POLITICS: WHY THE "COLBERG AMENDMENT" SHOULD GO AWAY (Own the Sidewalk blog): In the wake of the resignation of Attorney General Talis Colberg remains House Joint Resolution No. 4, which calls for an elected AG, among other things. "If there's one thing that bothers me more than Crocs at the opera," writes blogger Maia Nolan, "it's people who want to mess around with Alaska's constitution, which is recognized nationwide as one of the greatest legal documents ever written." The AG issue was debated -- and properly resolved -- at Alaska's constitutional convention, she writes. Politicians shouldn't approve such a fundamental change just to get revenge on Gov. Palin over Troopergate. ALSO:
> A round of applause for Rep. Harry Crawford and HJR4 (The Mudflats blog, 1/10/09): "We have now seen what happens when the AG is tucked so deeply into the nice, warm, dark pocket of the governor that he forgets that he is not just the AG for the governor, or for the governor's party, but has duties and obligations to the LAW first and foremost."
> Colberg botched Troopergate, but we don't need this reform (Daily News editorial, 10/19/08)
ARCTIC HAZE TRACED TO RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN (Science News): Data gathered by aircraft flying over northern Alaska and the Arctic Ocean in April 2008 hint that many springtime plumes of Arctic haze, long thought to be pollutants associated with industrial emissions, may in fact result from forest fires and agricultural burning in Asia.
WHAT ARE GOP SENATORS HIDING IN THEIR TAX RETURNS? (Senate Guru): Sen. Lisa Murkowski was among many Republican senators who declined to respond to Politico's tax questionnaire or ignored it, while Democratic Sen. Mark Begich did answer Politico's questions.
GLOBAL FISH SHIFT WILL BENEFIT ALASKA, STUDY SHOWS (Reuters UK): Global warming will push fish stocks more than 125 miles toward the poles by midcentury, a study of more than 1,000 marine species projected. Among fishermen benefiting will be those in Alaska. ALSO:
> Fish migrating to cooler waters (CNN)
> Ocean climate change: A really inconvenient truth (NewScientist)
> Global warming brings more birds north in winter (Anchorage Daily News)
GETTING PAST "DRILL, BABY, DRILL" (Politico): Republicans are searching for a new catchphrase to define this year's offshore drilling debate after concluding the memorable "drill, baby, drill" line of the last presidential campaign has lost potency - or even worse, become a political liability.
SEVEN LONG YEARS: A CLIMBER'S PAIN (Anchorage Press): Evan Phillips, an Anchorage climber and musician, was injured during a California rock climb in 2002. He's been coping with the pain and life disruption ever since.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF: HUNT HARES IN KODIAK (Kodiak Daily Mirror): Are you looking for a real challenge, one that will get you outdoors and provide plenty of exercise? Have you tried hunting snowshoe hares in February? This is the time when all the odds favor the hares. The dumb ones were picked off months ago by predators and hunters. Those you encounter today are about as smart as they come.
PHOTOS FROM THE ALASKA PLACE WITH A VIEW OF RUSSIA (Alaska Dispatch): Photographer Matt Hage visits the Inupiat Eskimo village of Little Diomede, in the Bering Strait between Russia and the Alaska mainland.
VINTAGE SNOWMACHINES ON DISPLAY (Anchorage Press): About two-dozen machines with all-but-forgotten names like Sno-Twister and Ski Wee competed for trophies by looking fresh, as if new and just out of the crate at the Willow Winter Carnival.
RURAL HEALTH EXERCISE INCLUDES DOG VACCINATIONS (The Tundra Drums): Operation Arctic Care, a joint medical readiness and logistics training exercise, will include veterinary care. Why? Because dog bites are a leading cause of injury in rural Alaska.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT NEWSREADERS:
Flood-prone village to get escape shelter with sweat baths (The Tundra Drums)
Alaska fruit growers hope to stock local grocery stores (APRN)
Elmendorf pilots worry U.S. is losing its air warfare edge (The Atlantic, with video)
Anchorage dog honored in Westminster Kennel Club show (USA Today, with video)
Army's last draftee retiring to Alaska (Time)
How to manage an outhouse in midwinter (Mother Earth News)
Unalaska police blotter read around the world (Los Angeles Times)
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.