'Fish Camp Barbie' works with a smile: Angela Gonzalez took a trip down memory lane on her blog, Athabascan Woman, remembering summers spent harvesting, processing and preserving salmon on the Koyukuk River in Interior Alaska, downriver from the village of Huslia. Her Barbie dolls figured prominently, and thanks to her grandmother, Fish Camp Barbie could even help cut up fish for the drying rack or smoker -- with a little t?aabaas (the Koyukon Athabascan word for the knife commonly known as an "ulu"). "My dad and older cousins also carved little boats for them out of drift wood," she writes. "My sister and cousins also made elaborate Barbie mansions out of mud, sticks and other little scrap supplies." Read much more and see the full picture of Fish Camp Barbie working hard, apparently so skilled that not a single scrap of fish goo has besmirched her fetching outfit.
Arrest made for Anchorage hit and run: Anchorage police have identified the driver allegedly responsible for hitting a local 18-year-old as he walked on Huffman Road early morning July 20. After a weeklong investigation, police determined that 20-year-old Kayla Johnson, who was driving her black 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser intoxicated at the time of the hit-and-run collision, struck Tevin George at 4 a.m. and severely injured the teenager. Johnson allegedly fled the scene and left George "unconscious, unresponsive and suffering from a head injury," police spokeswoman Dani Myren wrote in a press release. George is continuing to receive treatment at an Anchorage hospital. Police arrested Johnson without incident, and she has been charged with first-degree assault, operating under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to render aid and driving with a revoked license. She was taken to the Anchorage jail on $75,000 bail.
Alaska's Monolith agency on NPR: A small music-booking agency from Alaska got a big shout out on National Public Radio Friday. NPR's program Market Place, which highlights "the latest business news both nationally and internationally," took a closer look at the independent booking and publicity operation Monolith Agency. Evan Phillips, front man of the popular local band The Whipsaws and co-founder of Monolith, told NPR he sees Alaska as an up-and-coming touring destination. Phillips hopes that through his work with Monolith, the 49th state will continue to see fresh Outside talent touring Alaska.
Elusive orphaned bear cubs get a home: Four Kodiak Island brown bear cubs may need to apply for visas. A new home for the little bruins has been found at a bear park in Sweden -- that is, if the cubs can be found and caught. No one has seen the cubs since Monday. Their mother was shot after charging several people at the Old Harbor landfill on July 15. Fish and Game said it is still looking for the cubs, but with the sighting of several large male bears in the area, the likelihood of finding the cubs alive is decreasing by the day. If they are found, the cubs will join another Kodiak brown bear at the bear park. The brother of "Shaggy," a bear shot in 2012 after escaping the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, is already there.
Alaska bistro makes Wine 100: Crush Wine Bistro and Cellar in Anchorage has been named as one of the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in America. The people responsible for the list called the restaurant's Alaska Niçoise with Confit Salmon the "riot-worthy" dish on the menu, but AK Beat will fight anyone for the last Prosciutto Wrapped Sheep's Feta Stuffed Date.