LOVE HURTS ... Earwigs already lurking in Capitol halls report Ketchikan Rep. Kyle Johanson has been assigned the first floor office that used to be Woodie Salmon's. And his Love Caucus partner, Anchorage Rep. Charisse Millett, got the ground floor office that belonged to Wes Keller.
Hmmm. Doesn't that mean he is directly above her?
What it definitely means is, in the world of statehouse real estate, the Love Caucus has been banished to Siberia.
Last year Kyle had prime digs on the second floor. Charisse had a corner office on the fourth floor.
Still unknown to people who usually know such things: Will the Ruling Caucus give them any staff?
ON THE MOVE ... Word in the northwest corner of Anchorage is that Tom Van Flein, attorney for Palins, Millers and others, is taking a leave of absence from his firm for at least a year so he can move to Washington, D.C., to be deputy chief of staff for Arizona's newly elected congressman, dentist Paul Gosar.
It makes sense, darlings. Gosar was endorsed by Our Sarah. He supports Arizona's anti-illegal-immigrant law and he's been inducted into the Arizona Dental Association's Hall of Fame. Sounds like Tom's cup of tea.
CROSSED OVER ... Former Palin aide John Bitney, most recently part of the Murkowski U.S. Senate campaign, has signed a two-year contract to lobby for the City of Cordova. He was chief of staff last session for John Harris, who chose not to run again.
A QUESTION ... Anchorage public safety folks held their annual Shop With A Cop/Firefighter event at the Northern Lights Fred Meyer on Friday. Police Chief Mark Mew showed up, as did scores of police and firefighters, but Fire Chief Mark Hall was absent from this most public event, setting lobes wagging.
Really, darlings, maybe he just had the flu? Or some last-minute shopping to do? Or maybe those rumors of problems at the top of the AFD ladder are true.
HOLIDAY ASSIST ... Ms. Pillow, the former nightclub dancer now better known as Buddy the Dancing Blood Drop, is doing her annual charity gig, wrapping presents in the REI lobby for donations to a bunch of apolitical, non-denominational groups. But there's such a thing as being too successful. Poor Pillow is getting a bad case of wrapper's wrist this year and is looking for help. The deal: Anyone who wants to wrap with her for a day gets to designate which charity gets the day's take. Just stop by and talk to her. She's there whenever REI is open.
OUT AND ABOUT ... Earwigs who attended the Downtown Rotary meeting Tuesday were commenting on how tanned and fit former Mayor George Wuerch is looking after his bout with cancer.
KUDOS ... Friends of Anchorage writer David Holthouse say he's signed up to do three segments for NPR's "This American Life," perhaps the best radio show ever. Sounds like a great match of talents. Not clear if they're going to be Alaska-based stories. David's lived all over the country, so not necessarily.
BUMPER SNICKER ... Spotted on a vehicle headed into town from you-know-where: "Wasillabilly."
MOVING AGAIN ... Harry Rosenfeld, former rabbi at Congregation Beth Sholom, left Alaska maybe nine years ago to head a temple in Buffalo -- obviously not a weather-related move. Now he's relocating again, in June, to a congregation in Albuquerque, N.M.
"Blue skies, sun, very little snow -- I'm not sure I can handle that," the rabbi said in an e-mail.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... Who described a double homicide thusly in a recent press release?
"The case is aggravated because Mr. Sanders emptied one revolver at (victim), grabbed a second gun, chased down (another victim), dropped her with his first shots and then unleashed the Dogs of War on her by executing her with five shots to the back while she lay face down in the street."
Connoisseurs of criminal justice rhetoric easily recognize the style of Assistant District Attorney Jay Fayette.
LONG AFTERNOONS ... in Dutch Harbor. From the police blotter:
12/06/10 Mon 15:36 Animal -- Friendly female feline forfeited to future family.
12/07/10 Tue 13:12 Harassment -- Caller requested information concerning how best to address the annoying nosiness of his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Compiled by Sheila Toomey. Find Ear online at www.adn.com/ear. Message Sheila at 257-4341 or ear@adn.com