Housing

The retired neurosurgeon’s nomination raised eyebrows, given his lack of experience in the field, but the Senate voted 58-41 to confirm him.

A unanimous Juneau Planning Commission approved the first phase of the Pederson Hill subdivision, clearing a major hurdle for the city’s housing initiative. Now it will be up to the Juneau Assembly to decide how it will offload the 86 lots.

Boosters of Pederson Hill see scores of moderately priced homes for middle class families. Private developers fear competition from the city. Balancing free market principles against the barrier to home ownership experienced by middle class families is something the Assembly will have to grapple with.

The 2014 federal Farm Bill allows states to grow and harvest hemp through pilot programs. Sen. Shelley Hughes is sponsoring legislation that would establish such a program in Alaska. Supporters see it as a way to diversify Alaska’s economy.

A midtown Anchorage apartment building caught fire early Wednesday morning, killing two people and injuring 16 others. A portion of the three-story Royal Suite Lodge on Minnesota Drive in midtown has collapsed from the blaze, and the cause is currently unknown.

Downtown merchants have complained of the homeless using shuttered storefronts as shelters. Those concerns were heard by a majority of the Assembly that voted 5-4 to pass the ordinance.