Alaska News

Alaska Ear

PAST BLASTS ... Steve Hutchings, a lawyer with Birch Horton here in town, was browsing through the Loussac Library used book sale last week when he spotted a copy of "Running on Empty," a collection of writings by former teacher and long-ago ADN columnist Satch Carlson. "Whoa," thought Hutchings, or words to that effect. "This has got to be a collector's item." So he shelled out a buck and took it home.

Of course, this is understandable for a lawyer. After all, as far as Ear knows, there are only two laws in Alaska named for a person -- and one is the Satch Carlson law. Ear won't recap the sordid details but it raises the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 if the adult involved is in a position of authority, like a teacher. (Enough said?)

Turns out the book was more of a collector's item than Steve thought. When he got it home and checked it out, he found an inscription on the inside cover that reads as follows:

"To Tony and Susan, Mayor Slick, my man then, now and then again. Love, Satch, 1988."

HOMEWARD BOUND ... Alaska notables from all walks of life are making their way back home for the funeral Monday of Gov. Wally Hickel. Spotted Wednesday night at Simon & Seaforts, former long-time Hickel aide John Hendrickson and wife Marylou Whitney, in from the East Coast. Steve Shropshire, former Green Connection owner and head of the Northern Forum, is expected in from Hawaii; Ed McNally, aka The Fun Guy, Anchorage D.A. during the second Hickel administration, is coming from NYC. Former Sen. Ted and the current congressional delegation will be coming from Washington, D.C.

The funeral service is 5 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Wisconsin Street. It's open to the public.

FLYING FACTOID ... First Dude, a 3-year-old colt, came in second in the Preakness Saturday. It's the second leg of racing's Triple Crown and First Dude led most of the way, getting nosed out at the very end by Lookin at Lucky.

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Oh, FYI, First Dude's mother's name is Run Sarah Run.

That's all Ear knows.

THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT ... There's a new edition of the "Alaska Outlaws, Rebels & Cons" playing cards out and it's even more fun than the first one. In addition to Mechele Linehan as the queen of hearts, former astronaut Bill Oefelein as the nine of hearts, Lesil McGuire as the eight of hearts, Todd Palin as the six of hearts, this deck features Levi Johnston as the jack of hearts, with the following description:

"After going shirtless for GQ, escorting Kathy Griffin and appearing in a nut commercial with agent 'Tank,' Levi agreed to expose his Johnston for a Playgirl magazine shoot." Where is Sarah, you ask? The queen of clubs. And did you know that Courtney Love (seven of hearts) apparently once worked as a stripper at PJ's, "an infamous Anchorage dive bar?"

Pick up a deck at Title Wave, Bosco's and other places around town.

A QUESTION ... Did Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom (and her new boss, Gov. Parnell) really not give Republican Party leaders any advance warning about resigning from the Legislature and not running for re-election? And why does the governor suddenly need to invent a special military adviser job for her? Doesn't he have a whole military affairs department?

Her announcement left the party with just a few weeks to find a replacement candidate, but not to worry; long-time Murkowski/Palin/Parnell aide Dan Saddler carpe diem-ed and filed last week. There are whispers that someone else will also make a primary run, someone who previously ran and lost.

AND ACROSS THE AISLE ... Word is the Democrats are still trying to convince Willie Hensley to run against Lisa Murkowski in November. People in town report getting telephone-surveyed last week about the Senate race and reaction to a Hensley candidacy.

Ear can only ask, what do the Democrats have against Willie? What with Sen. Lisa's Olympic sprint to the right since her last election, and her apparently increasing clout with the boys in the Senate, she sure seems unbeatable -- by a Dem, anyhow.

And speaking of elections and Sarah (all right, we weren't really), did you see ADN politics blogger Sean Cockerham's report that 41 percent of Alaskans would vote for her today for president? True, 48 percent wouldn't, but still. Details at adn.com.

SO, NO PROBLEM ... Headline on an Alaska Standard story: "Oil spills -- even big ones -- are natural occurrences."

Especially when you drill a giant hole in the bottom of the ocean, right?

OUT AND ABOUT ... Despite the dank weather and chilly temperatures, it really is spring. As proof, Ear notes the new Spenard Farmers Market opens Saturday in the Chilkoot Charlie's parking lot. That's May 22, Joe Spenard's birthday, or so some questionable Spenardahoovians claim. They promise food, produce, crafts, master gardeners and music.

ON THE MOVE ... Earwigs report ABC Alaska News anchor/reporter Lauren Pozen is shipping out after two years at KIMO-Channel 13. Her contract is up at the end of the month and she's headed back to Los Angeles.

Reporter Kirsten Adams has left the Anchorage Daily Planet website for a reporting job at the Alaska Policy Forum, a local conservative think tank.

Compiled by Sheila Toomey. Find Ear online at www.adn.com/ear Message Sheila at ear@adn.com or 257-4341.

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