THANKSGIVING: BIRD IS THE WORD (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman): Anthony Schmidt of Triple-D Farm & Hatchery in the Valley says he's offering a couple hundred more turkeys for holiday dinners this year - even though 200 of his flock died when state fair fireworks spooked them and they "piled on top of each other."
GOING HUNGRY IN ALASKA (The Associated Press): Alaska and Iowa top the nation in the growth of "food insecurity" with a 3.7 percent increase in the number of families struggling to eat adequately or with substantial food disruptions, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. "Food insecurity" means families' access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. Overall, 12.4 percent of Alaska households reported food insecurity in the study period, 2005-07. See the USDA findings here.
TOURISM BROCHURE GETS EXTRA ATTENTION: The Alaska Travel Industry Association tourism brochure, this year with Gov. Palin on the cover, is starting to attract attention from national pundits -- though the 2.6 million brochures were printed before Palin joined the McCain campaign. "Act now: Snowmachines are standing by" is the headline on Al Kamen's snarky Washington Post column. Kathy Dunn of the ATIA tells the Chicago Tribune that the group will conduct surveys to gauge national reaction to the brochure. An earlier AP story on the brochures is here.
Also: Is Palin helping or hurting Alaska's image? (Anchorage Daily News, Oct. 17)
PALIN BOOSTERS NATIONWIDE GET TOGETHER ONLINE: A group dedicated to pushing Gov. Palin into the 2012 presidential race was formed last week and is already e-mailing Iowa Republicans, Politico reports. And the blog/news site TeamSarah.org is trying to organize a July 4, 2009, rally in Alaska for people from every state, reports Alaska Dispatch.
PAPARAZZI FIND PALIN POOLSIDE: Photos of Gov. Palin in athletic shorts and T-shirt poolside at a Florida hotel last week are spreading across the Internet.
Also: Palin's doodles discovered (The New Republic)
EAGLE RIVER FACES GLUT OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY (KTUU, with video): Dozens of businesses and properties in Eagle River are on the market -- you can't miss the "For Sale" signs dotting the Old Glenn as you drive through town. The challenge now is to find buyers.
ALASKA TOPS NATION IN ANTI-TOBACCO SPENDING (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids): Alaska is rated No. 1 in the nation in percentage of funding for programs to protect kids from tobacco, according to a national report released today. The report's release comes on the 10th anniversary of the 1998 tobacco lawsuit settlement involving 46 states. The full report, "A Decade of Broken Promises," is here. Other key findings for Alaska include:
-- 17.8 percent of high school students smoke, and 1,100 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 500 lives and costs the state $169 million in health care bills.
-- The tobacco companies spend $28.1 million a year on marketing in Alaska. This is three times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.
-- Alaska this year will collect $103 million from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes and will spend about 9 percent of it on tobacco prevention.
FISH FOOD FIGHT: IS FARMED SALMON ORGANIC? (InjuryBoard.com): The USDA's National Organic Standards Board is meeting this week to consider changes to standards that may allow farmed salmon to be certified "organic" -- the gold standard for food safety and purity.
Also: Wild fish will not make the grade (Chicago Tribune)
ALASKA FISH COULD BE CATCH OF DAY IN SCHOOLS (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner): North Pole High School is among the first in the nation to try four new lunches featuring Alaska pollock. Every Thursday during November, students are being offered the "Alaska Po' Boy" sandwich and the "Alaska Baja" salad, wrap and taco along with the usual offerings.
TALKEETNA CABIN ON ENDANGERED LIST (KTNA): The Tom Weatherall Cabin on Main Street was placed on the Top Endangered Properties list by the Alaska Association of Historic Preservation (audio report).
RESIZING BIG MOUNTAINS: Using a laser altimeter, UAF scientists are remeasuring Alaska and Yukon summits and finding much variation from previous "official" measurements. Most recently, the team pegged Mount Logan at 19,574 feet above sea level, up 23 feet from a 1992 measurement, reports Ned Rozell of the UAF Geophysical Institute. Chris Larson, the scientist leading the research, told the Ottawa Citizen in Canada that accumulating snow and ice could account for much of the difference between the 1992 and 2008 measurements. Mount Logan straddles the Alaska-Yukon border, and its summit is the highest point in Canada. Also remeasured by the team: mounts Marcus Baker, Vancouver, Augusta and St. Elias.
Also: Climate change can affect mountain formation (InfoZine)
FLUSHES OF INSPIRATION: Londoner Luke Barclay, author of the new photo book "A Loo With a View," says the makeshift toilet at the 14,200-foot camp on Mount McKinley might have the best privy panorama in the world. Check out a photo of the Denali privy on Barclay's Web site. Note: Wednesday is World Toilet Day.
SCIENTISTS KEEP EYE ON REDOUBT (Peninsula Clarion): In the past two months Redoubt Volcano has shown increased gas emissions and thermal activity compared to its normal background levels.
RURAL ALASKANS GET PORTABLE PLANETARIUM (The Associated Press): A $488,000 grant from NASA will support development of the digital planetarium program as well as establishing "NASA Days" in rural communities over the next three years. Read more and see pictures here.
Return to Alaska Newsreader through the day for new links.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT NEWSREADERS:
Women lag in Alaska Legislature (Juneau Empire)
Stevens' testimony damaged his case, jurors say (The Washington Post)
Wild wordsmith of Wasilla (Dick Cavett, N.Y. Times)
Palin set to reap millions in book deal (Times of London)
Walter Soboleff: An Alaska original (Juneau Empire)
Nordic skiing without snow (FasterSkier, YouTube)
Don't stereotype us: Alaska isn't about dumb, moose-eating rednecks (The Guardian U.K.)
Coal stoves back in vogue in Homer (Homer Tribune)
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.