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US Vice President to Speak at Senator Ted Stevens' Funeral

   VOA News 18 August 2010
   Vice President Joe Biden, 28 Jul 2010 (file photo)

Photo: AP

   Vice President Joe Biden (file photo)

   U.S.  Vice  President  Joe  Biden is expected to speak at the memorial
   service for former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens Wednesday.
   Stevens died last week in a plane crash in his home state.
   Several other members of the Senate are expected to attend, as well as
   Alaska's  current  governor and two former governors, including former
   vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
   The 86-year-old Stevens was killed, along with four others, when their
   plane   crashed  in  southwestern  Alaska  on  August  9.  Four  other
   passengers survived.
   Weather  has  not  been ruled out as a factor in the crash. Rain, wind
   and overcast skies were reported in the area at the time.
   Wednesday's  service  is  the  final  of  several events memorializing
   Stevens,  who  was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate with a
   tenure  of  40  years. On Monday a Roman Catholic Mass was held in his
   honor  at  a  cathedral in Anchorage.  Tuesday, a viewing of the body
   was  held at an Episcopal church, followed by a procession to move the
   remains to Anchorage Baptist Temple for Wednesday's service.
   Stevens  was  defeated  in  his  re-election bid in 2008 following his
   conviction for failing to report corporate gifts.  The conviction was
   later overturned because of misconduct by federal prosecutors.
   In  1978,  Stevens  was  a passenger in a plane crash at the Anchorage
   airport that killed his first wife, Ann.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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