Monthly Archives: June 2006

We invite you to stop by and check out the announcements on the City’s Website.

There will be a public land auction taking place on Aug 7.

A City Rock sale. With a title like this, it’s sure have your curiosity up.

The Landfill will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th in celebration of the holiday.
City Hall will also be closed. Have a safe and Happy Holiday.

Of the eight 2006 Nenana Ice Classic winners, one was from Delta Junction. As an online reader of Alaska newspapers, I could only find three names of the eight winners. They were the three names as published in an article from Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Dermot Cole’s recent Sunday, June 25, column has a few words about the non-release of names of Classic winners. Dermot says, “I want to repeat a friendly suggestion I’ve made in years past. The ice classic should go back to the old practice of releasing all the names of the winners as soon as they are available.” (Dermot Cole is a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner daily columnist.)

This seem very reasonable. Winning the Ice Classic used to be a big deal. When my family first moved to Delta Junction in 1984, one of our first community functions involved playing cards for Ice Classic tickets. We went to our new friend’s home (NAME NOT RELEASED) on Nistler Road and had lots of fun.

As Dermot alludes, being an Ice Classic winner was a thing to be proud of. You were supposed to be happy you won. You’d tell everyone what you were going to do with all those thousands of dollars—besides “Go to Hawaii.”

Dermot ends that little note with this, “According to the guess book, the winning tickets, each worth $33,812 were held by: Ronald W. Stewart, Fredericks & Co., Woolery, Joe Dinkins, Irene Roberts, Sharon Stockard, Ray Reinertson and Katherine Gauden.”

Who is Delta Junction’s 2006 Nenana Ice Classic winner?

There are two new features here on the Delta News Web; one obvious and one hidden. The first is a feature called “blogs.”

As you may know, the Delta News Web is using a blog format for the Community News section. It has allowed us to more easily post news, and it has allowed us to invite others to post information. You will be seeing more of this in the months ahead, I believe.

But there is more online “news” in Delta Junction than just the Delta News Web. There are a number of bloggers who are adding to the online conversation. We want to encourage this as a way of providing additional insight into what is going on in the Delta area. You’ll notice near the top of most pages our new navigation bar. In it is an even newer link, “blogs.”

Right now we have three blogs represented, one from a Delta area resident, and two from former Delta residents; one of which is yours truly. We know there are other blogs being written by Delta people, and we would like to add them to this page as well. We are particularly looking for blogs that talk about life, news and information about Delta Junction. Technically, we need a blog that has an RSS or Atom feed that we can use.

The other change is that it is now possible to more easily comment on news items here in the community news. Down in the lower right hand corner of each article is a link that says “# comments”. If you have a comment to make about a news article, you may post it there. Comments are all subject to moderation, so you won’t see your comment immediately, but it will show up eventually.

So, if you are a blogger, and would like to have your blog appear on the blog page, let us know. If you have comments, please make them!

Are you already dreading the coming of winter? Are your thoughts turning to cutting down trees and chopping firewood? How about getting in a little practice?

Once again, the Friends of Delta Agriculture are sponsoring the “Lumber Jack Challenge”. It will feature cross-cut saw and axe throwing competitions for both men and women. Prizes will be awarded to the top contestants in each category. The age limit for these events is 16 and up, all equipment is provided.

Head out to the Triangle (behind the Sullivan Roadhouse Museum) on Saturday, July 1st for the Delta Chamber of Commerce’s July Celebration and come ready to participate or cheer on the other contestants in the return of the “Lumber Jack Challenge”.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FAIRBANKS HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…SMALL CREEKS AND TRIBUTARIES OF THE UPPER TANANA AND DELTA RIVERS UNTIL 1000 PM ADT
* AT 200 PM ADT…RAIN GAUGES ACROSS THE WARNED AREA HAVE REPORTED RAINFALL OF HALF AN INCH AT DELTA JUNCTION TO NEARLY AN INCH AT TRIMS CAMP SINCE 8 AM ADT THIS MORNING.
* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY FROM THE SALCHA RIVER TO ISABEL PASS AND THE TOK CUTOFF FROM SOUTHWEST OF TOK TO MENTASTA PASS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL ON ALREADY SATURATED GROUND
WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. DRIVERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES…DIPS…OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM…EVEN A SMALL ONE…ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS…RIVERS…OR CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS AND HIKERS SHOULD AVOID STREAMS OR CREEKS.

…FLOOD WATCH FOR FLASH FLOODING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL TUESDAY
AFTERNOON FOR SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS IN THE UPPER TANANA
VALLEY…THE TANANA FLATS…THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE…AND
THE FORTYMILE COUNTRY…

A SLOW MOVING STORM IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE NORTH
ALONG THE CANADA BORDER THROUGH TUESDAY CREATING FAVORABLE
CONDITIONS FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINS OVER SATURATED GROUND.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD EXCEED SEVERAL INCHES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS…WITH RENEWED FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS OVER THE WATCH
AREA. THE WATCH AREA INCLUDES THE ALASKA HIGHWAY…THE RICHARDSON
HIGHWAY…THE TOK CUTOFF…AND THE TAYLOR HIGHWAY…WHERE STREAM
CROSSINGS AND CULVERTS MAY BE AT RISK FOR OVERFLOWING AND POSSIBLE
ROAD DAMAGE.

RAIN IS EXPECTED TO TAPERING OFF LATE TUESDAY TO EASE THE
FLASH FLOODING DANGER.

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS FLOODING IS POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO
PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 3 PM ADT MONDAY AFTERNOON
OR SOONER IF NECESSARY.

This is the complete text from the NWS Flood Watch

On the front lawn of Kelly’s Country Inn, the Delta Ministerial Associated endorsed the evangelistic Pow Wow that was performed by the groups from Oklahoma, Florida and Washington, the dangerous Samoan Fire Knife Dance from Hawaii, Polynesian dancers, directors of Island Breeze and the Salcha drum group Thunder Hawk.

Thank you Barbara Tharp for sharing your photos with the community.

Plenty of fun…Saturday, July 1
Celebrate July with some family fun Saturday, July 1 behind the Sullivan Roadhouse.

The “Celebrate July” Delta Chamber of Commerce event is sure to be a fun filled day for everyone in the family. So see below for some of the fun and wacky contests that you can enter. There will also be plenty of just plain fun games throughout the day.

All-American Apple Pie Contest: Do you bake pies? Well, here’s your chance to win some cash if you have the best tasting pie. Bake your apple pie and bring it to the pie tasting table and the top best tasting pie will win. 1st place will win $100 in Chamber Vouchers, 2nd place will win $50 and 3rd place will win $25. Then the winning pies will be auctioned off. The non-winning pies will be sliced and sold by the piece. This contest is open to anyone that can bake.

Bike Decorating: Calling all kids…be creative…get crazy…decorate those bikes and you could win a prize. This contest is open to any age kid…but let the kids do the work!

Big Bubble Gum Blowing Contest: Get your jaw ready to chew, chew and blow the biggest bubble ever. This contest is open to all aged kids and adults. We’ll supply the gum.

Nail Driving: Can you swing a hammer; do you have the muscle and the endurance to drive a nail into a 2×4? Well, join us for the nail drive…we’ll supply the nails, hammers and wood. You come ready to hammer as fast as you can. This contest is open to men and women. The fastest driver wins!

Piggy-Back Races: OK mom’s and dad’s this is were you can really shine…now we know that you haul that child of yours on your back, so now it’s time to race other parents. This takes a little bit of coordination and back strength. It is open to parents and small children under 5 years old.

Wacky, Hairy Leg contest: Did you not shave all winter long, do you have enough hair to be a musk ox? Don’t shave yet, come on out and show the world your hairy legs. This contest is open to both hairy men and hairy women.

For additional information on the Celebrate July event please call the Delta Chamber at 895-5068

The National Weather Service has issued a flood statement valid until 6 AM Thursday for small streams flowing into the Goodpaster, Delta and Tanana Rivers. The advisory includes the Alaska Highway from Tok to Delta Junction, the Tok Cutoff from Tok to Mentasta Pass and the Richardson Highway from Delta Junction to Isabel Pass.

Read the entire flood statement >>>

The Blood Bank of Alaska-Fairbanks will be in Delta June 28 and 29 to collect donations. They will be at the Community Center June 28 from 2:00pm to 6:00pm and June 29 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This month’s drive will be sponsored by the Forget-Me-Knot Quilter’s Guild. Everyone is welcome to donate.

The Blood Bank needs to collect about 300 units of blood a month to supply the Fairbanks and surrounding communities for lifesaving procedures. There is no substitute for human blood. It cannot be manufactured or harvested. One blood donation can help three patients. You can donate a unit of blood every 56 days. That means that you can save 18 lives a year by donating on a regular basis! By the age of 72, nearly 95% of the population will need blood or a blood product. The only way we can collect the blood we need is through human donors like you.Before coming to donate, you should eat a good meal and drink lots of fluids.

When you arrive, a screener will conduct a short interview and you will receive a brief physical. If all medical conditions are met, a unit of blood will be collected. (Approx. 1 pint) Afterwards, the Forget-Me-Knot Quilters will serve refreshments. The whole process takes less than an hour.If you prefer a particular time for an appointment, please call Toni Lee at 895-4159 to schedule. Walk-ins are accepted as time permits.

If you were deferred on a previous blood drive, don’t let that stop you from trying again. Conditions change and you may, now, be eligible to donate. 16 and 17 year olds can donate with written parental consent. (Call Toni Lee for consent forms)Delta has been very involved with the local blood drives.

The blood drive in December collected 24 units and saved 72 lives. The Youth Court sponsored a drive in March. 26 units of blood were collected and saved 78 lives. Delta Junction has saved over 150 Alaskan lives in less than 6 months!

Remember, Alaska depends on its own people for blood donations. In Alaska, fewer than 5% of the eligible donors give blood. The Red Cross cannot send blood here in a timely manner. We need your help. Give the gift of life.

The Delta News Web is looking for your photos that can be used on the web. We are starting to run a little low on photos. It doesn’t have to be current. E-mail us. Please don’t send files over 750 kb. If you have a big honker, call first: 895-4919. Not all photos will be used.

If you have community news you would like to share with our readers, please submit that as well. You can send your news to the editor. Thank you again for being an active part of the Delta News Web.

Join the Delta Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, July 1 for the “Celebrate July” celebration.

Celebrate July will take place behind the Sullivan Roadhouse from 11 am to 4 pm on July 1. We have planned a fun family event that is sure to be enjoyed by all. Some of the events include: bike decorating contest, apple pie contest, hairy leg contest, three legged race, nail drive, lumberjack contest, water balloon toss, tug-a-war, and music.

This will be a great way to spend a Saturday and celebrate our freedom. So come Celebrate July! For more information call the Delta Chamber at 895-5068, watch the Delta news web and look for the complete schedule in the Delta Wind on June 29.

For more text and enlargements, please stop by and view our alumni photo album.

Isaac Anderson clowning around

Adrienne Leaskey – springtime is here!

Antonio Echo-Hawk Lopez relaxing in the sun.

If you’re in 1st through 6th grade, come by the Delta Library and pick up a FREE Summer Readers Folder before Friday, June 23.

About 50 Readers have already registered, and we have folders made for 50 more – don’t be shy!

Summer Readers is FREE and the group will meet Fridays at 1:00 in the library through July 21.

Final Environmental Impact Statementfor the Construction and the Operation of aBattle Area Complex (BAX) and a Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF) within U.S. Army Training Lands in Alaska

U.S. Army Garrison, Alaska has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed construction and operation of a BAX and a CACTF within U.S. Army Training Lands in Alaska. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide year-round, fully automated, comprehensive and realistic training and range facilities for U.S. Army Alaska and other units. The preferred alternative is to construct and operate a BAX and CACTF at Eddy Drop Zone. The Army’s review of comments received following the Supplemental Draft EIS release in March 2006 resulted in minor changes to the Final EIS. For more information regarding the Final EIS, please contact Major Kirk Gohlke, (907) 384-1542 or email, kirk.gohlke@richardson.army.mil

The Final EIS can be viewed at http://www.usarak.army.mil/conservation

A paper copy is available for review at the Delta Junction Library or a CD copy can be requested by contacting Ellen Clark at Ellen Clark at (907) 873-1614.”

The Jarvis Creek Fire is 100% contained as of Tuesday night. An infared flight is scheduled for tomorrow morning to look for potentially dangerous hot spots. Delta Forestry is releasing some of the crews, but keeping an eye on the weather, because lightning starts are the next two days.

The Little Delta River fire – approximately 35 miles west of Delta Junction — is now over 11,000 acres in size. The fire is being monitored but not attacked. The Parks Highway fire is over 50,000 acres at this time, with over 500 people working the blaze.

The smoke in Delta is partially due to the Parks Highway Fire and the Little Delta Fire.

This will be the last fire update until there is significant new information.

A few more Friendly Frontier Days photos. Please stop by and see our family photo album with complete text and photo enlargements.

Austin and Cale Durham – Photo Courtesy Becky Peterson

Phil Kaspari with the axe throw – Photo Courtesy Becky Peterson

Rozzo and Martha Kimball – Photo Courtesy Becky Peterson

Friendly Frontier Days was held May 27 and 28. The weather started out a little rainy, but by noon time, the sunshine came out and a great time was had by all who participated.

We invite you to view our family photo album for more text and photo enlargements.

Cleeta and Rozzo – Photo Courtesy Becky Peterson

Adam McNabb showing the throwing technique – Photo Courtesy Becky Peterson

Kiss the Pig Contest – Photo Courtesy Carol Watkins

Fort Greely hits local, national, and international news for many reasons. It’s been in headlines for paratroopers training for Iraqi roadside bombs, the nine National Missile Defense interceptors in silos, and most recently, sudden personnel layoffs. Gas pipeline contracts, Alaska railroad extension tracks, and peace camps put Greely’s name in papers as far away as Britain.

However, just last week, Delta’s own Fort has been hitting the AP wires for wildfires and land swindles. Wildfires around Fort Greely are not uncommon — Greely is in a chronically windy area and Army, Air force troops often start fires with bombs and rockets. But land fraud — that’s really a new one!

Last Thursday, 8 June, AP wires carried news about a Stockton (Calif.) man who was arrested and accused of swindling thousands of dollars from innocent investors. “Lui” Tuitama allegedly promised investment partners they’d double or triple their cash if they bought land near Fort Greely, Alaska where an oil pipeline was being built.

Newspapers and TV stations in Stockton and the Central Valley reported Fiaaluae “Louie” or “Lui” Tuitama, was booked into San Joaquin County’s Jail on a $100,000 warrant.

Swindled investors are reported to have invested sums from $12,000 to $60,000. This was to be used to buy land near Fort Greely. Lui Tuitama is reported to have said he had insider information that the federal government planned to lease the land for a pipeline.

In addition to the preposterous nature of a land swindle scheme, the story has another side. Tuitama, 50, who played football the University of Pacific, is father of Willie Tuitama. Willie is the starting quarterback for University of Arizona.

Last fall “Tuitama” was in collegiate sports news. Willie Tuitama took over Arizona’s Wildcats football team as a freshman quarterback. UA’s head coach Mike Stoops decided to “free Willie” in the second offensive drive against University of Oregon. After nearly leading the Wildcats to a come-from-behind victory against the UO, Tuitama went 2-2 in the final four games of the season.

Fort Greely land swindle and football in Arizona — Now that covers some real ground. It’s definitely not a story one would expect about Fort Greely, Alaska!

Delta Forestry reports that firefighters have now succeeded in containing 60% of the Jarvis Creek fire, but winds have shifted to the north, so fire crews are focusing on the southern perimeter of the fire.

The high winds experienced in the last few days actually helped by burning all of the fuels out of the center of the fire.

The fire is still smoldering and firefighters are in an extended mop up mode. Fire weather is still extreme, and Forestry officials are reminding area residents to heed the continued burn ban. This ban includes all burning, even in campsites and burn barrels covered with a steel grate and in an area with adequate defensible space.

This is a good time for homeowners to work on defensible space recommendations. Anyone uncertain of these recommendations can find them on the Alaska Division of Forestry website.

If you have any questions concerning this fire or any other fire in the area, please call Julia Phillips, public information officer at 894-4225, as an added note, residents may begin to notice smoke.

There is another fire of approximately 3,000 acres burning in Little Delta River area west of Delta Junction. With the change in the wind direction, area residents may begin to notice smoke. This fire is burning currently in a “let burn” area. The fire is currently being monitored only.