Ground broken on Veterans' and Pioneers' home.

• Position: CONSTRUCTION

Gov. Frank H. Murkowski, former Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Joel Gilbertson, and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Craig E. Campbell, gathered recently with other state officials at the Palmer Pioneer Home to break ground for renovating the Alaska Veterans' and Pioneers' Home.

"Today's groundbreaking is the result of a nearly 30-year effort to find a viable way to establish an Alaska State Veterans' Home," Gilbertson said. "And by breaking ground we can demonstrate our gratitude for Alaska's veterans."

Alaska successfully applied to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to renovate the Palmer Pioneer Home to complete deferred maintenance, modernize the facility, and to meet VA structural standards...