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Alaska
Alaskans are starting to wonder if the era of 'Uncle Ted' is coming to an end.
Jul
09
When federal agents raided the home of Ted Stevens in an Alaska ski town last week, looking for evidence in a bribery probe, they weren't just investigating the most senior member of the U.S. Senate. They were also exposing a bullying, nepotistic political culture that has flourished on the Last Frontier for decades. Despite its vastness, Alaska is home to just 670,000 people, and it's been dominated for years by a handful of players: Stevens, 83, former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Don Young, the state's lone House member, and various protégés and oilmen.
Army knew Alaska base family housing site was toxic
Jul
09
Audit Found Civil and Criminal Liability at Taku Gardens But No Action Taken
Dems say oil speculation mess started on Ted Stevens' watch
Jul
03
Oil Speculation Forces Alaska Families To Pay More At The Pump
U.S. Senate toasts Alaska statehood
Jun
27
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The U.S. Senate noted the coming 50th anniversary of Alaska's statehood with a little cake.
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens served cake adorned with Alaska state flags to their colleagues Thursday.
Besides the Alaska delegation, senators from Idaho and Washington spoke about the vote on June 30, 1958, that sent the statehood act to President Dwight Eisenhower for his signature.
Washington state Democrat Sen. Patty Murray noted that 50 years ago Alaska's statehood was controversial.
US warrantless wiretapping predates 9/11
Jun
27
Fresh evidence has emerged that the US government's warrantless wiretapping program predates the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Secret surveillance operations that enabled the National Security Agency (NSA) to access telecommunications traffic data have been in place since the 1990s, according to the New York Times. In an attempt to gain intelligence on narcotics traffickingThe NSA forged an uneasy alliance with telcos to gather data on phone calls and emails from the US to Latin America.
Prince William Sound and Fury: Oil Giant Dodges Punitive Damages for Valdez Spill
Jun
27
Oil giant ExxonMobil will pay the equivalent of 24 hours worth of petroleum sales to the people impacted by the 11 million gallons (41.5 million liters) of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989 when the drunken skipper of the Exxon Valdez allowed the tanker to run aground, according to a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The ruling caps the total damages assessed to the company at $507.5 million, a fraction of the $5 billion a jury initially awarded in 1994.
Alaska: The last frontier
Jun
27
This Monday sees the 50th anniversary of Alaska legally joining the US. But the largest state in the union is a world apart from the 'Lower 48', says Harriet O'Brien
Saturday, 28 June 2008
The little black-and-white birds stood upright and bowed one after another as our boat passed.
Penguin-like, but in fact unrelated, these were murres or guillemots, and are genetically predisposed to meet and greet. Lined up along the ledge of an offshore rock, they looked absurdly like small waiters deferentially ushering us on to a formal event. Yet so, in effect, it turned out.
Court slashed Exxon Valdez damages to $507.5 million
Jun
25
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court dashed the hopes of more than 32,000 fishermen and Alaska Natives who have been waiting for nearly 20 years to hear whether Exxon Mobil Corp. will have to pay billions in punitive damages for its role in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Palin's Draft Bill Proposes $1,200 to Alaskans in One-Time Payment
Jun
22
From an State of Alaska press release
Governor Sarah Palin today released a draft bill proposing a special one-time payment in the amount of $1,200 to Alaskans and suspending the state fuel tax for one year. The legislation is intended to be a starting point for a discussion with the legislature about how to provide relief from high energy costs to working Alaskans and their families.
Billing records expose Young, Abramoff ties
Apr
20
MARIANA ISLANDS: Congressman has denied being influenced.
Published: April 20th, 2008 01:49 AM
Last Modified: April 20th, 2008 05:55 AM
Rep. Don Young has said he never allowed convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to be an influential force over him in Congress.
New Ratings Reflect Thinning Ice for Alaska’s Stevens, Young
Mar
28
After years of nearly iron-clad electoral security in strongly Republican-leaning Alaska, Sen. Ted Stevens and at-large Rep. Don Young — and their Republican Party — suddenly find themselves at risk this year. And the problems faced by Stevens, who has been a senator since 1968, and Young, the state’s sole House member since 1973, essentially
The FBI Deputizes Business
Feb
19
Today, more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The members of this rapidly growing group, called InfraGard, receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does-and, at least on one occasion, before elected officials. In return, they provide information to the government, which alarms the ACLU. But there may be more to it than that. One business executive, who showed me his InfraGard card, told me they have permission to “shoot to kill” in the event of martial law.0207 10
Ted Stevens' earmark buddy Jim Hayes on trial
Feb
01
The trial of former Fairbanks, Alaska mayor, Jim Hayes, has begun.
Hayes and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzling more than $450,000 in government grants.
From the Fairbanks News-Miner:
The government alleges Hayes and his wife teamed to funnel almost a half-million dollars away from the grants, which were issued to benefit disadvantaged children. Prosecutors claimed the couple hid the spending largely by converting checks from the grants to cash and, eventually, to cashier's checks.
Alaska Congressman Don Young Paid $854,035 for Lawyers in 2007
Feb
01
WASHINGTON -- Over the course of 2007, U.S. Rep. Don Young's re-election campaign spent $854,035 on legal fees, according to a new report filed on Thursday. And Alaska's lone congressman still isn't saying what the lawyers are doing for the money.
Meanwhile, three of Young's challengers in this year's elections -- Democrats Diane Benson and Ethan Berkowitz, and Republican Gabrielle LeDoux -- appear to have raised more money in campaign contributions than Young in the last three months of the year, although he still has more far more money in the bank.
Don Young opens a legal defense fund
Jan
31
By Susan Crabtree
Posted: 01/30/08 12:01 AM [ET]
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who is under FBI investigation and faces a tough reelection fight, opened a legal defense fund earlier this month, according to House filings.
The House ethics committee approved the defense fund Jan. 9, but it has not reported taking any donations yet, and Young spokesman Mike Anderson would not say if anyone had written checks.
