Anchorage Daily News

This is the year to rise up, Alaska Democrats say

PALMER -- Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, running against Ted Stevens for the U.S. Senate, told his fellow Democrats on Saturday night that this is their shot.

Alaska Ear

Alaska politics and political hijinks

Palin's veto ax lops $268 million from budget

Gov. Sarah Palin on Friday axed about 10 percent of the spending that state legislators approved for hometown projects. This is the second year in a row Palin vetoed projects dear to legislators. She said lawmakers stuffed the $2.7 billion state capital budget too full.

PDF: Operating budget with vetoes

PDF: Capital budget with appropriations and vetoes

PDF: Capital budget veto spreadsheet by House district

Conoco job won't stop legislator

The Legislature's ethics committee has approved the participation of Anchorage Republican state Rep. Kevin Meyer in next month's special session deliberating a natural gas pipeline.

Complaint against LeDoux dismissed

The legislative ethics committee has dismissed a complaint against Kodiak state Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux but said it strongly felt she created an "appearance of impropriety" by having the City of Unalaska pay for her former staffer's trip to that community.

Blog: Alaska politics

Democrats' convention is this weekend

Alaska Democrats will hold their party convention this weekend, May 23-25, at the state fairgrounds in Palmer.

Begich lays out ethics pledge

Detailing what he called his "Alaska Ethics Pledge," Anchorage Mayor and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Mark Begich vowed Monday to run an open campaign and promised honesty and accessibility if elected this fall.

State's Democratic superdelegates lean to Obama

The last two uncommitted Alaska Democratic Party superdelegates got off the fence Monday and said they're pledging their support to Barack Obama.

Blog: Alaska politics

Alaska Ear

Alaska politics and political hijinks

Video: Obama girl meets Mike Gravel

Ad mistakes Denali for Pikes Peak

Mount McKinley is no Pikes Peak, at least in Colorado political circles. Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer pulled his first television campaign ad after learning that it featured Alaska's Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, instead of Pikes Peak.

4 candidates, minus Young, greet council

All four candidates gunning for Don Young's seat in the U.S. House made their case Friday night for why voters should choose them over the 18-term incumbent.

Judge tosses Ben Stevens' fine

A Superior Court judge has ruled the Alaska Public Offices Commission erred when it found that former Senate President Ben Steven violated state law by failing to disclose the clients of one of this consulting firms, Advance North.

Legislators question Palin's energy voucher plan

Lawmakers responded with skepticism Friday to Gov. Sarah Palin's new idea for $100-a-month energy vouchers. But few seemed ready to trumpet outright opposition to a popular governor proposing to give away money in an election year.

Read the Palin plan

Blog: Alaska politics

Palin wants to give Alaskans $100 a month to use on energy

Gov. Sarah Palin is proposing an energy cost relief plan that would give Alaskans $100-a-month debit cards and pour state dollars into utilities so they'll slash bills to ratepayers.

Read the Palin plan

Alaskans' pain comes in gallons

At gas stations from Muldoon to Huffman, drivers gasped Thursday when the scrolling numbers at the pump came to rest. Filling up a car cost around $60. A truck? Try $100.

Blog: Alaska politics

Some rural communities pushed to the edge by high cost of fuel

Teacher will run for US Senate

A Nikiski High School teacher from Kenai has filed to run for the seat now held by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

Bills mount; Young's legal fund doesn't

Rep. Don Young has reported "no activity" in the special legal fund he set up to accept donations and pay for lawyers assisting his defense in federal investigations.

Young's legal fees surpass $1 million

Kohring's attorney withdraws

Seattle defense attorney John Henry Browne has withdrawn as former state Rep. Vic Kohring's lawyer.

Previous Kohring stories

Ear note

On vacation ... Ear will return next week.

Kohring sentenced to 3½ years in prison

A federal judge sentenced former Wasilla state Rep. Vic Kohring to 3½ years in prison Thursday for taking bribes in a scheme to keep Alaska oil taxes down.

Sympathy hard to find in the Valley

The Alaska corruption scandal

Blog: Alaska Politics

Photos: Kohring sentenced

Video: Kohring addresses the media

Metcalfe drops out of Democratic House race

Democratic congressional candidate Jake Metcalfe, whose campaign had long struggled to get off the ground, said Wednesday he was dropping out of the race after his political adviser was linked to Web sites mocking another candidate.