This blog entry comes to you direct from the Grand Aleutian Hotel in Unalaska, where I am currently on vacation with my wife, Christy. We arrived yesterday after a fabulous three and one-half day ferry ride down the Chain. We are celebrating my 60th birthday. But I digress…
Gavel to Gavel Alaska is a unique and extraordinary Alaskan resource that both documents and exposes public policy in-the-making. It began as a limited demonstration project in 1995, and has steadily grown until finally, in 1995, Gavel to Gavel Alaska expanded to full time coverage of the Regular Legislative Session. In their own words…
We are a cable television service of KTOO-TV, Juneau’s public TV station, and provide unedited live and tape-delayed coverage of state government activities. Our normal broadcast hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday during the legislative session. As the need arises, we extend our hours to cover weekend or late-night meetings and floor sessions.
Our legislative coverage includes committee meetings, floor sessions, press conferences and other legislative events. In addition, we cover oral arguments before the Alaska Supreme Court, administration press conferences and briefings, general government activities, and other meetings about legislative issues or of political interest.
Explore all the resources at this website, but I would like to draw your attention in particular to the Gavel to Gavel Alaska Curriculum Guide for Teachers, which is designed to increase understanding and involvement in state government among students in grades four through twelve. The guide is produced by the National Education Association-Alaska and KTOO-TV with financial support from the University of Alaska.
Finally, I would like to point out a GtGA special which is difficult to find on the main website, but may be of interest: the gas reserves tax ballot initiative debate between Governor Murkowski and ballot initiative sponsors Rep. Eric Croft, Rep. Harry Crawford and Rep. David Guttenberg. It was recorded a couple of months ago, but it is still highly relevant.
ldw
