News Round Up for the day of [May 22, 2017]

Permanent Fund grows direct investments into companies, infrastructure

Bill Introduced in Congress that Would Allow the Cancellation of $1 Trillion in Student Loan Debt Via Bankruptcy

Woman Charged with Embezzling Approximately $300,000 from a Southeast Alaska Tribal Organization

When sailboats ruled Bristol Bay

A Day Exploring Prince of Wales Island

Permanent Fund grows direct investments into companies, infrastructure

Author: Alex DeMarban

The Alaska Permanent Fund continues to pursue what has proven a winning strategy so far, directly investing in companies in hopes of generating big returns as they grow.

The $59 billion fund also hopes to increasingly capitalize on U.S. infrastructure investments, an effort that was already underway but is getting closer attention with President Donald Trump hoping to secure $1 trillion from Congress to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges, airports and other hardware.

The fund has invested $1.8 billion in private infrastructure around the world. Only 23 percent of that, or $415 million, is invested in the United States, primarily in pipelines, but in other areas such as cell towers and port facilities, Angela Rodell, the fund's chief executive, said Friday.

Like many other large investors, the fund has already seen some benefit since the Trump was elected on Nov. 8. Expectations that he will ease regulations and corporate tax have sent stocks soaring, helping the fund grow about $4 billion in value since the election, or about 7.5 percent.

That's about half the growth of some major stock indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, consisting of stocks of 30 major companies. But the portfolio is broadly diversified beyond just stocks, with investments including those income-generating stakes in say, ports, that can return stable value despite the stock market's highs and lows.

The fund has returned an average of 7 percent a year over the last 20 years. It returned 5.1 percent over the last 10 years, a period that includes lost value associated with the Great Recession when markets crashed. Growth over the last five years is closer to the long-term average, almost 8 percent annually. [Read the Full Story]

Bill Introduced in Congress that Would Allow the Cancellation of $1 Trillion in Student Loan Debt Via Bankruptcy

Just my life that right when I'm about to pay off my student loans the governments introduces this type of bill!

Woman Charged with Embezzling Approximately $300,000 from a Southeast Alaska Tribal Organization

From sitnews.us

Delia Commander, 63, of Oregon, is charged in a four-count indictment with embezzling approximately $300,000 from the Skagway Traditional Council, which is a federally recognized tribal organization.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward, who presented the case against Delia Commander to the grand jury, from at least 2010 to 2014, the defendant embezzled approximately $300,000 from the Skagway Traditional Council. During that time, Commander was the Tribal Administrator. Commander embezzled the money by using the tribal credit card to make unauthorized cash advances at casinos and other locations, and by making unauthorized purchases with tribal funds. The purchases included paying for personal travel, online university courses, personal vehicle maintenance, and personal shopping, among other things.

The law provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. [Source]