Free Republic

PALMER -- Daniel Buckingham points out features that come standard with his custom Alaska outhouse. "This is sort of the basic," the 16-year-old says, standing in front of his 4-foot-by-4-foot, nearly 7-foot-high plywood and spruce outhouse with pitched, shingled roof.

WASHINGTON -- Four weeks before New Hampshire and three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the Republican race has become a proxy religious war.

Kenai River Property Purchase In December 2006, Sen. Murkowski and her husband paid $179,400 for a 1.2 acre vacant lot on the banks of the Kenai River in Alaska from long-time friend and campaign contributor Bob Penney. Three days after the purchase, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assessing Department valued the land at $214,900, 20% over what Sen. Murkowski paid for the land. According to numerous real estate sources in the area, the Kenai lots actually sell for significantly higher than the Borough assessed price because they are located on a world-famous fishing river. Mr. Penney, the seller of the property,...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Former Alaska lawmaker Pete Kott, accused of trading his legislative influence for bribes, was convicted Tuesday of corruption charges. SNIPThe two-week trial carried wider implications, including testimony from VECO chief Bill Allen that he doled out more than $400,000 in bribes to various officials and had company workers remodel the home of Sen. Ted Stevens.

Former Veco executive Rick Smith just said he bribed former Sen. Ben Stevens and sitting Anchorage Sen. John Cowdery. His comment came as prosecutor Nicholas Marsh asked Smith who he’d plead guilty to bribing. Smith said Reps. Pete Kott, Bruce Weyhrauch and Vic Kohring

A jury of 10 women and two men was picked Friday morning to hear the public corruption trial of former state Rep. Pete Kott.

According to a transcript of an intercepted telephone call between Allen and Kott on May 31, 2006, Allen gave Kott pills for sleeping and for sex. Kott got them mixed up and complained he was up all night while his "old lady" slept beside him. The remarkable transcript was prepared by the FBI and filed in court by Kott's attorneys to show U.S. District Judge John Sedwick what they didn't want the jury to see. The document was filed under seal Tuesday by Kott's attorneys, but quickly placed in the public file by Sedwick, who ruled there was no reason...

I had a Honda Hybrid. The main battery keeps running down. When this happens the car will not start. Now this is not good. When you stop at a stop sign or stop light and the engine will not start you had a real problem. The car can't be jumped because the starter is powered by the main battery. Yesterday I had this car towed to the dealer. This is the third time this has happened. Does anyone else dive a Honda hybrid ? Has anyone had this problem?

ARCTIC: $170 million in research contracts coincided with support for polar funding by Sen. Stevens.

Question: What is the difference between one U.S. senator paying $130,000 for a $230,000 remodel and another senator paying $175,000 for a $375,000 home site?

BANKROLL: APOC to hear complaint today demanding group to reveal its funding.

The gift just keeps on giving.

Looks like the oil companies got went over the line.

Former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin knocked embattled incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski out of office in the Republican primary race for governor Tuesday, setting the stage for a general election showdown with former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles and for a potential shake-up in her own party.

One killed in massive pile-up One person is confirmed dead and police are chasing a man believed to have caused a massive vehicle pile-up with a stolen truck at the height of drive-time traffic on Lake Otis Boulevard between Northern Lights and Debarr Road. Dozens of police, some with dogs, have fanned out in Airport Heights, pursuing a lone man, described as wearing a red cap and dark jacket. The incident has closed streets and snarled traffic over a wide swath of the city, and resulted in lockdowns at several schools. Complete story »

The level of seismicity remains high at present and ash emission is continuing. An explosive event occured at 11:17 AKST (20:17 UTC)that lasted approximately 5.5 minutes. The reported height of this cloud varied, from greater than 50,000 ft above sea level on the basis of pilot reports, to 25,000 ft from the National Weather Service radar. An AVO observation flight is in the air and at 12:20 AST (21:20 UTC) reported that the cloud is moving SW. Please see the following link for more information about ash cloud heights and trajectories: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/augustine.php

<p>Former Alaska Senate President Mike Miller said Wednesday he will challenge Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.</p>

Anyway, Rydell and Donovan said the issue is moot right now because Rydell hasn't declared himself a candidate.

We've reviewed your building permit for a sunroom addition. Ordinance No. 68 requires you to pay for whatever city improvements we deem "reasonable" as a condition of granting your permit.

Excerpted from the Los Angeles Times; August 5, 2003 Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) on Monday announced his plans to retire from the seat he has held since 1966, increasing Republican hopes for broadening their majority in the South and in the Senate.