January is always hectic at ALO, and with dog racing and legal stuff this January was typical. The Kuskokwim 300 had one of its smoothest events in recent years with good weather, good finances and good racing. All three races pulled off without major issues, and only one team scratched overall. The Dog Farm had a team in both the Bogus Creek 150 and the Akiak Dash, with Steve Olive getting 3rd in the 150 and Caleb Miller 8th in the Dash. Caleb got a chance to race in near white out conditions and handled the elements well in his first race, at 15 years of age. This marked the 34th year for the K300, and the Dog Farm has had a team in at least one of the races every year.
There was also legal work to be done. Three civil cases settled, including a medical malpractice case in Anchorage involving the death of an infant who was sent home from the hospital with a temperature of 105, and died of an infection shortly thereafter. Another settlement involved a nasty fall by an elderly woman near the front door of the air terminal in Nome. The lady suffered a badly fractured leg which has not healed well. Witnesses said there didn't appear to be any attempt by the operator of the facility to deal with the icy conditions. The final settlement involved a driver and two passengers of a vehicle that was struck in the rear end at a Bethel intersection.
One criminal case resulted in a felony dismissal when the court ruled that police improperly seized a box which had arrived at the Bethel airport. The box contained marijuana, but the seizure happened without a warrant, which resulted in a suppression of the evidence.
Clips from readers have become ever more common as readers learn what kind of stuff makes the monthly news. This clip shows a remarkable catch by a ball girl at a baseball game.
And of course, the mandatory moose shot, except there is more than one this month.
Moving from moose to elk, this story has some significance at ALO. On the Elk Farm velvet antler is harvested and made into tablets which are sold to customers, many of whom are pleased with the results. Apparently none of those customers can play in the NFL any time soon.
It is fairly well known that some members of the Angstman family have cheered for the Minnesota Gophers for a long time. So far, it hasn't resulted in a felony charge.
John McDonald is quite the photographer, and his photos have appeared on the ALO news often. Here is a shot depicting a bird harvest in his yard by a shrike.
Speaking of predators, this coyote was feeding on a road killed deer in webmaster Rich Gannon's yard, when Rich's terrier Harvey decided to intervene. Somehow, Harvey survived.
And finally for folks who like cars and snow machines, here is the ultimate winter travel device.
