"Ice Crystals": Tori Tipton and the Mat-Su Valley

Before the prescription drug OxyContin surpassed homemade meth as the drug of choice in the Mat-Su Valley, Lori Tipton covered the Anchorage International Film Festival debut of "Ice Crystals."

Lori Tipton, the voice of Mat-Su Valley for KTUU

Documentary: "Ice Crystals" methamphetamine

The 19-year-old filmmaker Eirin Strickland, said "I didn't really know how bad it was when I started out." Strickland wanted to learn more about methamphetamine and it's effects in his hometown of Palmer, Alaska. He spent a year researching the Matanuska Valley's meth problem. Once the farming capitol of Alaska, it later became known as the meth capitol of Alaska.

"I was born here and I wanted to know how this could've happened to my home," Strickland said. It is tragic that not enough of the other Valley residents have an interest to know, illicit drug deals rule and business is good.

KTUU Valley news reporter Lori Tipton reviewed the documentary in Nov. 2007. A year later and the Valley (Wasilla, Palmer) was famous around the world when Sarah Palin's older children, Track and Bristol, made headlines and tabloids covers with their reported drug use. Meth was no longer the drug of choice in the Valley. A famous OxyContin bust (delayed for political reasons) spotlighted the new choice, OxyContin.

Has the drug problem improved? Is it time for another documentary? Do local journalists, like Lori Tipton, need to get off their butts?

It appears Tipton failed to notice the Alaskan troopers statements. The following story with Investigator Kyle Young disappeared from the media. Why are reporters in the Valley so remiss? Alaska trooper says politics slowed drug arrest.

Investigator Kyle Young sent an e-mail to the Public Safety Employees Association saying the search warrant of Johnston’s house was delayed for political reasons, the Anchorage Daily News reported Monday.

“It was not allowed to progress in a normal fashion, the search warrant WAS delayed because of the pending election and the Mat Su Drug Unit and the case officer were not the ones calling the shots,” Young wrote in the Dec. 30 e-mail.

Lori Tipton reported: Feds suspend Medicaid for Alaskans in July 2009.

"From 2006 to 2009, the state reported 27 Alaskans died while waiting for initial assessments and 227 died while waiting to be reassessed,
according to the review."
Breaking the back of Health and Social Services.

The media follow up was nil, that should be a crime. What are 227 deaths to Tipton, KTUU and Alaska? The federal government did eventually reinstate Medicaid, yet few show they cared about the deaths in Alaska or how the deaths came about. Were there any stories about these citizens? Did any of them have families that were effected?

The people need better information about all healthcare information:
Video: "We're Number 37" (scroll to the end of post)

PHOTO: Lori Tipton and her "shock jock" lover Bob Lester >

Bob Lester is known for his disdain of a cancer patient and the time when Sarah Palin joined him with laughter as Lester jockingly mocked. "Early this year, an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News ripped into Gov. Sarah Palin's appearance on a morning "shock jock" radio show as "plain and simple one of the most unprofessional, childish and inexcusable performances I've ever seen from a politician".

If you live in Alaska, don't get sick. They have some disgusting excuses for media types and they may broadcast calling you names and laughing at your misfortune.

PHOTO: Heidi Klum

September 9, 2009: Tipton did help bring awareness to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Child advocates remind pregnant women of dangers of drinking
Other than that, does Lori Tipton know what a pregnant woman looks like or how to develop and follow a story that reeks of child abuse and fraud?
PHOTOS: Palin pregnant
1. Track Palin
2. Trig Palin
It's hard to say what happened with Tipton when she worked on Trig Palin's mysterious birth. Was she duped? Why did she not do better research and follow up?

There are more questions today than ever before.

Palingates guest, Patrick, delves deeper into the facts.

H E R E... Levi Johnston, Lori Tipton And Their “Business” at Mat-Su Hospital – And What Rex Butler Doesn’t Want To Go On the Record With… UPDATED

Sunday, 20 September 2009