Big storms are good news for commercial fishermen (New Scientist): We tend to assume that life in the oceans is insulated from the vagaries of the weather. But it is turning out that what goes on above the water's surface is intimately linked to the survival of the creatures below it. A single storm hitting at just the right moment, or a particularly icy winter, can lead to bumper catches of fish or traps full of crabs a few years later.
Magazine names Wasilla-rooted band an indie favorite for '08 (News Blaze): John Baldwin Gourley, vocalist/guitarist for indie darlings Portugal. The Man, has been named the "Best Vocalist of 2008" by the editors of Alternative Press magazine (February issue, just out). Additionally, the magazine's staff selected the band's third and most recent release, "Censored Colors," as one of last year's "10 Essential Albums." See also:
Hardworking 'Man' (Play magazine)
Palin: Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" (MSNBC "Countdown"): The Levi Johnston apprenticeship scandal reminds Keith Olbermann that Gov. Sarah Palin is "the bottomless pit of political scandals, the all-you-can-eat buffet of political scandals, the endless wedge of Velveeta cheese of political scandals."
Patrols help chronic inebriates cope with Interior cold spell (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner): Janelle Wilhelm knows all the hidden spots where drunks try to stay warm. She points out the bank with a vent where someone can sleep all night when it's a little bit warmer or the heated entryway at the fire department where someone sneaks in almost every night. See also:
Stevens Village locked in for week at 60 below (KTUU)
REI offers vouchers for foster care clothing (Anchorage Daily News)
Coast Guard's Top 10 action videos for '08 (Coast Guard): Watch the best video clips of the U.S. Coast Guard in action, including the rescue of four survivors of the Katmai sinking off Adak.
Harry Reid: Don't jail Stevens (Politico): Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks former Sen. Ted Stevens shouldn't face jail time for his seven-count federal conviction last year. Members of Congress had long been used to not disclosing gifts until the rules were tightened, he said. "It's a different world we live in, and Stevens did not understand that." See also:
Stevens' Senate career ends (KTUU, with video)
Permanent Fund sells interest in Ketchikan mall (Juneau Empire): The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. has sold its interest in the Plaza Port West shopping mall in Ketchikan, its only real estate investment property in the state.
Time to reduce the stench of Juneau landfill (Juneau Empire): Can we really expect that our friends from up north are not going to remark unfavorably on the smell when they come to Juneau for the legislative session? When the legislative van collects the first batch of representatives and senators in a few weeks and motors past the pile of garbage, it will be the subject of conversation.
Tok flying object gets attention of UFO center (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner): Officials say a mysterious object in the sky that rattled Tok and perked ears with a sonic boom-type sound Dec. 29 was likely a meteor, but at least one Alaskan reported the sight to the National Unidentified Flying Object Reporting Center.
Trophy hunting causing "reverse evolution" (Live Science): Humans may be forcing a smaller-is-better scenario, and the ultimate outcome may be species demise. The idea is not new. In 1990, Douglas Chadwick wrote in National Geographic magazine how trophy hunting had a similar effect on bears in Alaska: "Continued harvesting of the biggest animals by trophy hunters has caused a decline in the average size of Kodiak bears over the years."
Only die-hards playing pond hockey in Whitehorse (CBC) : Since temperatures in the Yukon have plummeted to minus 40 and worse -- not including wind chill -- shinny hasn't been a popular recreation choice.
Return to Alaska Newsreader through the day for new links.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT NEWSREADERS:
Beloved dog lost to beaver trap on skijoring trail (The Bristol Bay Times)
Digital smackdown over Troopergate (Anchorage Press)
Unalaska police blotter a cure for common crime (The Dutch Harbor Fisherman)
Begich's son gets Obama's attention in D.C. (KTUU)
‘Deadliest Catch' crew sets out to make Kodiak proud (Kodiak Daily Mirror)
Souped-up snowmachines (Wired)
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