Around Juneau
Poll shows support for larger alcohol tax
JUNEAU -- By a 3-1 margin, registered voters in Alaska support an increase in the alcohol tax, according to a poll conducted for the Republican majority in the state House of Representatives by Hellenthal and Associates of Anchorage.
The poll, conducted Oct. 9-17, found 76.8 percent generally in favor of a tax increase, with 23.2 percent opposed. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 4.98 percent.
The pollsters first identified alcohol abuse and underage drinking as "serious and costly problems in Alaska," and then said a proposed increase of 10 cents per drink would raise an additional $33 million for the state "to keep pace with inflation." The tax was last raised in 1983.
More than half of poll respondents, 51.7 percent, said they favored a 25-cents-per-drink increase in the tax. The numbers increased to 68.6 percent for 10 cents a drink and 71.9 percent for 5 cents a drink.
The House Finance Committee held a hearing in Anchorage on Thursday on the "dime a drink" proposal by Anchorage Rep. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican. Murkowski's bill generated a lot of discussion in the 2000 session, but was blocked by Committee Co-Chairman Bill Williams, a Saxman Republican, after an intense industry lobbying campaign.
Murkowski said last week that a hoped-for consensus among liquor industry representatives failed to materialize. Rep. Bill Hudson, a Juneau Republican, said the lobbyists admit privately that some increase in the tax is likely.
Senate Finance Co-Chairman Dave Donley, an Anchorage Republican, says he's willing to raise it, although he is opposed to most new taxes that are being proposed for a long-range fiscal plan.
State chamber meets in Juneau
JUNEAU -- The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce will hear from Gov. Tony Knowles, the state's congressional delegation and a Yukon government official during its annual convention and trade show this week at Centennial Hall.
Knowles will address the business leaders at 9 a.m. Wednesday on "planning for progress in challenging times." U.S. Sens. Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens, and Rep. Don Young will speak afterward via satellite from Washington.
Among topics included in Wednesday sessions are the possibility of a railroad and a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48, a long-range fiscal plan for the state and the impact of terrorism on the tourism industry. An official from the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce will talk about ties between Alaska and Washington state.
On Tuesday, there are "legislative tie-in" meetings in which chamber members will set priorities for the 2001 session. The convention concludes Thursday morning with a meeting of the chamber board of directors.
The annual event originally was slated for September in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, but was postponed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Michael Brandt, director of trade and investment for the territorial government, will discuss the proposed railroad and pipeline.
Weather cancels dive for evidence
JUNEAU -- The divers of the Southeast Aquatic Safety Team planned to dive off the steamship wharf downtown Sunday morning to search for clues that might be linked with the skull fragment found there on Oct. 22 at a depth of 40 feet.
However, "the weather got real nasty," said John Lachelt, president of SEAS, and the dive had to be canceled. "They turned it into a drill. We will try it again in short order, I'm sure," he said.
The skull, which contains teeth and gold bridgework, has been partially identified as belonging to a man 35 to 50 years old, police said last week. No identity has been determined.