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Session move defeated in Senate
It was close - Phillips loses by single vote
An attempt to move legislative sessions to Anchorage was turned back by a single vote in the Senate Finance Committee this morning. The amendment offered by perennial Capital Move proponent Eagle River Senator Randy Phillips (left) was defeated on a 5 to 4 vote. It came during debate on Senate JointResolution 29 which is a constitutional amendment aimed at reducing the length of legislation sessions. Joining Phillips in voting for the proposed change were John Torgerson, Pete Kelly, and Dave Donley. Voting against were Gary Wilken, Lyda Green, Loren Leman, Al Adams and Sean Parnell. Senator Donley of Anchorage originally proposed another amendment to hold special sessions in his hometown, but he withdrew it. He brought it back later as an amendment that would allow lawmakers to specify the location of special sessions whether called by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or by the Governor. The constitution currently allows the Governor to designate the location of special sessions that he calls. Donley's amendment was approved on a 6 to 3 vote. Voting against it were Parnell, Wilken and Adams. Phillips says he will offer his amendment again when the measure reaches the Senate floor. The measure was also amended this morning to allow for 90 day sessions rather than 75 days as specified in the original bill. The debate on the proposed constitutional amendment will resume once it hits the Senate floor. It now goes to the Rules Committee for scheduling.
Former state representative Ron Larson has died. Larson passed away this morning at the Sitka Pioneers' Home after a long illness. He was 65. Larson represented Palmer in the state House from 1982 to 1994.
The Airport Board is recommending a reduced budget for the next 2 years following deliberations last night. Board Chair Mike Barton says the spending plan is reduced by about $180,000. The cut comes in fire and rescue protection. Barton defends the reduction by pointing out that the level of protection is still above that required by the Federal Aviation Administration. The cut will result in several layoffs at the Glacier Fire District.
Alaska Airlines says it has found jackscrew problems on two MD-80's like the one that crashed off the Southern California coast, killing all 88 people aboard. The airline has grounded one MD-80 in Seattle and another in Portland. Alaska Airlines reports it has inspected 31 of its 34 Boeing MD-80 aircraft and has released 26 of the planes back into service after inspections of their jackscrews revealed no problems. Airline official Jack Evans says they hope to finish the inspection on the other three within a week. The jackscrew controls the plane's horizontal stabilizer, the wing-like device on the tail whose failure is being blamed for last week's fatal crash. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are en route to look at the two grounded aircraft. Evans says the three Alaska Air MD-80s inspected in Anchorage last night had no problems. Those jets are used primarily for flights between Anchorage, Fairbanks and Seattle. Read the latest news releases on Flight 261 here.
President Clinton's proposal to cut $1.3-billion in highway funds is drawing fire from Alaska Congressman Don Young. In the past, the state has received an estimated $311-million a year in transportation funds from gas tax receipts.
Plans for daily ferry service to Sitka may be hampered by tricky currents in the Sergius Narrows(indicated by red arrow on map). Under the new Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan, Sitka and other Southeast communities are to get daily ferry service at convenient and predictable hours. The plan is based on the use of new high-speed ferries. But tests conducted by a consultant in November indicate the Sitka schedule will still be ruled by the variable slack tides in the narrow strait between Baranof and Chichagof islands. The consultant said the wide beam of the vessels planned for the route is a major concern. Department of Transportation engineers are working on their own studies on the Sergius Narrows currents.
The Federal Subsistence Board is accepting applications for membership on the 10 Regional Advisory Councils. The councils are the link between subsistence users and the Federal Subsistence Board, according to Jerry Berg of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Berg says those applying for membership in the Regional Councils should be residents of the respective regions and be knowledgeable of local and regional subsistence issues and needs. Thirty-one appointments will be made this year to fill seats on the councils. The deadline for submitting applications is tomorrow. Application information is available by contacting the Office of Subsistence Management at 1-800-478-1456.
The Juneau Symphony has selected Kyle Wiley Pickett (right) as its new music director. He was one of the four finalists and was selected by the players during recent voting. Pickett was here in April of last year. He's also the music director of the Redding Symphony in Northern California and the Rogue Music Theater in southern Oregon and expects to travel between the three jobs. He signed a three year contract with an option to extend to five years.
The Juneau Symphony holds its final main stage concert of the season this Saturday evening. The concert features Todd Hunt as guest conductor and 14 year old Mackenzie Slater (left), a violin soloist who was the winner of last year's Youth Concerto Competition. She was a guest on KINY's Capital Chat with Hunt this morning. The concert is scheduled at 8:00 Saturday evening at the Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door and in advance at book stores.
The parent company of the Juneau Empire now owns the Homer News. Morris Communications purchased the weekly for an undisclosed price from a group of investors in Washington, DC, and California. Morris also owns the Kenai Peninsula Clarion, , Alaska Magazine, Alaska Journal of Commerce, the Milepost and six Anchorage radio stations. Nationwide, Morris owns more than 3 dozen newspapers and 2 dozen radio stations.
Senator Ted Stevens has been honored by the Women's Sports Foundation. At a luncheon yesterday, Stevens was given an award for working on behalf of sports for women and girls. Stevens told the group he's proposing measures in Congress to reinstitute daily physical education programs in schools.
The Seattle Mariners say they're sending ten-time All-Star outfielder Ken Griffey, Junior, (right) to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Bret Tomko, outfielder Mike Cameron, and two minor leaguers. The 31-year-old Griffey is a .299 career hitter with 398 home runs and 1,152 career RBIs.(Captions for our photographs can be viewed by hovering over them with your mouse pointer)
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