January 2026

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—a young co-ed in a bikini and an old man in a speedo.  It was a tough choice, but this photo won out. 

That cold snap broke in time to allow good weather for the 47^th Kuskokwim 300 in Bethel.  Pete Kaiser won for the tenth time making him the winningest all time surpassing Jeff King with nine.  Pete has clearly figured out a method to win that race and will likely win several more before he is through.  He does it with a strong group of dogs, but also with minute attention to detail. He studies every aspect of the race and develops his plan based on his own history and that of others who raced before him. Dolly took this photo as Pete approached the finish line.

This post-race story summarizes this year’s race well.

During the race, a reporter sent this clip from live statewide TV coverage of the 1986 Kuskokwim 300.  KYUK TV was a big deal back then, and live TV from Bethel was a new phenomenon. It’s not clear how many were watching, but somehow this clip was never seen in the Angstman household until now. KYUK saved all its stuff, and in recent years has made their archives available to the public.  The memory of beating Susan Butcher by an hour in the same year she won her first of four Iditarod titles is treasured.  Many tourists stop at the Butcher kennel near Fairbanks which offers a show for people riding the Riverboat Discovery.  Some of them eventually ask if Old Friendly Dog Farm ever raced against her.  The answer is always the same. “Sure did, beat her by an hour in the Kuskokwim 300 in 1986.”  Because folks who casually follow dog racing consider her the queen of the sport, that answer sometimes causes a double take.  Here is the KYUK clip of that finish.  Remember that was 44 hours of racing with no sleep at 20 below zero, so maybe a little groggy at times. 

Here is another memory from an earlier race.  Mike Williams Jr. posted this from the 2007 race.

“I'll probably never forget this race, my rookie Kusko year in 07'. It was a beautiful trail all around, I had a pretty nice team, and thought I knew what I was doing but really had no clue. We had to take our 6hr layover 1 shot at either Kalskag or Aniak, it was before we could break up the layover times.. I never slept all around the course and when one of my dogs didn't want to pass bogus I stopped to load it, but I gave what food I had left to the dogs first and when I sat down while they ate I passed out. Woke up to a different lifetime and Andy was shaking me asking if I was ok. I think I just asked him what time it was and if he had extra snacks for the dogs. He gave me a bag of salmon, and left after asking if I'll be ok. I was pretty dazed and confused but I said I'll be good. I gave the dogs the fish and left not long after Andy. We made it to Tuluksak and I took another nice break there, maybe 6 hours and left with my dad”

Dog racing is one competitive sport where actively helping a competitor frequently happens, primarily because in Alaska, no one would ever leave a traveler stuck in the wilderness. The Andy he speaks of is Andy Angstman.

Not only dogs travel the Kuskokwim River. The Kuskokwim ice road is a heavily traveled landmark. This video describes it well.

ALO Update

ALO settled a wrongful death claim against an air carrier after a crash on a village airstrip. In this case, it was alleged that the pilot attempted to abort a landing and go around for a second try but failed to adjust the controls properly, causing a stall.   Another case was filed in Kotzebue, alleging the City of Kotzebue caused raw sewage to flood homes after a freeze-up.  Here is a news account of that case.

Mandatory Moose and Other Characters 

This month’s Mandatory Moose showed up in front of the ALO office in Bethel, and Dolly snapped these shots.

This stately deer was still sporting his impressive rack in January on the farm right after the close of the final hunting season.

This bear has appeared before on the ALO news. He is famous for his size. This story might explain why.

A Whiff of Victory

For many years, a smelly business operated near the Angstman farm.  First it was known as the rendering plant where dead farm animals could be delivered to be made into fertilizer. It was a spooky place. One vivid memory involves a plant worker taking his lunch when the Angstmans showed up with a dead animal. He was sitting on a dead cow while he ate his sandwich. The smell outside the plant was bad but inside it was overwhelming.   Later it was converted into a feather factory to process all the feathers from a nearby chicken facility. This process was even more pungent. The plant was about 2 miles from Princeton, and the smell only became a problem in town with a southeast wind.  One football game was played in those conditions, and Coach Pete Finelli instructed the team to meet taunts from the opposing team by telling them the smell wasn’t there until their team bus arrived.  It worked and Elk River went home with a loss. Here is a photo of that famous business.

By contrast, here is the view from Anchorage taken by fellow Anchorage lawyer Paul Malin whose photos appear here often.

Selective Boarders, Consistent Bias

Speaking of stench, Trump’s social media account shared a crude image of the Obamas that caused a lot of folks to hold their nose.  Trump claims a staffer posted it but that is doubtful.  It was posted in the middle of the night amidst a flurry of other posts that were clearly from Trump. It is also noteworthy that the post wasn’t taken down until late the following day more than12 hours after posting in response to widespread condemnation.  Surely some responsible staffer would have taken down such a racist post within minutes of discovery if it was posted by accident unless it was posted by Trump.  And Trump refused to apologize for the post, which should have been done no matter who actually posted it.   The fact is Trump has been racist for a long time back to when he and his dad were fined for refusing to rent to black people in New York in a previous century.  Recent proof of that is his decision to revoke the legal status of Haitian immigrants who have been in the US for 15-20 years.  That makes them subject to deportation, despite having jobs, families and homes in this country.  The extended Angstman family includes an adopted Haitian person who likely isn’t affected, but nothing is secure in these times.  Meanwhile numerous South African white folks were allowed in on refugee status, refugees because they were forced to share their country with blacks who previously lived under Apartheid.  This article summarizes the issue well.

Female media folks have it hard these days.  Why is it that Trump never does this to men?  Is it any wonder women overwhelmingly oppose him.

Finally, this page often features elder wisdom, which is a phrase used in rural Alaska where elders are held in high esteem.  This elder clearly has it figured out.