Anchorage Daily News

Sell only Alaska gold, or face the law. Legislation put forth in the state House would make it a misdemeanor offense to sell gold in Alaska that hasn’t been mined in the state, according to a Juneau Empire story. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, the measure “is a response to a recent announcement by five major jewelers who said they would boycott any gold from Pebble Mine, according to Tom Wright, a Chenault staff member.”

“This is not a pretend bill,” said Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Wasilla. “This is one before the Alaska Legislature.”

But Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Kodiak, called the legislation “ridiculous. … I mean, why be pikers about it? Why not make it a felony while we’re at it, too?”

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Exxon Valdez aground before the Supreme Court. ADN has a boatload of material on its web site about the hearing Wednesday involving Exxon’s appeal of a $2.5 billion damages award before the U.S. Supreme Court. There was no decision and one isn’t expected, in fact, until later in the spring, but the hearing riled Alaskans once again on an issue that has been with us for going on two decades. Here’s a sampling of how others around Alaska handled the story:

> From the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, which had a correspondent in the courtroom: Exxon’s appeal hinges on whether the company can be held responsible for punitive damages for the actions of Valdez ship captain Joseph Hazelwood, who had been drinking and left the bridge on the night the nearly 1,000-foot Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The justices spent a good deal of the 90-minute hearing questioning whether Hazelwood was a high-enough-ranking executive in the company that it should be held responsible for his actions.

> The Juneau Empire was among Alaska media that went with The Associated Press story (which probably appeared in more newspapers and broadcasts around the country than any other account). The top of the AP story notes that the justices hinted at cutting the $2.5 billion award: The problem for the people, businesses and governments who waged the lengthy legal fight against Exxon is that the Supreme Court in recent years has become more receptive to limiting punitive damages awards. The Exxon Valdez case differs from the others in that it involves issues peculiar to laws governing accidents on the water. But several justices said that limits could be appropriate in this context too.

> The Homer Tribune weighed in with an editorial (which went up on the web Wednesday): If the justices rule against Exxon’s appeal, Alaskans may have finally reached the end of the long, hazardous sheen that left dead birds washing up on local beaches. Even further, more dismal studies announced suspicious links between the spill and environmental incidents from the previous two decades. The final decision will come sometime between now and June. In the meantime, let’s not hold our breath or count on the money.

> The Cordova Times put up a story on Wednesday from Washington, D.C., apparently written by one of Alaska Newspapers’ copy editors who was on the scene. The story features some of the dozen or so Cordovans who were at the nation’s capital for the hearing: “The subsistence culture that our Native people have practiced for thousands of years was totally disrupted,” said Travis Vlasoff of the Native village of Tatitlek, three miles northeast of Bligh Reef. “It is very difficult to summarize the damage to the mental health of our communities. I can tell you how our social structure was tied to the practice of subsistence gathering, how the traditional foods were part of our identity as a people, or how our cultural values were based on the sharing of traditional foods and harvesting techniques.”

> Kodiak residents were also among the Alaskans who showed up at the hearing in “strong numbers,” according to the Kodiak Daily Mirror story, which the paper got from a writer on the scene: Alaskans at the hearing were from Dillingham, Seward, Soldotna, Anchorage, Fairbanks and other towns throughout the state. “I haven’t a clue on what they (the justices) will do,” (Bob) Brodie said. Brodie was mayor of Kodiak when the oil spill occurred. … “We were just small mayors, but we ended in fighting a multinational corporation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though, to attend a Supreme Court hearing,” Brodie said.

> APRN’s Joel Southern was inside the courtroom and filed a six-minute story that you can listen to here.

> And a few samples of how national media documented the day’s events are on the ADN web site here.

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Begich in the spotlight. Another Alaska story, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich’s announcement that he is, at this point, sort of running for Sen. Ted Stevens' job (click here to read the ADN story of Begich’s plans to form an exploratory committee), also drew widespread coverage. It seemed to have particular interest for many in the national media. Here’s some of it:

> A short item in The Washington Post noted that a Begich-vs.-Stevens duel would pit two of the best-known names in the state in a fierce battle the likes of which is rarely seen in the Last Frontier.

> The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C., said Democrat Begich in the race appears set to give the party its first real shot at the senator in his 40-year career. … A competitive race in Alaska would add another to the growing list of takeover opportunities in unexpected places for national Democrats.

> The Associated Press story, like others, noted Stevens’ potential vulnerability from an ongoing federal investigation into the renovation of his Girdwood home: Democrats believe the investigation could make Stevens vulnerable in this year's election. Top party officials, including Senate Majority Leader U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., have encouraged Begich to challenge Stevens.

> TPM Muckraker blog, always alert to developments involving Alaska’s congressional delegation, saw the announcement as an indication that Stevens’ problems continue to multiply. … You can understand Uncle Ted's chagrin that Alaskans would even consider biting the hand that feeds them.

> The Begich decision came after months of heavy courting from Democrats, CQ Politics noted, and the news was welcomed by Democrats despite the fact it is not a formal entry into the race and it will likely ward off some Democrats who had been deciding whether to enter the contest. Begich vowed to make a final decision well before the June 1 filing deadline.

> Begich potential candidacy, as Real Clear Politics sees it, gives Democrats a strong chance to take back a seat they have not held since before Stevens' appointment, in 1968. Stevens is only the second person to hold the seat since Alaska gained statehood, in 1959, while four people have held the state's other Senate seat, currently occupied by Republican Lisa Murkowski.

> And this from The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Begich has been courted by top Democrats and has taken several trips to Washington to meet with Senate leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Begich said he spoke with Reid during the past week but that it wasn’t the deciding factor in his decision.

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“Danger down every road.” In a story from a correspondent in Baghdad, KTUU Channel 2 chronicles how a group of Alaska troops deals with the dangers and pressures of being far from home in a combat zone. The unit — Bravo Company, 297th Combat Support Battalion — provides security for supply trucks hauling cargo around the country.

“Soldiers say driving these roads several times a week is often nerve-racking. Some roads are more dangerous than others. This company of more than 150 soldiers has had no one seriously injured in its months here, but bombs do sometimes strike the vehicles,” according to the story.

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Ted Stevens, Part II. KTVA Channel 11 has the second segment of a two-part series designed, the station says, to give a glimpse of the personal side of Alaska’s senior senator. This one looks at the things that make Stevens mad, at polar bears, at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and at earmarks.

A sampling: “If we enlist the polar bear as being endangered, every time you want to drill a well, every time you want to do anything, even build a new building, you’re going to have to prove you’re not going to harm the habitat for the polar bear. The habitat’s not in trouble. It’s the future habitat and the ice they’re talking about. The polar bear is adaptable. If the ice goes away, I’m sure they'll survive.”

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Ferry chief quits. The state official who oversees the Alaska Marine Highway System has resigned, a Juneau Empire story says. Dennis Hardy, on the job for less than a year, cited personal reasons in his resignation, according to the story.

“Hardy recently made a controversial decision to cut the summer ferry service to Bellingham, Wash., the system's southern terminus, in half, from two vessels per week to once a week. That decision was criticized in some quarters but resulted in increased service in Lynn Canal, where it was praised,” the story says.

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From a poem titled “A Day of Minus 55” and posted on the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner web site:

Open up the Internet

Search for bargain travel sites

Book the tickets on the jet

Leave for Maui eight tonight.

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