The first session of the 24th Legislature began Monday, January 12, and brought with it some snazzy new features.

        First and foremost are two new Democrats in the state House: Berta Gardner from midtown Anchorage and Woodie Salmon of Beaver, who represents the largest state House district in the country.

       Second is in the Senate: We welcomed Albert Kookesh who came to us after 8 years of service in the House. 127 villages are located within the expanse of his Senate District C - also the largest in the union.

        Third is a new Democratic Press Secretary, Mike Doogan, the pencil-necked wise guy who for years wrote an opinion column for the Anchorage Daily News.

        Last, and by no means least, is an improved Democratic website, www.akdemocrats.org. On the website you can find contact information for legislators and staff, read newsletters, opinion pieces and press releases from Democratic legislators and view video clips, photo galleries and slide shows. You can also subscribe to House and Senate Democrats’ E-News, legislator’s newsletters like Sen. Donny Olson’s Ulu News and e-mail updates like the ones from Sen. Gretchen Guess.

        There’s a lot to see and hear at www.akdemocrats.org, so this session make it a daily stop on your tour of the web.