Office News January 2012

The Kuskokwim 300 dominated ALO news for the month of January. Persistent cold temps kept the field small but there was no lack of talent. Youngster Rohn Buser became the second member of his family to win the race. Local rookie Jen Peeks won the Bogus race and thus became the first woman to win that race. Wind chills were below -50 for the race. The weather was a common topic around Alaska, and a few of the highlights are worth reporting. Cold temps didn't slow down this group of college kids at the UAF campus. This creative fellow found a good use for the snow heaped up in front of his door in Cordova. Neighbor Casie Stockdale showed the world how a young lady preps for dog feeding in Bethel on a cold day. Russian Christmas (Slavic) brought out a good crowd despite the cold in the nearby village of Kasigluk and Cauline Ferguson captured a nice shot of the scene.

Politics dominated the news and the Palins of course wanted their share. Todd endorsed Newt Gingrich. Perhaps as a result Newt got hammered in Florida. Speaking of Gingrich, this photo might explain some of his problems in the primary. Republicans and Democrats ought to listen more closely to the lone Independent in the US Senate, and of course one of the smartest members. Here's a chart that is hard for some to believe, because they tend to believe what Rush Limbaugh tells them. But of course, politics has its funny moments.

Angstman Law did some business in January. Two Bethel clients settled their car accident claims, and a Fairbanks client had a felony charge dismissed. One of the better legal calls of the month came from a lady at the Bethel jail, charged with a couple of drug related cases. She said she planned to hire a famous Anchorage defense lawyer but couldn't get the money together until she got out of jail. She wanted to know if ALO could represent her for a few days and get her out on bail. The response was the kind one might expect from a crusty old guy who really doesn't like to be told that the real lawyers live in Anchorage and isn't afraid to speak his mind. She was told that would be like asking a lady to be some guy's girlfriend for a couple of weeks until a better one could be found. She got the message and hung up.

Criminals sometimes have interesting stories to tell. This couple ran into some hard times in Colorado. And of course there was the potential ALO client who showed up at the office, wanting to sue the State of Alaska. He was asked to explain his case. It went this way. The guy went to Anchorage for a weekend stay at a low priced hotel. One night, returning to the room at a late hour, he was jumped in the hallway and robbed of about $200 in cash. The obvious question was asked, "how does this involve the state?? "If they would give those guys jobs, they wouldn't have to go around robbing people." Probably true, but not a case ALO could win.

Somebody had a good time putting together this blurb about Anchorage. Any Alaskan has to laugh.

There is little to laugh at in this clip. It aired on TV but if you missed it, please watch. This young man climbs without a rope, and it will scare you to watch.

Finally, not all dogs pull a sled to earn their keep.

In case you missed it, check out the story of the lead dog Funny and the 1983 Kuskokwim 300.

 

Office News December 2011

December capped off a very successful year at Angstman Law Office. Several civil cases were settled, including a major case involving an aggravated broken leg which happened in the village of Ugashik in the Bristol bay area. An elderly lady from Haines, Alaska was visiting family in Ugashik when she tripped on an exposed grounding rod near the entrance to a house. The rod had been placed by the local Housing Authority during construction of the house. The occupant of the house had complained to the Housing Authority about the rod, which stuck out of the ground two or three inches. The accident happened Christmas eve, and the injured elder had to remain in the village untreated for many hours before she was transported out. She eventually had surgery, and a lengthy recovery period.

Two recent car accidents in Bethel resulted in settlements. In one case, a young woman suffered fractured vertebrae in a roll-over accident caused by a drunk driver. She settled for policy limits, and will be seeking additional recovery from her family's underinsured motorist coverage. The other accident was a minor fender bender where two passengers of a cab settled their injury claims for a modest amount.

The final settlement came from the City of Bethel. Earlier it was reported here that a man had his criminal charges dismissed after it became apparent that a Bethel police officer had fabricated testimony in an assault case. That resulted in a civil suit against the officer, which was settled before the city answered the complaint filed in court.

There were plenty of criminal cases resolved as well. One involved a dismissal of charges against a young man accused of reckless driving in Bethel, by the same officer involved in the assault case mentioned above. Interestingly, no police report was ever filed in that case, perhaps contributing to the state's decision not to proceed. The driver and his witnesses vehemently denied the charges.

A major criminal case resolved right after Christmas when a man charged with attempted murder and first degree assault pled guilty to second degree assault. The agreed upon sentence was the minimum mandatory of six years to serve, plus a bunch of suspended time.

One last case is worth a mention. A Togiak man called to hire ALO after his court appointed lawyer (from another Bethel firm) failed to make contact with him, even by phone, despite the fact that his trial date was fast approaching. ALO took the case, and a quick look revealed that the state had charged him with a complaint that did not establish probable cause for the hunting violation alleged. It is a basic rule that any complaint must state sufficient facts to establish probable cause that a crime was committed by the defendant. A motion to dismiss was filed, and the charges were dismissed.

This year was the first where ALO had only one lawyer on staff, an elder at that. The experiment was far more successful than might be expected. The office has an average of about one court appearance a day, but many are telephonic and most are brief. Some courts even allow an elder to go first when there are a bunch of lawyers waiting. The return to a more active court calendar has been generally entertaining. ALO has cases pending right now in Bethel, Dillingham, Naknek, Kodiak, Nome, Kotzebue and Anchorage, so keeping track of calendaring is a chore. A great new program keeps all of this information online and then sends an email reminder at regular intervals when a hearing is approaching. Rural courts have an established conference line for all participants to call at the appointed hour. Having a statewide practice was very cumbersome even ten years ago, but times have changed.

The year ended in Bethel with a significant cold spell. Temps in the -25 range were common during the last few days of December. That took some of the fun out of the holidays, but the dog farm crew still managed to get out for training runs and to take part in the Holiday Classic. Steve Olive was racing for the first time ever, and took a wrong turn which cost him a bunch of time. When it happened, he was running right behind the eventual winner Mike Williams Jr in second place. When he got back on track he was in sixth place. Here is Steve at the finish line. Today (Jan 3rd) bottomed out at -35, the coldest day in many years at ALO. The cold didn't stop Sue from hosting her annual Christmas Eve party for about 30 folks, featuring Scandanavian fare.

Alaska's former governor is a favorite topic on these pages. She doesn't make much real news anymore, but occasionally she makes a comment that gets a headline. In December is was the Obama Christmas card that got her going. Take a good look and see if you agree with her that it does not portray American values. Then compare it to this card sent out by President Reagan a few years ago. Perhaps the Reagans and the Obamas share the same values. Palin is in a tough spot because she is paid to say something regularly on TV, and she really has nothing to say.

Speaking of Holiday greetings, this monthly news report will have to suffice as the ALO greeting. It is perhaps lacking in American values, but does keep the reader up to date on happenings at the office. Uncle Jack Angstman, now deceased, had a practical approach to such greetings. He was a lifetime farmer on part of what is now Long Pond Elk Farm. He lived into his late 80's and it is believed that he milked cows for all but a handful of days for almost eighty years, after dropping out of school in sixth grade to help on the Angstman farm when his dad died. Jack died in a car accident while driving home from Princeton to milk cows. He was a long time widower, and developed several novel ways of dealing with the social obligations of rural Minnesota. When he saw folks during the Christmas season, he would wish them "Merry Christmas forever" just in case he missed greeting them anytime in the future. Of course it worked, as his greeting is the only one of thousands from that era that is still remembered today.

The holiday spirit didn't stop these two Anchorage moose from sparring on a city street. Here is Bill Eggiman's choice for a Christmas card, a winter scene at the Angstman cabin. With that, another year is in the books at ALO. Merry Christmas forever.

 

Office News November 2011

All of November was spent at the Elk Farm branch of ALO, but the big news of the month was a verdict out of Bethel. Phillip Morris was sued in Bethel court for the wrongful death of a long time smoker. ALO was involved with the case from early on but did not take part in the trial except as a consultant. Consultation proved to be broadly defined, as it included trial strategy, jury research, food and lodging arrangements, and the list goes on. Phillip Morris defends all of its cases vigorously, and ALO's involvement in this case revealed a whole new approach to litigation. The trial itself took about a month, which makes it the longest in Bethel history. The final result was a defense verdict for Phillip Morris which surprised many people in Bethel who expected a large corporation would have a hard time winning against a local family. Much of the credit for the win has to go to the lead defense counsel, Stan Davis. Stan is a veteran trial lawyer from Kansas, who came to Bethel and kept his eyes and ears open for information that might help him win his case. He soaked up local information like a sponge, and some of it ended up in the case. Many folks commented on his ability to connect with people he encountered here. That trait works well with jurors, and the unanimous verdict he won shows that.

Alaska visitors to the Elk Farm are always a treat. Former Bethel folks Dan and Sharon Boyette make it down every couple of years, and this year it was for Thanksgiving. Dan of course is a GCI exec, and thus well known to people from Bethel who call him at all hours with cell phone woes. What is not widely known is that Dan also makes guest appearances at trade shows around the country, where people stand in line to have their picture taken with him. This young lady stood in line for 40 minutes for her chance to pose with Dan.

Two other visitors from Alaska showed up for deer hunting, Andy and his friend Lee Ryan, both taking a couple days off from Ryan Air where Lee is chief pilot. Neither got a deer, mainly because of the farm rule that limits hunters to bucks that are eight points or better, but both had a good time matching wits with the smartest game animal around. Lee is quite a photographer. Here are a few pictures of He was interested in the prairie grass, and got a few dandy shots of the grass on a frosty morning. About 75 acres of native grass grows on the farm, providing exceptional habitat for most of the critters that live on the farm.

The pace of life on the Elk Farm is fairly slow. Sometimes the highlight of the day is watching the bird feeder. One day a Piliated Woodpecker was the star.

Flying around the country with a Kindle caused some thought about the airline rule that all electronic devices must be powered down before take off. This article about flying and electronic devices talks about that rule. Here's a another rule: Anyone flying on 736XM (ALO's company plane) can use any electronic device they want.

Winter conditions prevailed in Bethel for much of November. This picture captures a rather chilly fall scene when teenager Rhett Hone got his first taste of -30 windchill on a dog sled. The picture was snapped by Steve Olive, who is doing a good job as the main handler Old Friendly Dog Farm . This series of photos taken by Steve illustrates the variety of sights a musher can see during a run around Bethel.

Not all outdoor outings in Alaska are as much fun. This Fairbanks area prospector had a rough time of it. His story is a variation on a theme that is repeated every year. Some survive, some don't.

Another former Bethel guy helped make November a good month by betting on Iowa in a college football game with Minnesota. The long suffering Gophers rarely beat anyone, but a $5 bet with a Iowa fan is worth it if only for the fun of not paying when Minnesota loses. This year they won and the boastful Iowa fan, Josh Fitzgerald, decided to pay the bet in cash. Despoiling US currency is a crime, but doing so with Iowa colors is sinful. The cash is headed for the cabin outhouse wall.

Katie Basile used to be Katie Baldwin when she lived down the street from ALO. She even worked there for a few weeks when we were short of staff. Now she is a New York photographer who comes back to Alaska from time to time to ply her trade. Check Katie Basile's website for some recent photos from Alaska, some of which were widely reprinted, including this one in the New York Time's article about a large fall storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more of this year's news at our 2011 News Archive page.