Two Capitol reporters say they witnessed the senator putting his cellphone between a female staffer’s legs in a public hallway. The senator denies it.
Government
Southeast pink salmon catch could disappoint again in 2018
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a commercial catch of 23 million pink salmon in Southeast Alaska next year. That would be down from this year but would come close to historical averages. Managers are expecting something similar to the disappointing season of 2016.
Some of Southeast’s recycling is headed to the landfill
China is limiting the type and quality of recyclable materials it will import. That could affect Alaska, since most of our recycling ends up there.
Haines Assembly to university: timber sale would go against local code
The Haines Assembly is pushing back on a proposed timber sale on the Chilkat Peninsula. The University of Alaska is offering up 400 acres of land for harvest. But at a meeting Monday, the local government said it will explore its legal options if a contract is awarded.
Petersburg borough lands will increase dramatically with bill passage
One of only 26 bills passed by the legislature this year, Senate Bill 28 got the governor’s signature last week. It increases a state land allotment for the Petersburg borough to more than 14,000 acres.
Juneau Assembly to expand controversial mining panel
Four new names are slated to be added to the Juneau Assembly’s mining subcommittee. The panel is tasked with overhauling the city’s mining review powers.
Council allows Sen. David Wilson to view video of June incident
The incident sparked concerns about sexual harassment and other workplace harassment in the Capitol.
Juneau Assembly pushes RecycleWorks expansion
Juneau’s city-run RecycleWorks program is looking to consolidate its operations on a single site and add a composting operation. The complex deal would involve selling city land to the Alaskan Brewery Company and hiking utility rates.
Legislative Council to consider sexual harassment working group
Recent concerns about sexual harassment both outside Alaska and in Juneau have led lawmakers to consider making changes to the policy.
In votes on menagerie of issues, Alaska Board of Game bans pet tenrecs, certain air bow uses
The board heard roughly 70 proposals and a little over a dozen passed. It also updated rules around the use of electronic devices in hunting, things like game cameras that can now transmit real-time images to cell phones.