Today's Anchorage Daily News contains an article that details further information on Wasilla charging for rape kits and also that famous Bridge To Nowhere. Former Governor Knowles and the Mayor Ketchikan (aka, Nowhere) were on a conference call with national reporters. Both are Democrats.
The Alaska State Law that was passed was because of Wasilla:
Eight years ago, complaints about charging
rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska
Legislature to pass a bill -- signed into law by Knowles -- that banned
the practice statewide.
"There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla," Knowles said
A
May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla's newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted
that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly
pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.
"(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests," the newspaper reported.
It
also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law.
Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of
the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to
$14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.
The Bridge to Nowhere? There are two of them and one's still moving along:
And she still supports spending $400 million
to $600 million on "the other Bridge to Nowhere," the Knik Arm
Crossing, which would provide residents in Palin's hometown of Wasilla
faster access to Anchorage, Knowles added.
"That
project is moving right ahead," said Knowles, who served as governor of
Alaska from 1994 to 2002. "The money for that project was not diverted
anywhere else. ... So (for her) to say she said, 'Thanks, but no
thanks....' I would say she said, 'Thanks!'"
Knowles and Mayor Bob Weinstein are Democrats and the call was arranged by Obama's campaign:
As a former governor, Knowles said, he's
reluctant to criticize an active governor. But he decided to make an
exception with Palin.
"In this
situation it's not just a sitting governor," he said. "Our current
governor is a candidate for the vice presidency and a heartbeat away
from the presidency."
Update: USA Today covers the rape kit story.
