63°

Broken clouds

Weather sponsored by:

Law to ban texting while driving faces challenge

JUNEAU — Alaska’s intended ban on texting while driving is facing a legal challenge, with a magistrate in Kenai saying the Legislature should have been explicit if they truly meant to prohibit the activity.

The decision this month by Magistrate Jennifer Wells follows challenges to charges under the law in the Fairbanks area.

Comments: (18) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Begich hails breakthrough on payroll tax impasse

JUNEAU — U.S. Sen. Mark Begich said Thursday that he’s glad the U.S. House appears ready to move ahead on a bill that will extend the payroll tax cut for two months.

Comments: (8) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Ethics case against Young dismissed

JUNEAU — Contributions made to Rep. Don Young’s legal defense fund were permissible but challenged the “principle” of contribution limits, the U.S. House Ethics Committee concluded Tuesday.

The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics had asked the committee to review the case after its board found substantial reason to believe Young, R-Alaska, accepted contributions exceeding the $5,000 limit for any individual or organization for a calendar year.

Comments: (13) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Oregon man faces fishing charges in Alaska

JUNEAU — An Oregon man who once operated a fishing vessel co-owned by a former fisheries aide to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been indicted on charges of fishing in one area and falsely reporting the fish were caught in another area.

Freddie Lee Hankins is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Anchorage. His attorney, David Smith, said Monday that Hankins will plead not guilty.

Comments: (2) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Governor proposes housing aid for victims

JUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell is proposing $1.3 million for housing aid for victims of domestic violence in Alaska.

Details of the program, which would be run through the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., or AHFC, are still being worked out. But Jim Gurke, director of AHFC’s public housing division, said Wednesday that it could help an estimated 150 families for a year. He also said that it’s in line with the governor’s overall effort to curb the domestic violence problem in Alaska.

Judge rules against Petersburg in redistricting

JUNEAU — A state court judge on Monday ruled against the city of Petersburg in its challenge to Alaska’s newly drawn political boundaries.

Petersburg argued that the new House District 32 in southeast Alaska is not “compact” under the state constitution. But Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy, in a written order, said it is compact enough to satisfy constitutional requirements, and he found in favor of the Alaska Redistricting Board.

Sitka commander was prepared to drop charges

JUNEAU — The commander of Air Station Sitka testified Thursday he was prepared to recommend that allegations against the co-pilot in a fatal helicopter crash be dropped, but those plans were trumped by the new Coast Guard admiral in Alaska.

Cmdr. William Cameron testified Thursday in a hearing to help determine whether Lt. Lance Leone should face a court-martial in the July 2010 crash off the Washington coast, in which three others onboard died.

Comments: (22) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Southwest Alaska gold project moving ahead

JUNEAU — NovaGold Resources Inc. announced Monday that a gold prospect in southwest Alaska is ready to advance to permitting.

The Canada-based company said an updated feasibility study shows that the total cost of the project is roughly $300 million less than an earlier projection, at about $6.7 billion. The report also underscored the benefit of using natural gas instead of diesel for power generation, the company said. A pipeline would cost about $834 million.

Comments: (8) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Ethics Committee to decide on Young fund investigation

ANCHORAGE — The U.S. House Ethics Committee is considering whether to investigate Alaska Rep. Don Young, following an inquiry into whether donations to the Republican’s legal defense fund exceeded the contribution limit.

The committee said Monday it would make a decision by Jan. 11. The panel’s statement follows an inquiry by the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics, which reviews allegations of misconduct and sometimes refers those matters to the Ethics Committee.

Comments: (2) | Read More | Login to post a comment

Interest in Alaska gold - from novices to companies - rises amid high commodity prices

JUNEAU — Interest in gold mining in Alaska has surged, buoyed by high gold prices and the lure of a landscape that remains relatively unexplored.