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MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2002

Ever since his marriage to an Alaska Native woman, some say Alaska Senate President Rob Halford has changed his stance on rural and Native issues.

But the change appears to have been slow in the making and, according to some Native leaders, Halford, a Republican from Chugiak, still has a long way to go. He married Rona Sorensen in 1994, who is a shareholder in Bristol Bay Native Corp., an Alaska Native regional corporation.

Since then, he has struck a more cooperative tone with Native leaders. But he has angered many by asking the Bush administration to reconsider the federal status of more than 200 Alaska Native governments.

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton has yet to act on the request, which came in the form of a letter in January. Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb has said he opposes any reconsideration.

Former Assistant Secretary Ada Deer, a Clinton appointee, recognized the tribes against great opposition in Alaska.

Get the Story:
Political pilot (The Anchorage Daily News 3/23)

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