As a rather uneventful Iditarod comes to a close with a repeat champion who led most of the way, a few race observations are in order. This was the first year for the Expedition Class racers, teams that pay a premium to take part but do not actually compete for prizes. This year there were three such teams and only one finished the race. That team finished well ahead of the first competitive team, mainly because of relaxed rules that allowed for unlimited help and switching o

The January news comes to you from Anchorage where the snowfall set a new January record. That snow came after a cold snap that lasted a couple of weeks and covered most of the state. The cold snap allowed Fairbanks people to join the exclusive -40 club by having their picture taken in front of the University campus thermometer.  Most of the club members are students, but sometimes old folks get crazy as well.  For this edition of the news, there were two photos to pick from—

The December news comes to you from Alaska where much of the state is emerging from a cold snap that reminded folks of the old days when cold snaps lasted for months.  This one lasted a couple of weeks and resulted in a postponement of the annual Bogus Creek 150 dog race in Bethel. That race has been staged during some very cold weather in the past, but it is clear that given the option most people involved with dog racing now prefer to stage races in more comfortable conditi

The darkest days of winter are upon Alaska, and with that comes some extreme weather to make things interesting.  Most recently that included a powerful windstorm that lasted a few days in downtown Anchorage, causing some damage and lots of inconvenience.  Trash blew around, trees toppled and foot travel was challenging.  Anchorage has experienced icy conditions frequently in recent years with gradually warming conditions, and the current ice, combined with 40 mph winds made