of older Alaska businesses that are coming up for sale, and the advantages of buying a business rather than working for someone.
Jeff was joined by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R - Alaska). They discuss the upcoming changes to the U.S. Senate after Republicans took back the majority, the filibuster issue, her policy goals going forward, some of the problems Alaska has faced over the last decade, how the Alaska House and Senate organized so quickly, the possibility of Governor Mike Dunleavy (R- Alaska) taking a job in the Trump administration, and her thoughts on Donald Trump's big comeback win.
Jeff was joined by Scott McMurren, owner of Alaska Travelgram. They discuss a recent trip he took to Juneau, the high demand for early voting (this podcast was recorded on Oct. 25), a big announcement Alaska Airlines recently made about their mileage program, his thoughts on what the changes mean, the Alaska Airlines Visa card and how much Bank of America pays Alaska Airlines for the program, and some travel tips and deals.
Jeff was joined by megadonor Justin Weaver, who has donated nearly $200,000 to progressive and moderate legislative candidates this cycle. They discuss growing up in Texas, why he decided to move to Alaska, how his family in Texas made money when they struck oil, why he decided to start making large political donations, how he decided who to donate to, and some of the issues that have plagued Juneau over the years.
Jeff was joined by Anchorage attorney and author Don Mitchell. They discuss why he came to Bethel in 1971, why he decided to stay in Alaska, his time working in Washington D.C. during the implementation of ANCSA, some of Alaska's political history around statehood, the books he has written about Alaska history, a book he wrote on the history of Indian gaming, the historical misconceptions about tribes in Alaska, how a decision by a former federal official in 1993 changed that, and how some entit...
Jeff was joined by Cherokee Savage and Princess Sabrina from the Great Alaskan Bush Company. They discuss a podcast they recently started, how strip clubs have recovered since Covid, working in Alaska compared working at strip clubs in different parts of the country, some life tips on keeping motivated, and what it's like working as a dancer at a strip club.
Jeff was joined by West Anchorage Democratic State House candidate Carolyn Hall. They discuss her time working for the Boston Red Sox from 2003-2007 and the World Series ring she got when they won in 2004, growing up in Boston, why she moved to Alaska in 2008, her time working as a photojournalist with KTUU and KTVA, her time working in communications roles for former Governor Bill Walker and former Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, why she decided to run for the State House, and some of the prob...
Jeff was joined by former Republican Representative and current State House candidate Chuck Kopp. They discuss the homelessness problem facing Anchorage, Alaska's new voting system, why he is running against Representative Craig Johnson (R - Anchorage), his 2020 loss to now-Representative Tom McKay (R - Anchorage), how his district changed after redistricting, his time as rules chair in a previous House coalition, his thoughts on how the House might organize next year, and some of the craziness ...
Jeff was joined by Enstar Natural Gas Company President John Sims. They discuss being neighbors on Crooked Lake after Jeff and his buddy Lee Baxter bought a lot on the lake, the looming shortage of Cook Inlet gas for Southcentral, the idea of importing LNG to fill the gap, the downsides of doing that, the reasons for the dwindling supply of gas in Cook Inlet, why some companies want state assistance to explore in Cook Inlet, how a gasline would solve the gas problem not only in Southcentral but ...
Jeff was joined by Representative Kevin McCabe (R - Big Lake). They discuss his property near Big Lake, the logging industry, his time serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, his career as a commercial pilot, some infrastructure projects in the Mat-Su Valley, building an Alaska gasline, his time in Juneau since first being elected in 2020, some of the major issues facing Alaska, and the upcoming November general election.
Jeff was joined by Dennis Young, president of the ILWU Alaska Longshore Division. They discuss a ballot initiative in Juneau that aims to stop cruise ships on Saturday and the Fourth of July, why he thinks it's a bad idea for the Juneau economy, some economic statistics on what cruise ship passengers bring to Juneau and other Alaska communities, the effort to oppose the ballot initiative, a joint effort by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Cruise Lines International Association Alaska on cr...
Jeff was again joined by Scott McMurren from Alaska Travelgram. They discuss his airfare discount alert service, Airfare 911, some good deals currently on domestic and international air travel, why airfares have been higher this summer to and from Alaska, some updates on different mileage plans, some in state travel deals, and a wild bachelor party Scott had in Anchorage in the 80s.
Jeff was joined by Aaron Saunders, owner of Drumfire Public Affairs. They discuss his time working as a staffer for the late Senator Ted Stevens in Washington D.C., including during the bogus FBI/DOJ investigation into him, a bit of talk on sports betting, why he decided to move to Seward, Alaska after college, his time working at the Sea Life Center, how he ended up getting a job with Senator Stevens, and some of his thoughts and experiences with the investigation into Senator Stevens before th...
Jeff was joined by legislative staffer Clark Bickford. They discuss his work over the years as a legislative staffer in Juneau for Representative Jesse Sumner (R - Wasilla) and former Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, his father and brother who also work in politics, his thoughts on Jesse Sumner's decision to withdraw after the primary, how wild Juneau can get, how he got involved in poker years ago, and some poker stories about Anchorage and Vegas.
Jeff was joined by Republican House candidate Brandy Pennington, who is running for the open South Anchorage House seat. They discuss why she decided to run for office, her background in real estate and the housing problem in Anchorage, her three opponents, her thoughts on education, why Alaska needs more infrastructure built, the interesting dynamics of her race with three Republicans, and why she thinks the legislative session should be moved to Anchorage.
Jeff was joined by Jacob Hersh. They discuss his first year of law school at the University of Idaho, his internship this summer in Anchorage with the Department of Law, his upcoming second year of law school, his cousin Kristen Faulkner's two gold medals for cycling in the Paris Olympics, the challenges for young people moving to Alaska, the 2024 presidential election, and the upcoming Alaska primary.
Jeff was joined by former FBI agent Tyler Vose. They discuss his educational background, why he decided to join the Army and his job in the Army, why he decided to join the FBI, the process he had to go through to become an FBI agent, his time working as an agent in Detroit, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Anchorage, why he became disillusioned with FBI leadership, and some of the actions of leadership that led him to resign from the FBI.
Jeff was joined by Trevor Storrs and Jen Griffis from the Alaska Children's Trust. They discuss the recent KIDS COUNT , which track the well-being of children, youth, and families and ranks each state, why Alaska continues to rank near the bottom, the problems in the state that contribute to that, why the state government has been unable to fix these problems, and what they think needs to be done to turn things around.
Jeff was joined by Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich. They discuss the race for Alaska's sole U.S. House seat, how the dynamics of this race are different from when he ran in 2022, why he doesn't like Alaska's new voting system, Donald Trump's endorsement of Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom (R - Alaska) in the race, President Joe Biden's abysmal debate performance, some of the issues facing our country, and the upcoming election.
Jeff was joined by House District 16 candidate Nick Moe. They discuss Nick and Jeff's long friendship, his 2013 write-in race for the Anchorage Assembly that he barely lost, why he decided to file at the last minute to run for the House, the dynamics of the race that include it being an open seat and just one other candidate, Democrat Carolyn Hall, his time working as a legislative staffer in Juneau, the problems facing Alaska, and his strategy for winning the race.
