Alaska Legislature votes to establish holiday marking ratification of state constitution Alex Bengel
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Alaska may have a new state holiday.
On Monday, March 18th, the Alaska House of Representatives voted to establish “Vic Fischer and Jack Coghill Constitution of the State of Alaska Day.”
The holiday on April 24th would honor members of the Alaska Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the state constitution in 1956.
The bill passed in the State Senate on April 23rd of this year.
However, controversy arose over naming the holiday after Fischer and Coghill.
Republican Steve Thompson, Representative for District 2 said, “Yes, Jack Coghill and Vic Fischer were members, but no more instrumental than all of the delegates and staff.”
Babcock shouldn’t be confirmed to Alaska Judicial Council Author: Matt Claman
Print article The Alaska Constitution established the Alaska Judicial Council to serve an essential role in building and maintaining fair and impartial courts throughout Alaska. Our Alaska Constitution commands that appointments to the Council by the governor and the bar association “shall be made with due consideration to area representation and without regard to political affiliation.” Sadly, the governor has taken the unprecedented step of nominating a third public member from Southcentral Alaska and failed to appoint a public member “with due consideration to area representation.” If confirmed, Kristie Babcock from the Kenai would join Dave Parker from the Mat-Su and Lynne Gallant from Anchorage as the third public member of the Council from Southcentral. Now, the Legislature must decide whether to follow our constitution and decline to confirm the governor’s unfortunate nomination.
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Juneau s Katie Hurley has passed at the age of 99.
She passed on Sunday, according to Juneau lawmakers.
She was born in Juneau on March 30, 1921, and became known as the Grand Dame of Alaska politics , according to Juneau Senator Jesse Kiehl who remembered her on the Senate floor Monday.
Hurley began her political career in 1944 as an assistant to Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening and served him until he left office in 1953.
She served as chief secretary to the Alaska Constitutional Convention and spent five terms as the Secretary for the Alaska State Senate.
After moving to Wasila in 1963, Hurley represented the town in the state House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986.
Katie Hurley, Alaska political figure dating back to territorial days, has died at age 99 Published February 22
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Print article Katie Hurley, a longtime Mat-Su political figure and a participant in the drafting of Alaska’s Constitution, died Sunday in Portland, Oregon, at age 99, her daughter said. Hurley got her start in politics when she joined the office of Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening in 1940. She became secretary of the territorial state and was chief clerk to the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1955 and 1956. Hurley served as president of the Alaska Board of Education, executive director of the state Women’s Commission, state Senate secretary for five sessions and on Gov. William Egan’s statehood transitional staff.