Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, notching a second straight triumph over a field of rivals suddenly struggling to keep pace.

The Alaska Redistricting Board must redraw three Fairbanks-area House districts and another in the Aleutian chain, a state court judge ruled Friday.

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Newly disclosed details of the millions of dollars flowing into political groups are highlighting not just the scale of donations from corporations and unions but also the secrecy surrounding super…

Barreling out of Florida with money and momentum on his side, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney said today that the bare-knuckled nomination fight thus far has toughened him up for…

Contributions to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee dropped by more than half in the second half of 2011. Palin announced in October that she would not seek…

Mitt Romney's victory today in Florida's presidential primary -- the first test of electoral strength in a big, diverse state this year -- establishes him firmly as the overwhelming favorite…

Mitt Romney oozed confidence and a defiant Newt Gingrich seemed to acknowledge his momentum had been checked, at least for now, as Florida Republicans today decide who gets the state's…

Records show that Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell's first state-sponsored overseas trip cost $20,800. Parnell was away for over two weeks last fall, visiting Israel and several European countries.

In 2008, Barack Obama's opponents worked hard to raise suspicions about the Illinois U.S. senator with the funny name and unusual background. Some said he was foreign-born. Some said he…

Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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Members of the Alaska delegation and others in Congress are vowing to resist a recommendation from the Pentagon to close military bases around the country.

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Alaska congressional members and Gov. Sean Parnell say they will oppose any U.S. Department of Defense plans to seek military base closures in the state.

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n aggressive Mitt Romney repeatedly challenged Republican presidential rival Newt Gingrich in a fast-paced campaign debate tonight, ridiculing the former House speaker's call to build costly projects in key primary…

President Barack Obama has resorted to "extremism" with stifling, anti-growth policies and sought to divide Americans, not unite them, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Tuesday in the formal Republican response…

The Alaska Public Offices Commission has ordered former Anchorage School Board candidate Bob Griffin to pay a $5,700 fine for campaign disclosure violations.

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Highlights of President Obama' State of the Union speech.

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Declaring the American dream under siege, President Barack Obama called Tuesday night for a flurry of help for a hurting middle class and higher taxes on millionaires, delivering a State…

President Obama's 5 p.m. AST address to a joint session of Congress and millions of television viewers will be as much as anything an argument for his re-election, the president's…

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid about $3 million in federal income taxes in 2010 on $21.7 million in earnings, according to records his campaign released today.

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Standing face-to-face, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded barbs over honesty and integrity in an acrimonious debate that opened a fierce fight ahead of Florida's crucial presidential primary.

The partisan atmosphere in Congress has become so poisonous it's reached the point where Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and others are touting the fact they'll be sitting with a member…

A drastically reshaped Republican presidential campaign began anew in Florida on Sunday as the party's establishment confronted the likelihood of an extended and bitter leadership fight and the increasing possibility…

Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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For Mitt Romney, the South Carolina primary was not just a defeat, though it was most emphatically that. It was where his campaign confronted the prospect it had most hoped…

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Strong backing from conservative and religious voters and people fretting about the uncertain economy fueled Newt Gingrich's victory today in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, an exit poll of voters…

U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia has a simple solution for people who don't like all the political advertisements unleashed by the court's decision two years ago that ended limits…

While campaigning on calls to reduce government spending, three of the five Republican presidential candidates are receiving or will be eligible to draw taxpayer-financed pensions. So would a fourth if…

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich staged an upset victory in the South Carolina primary tonight, dealing a sharp setback to former front-runner Mitt Romney and suddenly scrambling the race for…

Saturday's South Carolina GOP presidential primary was once a runaway for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Then it was an easy win for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Then Romney…

The Supreme Court today threw out electoral maps drawn by federal judges in Texas that favored minorities, a decision that could affect control of the House and leaves Texas' primaries…

Mitt Romney's hopes of quickly clinching the Republican presidential nomination may be fading. He now finds himself facing a very tough fight with Newt Gingrich, a man he thought he'd…

With time ebbing to catch front-runner Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidates brawled Thursday night in a debate that drew angry denunciations of the media from Newt Gingrich and spurred…

Gov. Sean Parnell said today that an oil tax-cut bill, passed by the House but deemed problematic by Senate leaders, represents meaningful change to Alaska's oil tax structure.

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Dredging up a past that Newt Gingrich has worked hard to bury, the GOP presidential candidate's second ex-wife says Gingrich asked for an "open marriage" in which he could have…

Gov. Sean Parnell on Wednesday called on Alaska lawmakers to pass "meaningful tax reform" to spur new oil production, and laid out a timetable for progress toward a natural gas…

The Senate Finance Committee introduced legislation Wednesday that would change Alaska's system of taxing oil and gas production together.

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Gov. Sean Parnell on Wednesday called on Alaska lawmakers to pass "meaningful tax reform" to spur new oil production, and laid out a timetable for progress toward a natural gas…

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Alaska Sen. Mark Begich on Tuesday named a new rural liaison and a new military staffer for his office.

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As Wikipedia went dark and Google blacked out its logo today in protest of a congressional bill meant to fight online piracy, Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich said…

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In the first strike of its kind, hundreds of popular sites including Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing shut down today to protest a pair of anti-piracy bills that they say…

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The Fairbanks North Star Borough is denying that its employees released confidential information from former U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller's personnel file.

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Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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The Justice Department has agreed to investigate whether there was misconduct involved in federal prosecutors' decision to not prosecute a teen sex crime case against disgraced former Veco Corp. chairman…

WASHINGTON -- Note to President Obama and his staff: Learn a bit of fish biology before mocking the federal government for how it handles salmon.

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski is urging a permanent end to the partisan seating arrangement at the State of the Union address.

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Severe criticism from the wildland firefighters association and the parents of a fallen firefighter have committee staffers for Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski apologizing for an office pool on how many…

Gov. Sean Parnell on Thursday announced the appointment of an Anchorage attorney as Alaska's new attorney general. Michael Geraghty, 59, will replace John Burns, whose resignation became effective Jan. 2,

North Slope Borough Assembly members named Charlotte Brower the new borough mayor Tuesday following a count of absentee and questioned ballots in Barrow, the borough clerk said.

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In Anchorage, a small group of Occupy Anchorage protestors has had tents set up at the edge of Town Square. But they are not staying overnight in the park, which…

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A major figure in an Alaska political corruption scandal is expected to complete his prison sentence next week.

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Occupy Fairbanks protesters have defied regulations by setting up a small canvas tent with a wood stove for staying warm in a move that drew heat Tuesday from officials.

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The Alaska Public Offices Commission on Thursday rejected a consent agreement with Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell over campaign finance disclosures. Treadwell had agreed to pay $6,704 in penalties and costs…

Rep. Don Young is using terrorism in his argument for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

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Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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Alaska's U.S. House member has introduced legislation intended to help communities comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

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A 2 1/2 year investigation into the bungled prosecution of then-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens found widespread and sometimes intentional misconduct by Justice Department attorneys in that and other Alaska corruption…

Anchorage Assemblyman Paul Honeman, who is running for mayor, says the current mayor should fire Anchorage Port Director William Sheffield because of problems with the port expansion project.

An effort by Alaska prosecutors to pursue a case against former Veco Corp. chief Bill Allen on allegations of child sexual abuse has ended with no charges, the state's top…

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The Occupy Fairbanks movement and borough officials can't agree about the tent that protesters set up in an effort to stay warm during days of record-breaking cold in Alaska's second-largest…

The feud between Alaska congressman Don Young and prominent historian Douglas Brinkley that started at a House committee hearing last week has continued, with Brinkley calling Young a bully and…

Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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The U.S. Postal Service watchdog is calling for changes to Alaska's bypass mail program, saying it has evolved past its original purpose and seems to help commercial interests more than…

Alaska Public Offices Commission staff is recommending more than $2,000 in penalties and costs against a legislative staffer who announced plans to run for the House without filing with the…

Climate warming means more ships in Arctic waters, Alaska's lieutenant governor said Wednesday, and an even greater need for the U.S. to maintain its presence in the region with polar…

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski today endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president, saying the Republican has demonstrated the leadership needed to get the country on the right track.

A former North Slope mayor who lost another bid for the office is contesting the results of the recent election, saying he has filed grounds for an investigation as ordered…

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Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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A defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination Saturday amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations against him, throwing his staunchly conservative supporters up for…

A federal report that criticized the bypass mail program in Alaska is inaccurate and incomplete, according to the state's congressional delegation.

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State Rep. Peggy Wilson has filed a letter of intent to seek re-election next year.

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Efforts to get an initiative establishing a coastal management program on next year's ballot can proceed.

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Gov. Sean Parnell wants to spend $10 million to work toward building a road to the remote village of Tanana that's supposed to be the first link of an epic…

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Wolf-dogs kept on chains and behind stockade fencing at an Alaska tourist attraction are going to live out their days in a California sanctuary.

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Fort Wainwright could lose up to 62 civilian positions in the Defense Department's national downsizing effort announced by the Army this week. Fort Greely also could lose six positions, and…

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Sen. Mark Begich appears to be the most affluent among the Alaska congressional delegation, with a net worth estimated by the Center for Responsive Politics at $2.3 million.

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A group of a dozen-plus Occupy Anchorage protestors -- with about as many news reporters and photographers following along -- marched and rallied Monday afternoon in protest of the expensive…

More than 1,000 Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked cargo trucks at some of the West Coast's busiest ports Monday, forcing terminals in Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Longview, Wash., to…

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

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President Barack Obama and a bitterly divided Congress have 18 days to figure out whether to continue a Social Security payroll tax cut, avoid a huge drop in Medicare payments…

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Alaska Rep. Don Young has voted with the majority in passing legislation that extends Social Security payroll tax cuts through 2012.

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The Fairbanks North Star Borough is stepping up pressure on the Occupy Fairbanks protesters at Veterans Memorial Park to remove two tents and a heating stove.

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A day after the Anchorage Assembly voted to override Mayor Dan Sullivan's veto of $144,607 in parks funds, Sullivan said the override vote was "just part of the politics" involved…

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The Alaska Public Offices Commission is fining Pebble mine opponent Bob Gillam's private air service $25,500 for flying anti-Pebble candidates into villages to campaign and only charging them for fuel.

Alaska Rep. Don Young was acting within the rules when he accepted $60,000 in checks for his legal defense fund from a Louisiana businessman with interests in Alaska oil drilling.

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Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday she believes Congress will break the impasse over a payroll tax cut extension; she's just not sure how.

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Alaska Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski said Thursday they're glad House Republicans finally moved ahead on a bill that extends the payroll tax cut for two months.

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Republican leaders in the House of Representatives may have avoided steering their entire party toward political disaster in 2012 by giving up Thursday on their refusal to back a short-term…

A lawyer for former U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller will question employees of the Fairbanks North Star Borough about the release of personnel records.

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Alaska politics and political hijinks…

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The National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to outlaw talking on a cellphone while driving, but even supporters of the idea say it isn't going to happen in Alaska…

Alaska Republican Congressman Don Young is preparing to run for his 21st two-year term and the Democrats still don't have a recognizable challenger out raising campaign cash as the year…

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The Alaska Public Offices Commission staff investigated whether Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, in his election campaign, got discounts for ad services that amounted to a corporate contribution, and has concluded…

An Anchorage lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would provide tax credits to Alaska businesses that hire military veterans.

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A virtually unheard-of meeting today between the chief executives of the big-three North Slope energy producers and an Alaska governor comes after a call by Gov. Sean Parnell for increased…

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Mitt Romney is battling his Republican presidential rivals and high expectations today in New Hampshire's primary, first in the nation and well known for surprise endings.

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The number of registered independent and undeclared voters in Alaska has increased by more than 8,700 in the past two years, the most of any political grouping…

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State flags will be lowered Thursday to honor former Alaska labor commissioner and lawmaker Ed Orbeck.

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Two state senators have testified that the state's redistricting plan is political gerrymandering intended to eliminate one of them to make way for a Republican.

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A federal judge in Washington ruled today that the Justice Department was wrong in categorically refusing to provide any of its criminal investigative files on Alaska Rep. Don Young to…

The number of registered independent and undeclared voters in Alaska has increased by more than 8,700 in the past two years.

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Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell is the scheduled featured speaker for an anti-abortion rally on the state Capitol steps next week.

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Embattled Anchorage port director Bill Sheffield says Assemblyman Paul Honeman quietly sought campaign donations last fall, then demanded his ouster from the port when he ignored Honeman's pleas.

Embattled Anchorage port director Bill Sheffield says Assemblyman Paul Honeman quietly sought his political support and campaign donations last fall, then demanded his ouster from the port when he ignored Honeman's pleas....

JUNEAU -- Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell is the scheduled featured speaker for an anti-abortion rally on the state Capitol steps next week. ...

JUNEAU -- The number of registered independent and undeclared voters in Alaska has increased by more than 8,700 in the past two years. ...

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled today that the Justice Department was wrong in categorically refusing to provide any of its criminal investigative files on U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, to an anti-corruption public interest group....

New Hampshire polls close at 4 p.m. AST. ...

JUNEAU -- The number of registered independent and undeclared voters in Alaska has increased by more than 8,700 in the past two years. ...

State flags will be lowered Thursday to honor a former state labor commissioner and lawmaker. ...

FAIRBANKS -- Two Democratic Fairbanks senators have testified in a trial contesting Alaska's redistricting plan. ...

JUNEAU -- House Speaker Mike Chenault says his GOP-led caucus is weighing whether to push a bill aimed at getting more information about whether a major Alaska natural gas pipeline project is a worthwhile investment. ...

ANCHORWOOD ... Well, darlings, did you get your "non-transferrable" invitation to the premier of "Big Miracle," aka The Whale Movie? Ear's came attached to a beautiful poster picturing three whales topped by the three stars of the film -- Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski and ...

The chief executives of the big three North Slope energy producers are expected to meet with Gov. Sean Parnell Thursday. ...

JUNEAU -- An Anchorage lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would provide tax credits to Alaska businesses that hire military veterans. ...

The Alaska Public Offices Commission staff investigated whether Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, in his election campaign, got discounts for ad services that amounted to a corporate contribution, and has concluded that he didn't. ...

Happy New Year, darlings. Welcome to the final year of the no-name decade (calling it the "oughts" never caught on). ...

Alaska Republican Congressman Don Young is preparing to run for his 21st two-year term and the Democrats still don't have a recognizable challenger out raising campaign cash as the year ends....

The National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to outlaw talking on a cellphone while driving, but even supporters of the idea say it isn't going to happen in Alaska anytime soon....

FAIRBANKS -- A lawyer for former U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller will question employees of the Fairbanks North Star Borough about the release of personnel records....

NEXT: DRIVERS IN BLINDFOLDS . . . A Kenai judge's weird ruling that the state's no-electronic-screens-while-driving-law doesn't apply to texting won't save Anchorage offenders, according to Rep. Les Gara....

WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders in the House of Representatives may have avoided steering their entire party toward political disaster in 2012 by giving up Thursday on their refusal to back a short-term Social Security payroll tax-cut extension. But their week-long obstinacy still may have given P...

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. The Alaska Democrat told reporters in Anchorage that he heard from constituents who were confused and frustrated as to why there was a ...

JUNEAU -- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday that she believes Congress will break the impasse over a payroll tax cut extension; she's just not sure how. ...

The House Ethics Committee has cleared Alaska Rep. Don Young on charges he took too much money for his legal expense fund from a donor with interests in offshore Arctic oil drilling. But now the panel is changing the rules because of the case....

The Alaska Public Offices Commission is fining Pebble mine opponent Bob Gillam's private air service $25,500 for flying anti-Pebble candidates into villages to campaign and only charging them for fuel....

ANCHORWOOD . . . The fun never stops when you're in the movies. Or at least, when your government subsidy program gives beaucoup bucks to moviemakers. Earwigs report the world premiere of "Big Miracle," aka the whale movie, is set for Jan. 25 in Washington, D.C. ...

A day after the Anchorage Assembly voted to override Mayor Dan Sullivan's veto of $144,607 in parks funds, Sullivan said the override vote was "just part of the politics" involved in working with the Assembly and involved a difference in philosophy....

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and a bitterly divided Congress have 18 days to figure out whether to continue a Social Security payroll tax cut, avoid a huge drop in Medicare payments to doctors and maintain many unemployment benefits. ...

JUNEAU -- Alaska Rep. Don Young has voted with the majority in passing legislation that extends Social Security payroll tax cuts through 2012. ...

A group of a dozen-plus Occupy Anchorage protestors marched and rallied Monday afternoon in protest of the expensive and beleaguered Port of Anchorage expansion and in support of efforts to shut down ports all along the West Coast....

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

A group of a dozen-plus Occupy Anchorage protestors -- with about as many news reporters and photographers following along -- marched and rallied Monday afternoon in protest of the expensive and beleaguered Port of Anchorage expansion and in support of efforts to shut down ports all along the West ...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- More than 1,000 Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked cargo trucks at some of the West Coast's busiest ports Monday, forcing terminals in Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Longview, Wash., to halt operations. ...

Sen. Mark Begich appears to be the most affluent among the Alaska congressional delegation, with a net worth estimated by the Center for Responsive Politics at $2.3 million....

Darlings, The Divine Appendage is so sorry, but no column this week. Environmental Ear stayed out too long during the Big Meltdown and got frozen to the ground. Waiting to thaw....

Wolf-dogs kept on chains and behind stockade fencing at an Alaska tourist attraction are going to live out their days in a California sanctuary. ...

Gov. Sean Parnell wants to spend $10 million to work toward building a road to the remote village of Tanana that's supposed to be the first link of an epic and hugely expensive road across the Interior to the coast at Nome....

JUNEAU -- Efforts to get an initiative establishing a coastal management program on next year's ballot can proceed. ...

SITKA -- State Rep. Peggy Wilson has filed a letter of intent to seek re-election next year.The Wrangell Republican tells KCAW radio that she will run against fellow Republican Rep. Kyle Johansen of Ketchikan....

FAIRBANKS -- A federal report that criticized the bypass mail program in Alaska is inaccurate and incomplete, according to the state's congressional delegation. ...

REWIND . . . Looks like the eternal campaign to move the capital from Juneau to anywhere else is revving up again. Republican bossman Randy Ruedrich called the Mike Porcaro show Thursday but was too late to get on the air. But he was happy to repeat his message for Ear: "As a result of the de...

ATLANTA - A defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination Saturday amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations against him, throwing his staunchly conservative supporters up for grabs with just one month to go before the lead-off caucuses in Iowa.Ca...

BARROW -- A former North Slope mayor who lost another bid for the office is contesting the results of the recent election, saying he has filed grounds for an investigation as ordered by the borough. ...

JUNEAU -- Mitt Romney has picked up the endorsement of another Alaska political leader as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination....

Climate warming means more people are using Arctic waters, Alaska's lieutenant governor said Wednesday, and an even greater need for the country to maintain its presence in the region with polar ice breakers. ...

JUNEAU -- Alaska Public Offices Commission staff is recommending more than $2,000 in penalties and costs against a legislative staffer who announced plans to run for the House without filing with the commission. ...

JUNEAU — The U.S. Postal Service watchdog is calling for changes to Alaska's bypass mail program, saying it has evolved past its original purpose and seems to help commercial interests more than rural residents....

DEAR MAYOR DAN . . . Want a fast 50 grand to help balance the city budget? The one you're crying the blues over?...

The feud between Alaska Congressman Don Young and prominent historian Douglas Brinkley that started at a House committee hearing last Friday has continued, with Brinkley calling Young a bully and a "low-grade Joseph McCarthy."...

FAIRBANKS -- The Occupy Fairbanks movement and borough officials can't agree about the tent that protesters set up in an effort to stay warm during days of record-breaking cold in Alaska's second-largest city. ...

An effort by state prosecutors to pursue a case against former Veco Corp. chief Bill Allen on allegations of child sexual abuse has ended with no charges, the state's top prosecutor said Monday....

Anchorage Assemblyman Paul Honeman, who is running for mayor, says the current mayor should fire Anchorage Port Director William Sheffield because of problems with the port expansion project....

WASHINGTON - The special prosecutor who investigated the botched case against late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is not recommending criminal charges against any of the Justice Department attorneys who tried him despite finding widespread misconduct beyond what has yet been publicly revealed....

JUNEAU -- Alaska's U.S. House member has introduced legislation intended to help communities comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations. ...

DARLING DON . . . Nevermind the propeller-head hat he wore to a committee meeting with the Energy Secretary last week, Don Young, Congressman for All Alaskans Who Voted for Him, is continuing his endearing practice of giving federal laws amusing names. Remember when he named a huge transportation b...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Don Young is using terrorism in his argument for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. ...

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From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --A group calling itself the Alaska Film Alliance says it's organizing to voice concerns with the state's generous film subsidy program....

Occupy Fairbanks protesters have defied regulations by setting up a small canvas tent with a wood stove for staying warm in a move that drew heat Tuesday from officials. ...

JUNEAU -- A major figure in an Alaska political corruption scandal is expected to complete his prison sentence next week. ...

North Slope Borough Assembly members named Charlotte Brower the new borough mayor today following a count of absentee and questioned ballots in Barrow, the borough clerk says....

In Anchorage, a small group of Occupy Anchorage protestors have had tents set up at the edge of Town Square. But they are not staying overnight in the park, which is closed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., said police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker. ...

JUNEAU -- U.S. Mark Begich said Monday he's optimistic a bipartisan congressional committee will meet the deadline for agreeing on a deficit-reduction plan of at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade. ...

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell was returning home Monday after his first state-sponsored trip overseas that included time in several European countries and Israel. ...

One of the Legislature's most vocal critics of Gov. Sean Parnell's efforts to roll back oil taxes debated the issue Monday with one of the governor's top aides....

State Rep. Les Gara, one of the Legislature's most vocal critics of Gov. Sean Parnell's efforts to roll back oil taxes, today debated the issue with one of the governor's top advisers on the issue....

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a challenge to the Obama administration's health care law next year, setting the stage for a legal and political blockbuster. Surprising no one, but exciting many, justices agreed to hear the claim by Florida and 25 other states that ...

The upcoming legislative session could be the last for Democrats to hold real power in the Legislature, with the Republican-led redrawing of the district lines having put some key Democrats in tough spots for next year's election and races already starting to take shape....

LITERARY NEWS . . . Say you're Levi Johnston, pitching your book, "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs." Book signings, right? Like any serious writer. At Barnes and Noble or Title Wave or maybe the library? Sounds OK. ...

The Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint by losing U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller alleging Alaska Native corporations broke federal law by pumping more than $800,000 into the effort to re-elect Sen. Lisa Murkowski....

JUNEAU -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski is planning to hold a town hall, by phone, on the U.S. economy. ...

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Republican presidential candidates drew a bright line against government help for the private economy Wednesday night, whether it's to bail out the U.S. auto industry at home or a debt crisis in Italy that could threaten the world economy....

JUNEAU -- The Alaska Public Offices Commission is considering whether to dismiss a complaint against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell over campaign financial disclosures. ...

The Justice Department is almost finished with its investigation into misconduct by prosecutors in the 2008 prosecution of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens....

A defiant Herman Cain declared Tuesday he would not drop his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in the face of allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior."Ain't gonna' happen," Cain said at a news conference a day after a fourth woman accused him of unwanted sexual...

NO THOUGHTS AT ALL ... Daily News political reporter Sean Cockerham got an e-mail Monday from a David Usborne:...

JUNEAU -- Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell is asking the Alaska Public Offices Commission to dismiss a complaint over campaign financial disclosures. ...

JUNEAU — A judge on Thursday granted the Fairbanks North Star Borough's request to drop its lawsuit over Alaska's new redistricting plan....

JUNEAU -- Two voters are opposing the Fairbanks North Star Borough's request to drop its lawsuit over Alaska's new redistricting plan. ...

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell said Wednesday that he met for several hours with the chief executive of BP PLC during the first leg of his European trip, touching on issues ranging from a natural gas pipeline to how Alaskans might benefit if oil taxes are cut. ...

Subsidies for rural Alaska air travel and farmers in the 49th state survived in the $182 billion spending bill the U.S. Senate passed on Tuesday....

A Republican state representative from Eagle River is running for the Anchorage Senate seat currently held by Democrat Bettye Davis. ...

KENAI -- A former legislator has been elected mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. ...

Back in February, the Parnell administration told a judge that Cook Inlet beluga whales didn't need the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act because the state was perfectly capable of protecting them itself, in part because of the Alaska Coastal Management Program....

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell is making his first state-sponsored trip overseas this week, meeting with the heads of major energy companies as he seeks to drum up more investment in Alaska. Parnell said he plans to visit leaders of BP PLC, Royal Dutch Shell and Eni SpA during what he calls an "i...

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell has a new deputy chief of staff....

ANCHORWOOD . . . Are we having fun or what! Familiar faces working on the movie now shooting around town - "The Frozen Ground" - are popping up everywhere, giving us all something to talk about as the boring season (between fishing and the Legislature) descends....

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday that there's "conclusive evidence" that Alaska isn't competitive with other oil-bearing regions when oil prices are high. ...

JUNEAU -- A state court judge wants to hear from the other plaintiffs suing over Alaska's legislative redistricting plan before deciding whether the Fairbanks North Star Borough can drop its claim. ...

Gov. Sean Parnell today named Tesoro lobbyist Kip Knudson as his choice to replace the state's longtime representative in Washington, D.C., John Katz. Knudson, 47, said in a brief prepared statement that he was "humbled to follow in John Katz's footsteps."...

JUNEAU -- A Democratic lawmaker from Anchorage said Monday he won't seek re-election next year, adding that he had already spent more time in the state Legislature than he initially planned. ...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is planning a series of town hall meetings about the economy this week....

SAY IT AIN'T SO ... Alas and alack, Ear's favorite legislator has decided to call it quits. Rep. Mike Doogan, D-Spenard et al., says he won't run for re-election in 2012. ...

With the guilty pleas of two former legislators Friday, the seven-year federal investigation of corruption in Alaska came to a close, leaving some of the original targets off the hook but 10 others with criminal records, including six state legislators....

JUNEAU -- A Ketchikan Republican who recently avoided a recall attempt is planning to seek re-election. ...