AUGUST 17, 2006 - 11:08 AM
UPDATE: Real quick -- the Murkowski campaign brought up several different issues at the press conference. They handed out copies of the public records from Palin's tenure as mayor, for example, and talked about why that paperwork shows Palin mixed her city job and campaign. One reason for the event was to say they had documents to back up their latest commercial, which seems to accuse Palin of breaking the law.
Also: They showed a new TV spot that will begin running soon. It features an ex-Ted Stevens aide talking about Murkowski. Ted can't say who he's for, she tells viewers. But if he could, she just knows he's be for Murkowski.
AUGUST 16, 2006 - 7:18 PM
After watching some dinner-time TV and the slew of campaign ads, it's clear that Palin has replaced Murkowski as the punching bag of the Republican primary.
Dittman said his poll shows Palin's supporters are fairly passionate -- so will they be swayed?
Should be interesting to see if this stuff comes up at the Republican debate tomorrow on public TV. You'd think Palin would want to do some damage control. Plus, if the candidates believe she really did screw up, let's hear it now.
AUGUST 16, 2006 - 5:07 PM
Local Christian metal band Faceless has paired a good career move with a good deed.
Faceless gets their wings
Faceless is one of two opening acts for Grammy-winning Audio Adrenaline in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 18.
Because the concert is a fundraiser, the 2-year-old Anchorage band donated its performance. That means more dough for Haitian children living at the Hands and Feet Project orphanage. Read more about the mission at www.handsandfeetproject.org.
AUGUST 16, 2006 - 10:26 AM
UPDATE: The Murkowski ads mentioned here are gone from Murkowski's Web site, but have been running on radio today and will be or have been on TV tonight, according to his campaign.
Looks like a slugfest from here on out.
A new TV spot this morning quotes an old Frontiersman editorial that blasted Palin when she was mayor of Wasilla. Pretty scathing.
The Binkley campaign says they paid for it, but I couldn’t tell if it’s the same editorial the Voice of the Times wrote about recently. Binkley spokesman Russ Kelly and Palin campaign manager Frank Bailey said they didn’t know either.
AUGUST 15, 2006 - 4:55 PM
Voters are receiving recorded phone calls from DeeDee Jonrowe today, with the Willow Iditarod musher stumping for Binkley and, while not naming any names, seemingly making a reference to Palin.
DeeDee’s pitch goes something like this: Every dog driver knows that you need to do some qualifying races before you get in the big race. That, she says, is why she’s voting for Binkley.
Are TV or radio spots to follow? DeeDee’s a pretty big name and, like Palin, from the Valley, so you'd think they'd try and hammer this message.
Binkley’s camp said yesterday that Jonrowe would be part of their media this week, and that one thing they’d be talking about was Palin’s experience. Palin, meantime, has ad in today’s paper looking to derail the issue.
AUGUST 15, 2006 - 12:23 PM
APOC is preparing to put candidates' latest campaign disclosure reports online and I’m trying to keep an ear and eye out for new advertisements. In fact, if you see or hear anything noteworthy, please pass it on.
It’ll be interesting to see if Binkley’s ad with the Anchorage mayors resonates, and just what Murkowski has planned. Later in the week, the public television match-up between Croft and Knowles should be good, since the two haven’t really locked horns much in public. (Or in private?)
In other words, will it only be the Republicans who beat each other up before the general, or will the winning Democrat have some scars too?
AUGUST 14, 2006 - 3:17 PM
UPDATE: Cick here for a PDF of the Dittman numbers.
Dave Dittman, the longtime Anchorage pollster who worked on Murkowski’s campaign earlier in the race, finished a poll on the Republican primary last night.
He says he surveyed people who are eligible to vote on the Republican ballot and voted in the party’s primary in 2004. (Except for a fraction – 7 percent – who have registered since 2004 and say they’ll vote Aug. 22).
Dittman says he didn’t conduct the poll for any particular candidate and that the sample size is about 500 people. His results are similar to the recent Rasmussen Reports numbers:
AUGUST 14, 2006 - 12:28 PM
When we lived in Michigan, Gina and I always dreaded the dog days of summer. For us, August was the worst – hot and humid.
We enjoyed our wraps and dumplings from the Lucky Monkey at the market.
In Alaska, the dog is wet -- as in day after day of rain. Around work, I'll often hear co-workers say, "Well, summer’s over" or "Hope you liked summer." And right now, it seems they’re right. And the forecast doesn’t look too good.
But that didn't stop us this weekend. We have friends visiting from Michigan. Joe and Pam have been to Alaska twice before and we've trucked them all over the Great Land – hiking and camping along the beach outside of Seward, kayaking in Prince William Sound.
AUGUST 11, 2006 - 6:19 PM
First: The candidates have all been invited to North Star Speedway in the Valley for an honest-to-goodness "governor's race" behind the wheel.
Binkley says he's going. North Star manager Karen Akers says they invited local pastors to race last week. "We just tell them, 'get in your cars, don’t hit each other and don’t hit the wall.'"
Second: Columnist Robert Novak predicts a Palin win & third place for Murkowski here.
Third: Here's a look at the Election Mixtape for tomorrow's paper. (Again, the rules are each candidate selects five songs.) I promise to try and report some actual news on Monday.
AUGUST 11, 2006 - 1:39 PM
It’s Election Mixtape time, which means we’ve asked all the candidates for a list of their five favorite songs, in order to assemble the most wicked-awesome Election night soundtrack ever.
Two problems. I’ve only received two songs from the Murkowski campaign, and Palin left a couple of the entries open-ended. (Anything by Van Halen and something by the Black Eyed Peas were two of her answers.)
Does anyone have any suggestions for a Van Halen or B.E.P. tune for Palin (she did say “My Humps
AUGUST 10, 2006 - 12:41 PM
Look up or look down for your fun around Anchorage this weekend.
For those who love planes and amazing aerobatics, Elmendorf Air Force Base’s Arctic Thunder is the place to be Saturday and Sunday. The biennial show features both the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Army’s Golden Knights.
In addition to those showstoppers, there is wing walking, a jet truck, an aerobatic pilot and plenty of static displays. The show is 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 8 a.m., and it’s free.
AUGUST 10, 2006 - 11:45 AM
Andrew Halcro stood in front of Barnes & Noble in Anchorage last night, maybe about 9 p.m., collecting signatures to help put him on the ballot. There was a little rain but plenty of leftover sunlight. People seemed to recognize him – tall man, dark suit – from his television spots.
Halcro has said all along that his race really begins after the primary, once people start thinking about the general election. (As an independent, he skips the Aug. 22 ballot, but has to have enough signatures to get in the Nov. 7 match-up.)
So how’s it going so far? Halcro said he has over 2,000 of the more than 3,000 signatures he needs. He has less than two weeks to get the rest but says he’ll get it done.
AUGUST 9, 2006 - 5:21 PM
UPDATE: Anchorage Press reporter Amanda Coyne was there, and described the incident in a Flashlight item today. (Click here for the full story). She says Ruedrich went out to break up a group of Palin sign-wavers, telling them they were breaking the rules.
Ruedrich left, and Large came over.
Here’s how Amanda described what happened next:
When Large told the Palin supporters at the picnic that he was asking them, on behalf of the Republican Party, to disband, they drew closer. Then Palin made her way to the front of the group and put her hand on Large's arm.
AUGUST 9, 2006 - 3:27 PM
Here's a link to a poll by a national group called Rasmussen Reports out of New Jersey.
(And here's a disclaimer: The group is often cited in news stories as an independent firm, but I haven't verified that. In other words: who paid for the poll? Does it factor in all voters, or just those who will vote in the Republican primary?)
The group reports it surveyed 500 likely voters on the governor’s race, including head-to-head match-ups with the Republican candidates versus Knowles. They show Knowles beating Murkowski but losing big to Palin and neck-and-neck with Binkley.
AUGUST 8, 2006 - 4:16 PM
UPDATE: By now you've seen the debate or (hopefully) read our story.
Here are documents:
-- Click here for Binkley's transcript from Western Michigan
-- Click here for the Lathrop High letter
-- And here for an anonymous letter we received on the topic
John Binkley said today that Gov. Frank Murkowski questioned his education resume yesterday at a roundtable debate at KTUU Channel 2 – saying that Binkley didn’t graduate from Lathrop High in Fairbanks or attend Western Michigan University, as Binkley claims on his Web site.
AUGUST 8, 2006 - 3:17 PM
Since he left Anchorage, Bret Phillips has been soaking in the musical tubs of Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse and vintage Bowie.
Old Man Winter
One half of Seattle band Old Man Winter, Phillips plays a solo gig at 9 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 12) at Organic Oasis.
You might remember the 1992 grad of Chugiak High School as the frontman for former Anchorage bands The Field, Lampshade and The Sound and the Fury.
AUGUST 8, 2006 - 2:30 PM
Just two years old, the Tim Sturm Band is running away from home.
The Tim Sturm Band
The Kenai Peninsula foursome has ambitious plans for their Portland debut. Finish demo. Check. Get a new image. Check. Change the band’s name. Check.
“We don’t know what new name we’ll be using yet,
AUGUST 8, 2006 - 12:17 PM
I had too many errands to run Monday, so I couldn’t bike commute to work. It left me in a foul mood as the sun was shining and the temperature was around 70 degrees during the afternoon.
Gina navigates roots and rocks while mountain biking Monday at Hillside Park.
Then Gina had a bright idea – a trail ride.
The after-work plan: drive home, quick snack, ride to Hillside Park and spend an hour on the trails, then home for dinner. We pulled it off perfectly. Spaghetti at 8:30 – the beauty of summer.
The mountain biking/cross-country ski trails behind Service High School and the Hilltop Ski Area are just a couple miles from our house. It’s kind of sad we don’t make better use of the trails. But after Monday’s adventure, we’re sure to do it more often.
AUGUST 7, 2006 - 11:48 AM
Andrew Halcro sent e-mails on Saturday looking to more directly answer the pot question. (As in, has he smoked it?)
A story that ran Sunday reported that he called it an inappropriate question and declined to say yes or no.
Here’s what he wrote over the weekend:
After reading my own words about “Straight Talk
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