2026 in Alaska! We have an election for governor, we have an election to hopefully send Republican Representative Nick Begich III (AK-AL) back to Congress, and hopefully also send Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) back as well. We’re also hoping to dump ranked-choice voting here this year as well, with that already approved to go on the ballot.
And as of Saturday, Alaska has been a state for 67 years. That’s right; Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, was the 67th birthday of the State of Alaska, which officially became a state on January 3rd, 1959. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum weighed in on that:
On this day 67 years ago, Alaska became the 49th state of the Union!
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) January 3, 2026
The Trump administration is unleashing Alaska to its fullest potential, bringing opportunity, infrastructure and respect to Alaskans who know the land best. pic.twitter.com/bq263FVLAU
Happy birthday to the State of Alaska, a place like no other! And one way we’re unlike the rest of the USA is our weather; people know about the cold and the snow Alaska is famous for, but we also, in some areas, get some serious winds. But, in typical Alaska fashion, along with that comes some good old-fashioned neighborliness.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Great Land Service Members, and Where Did 2025 Go?
Hurricane-force wind gusts have torn roofs off buildings and rattled windows through the night, preventing many Matanuska-Susitna Borough residents from getting a good night’s sleep and adding stress to the holiday season. The winds closed schools, damaged homes and businesses, and cut off power for thousands of Mat-Su residents for days at a time.
But alongside that physical and emotional fatigue came camaraderie. Neighbors have sprung into action to help make emergency repairs, tie down airplanes, post about blown-away trampolines and even compiled a group playlist commemorating the month when the wind wouldn’t stop.
Most of Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper’s roof blew off last weekend, his windows have shattered and his fence has blown down. His neighbors sent him pictures of the damage and worked to secure what they could, as Cooper is traveling in the Lower 48 for the holiday season.
“We’re getting an amazing amount of neighborly love,” Cooper said.
We were spared these winds in our little corner of the Susitna Valley, as we’re in a part where the valley runs north-south, while most of the winds come from west to east. But we’ve sure had them here at our homestead; in the last couple of years we’ve lost a few trees, during one such windstorm the power was out for over 24 hours, and our old greenhouse got ripped up. But it’s Alaska. We expect to live with these things, even the power outages; you can, after all, always cook on the wood stove.
Alaska Man score: 5 good neighbors.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: An Alaskan Athlete, and Alaskans Stick Together
Meanwhile, there’s other stuff happening. Now there’s this: A new U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Ted Stevens. Yep. That Ted Stevens.
Huntington Ingalls Industries has delivered the guided missile destroyer USS Ted Stevens to the the U.S. Navy, the company announced Monday.
The ship, designated DDG 128, is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer and marks the second Flight III destroyer delivered by Ingalls Shipbuilding.
It’s also been called the “most powerful and advanced destroyer” in the world, according to its commanding officer.
That’s as in Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who was in office from 1968 to 2009—the same Ted Stevens, for whom the Anchorage International Airport is named.
“The delivery of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our destroyer program as we accelerate Flight III production and bring enhanced capabilities to the fleet,” Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president, said in a statement.
He said the ship will serve as “a powerful asset in strengthening U.S. maritime security for decades to come.”
The ship was commissioned for use by the U.S. Navy earlier this year.
They are, apparently, building at least four more destroyers in this class. More ships are good; our navy isn’t a pale shadow of what it was in 1945, and that won’t be fixed overnight.
Alaska Man score: 5 anchors aweigh.
Now, a little history behind Alaska’s statehood; watch:
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