Sonny Hoffman was a Bethel guy. His accidental death has left a vacant spot in the community that won't be filled. Sonny was a frequent visitor to ALO as a friend, neighbor, pilot, and client. His visits were always memorable. When he left, it was never certain what he had said, but it was clear that he was upbeat and friendly. Sonny died when the cat he was driving tipped and trapped him underneath. Sonny's most famous trait will be missed by everyone-Sonny had a big wave for everyone he met on the road, and as a long time truck driver in Bethel, he passed by a lot of folks. Happy trails, Sonny.
There was more bad news for Bethel and the Hoffman clan as Bev Hoffman was diagnosed with cancer. She is in Anchorage now for treatment with a positive prognosis. Bev resigned from the city council because of this development. ALO extends its best wishes to Bev, who was pictured on these pages last month as the officiant at Sarah and Ben's wedding. In a contest between Bev Hoffman and a few cancer cells, the smart money would be on Bev.
ALO sent representatives to the wedding of Katie Baldwin and Paul Basile in the Portland area.
Katie grew up in the neighborhood of ALO, and was the only girl in a gang of boys that marauded through the area. She has two notable achievements worth reporting. She is the only Bethel girl to ever win the state cross country title, and she is also the only Bethel girl to go to the prom with four different boys in four years-all of whom attended the wedding festivities and none of whom were the groom.
Legal work still got done. A local man settled his claim for an accident which happened on the ice road between Bethel and Kwethluk. He was hit broadside by a speeding truck on the narrow road as he attempted to climb the berm and avoid a collision. ALO's next trial will happen in Barrow. A elderly woman from back east sued our client, for injuries suffered at the new farthest north football field a couple of years ago. The lady, an avid football fan, chose to stand on the sideline and was hit by players that tumbled out of bounds, breaking her leg. Our client of course will argue that a football fan knows the risk of standing on the sideline. The trial starts Aug. 23, and will be the first visit to Barrow for ALO.
A friend named Dave Ashton mounts a trail camera at Long Pond Elk Farm every year. Two July pictures earned a spot on the news page. First a dandy white tail
and second a darker animal rarely seen in Princeton.
Black bears are slowly moving into the area, where they were never seen in the past 100 years at least.