PHOTOS: JOURNEY TO NOATAK (Keeping It Real at 66 Degrees North Latitude): A Kotzebue blogger tries not to dwell on the fact that the plane has duct-taped repairs inside and focuses her lens on the view and the village.

NATIVES GO TO D.C. TO OPPOSE OFFSHORE DRILLING (Alaska Public Radio Network): About 20 Inupiat, Yup'ik and Gwich'in people traveled from Alaska and Canada to tell Congress and the Obama administration they don't want drilling near their villages. The group found more doors open to them than they have in recent years.

DON YOUNG'S FIGHT FOR A CAPITOL PAINTING (Politico): Buried in a story about the Capitol-greening efforts of Dan Beard, chief administrative officer for the U.S. House of Representatives, is an anecdote about a controversial 19th-century painting of an Indian holding a scalp over the body of a white man. Beard has it, Young wants it.

FISHERMEN MEASURE THEIR HAUL IN VERSE (The New York Times): Dave Densmore, who grew up in the Aleutians, wrote his first poem as a joke while hungover one morning in the 1970s. He read it to fellow fishermen over a VHF radio off Kodiak. Now he's taking writing classes and goes to the annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Ore., where participants might celebrate in verse the versatility of a deck bucket or a romance in rubber boots. The article includes recordings, photos and reader participation. A sample of fisher verse follows:

As it turns out, this set saves the day,/ Because the fish train hits/ and now we're being highly paid./ With each jag that comes over the roller of kings, reds and chums/ This business of fishing has instantly become more fun.

"MAYORAL SPEED DATING" MARRED BY SCREAMING CANDIDATE (Think Alaska blog): "The event ran smoothly, with just one exception. One of the lesser known candidates, Jacob Seth Kern, showed up after not informing the organizer that he would attend and decided to scream offensively to the media and everyone around him. He was asked to leave the premises." KTUU has video coverage of the event.

FOR CONSERVATIVES, PALIN STILL A SYMBOL OF MEDIA BIAS (Washington Independent): Anger over media coverage of Gov. Palin during the presidential campaign was widespread at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference. During a screening of John Ziegler's film "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted," viewers gasp as Palin watches news clips on a laptop and cheer when she fires back at the voices on the screen.

ALASKA RELICS RETURNED TO LIFE BY SMITHSONIAN (First Alaskans magazine): The squirrel-skin parka was a problem. More accurately, it was 93 problems for the Smithsonian. That's how many of the furry creatures were stitched together for the garment, collected in Alaska more than a century ago. Restored with the help of Inupiaq elders and artists, the parka will come back to Alaska with about 600 other artifacts and go on display when the Arctic Studies Center opens in the Anchorage Museum expansion next year. With photos

ARTISTS REMEMBER EXXON VALDEZ SPILL (Homer Tribune): An art exhibit that will travel the state for the next six months is a tribute to the fact that the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound is still very much alive in the hearts and minds of Alaska communities. "The show is really about choosing not to forget about accountability," the curator says. With photos

SMALL ALASKA PARISHES THRIVE DESPITE PRIEST SHORTAGE (Catholic Anchor): Receiving the traditional Ash Wednesday ashes on Friday might seem odd to most Catholics. But in the frontiers of Alaska, even the simple presence of a priest can be cause for celebration.

Return to Alaska Newsreader through the day for new links.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT NEWSREADERS:

Very small dog is prey for hungry eagle (Homer Tribune)

Iditarod dog team gets new jackets (The Redoubt Reporter)

Inupiat boys' shared childhood matures into corporate connection (First Alaskans)

Tree-rich Haines buys up Canadian logs (Chilkat Valley News)

Mayoral Speed Dating: Candidates woo young voters (Own the Sidewalk blog)

Mine waste trips up Alaska gold rush (L.A. Times)

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