Anchorage--
Tom Anderson, a former legislator whose involvement in a "Love Caucus" indirectly contributed to the length of his imprisonment, has been released from a federal prison to a halfway house in the Seattle area, reports the Anchorage Daily News. Anderson had been serving a five-year sentence after a jury convicted him in 2007 of conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and money-laundering. The convictions were for his role in a scheme to funnel him money ostensibly for articles he was to write, but the money was really to be compensation for his legislative assistance to a private prisons company. When the FBI confronted Anderson with evidence of his crimes, he agreed to become a cooperating witness for the feds and wired up on others as part of their investigation into Alaska public corruption. Anderson pulled out of that arrangement, however, apparently on the advice of his then-girlfriend (and future wife), fellow legislator Lesil McGuire. Anderson's sentence was probably more severe because of his withdrawal from his cooperation. McGuire is still a state legislator (although she is now in the State Senate) and she filed for divorce last year while Anderson was in prison.
Anderson is scheduled to be released from custody in July, reports the Daily News, but he could move from the halfway house to home confinement sooner than that.
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I was watching Gavel to Gavel and saw Tom Wagoner co-chair a Resources committee meeting where he had Parnell’s new Fish and Game Commissioner in his sights.
Our legislature is just beginning it’s new session, and this is what I saw.
The Resource co-chair just told the Fish and Game commissioner that he 'expected' the Dept. of Fish and Game to become 'pro-active' in support for the Susitna Dam Project.
Here we have the co-chair directing Fish and Game to support a project that Fish and Game should be expected to evaluate impartially as to the risks or negative impacts of this dam project. That evaluation shouldn't come from a position that is directed by the Legislature to result in support of a project that will certainly have effects on renewable resource habitat and the very survivability of bio-diversity.
Fish and Game isn't charged with boosterism for Parnell's pet projects, they're supposed to be watching out for and protecting fish and game resources.
While this co-chair was wrapping up his directive to Fish and Game to support the dam, he also slipped in a few remarks about his denial of climate change inferring that Fish and Game shouldn't be wasting time trying to get out ahead of the damaging effects of ocean acidification, or species fragility due to rising temperatures.
I think some Alaskans might be interested to know about our new Resource Co-chair and how he is figuring to use his position.
I'm sure the transcript is available, this might make a good interview or blog post.
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