December 2025

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 conditions. Here is a shot of the Dog Farm team training for the 2009 Bogus Creek 150 at about -20. The photo was taken by JoeJoe Prince who drove a snow machine way out of Bethel to take photos in that weather. The wind chill that day was around -40. Folks back then were dumber than they are now, it appears.

This year's race will now happen in mid-February.  

That cold snap brought to mind some cold races from the past. The coldest overall was the 1989 Kuskokwim 300 which was delayed a few days as the Bethel thermometer bottomed out at -50.  It warmed all the way up about -30 and the race got underway.  Here is a video of a rather chilled local attorney starting the race at a temp noted as -33.

Of course it dropped from that point and hit -55 during the race.  Now as a wise elder, it is possible to look back and wonder why anyone would do that, and there is no logical answer to that question. At age 78, nature walks become less appealing when the temperature drops below zero, and during the recent cold snap a fair portion of the daily 5-mile quota was accomplished inside.  Locations included malls, big box stores, garage, and living room. At least a couple walks each day were outside, usually about a mile, to keep Jack happy.  

ALO Update  

Last month, the News noted a settlement that had happened involving the Bethel police.  Here is a news article from KYUK radio about that settlement, which ranks among Alaska's largest ever for police misconduct.

Another settlement from last month can't be described in any detail because of a confidentiality clause in the settlement agreement.  Many cases end that way, with the defendant demanding confidentiality and paying extra for that benefit.  It is usually used a as a tool to avoid future lawsuits should the public learn about past payouts.  This case involved a workplace fatality of a young man from the Mat-Su Valley. 

There were other settlements as well.  A military vet settled his claim against the Anchorage VA hospital, after suffering a catastrophic fall in the parking lot of that facility.  A video captured the event as the man slowly moved across the icy parking lot after leaving the clinic. He slipped and hit his head on a car, rendering him a quadriplegic. Through discovery it was learned that the maintenance supervisor criticized her staff immediately after the fall for not sanding the parking lot, which is part of their assigned duties. The video revealed that the lot had no sand or gravel and was so slippery that the emergency crews that came to the injured man's aid were having a hard time standing up and had to place jackets on the ice to keep from slipping.  While the government attempted to blame the victim for not being careful, most who viewed the video thought he was very careful.  Watch here and decide for yourself. 

Having handled a bunch of similar cases, it is very clear that in Alaska the standard for public use walkways is frequent sanding.  Two final cases involved car accidents in the Mat-Su Valley, and both settled for policy limits.  It was a busy few weeks.

Mandatory Moose and Other Characters 

The cold weather brought this moose into the neighborhood where it waited patiently at the corner 50 feet from Angstman house.

This being dog race season, this historical photo is worth posting.  This musher from the Bethel area won a local elimination race involving over 60 teams to earn the chance to race the Fur Rondy in Anchorage in 1963.

Paul John was using village dogs from his coastal area, and they were clearly working dogs, big and strong but not very fast looking. Paul was a prominent figure in rural Alaska and eventually a client of ALO. And speaking of cold weather, former Bethel musher Jessica Klejka posted this clip of her two small children helping with dog chores at -15.

Jessica spent time in her youth around ALO and put together a competitive dog team despite long odds.  She now is a veterinarian in Wasilla and other areas, including Bethel.  She wants her kids to have plenty of outdoor experience but watching that video suggests that those children may not be getting enough quality screen time. 

Last month the News included an account of Aunt Laura who spent her youth in a sod hut on the Dakota prairie. Here is a timely story about a similar experience from Nebraska. Seth Kantner has lived a modern version of that same life and often writes about it.  Here is his recently published story about an old boat in rural Alaska.

Hot Takes on Cold Places

The winter caretaker at Tikchik Narrows Lodge has a quiet few months with almost no visitors. He sent these photos recently to remind folks that the Lodge also experiences winter, at about -37 with lots of snow.

Many folks complain about their high taxes and the fact that poor people benefit from those taxes by collecting food and medical benefits. Here is an interesting discussion about another way tax dollars are spent, and it's far worse than the poor folks down the street using food stamps to survive.

The death of a Minneapolis resident at the hands of ICE has caused a lot of discussion in the legal community.  Not surprisingly, ALO is part of that discussion.  As noted above, excessive force suits are part of this practice and have been for about 50 years.  That includes representing policemen as well as victims. The ICE video is among the most blatant examples of excessive force yet. Careful review of the video shows the shooting didn't start until the front of the car had moved past the shooter in a turn.  But more importantly, all but the first shot were through the side window. What kind of threat was the shooter responding to at that moment? An important fact often overlooked is that ICE members are not police officers and they cannot enforce any laws except immigration laws and had no control over the victim's movements. The timeline of this event is very important. She was heading home from dropping off her kid.  Her comments were polite, as compared to the officer who shot her in the head and then called her a fucking bitch. He then quickly fled the area. Noem and Trump made statements that were clearly false and have continued to disparage the victim. This is truly a disgusting event, and when compared to the Jan 6^th event, this victim's behavior is not remotely equal to the lawless behavior of that mob, and those folks got pardoned. Clearly there are Nazi comparisons to be made. Noem made one appearance recently behind a sign bearing this Nazi slogan which was actually used in by Germany after one Nazi officer was killed while occupying another country during WW2.

This Nazi slogan was used by the Dept. of Labor. It first appeared in the Hitler book Mein Kampf.

But it’s a little bit of a mixed message as Trump's business sought approval for immigrant workers

But enough about ICE.  Trump's desire to take over Greenland is truly bizarre. The idea that our NATO allies are actually mobilizing to defend Greenland from the US is beyond comprehension.  America already has a large presence in Greenland and Greenland wants nothing more to do with us.  Yet Trump says this:

That comment sounds strange coming from the President of a nation tracing its roots to a boat that landed in 1492.  This Greenland link might be useful.

Speaking of Vance, here is an earlier version of him. Sounds about right.

George Carlin dissected America pretty well in his sharp-edged comedy a few years ago.  This clip explores this country's approach to non-white people effectively.

Finally for all the dog lovers out there.