Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

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Photos by Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage

Senator Lisa Murkowski conceded her bid for reelection to primary opponent Joe Miller early Tuesday evening saying it was for the  “good of  the state of Alaska.”

She said it had been a “terribly long week” and “difficult on all sides,” during a press conference in Anchorage.

Murkowski had watched Miller’s lead dip and climb back during the course of Tuesday’s counting of absentee and other ballots but she said did not see a path to winning.

“Based on where we are right now, I don’t see a scenario, where the primary will turn out in my favor,” she told reporters. “I’m now conceding the race for the Republican nomination.”

She told reporters and several sullen supporters standing at her side that she had called Miller just before the press conference to tell him of her decision.

Murkowski thanked her supporters and called them the “best of the best.”

Prior to the press conference, Miller told KTUU-TV in Anchorage he felt “pretty good” about how the count had gone. He was asked if Murkowski should drop out. “No, that’s her decision,” he said.

Miller now faces Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams (right), the Democrat who easily won his party’s nomination.

Tuesday’s count showed Miller with 52,988 votes or 50.78 pct of the vote. Murkowski had 51,358 votes or 49.22 pct. Some 1,630 votes separated the two candidates. That was a margin similar to the one Miller had started with on Tuesday morning.

The Republican senate primary captured national headlines this past week as both campaigns sought to cast the returns in the most favorable light.

Miller’s candidacy was boosted early when he won the endorsement of former Governor Sarah Palin.

“Do you believe in miracles?!” Palin said in a Twitter message shortly after Murkowski’s announcement. “Thank you for your service, Sen. Murkowski. On to November!”

Miller, a Tea Party favorite, also had won the endorsement of Fox TV host and former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

Throughout the campaign, Miller had chided Murkowski for being too liberal.

Murkowski had run strong in Anchorage and various other parts of the state, but Miller led in Fairbanks and in much of the Mat-Su Valley.

The absentee ballot count today in the Republican U.S. Senate primary shows a slight narrowing of the gap between Lisa Murkowski and Joe Miller at this hour. As of 5:00 p.m., Miller is leading Murkowski by 1,469 votes, down from 1,668 votes after last Tuesday’s election.

Thousands of absentee ballots were counted today at the Anchorage office of the state division of elections.  The ballots are pivotal in the outcome of the race for Alaska’s available US Senate seat in the November election.

But things were quiet this morning as election volunteers, most of them women, sat at their workstations.   Both the Miller and the Murkowski campaigns had sent observers to watch the proceedings.  Gail Fenumiai, division of elections director,   said ballot counting was taking place at the same time in Wasilla

Fenumiai said questioned ballots, those voted on election day, but without proper address identification,   are verified by a bipartisan review board.  Despite fears expressed by the Miller campaign regarding mishandling of the vote count, the operation seemed to go smoothly. Other than a handful of reporters, there were few members of the public in evidence at the division office in Anchorage.

When new numbers were posted to the state election division website shortly before eleven this morning, the returns showed a slight lessening of the gap between the two candidates – in Murkowski’s favor.  John Bitney speaks for Lisa Murkowski’s campaign.

The districts reflecting the early returns were in Anchorage and Eagle River.  Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto said he wasn’t worried about them

Shortly after noon, Matanuska Valley election officials finished counting absentee votes in Wasilla.  Those returns lessened Miller’s advantage by about one tenth of a percentage point.

Photo and Story by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

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Earlier this year, UPS announced plans to furlough some 300 pilots nationally, citing a company-wide cost cutting regime.  Almost all the pilots affected, 262 of them, were based out of the company’s Anchorage hub,  because the furloughs affect the pilots with the least seniority,  and the recently established Anchorage hub  has the greatest number of  junior pilots.   Pilots are fighting the move.  Bob Thrush, president of the Independent Pilots’ Association says UPS has gone back on its word

Alaska Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski have put pressure on UPS to reconsider, and Alaska governor Sean Parnell and Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan have contacted UPS officials on the issue.  So far, about 109 UPS pilots from Anchorage have already lost their jobs.

The remaining pilots are slated to lose their jobs by the end of next March. Thrush says the furloughs were not necessary, because the pilots initially volunteered shift and vacation pay cuts to head off the furloughs

Many of the affected pilots have homes in Anchorage.  IPA spokesman Brian Godet says if the UPS plan goes through, the pilots could be furloughed through 2014, and that  could mean lost revenues of up to $61 million for the city and the state.  But UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot, speaking from Louisville, Kentucky,  says there are some changes coming

Thrush says if UPS decides to rehire any pilots, regulations demand that the furloughed pilots be offered their jobs back first.

Mangeot says UPS’s second quarter earnings indicate a 40 percent increase in Asian exports, and that growth could extend to Alaska

The state house transportation committee is getting involved in the issue.  A hearing on the UPS layoffs is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9:00 in Anchorage to question UPS officials about the plan. UPS has 1,000 employees in Alaska and spends $328 million a year to run its operations in the state.

• Live Work Alaska: 300 UPS Pilots Laid Off; 262 from Anchorage

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Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

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Ethan Berkowitz wants to give Alaskans a chance to buy a share in the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.   The Democratic gubernatorial nominee Friday presented the first part of what he says will be a series of ideas involving energy.

Asked through his staff, Republican Governor Sean Parnell had no comment on the plan.

Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

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It’s a high school alternative that’s won national recognition–the Alaska Military Youth Academy.  Friday, the academy graduated its second largest class ever – 156 cadets of formerly at risk teenagers.

• Alaska Military Youth Academy

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The Anchorage Police reports a new twist in identity theft scams.  The approach tries to capitalize on the victim’s trust in the police department.

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Photo and Story by Ellen Lockyer, APRN – Anchorage

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Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

As of this morning, with nearly 98 percent of the statewide precincts reporting, Joe Miller’s lead over incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary has shrunk a bit, but the challenger still has a just under 2,000 vote lead.

Late last night, Miller credited his volunteers.

Murkowski’s campaign manager, Steve Wackowski, said the the results so far are not altogether a surprise.

In the congressional race, incumbent Republican Don Young easily won his primary and will face Democrat Harry Crawford, who was unopposed.

Governor Sean Parnell captured nearly 50 percent of the Republican primary vote, with Bill Walker second with around 34 percent.   Parnell will face Democrat Ethan Berkowitz in November.  Berkowitz beat off Hollis French’s late campaign surge to currently lead by more than 3,700 votes.

Diane Benson has 65 percent of the vote in the Democrat’s Lieutenant Governor’s race;  Meade Treadwell collected nearly 50 percent for the Republican Lieutenant Governor’s nomination.

Ballot Measure One, dubbed the anti-corruption proposition by proponents and the gag-law by opponents, suffered a more than 32,000 vote drubbing.   Alaska Education Association Barb Anguyuk was one of the leaders against Measure One.Meanwhile, Ballot Measure Two, which will require doctors to notify parents or guardians if a minor under the age of 18 seeks an abortion captured around 55 percent approval.   Bernadette Wilson was the Vote Yes on Two campaign manager.

This primary’s award for closest primary race goes to the Republicans in House District 12 in the Valdez area.

As of this morning, unofficial results Eric Feige leads with 666 votes, Don Haase, 660, and Pete Fellman, 658.  The eventual winner will face Democrat Bert Cottle.

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Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

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RELATED STORIES:

• Assembly authorizes audit of Begich administration (17 Feb 2010)
• Begich audit delayed, but debate continues (3 Feb 2010)
• Wheeler report accepted and posted on municipal web site (2 Dec 2009)
• Municipal Attorney Says Begich Failed to Inform Assembly About Budget Gap (19 Nov 2009)

Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

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Photo and Story by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

As the nation’s only Arctic state, Alaska is bound to play a key role in the country’s future commercial and industrial activities.  Senator Mark Begich traveled to Barrow this week to hear from local residents and invited guests about their perspectives on proposed energy development amid a rapidly changing environment.

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Part 1/2 of a the first debate between incumbent Lisa Murkowski and challenger Joe Miller took place on August 19, 2010 during the RUNNING debates hosted in the KAKM studio and aired on KAKM, Channel 7, KSKA radio and APRN radio.

Part 2/2 of a the first debate between incumbent Lisa Murkowski and challenger Joe Miller took place on August 19, 2010 during the RUNNING debates hosted in the KAKM studio and aired on KAKM, Channel 7, KSKA radio and APRN radio.

• Alaskans Against Government Mandates
• Alaskans for Parental Rights

Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

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Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

As soon as the doors of the Anchorage Baptist Temple opened before the service at noon today, a steady stream of people flowed through the two entrances.   KSKA’s Len Anderson collected a few of their reflections as they were in line.

RELATED STORIES FROM APRN:

• Dignitaries, Family Talk About Stevens (18 Aug 2010)
• Murkowski: “Ted was Alaska” (18 Aug 2010)
• Many Awarded Special Honors at Memorial Service (19 Aug 2010)

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Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

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Map courtesy of Google Maps (Click for an enlarged version): the red line indicates the route of the motorcade.

On Tuesday, August 17, the public may pay their respects to Ted Stevens at the All Saints Episcopal Church, which is located at 545 W. Eighth Ave.. It will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

For the public that attends the visitation, the Linny Pacillo Parking Garage, at 517 W. Seventh Ave. will be open.

At 8:00 p.m., there will be a motorcade that will take Stevens’ body to the Anchorage Baptist Temple.

The motorcade will go west from the church on 8th Avenue to L Street, and will then take L Street, until it turns into Minnesota Boulevard, south to Benson Boulevard. Lastly, it will follow Benson until it turns into Northern Lights Boulevard to the Anchorage Baptist Temple.

People are encouraged to line the procession route in remembrance of the late senator.

The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, August 18, at the Anchorage Baptist Temple, located at 6401 E. Northern Lights Blvd. at 2 p.m..

There will be no parking, except limited disability parking, available at the temple. Shuttles will be available from the Tikahtnu Commons mall on Muldoon Road. Shuttle buses will begin running from the mall to the temple at noon.

The Stevens family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations and remembrances be sent to the North to the Future Foundation.

Photo and story by Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

At about 9:30 this morning, the body of Senator Ted Stevens arrived at All
Saints Episcopal Church for a public visitation to begin at 10:00 a.m. and
continue until 8:00 this evening.

The cadence of the military honor guard slowly brought Steven’s body from
the hearse, past the over two dozen, black garbed family members and after a
brief prayer at the entrance, into the church.

The visitation line outside the church began forming before 9 o’clock.  At
the head of it, was Michael Monger, who drove up this morning from Soldotna.

After the public visitation ends at 8:00 p.m., a motorcade procession will take
the body of Senator Ted Stevens from All Saints Episcopal Church to the
Anchorage Baptist Temple for tomorrow’s service.

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Photo by Pat Yack, APTI – Anchorage

• A Closer Look: Dr. Ted Mala (6 June 2010)
  
• Ted Mala Helped Change the Face of Medicine in Alaska (17 June 2010)
• Traditional Alaska Native healers receive international award (24 Sept 2007)

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

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Story and photo by Ellen Lockyer: Anchorage School District Superintendent Carol Comeau addresses audience at Chester Creek Ribbon Cutting ceremony on August 16.

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Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

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Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage

• Alaskans for Open Government File (PDF)

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Hersman says they have not yet been able to interview the crash victims who are at Providence hospital in Anchorage. She says they’re working to pinpoint the time of departure and the time of the crash.

She says they are also still working to determine the weather conditions at the time of the crash.

Hersman says the investigative team includes the manufacturers of the plane.

Two of the survivors from Monday’s plane crash are improving at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Jim Morhard and Kevin O’Keefe were listed in fair condition today. They had previously been  listed in serious condition. Former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe is still in critical condition and William Phillips Junior is listed in good condition.

Lori Townsend and Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage

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