The November Ballot Will Have Voters Answering the Question: Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Alaska? In the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln kept hammering away on a few basic points about American law and society. One of those often-overlooked points was a fairly simple one: Laws instruct citizens. Even if the citizens create them, over time, laws inform public sentiment and eventually alter social mores. So what do citizens do when their laws send them mixed messages? How do conflicting laws instruct a body politic? [continues 1566 words]
MAT-SU -- A recent ruling by the state Court of Appeals regarding possession of small amounts of marijuana has prompted at least one drug case to be dropped in the Valley. Wasilla attorney Verne Rupright said one of his clients will avoid pleading to a charge of misconduct involving a controlled substance for possessing marijuana. Rupright said the court ruling prompted the Palmer District Attorney's office to drop prosecution for the misdemeanor offense involving a couple of ounces. "We were just about to negotiate a settlement for a client who had the requisite amount to trigger the very bottom end of the statute," he said. "She clearly falls into the criteria. [continues 422 words]
PALMER -- City council member Tony Pippel voted alone against the city of Palmer accepting a $54,000 grant for its police department to participate in a regional drug enforcement task force. The program is run by the Alaska State Troopers and is funded through money from a federal government program called the Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program. Pippel has voted against the program consistently every year, usually alone. In December 2000, when the council was working on its 2001 budget, he did garner some support. At that time, former council member Joe Lawton made a motion that would have removed the Byrne funds from the budget. When the matter went to a vote it failed narrowly, with Lawton, Pippel and council member Diana Long in favor of removing the funds from the budget. [continues 158 words]
PALMER -- Proposed budget cuts in the Division of Juvenile Justice could shut down the Mat-Su Youth Facility as an overnight detention center, officials said Tuesday. Some services would continue to be available, though 13 staff members would potentially be laid off, said Bob Fedoroff, superintendent at McLaughlin Youth Facilities, who oversees the Mat-Su detention center. "The House Finance Committee is asking that we reduce our [division's] budget by about $1 million," Fedoroff said. "We are looking at reducing operations at the Mat-Su Youth Facility, which is a 24-hour detention center and a probation night school. That would eliminate all but a community [daytime] detention program." [continues 713 words]
Editor's note: This story is a compilation of several interviews over a four-month stretch between Frontiersman reporter Naomi Klouda and Robert Norris. It is the second of several articles which will explore how some Alaskan residents end up behind bars, what happens while they serve out their sentences, and options they are presented to assist with their rehabilitation. The week starts off first thing Monday morning with a court date. After five months in jail, 18-year-old Robert Norris is about to hear his sentence. [continues 1397 words]
The state dismissed charges against a Wasilla man arrested for growing marijuana after a Palmer Superior Court judge ruled that drug enforcement officers trespassed in order to smell the marijuana and subsequently get a search warrant. Four charges of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the case involving James H. McDermott, 35, of Wasilla, were dropped Monday. On Sept. 9, 1999, McDermott was arrested after drug enforcement officers obtained information about his alleged marijuana-growing operation by "smelling the pot" while standing in a vacant, privately owned lot next door. [continues 462 words]
