Alaska Beat

AK Beat: Talkeetna's Stubbs the cat clings to life, fund established for medical bills

How to help Stubbs: Stubbs the cat, the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, is clinging to life at a veterinarian's office in the cabin community of Big Lake, up the road from Wasilla. A local dog attacked and seriously injured the world-famous feline politician Saturday evening. "Stubbs is holding his own," Stec said. The prominent pussy cat is hooked up to a chest tube and is heavily medicated. Since the story hit the Internet Monday, an outpouring of support for Stubbs' recovery has flooded social media sites -- Stec's medical bills top $2,000, so far. Stec has set up a donation fund at Nagley's General Store, which she manages. Concerned cat lovers can mail the donations to the store at P.O. Box 906, Talkeetna, AK, 99676. Stec said that any donations beyond the cost of Stubbs' care will go to the Mat-Su Animal Care Facility.

Humpback whale stuck in net near Juneau: Juneau radio station KINY reported that a National Marine Fisheries team has failed, for a second time, to free a large humpback whale from fishing net wrapped around the animal near Juneau. The whale is entangled in a gill net, and was first spotted near Petersburg, 163 miles southeast of Juneau, last week. A three-person crew tried to free the whale, as it struggled against the netting on Friday, near Stephens Passage. A buoy and tracking device have been attached to the whale so the team can try again over the next few days.

Iditarod raffle winners announced: Just two short weeks ago, the Iditarod Trail Committee was making a plea for help selling more tickets to the annual raffle, which helps finance the world-famous sled-dog race. Thanks in part to their booth at the Alaska State Fair, they managed to quickly sell the remaining tickets and on Monday night, the drawings were held. Winners of the two grand prizes -- 2013 Dodge Ram pickups valued at almost $40,000 -- were Al Adams of Yakima, Wash., and Melvin Torres of Palmer. See the full list of winners, here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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