Anchorage Daily News

Nome offers shelter to Ruth Madoff

New York Post: The Chamber of Commerce in Nome says it "cordially invites" Ruth Madoff to move there, "where you can live off the land, far away from the prying news media. Nome is a place where people judge you for what you do, not who you are." Ruth Madoff -- wife of convicted financier Bernard Madoff -- was booted from her Manhattan penthouse by federal marshals on Thursday -- walking out with nothing but her purse and "the clothes on her back" after pleading in vain to keep a fur coat, officials said.

Kodiak down to its last fireworks stand

Kodiak Daily Mirror: Les N' Dan's is the only fireworks stand still in business in Kodiak. But when the Seaton brothers started in 1984, there were at least four or five other people selling fireworks. One way they try to stay in good standing with Kodiak residents: Les N' Dan's sponsors a "litter bounty" program, geared for kids. For every bag full of used fireworks someone brings back to the stand, he or she earns $2 worth of free fireworks. They said the program is an effort to help clean the beaches and other areas where Kodiakans typically launch fireworks.

Alaskans pine for the 'old' Palin

Yereth Rosen, Christian Science Monitor: "In the Lower 48, Alaska's governor has been basking in the white-hot celebrity spotlight, leading parades, signing autographs, blasting President Obama, appearing on news shows and in national magazines, and, most famously, feuding with talk-show host David Letterman. Back home, meanwhile, some Alaskans are feeling neglected by Palin. ... Dissatisfaction is summed up by one bumper sticker: "Hey Sarah ... the job's in Juneau."

Sarah, stay home and do your job (Jonah Goldberg, National Review)

Fairbanks cemetery at center of dispute

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Birch Hill Cemetery has come under fire for what its owners said is merely an overdue effort to make the 40-plus acres more appealing to the average visitor. But some residents are upset by what they view as overzealous caretaking. Early this summer, work crews began a heavy cleaning at the cemetery. In the process, they started to clear many grave sites of ornaments left by visitors.

Colbert mocks Supreme Court decision

Juneau Empire: Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert invoked images of the James Bond movie "Goldfinger," a crazy old gold miner, and Antonin Scalia with a gold grill over his teeth as he talked about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Kensington gold mine case. See the show at www.colbertnation.com.

If Palin's a narcissist, she has plenty of company among male politicians

Michelle Goldberg, The Daily Beast: "In one of the most quoted passages of Todd Purdum's eviscerating Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin, Purdum writes that, in traveling through Alaska, several people told him that, in trying to understand their governor, 'they had consulted the definition of ‘narcissistic personality disorder' in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.' Said disorder, Purdum points out, is marked by 'a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy.' As a description of Palin, that sounds about right. It also sounds about right as a description of Newt Gingrich, Mark Sanford, John Edwards, and maybe even Bill Clinton."

How Vanity Fair's Palin profile will help her (John Batchelor, The Daily Beast)

THURSDAY, JULY 2

Cottonwood: Untapped Alaska resource

"Every year as the cottonwood seeds burst open and litter our deck and yard, I wonder whether we couldn't find some ways to use the cotton. ... While Alaska won't get rich from cottonwood, some families might be able to make a living."

Sitka plans re-enactment of '59 flag-raising

KCAW, Sitka: The first 49-star flag in Alaska was raised in secret at 12:01 a.m. July 4, 1959, on Sitka's Castle Hill. Organizers of this year's Independence Day celebration in Sitka plan to re-create the ceremony.

Rob George: Top of the crab food chain

Dutch Harbor Fisherman: Rob George of Las Vegas "single-handedly put Alaska [red king] crab into restaurants and onto plates nationwide long before captains Sig Hansen or Keith Colburn became reality TV stars. ... It's a marketing miracle that has brought him riches he never imagined." George recently received the Alaska Champion award for bringing a state product to world attention.

Did Palin try to mislead McCain campaign?

CBS News: Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe are reporting on an e-mail exchange between VP candidate Gov. Palin and McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt in the weeks before the election. Palin, upset over media reports about her and husband Todd's association with the Alaska Independence Party, asks Schmidt to issue a statement saying Todd's years-long AIP membership was an accident caused by a misunderstanding of checkboxes on the Alaska voter registration form, and that independence for Alaska isn't a goal of the AIP. Schmidt accuses Palin of trying to get the campaign to release "inaccurate" information that would bring even more scrutiny from the media.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1

Statehood reminiscence: The first Miss Alaska

Juneau Empire: The Douglas Fourth of July Committee has chosen a lifelong Douglas resident - and the first Miss Alaska - as its grand marshal for Fourth of July festivities this weekend. Stuart Sliter, 70, has served at the Douglas Senior Center for almost a decade and has worked various positions for regional and state offices of the Division of Elections since 1984.

Palins' old truck for sale on eBay?

The Mudflats blog: There were no bids for an eBayer in Petersburg trying to sell a 1997 Nissan King Cab pickup formerly owned by Todd and Sarah Palin -- or at least that's what an old registration document found in the glove box says. The seller says the truck was purchased as salvage from an insurance company after a wreck. "This truck was likely the one that Sarah drove around in Wasilla during her early political days as that small town's mayor," says the seller, who promised to donate 10 percent of the sale price to Special Olympics if bidding tops $10,000. "We don't know all the details about this vehicle. There may be a mystery behind it, or even a cover-up! Maybe you can figure it out!" The truck has a toolbox in the bed and a Christian fish symbol on the tailgate.

Palin article sparks GOP family feud

Politico: "A hard-hitting piece on Gov. Palin in the new Vanity Fair has touched off a blistering exchange of insults among high-profile Republicans over last year's GOP ticket - tearing open fresh wounds about leaks surrounding Palin and revealing for the first time some of the internal wars that paralyzed the campaign in its final days."

Latest Palin controvery just a subset of war over direction of GOP (Dan Balz, Washington Post)

Video: Dipnetting on the Kenai River

Alaska Dispatch: Dispatch co-publisher Tony Hopfinger mostly lets dipnetters do the talking in a mini-documentary shot last summer at the mouth of the Kenai River. Although the video is aimed at non-Alaskans, dipnetting regulars will enjoy another look at the bloody, muddy scene on a typically chilly, overcast day.

Photos: Kotzebue spring cleanup (and bike raffle)

Keeping It Real at 66 Degrees North blog: "The cleanup was held about two weeks later than usual this year because we had so much snow," writes Kotzebue blogger Cathy, who takes her camera everywhere she goes. "After eight months of snow and wind there is a lot of trash lying around. The city of Kotzebue pays the kids $1 a bag for trash they collect."

TUESDAY, JUNE 30

Unalaska mayor is theft victim on Midwest train

The Times of Munster, Ind: Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt - frequently seen on the popular Discovery Channel TV series "Deadliest Catch" - had her wallet stolen on a Chicago-bound train in northern Indiana, police reported. Her son also lost his wallet - together they were missing $1,300 in cash. Marquardt believed she knew who stole the wallets, and transit police met the train in Chicago. Two women -- one carrying a gun and ammo -- were arrested. (Tip from Wesley Loy's blog The Brig)

Vanity Fair on Palin: 'It came from Wasilla'

Todd S. Purdum, Vanity Fair: "Whatever her political future, the emergence of Sarah Palin raises questions that will not soon go away," Todd Purdum writes in a long piece that ranges from her campaign for governor to her current status as the "sexiest and riskiest brand" in GOP politics. "What does it say about the nature of modern American politics that a public official who often seems proud of what she does not know is not only accepted but applauded? What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life? Why did so many skilled veterans of the Republican Party-long regarded as the more adroit team in presidential politics-keep loyally working for her election even after they privately realized she was casual about the truth and totally unfit for the vice-presidency?" ...

"Critics will find more about her (in the article) to loathe, supporters will think she's again being victimized by the media ..." (Ben Smith, Politico)

Palin in Runner's World: I'd outlast Obama

RunnersWorld.com: The August edition of Runner's World magazine features Gov. Palin as part of its "I'm a Runner" series of Q&A celebrity profiles. The online version is longer, with a photo gallery of the governor in running gear at her Wasilla home -- and including a flag-adorned indoors shot that's sure to incite partisan hoots and hollers. The highlight of the long Q&A is her account of a run with the Secret Service at John McCain's Arizona ranch during the presidential campaign.

Big Alaska looks to small nuclear

Green Inc. blog, New York Times: "In a quest to lower energy prices, some municipalities in Alaska are looking to small-scale nuclear power. The projects involve small reactors that would be buried underground and operate for many years without the need for refueling. Alaska's governor supports the concept."

Palin needs to push nuclear power for Alaska (Donald N. Anderson for The Alaska Standard)

Satire: Do we really want Ester achieving nuclear capability? (David A. James, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Redoubt Volcano may be settling down

Alaska Public Radio Network: Redoubt's last explosive eruption was more than 12 weeks ago, and scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say they're starting to see signs the mountain may be settling down. But the aviation alert level is still at code orange and the observatory staff continues around-the-clock monitoring. Since the last eruption April 4, Redoubt has been oozing magma and releasing steam. The lava dome has grown huge, to the size of 17 Louisiana Superdomes. "The last couple of months at Redoubt, we have been building a mountain," says a scientist. The rate of dome growth has slowed, but still, it's unstable and could fail at any time, which would cause another explosion and associated hazards, such as Drift River flooding.