Monthly Archives: June 2006

It’s time once again for the semi annual Clearance of Joyce’s Desk, and I’m happy to report that I have some wacky kitchen tips and a few strange culinary facts to pass along. Hopefully these little gems will now clutter up YOUR desk, while I can toss the frighteningly large pile of post it notes I’ve been moving around for six months in the trash. I don’t go looking for these things, but they seem to find me anyway. There’ll be a small line at the bottom of some magazine article that catches my eye and I have to rip it out so I don’t forget it. Or maybe one of my favorite chefs on the Food Network will do something so smart and handy that I scribble it down and toss it on my desk where it’ll lurk for a couple of months.

Once in a while someone will say something to me at the store, like the nice lady (sorry I don’t know who you are!) who told me she always her bread basket with a piece of foil because it keeps her garlic bread warmer longer. This is MY kind of kitchen tip! You don’t have to rush out and buy something or build a dang gadget, or worst of all crochet or sew something to make it work. So with those stern requirements in mind, here are a few things I found interesting in the past six months.

Stop by and read the Carefree Gourmet’s tips

Kenny Lake resident Philip Gene Roe, 54, died June 6, 2006, in a motor vehicle accident on the Richardson Highway near Meiers Lake.

A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. today at Kenny Lake School. The Revs. Len Richison and Richard Irwin will officiate.

Mr. Roe was born Jan. 19, 1952, in Grand Junction, Colo. His family moved to Nampa, Idaho, where he spent most of his childhood. He moved to Alaska for adventure in the late ’70s.

Mr. Roe worked as a meat cutter for Safeway and Elmendorf Air Force Base. He also operated a meat-processing business, Phil’s Fish and Game, in Anchorage from 1983 to 1994, then in Kenny Lake until 2004, when a fire destroyed the business equipment.

Mr. Roe married Linda Marie Cummings, his “Norwegian Rose,” in October 1983, and they had six children.

In 1994, the family moved to Kenny Lake, where Mr. Roe continued wild game processing. He also worked in Delta Junction for three years at Delta Meat and Sausage. In more recent years, he was employed by Service Oil and Gas in Glennallen, driving a fuel delivery truck throughout the Copper Basin.

Mr. Roe loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and hiking.

His family wrote: “Phil was a warm, faithful and generous friend to all who knew him, and he lived a consistent Christian life every day. He loved to worship God and listen to Christian music. He adored his large family and worked diligently to provide for their needs.”

He was preceded in death by his father, Gene Roe.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Roe; children, Chaley Hunt of Spring Arbor, Mich., and Brianna, Alyssum, Danae, Elon and Felicity Roe, all of Kenny Lake; mother, Emmajean Roe; brothers, Steve Roe and Brian Roe; and sisters, Carla Morgan and Coleen Heck, all of Nampa.

In lieu of flowers, contributions or gifts can be sent to the Philip Roe Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank.
[posted per request of Delta Junction's resident D. Grossmann]

Firefighters on the Jarvis Creek Fire burning south of Delta Junction near the Richardson Highway have successfully contained just under half the fire, but low humidity and high winds continue to pose a risk of fire growth.

The fire has been downsized as a result of a more accurate measurement. The new size is 275 acres, which is about what it was on Friday.

Firefighters had to move quickly on one event on the line today, but were able to suppress the fire extension with a dozer, a hose lay and hand crews. Forestry has now ordered a total of 6 crews for this fire. Firefighters continue to make good progress on containing the fire, reaching 45% containment today, meaning that 45% of the line is built.

The lower relative humidity and high wind speeds have made it difficult to control the fire. However the fire has not made any significant growth in this burn period.

Fire weather for tomorrow is continued high winds, lower humidity and red flag warnings. This will make for another difficult day for the firefighters tomorrow.

Fairbanks Daily News Miner story >>

At 8 PM this evening, Delta Forestry reports that the fire is still in the 400 acre size range, but more precise estimates should be available late Friday evening. There is some risk to structures tomorrow.

There are now three crews on the fire, and one crew and two engines have been sent to fight a 2-3 acre fire in the Tenderfoot area that started with a power line break.

Fire weather tomorrow is again expected to be extreme, with gusts 30 to 40 mph with a relative humidity of less than 30%. Winds are expected to remain high through Sunday, with a chance of rain on Tuesday.

The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported that a possible propane tank explosion may have been the ignition source for the fire.

Two engines from Copper River, and four Delta area volunteer fire department engines remain on the fire, along with two dozers.

A fire reported on Berm Road was reported under control, and a grass fire on the Ag Project is also now under control.

The Jarvis Creek Fire continues to grow because of strong southerly winds. There are two tongues at the head of the fire that firefighters have not been able to control.

Red flag high wind warnings continue in effect through 10 PM tomorrow. Firefighting efforts have been hampered today by strong winds with gusts over 50 MPH.

Four crews (Delta #2, Selawik, Tok and Galena) are attacking the fire, and engine crews from Forestry and local volunteer fire departments are on working alongside. The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Situation Report indicates that two additional crews have been ordered.

The helicopter brought in from Tok has been released because of increased fire danger there. The Delta helicopter has been in service on the Parks Highway fire, and is being returned here.

The Alaska State Birds seem to be extra friendly around my house this year. Cute little fellows, aren’t they—and so musical too? At least once a day I can’t resist being a captive audience to one of their concerts. It fascinates me how tame they are. You’d think that as wild creatures, they’d be shy of people, but they seem to crave human companionship.

As soon as I step outside, a whole choir of them gathers to greet me with a falset to serenade like a million little flying Vienna Choir Boys with wedgies. Some of them hover around my head, while others perch on my upper body. I haven’t quite figured out which sections of my anatomy are the soprano, tenor, alto and bass sections, but they evidently have it well choreographed. It’s enough to give a guy goose pimples.

To read the entire article, we invite you to read our Chinook pages.

Friendly Frontier Days took place on May 27 and 28. There were many activities. Today we are featuring the pig kissing contest. We would like to thank Brenda Peterson for submitting your photos.

For more text and photo enlargements, please visit our family photo album.

The kissing the pig winners (or losers)

Courtney Durham in action

Pablo safe kissing

Chase puckering up

Endorsed by the Delta Ministerial Association . 4 to 6 PM – June 18. Alaska Kellys Country Inn Front Lawn (Downtown Main Street – Next to Texaco)

Featuring:
Thunder Hawk Drum Group (Salcha, AK) Full Blooded Plains Indian Dancers (Flown In From Oklahoma) *Lakota, Pawnee, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Seminole, Arapaho, Choctaw * Polynesian Dancers!!! Featuring the Dangerous Samoan Fire Knife Dance by professional Dancers from Hawaii

Richard Twiss, Lakota and his wife Kathryn & 17 year old son Daniel will be performing along with the following Oklahoma based team. Richard was at Wounded Knee in 1973 as an angry rebel native during the firefight standoff with federal agents.

A mission team from the lower 48 made up of mainly Native Americans is coming to Fairbanks/Delta/Tok. This team is making it’s 5th trip to this area. The main effort has been in the Tok/Tannacross/Northway areas. A native dance gospel effort is one of their outreaches and this team will be performing and presenting the gospel in North Pole & Delta Junction.

The directors of Island Breeze Hawaii will be dancing & ministering. They are bringing a youth group to minister. Professional dancers will perform the dangerous Samoan Fire Knife Dance. The directors support their ministry by dancing & performing for Luaus in Hawaii.

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.

Mr. Phil Roe, 54, of Kenny Lake, was fatally injured during a single vehicle accident near Miers Lake, on Tuesday, June 6th. The Roe family spent some time living in the Delta area a few years ago.

Viewing will be 6 – 9 PM Friday, June 9th, at Kenny Lake Community Chapel, Mile 9.2 of the Edgerton Highway.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 PM, Saturday, June 10th, at the Kenny Lake School, Mile 5 of the Edgerton Highway.

Visitation and lunch will follow at the Chapel.

The Jarvis Creek Fire south of Delta Junction remains at 400 acres this morning, according to an update from the Division of Forestry at 8:00 AM, but officials are expecting a difficult day with high winds in the forecast. 35 foot flame lengths were observed yesterday, but the fire made no overnight size gains.

The National Weather Service is predicting sustained winds above 30 MPH from the southeast, and officials expect difficulty keeping the fire from spreading further. Four Type II crews are on the fire along with four engines, and volunteer fire department tenders. Fire fighters are using a helicopter from Tok, and two other helicopters are expected to join the team today.

Forestry personnel are watching two other fires in the Delta area, one at Tanana Loop Rd, on Main Street and Berm Road area. It is approximately three acres in size, and is contained but not out. Another fire is burning on the Ag Project at 220 acres. It is currently under control.

Delta State Forestry crews have been aggressively battling a 350+ acre wildfire south of Delta since late morning today, according to DNR personnel in Delta Junction. The fire started east of approximately mile 253 Richardson Highway, about 12 miles south of Delta.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Al Edgren saying that the fire started near a residence, but officials do not know its origin.

At this writing the fire was reported to be more than a mile long and ¼ mile wide. Four Type II fire crews have been ordered.

The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has a Red Flag warning for high winds during the daylight hours on Thursday and Friday, with windy and low humidity conditions potentially existing through the weekend.

Retardant bombers are working the fire, and have slowed its western flank. Dozers are also on the scene.

We will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Although this article focuses more on farming in south central Alaska, some aspects may raise concerns of Delta’s farmers.

[This is the first part of the Anchorage Daily News article.]

WASILLA — Nobody had bid on the state-owned slaughterhouse in Palmer with only a few days remaining before the Friday deadline.

But state Agriculture Division Director Larry DeVilbiss said he’s optimistic someone will try to buy the Mt. McKinley Meat and Sausage Co. plant. As of Monday, DeVilbiss had received no bids, but he said he has talked to three potential bidders, all based in Alaska. All are interested in continuing to operate the facility as a slaughterhouse, he said.

“I can tell you that we don’t have anything in the safe,” he said. “(But) I’m hopeful.”

Farmers were less optimistic, noting past attempts have failed to attract much interest in the state-run plant.

“We’re concerned, and rightfully so,” said Earl Clabo, a Valley-based farm equipment salesman and member of the Alaska Farmers Union.

The sale has highlighted an ongoing riff between some farmers and state agriculture officials.

[more- Anchorage Daily News]

Wednesday, June 07, 2006 – More than 100 civilian contract workers at Fort Greely lost their jobs Friday in a round of layoffs that many workers said caught them by surprise.

Victor Maxwell, a 44-year-old heavy-truck driver from Delta Junction, said he heard rumors of lay-offs before Friday but had no official notice until then.

“We were all completely dumbfounded,” he said Tuesday.

The workers were employed by Chugach Alutiiq, a joint venture of two Alaska Native companies that is one of Fort Greely’s two major contractors.

According to Fort Greely public affairs officer Leslie Ozawa, the garrison was recently directed to “restrict spending on noncritical activities.”

Nearly 50 Chugach Alutiiq workers were laid off last month.

Last week, the company informed the Department of Labor and Workforce Development that it was laying off 102 additional workers, according to agency representative Joyce Harris.

The chief executive of Chugach Alaska Corp., Barney Uhart, did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment.

At a Department of Labor workshop held Tuesday in Delta for the laid-off workers, former employees said the job cuts happened with almost no notice.

Bruce Grossmann, who worked as the education counselor on Fort Greely, said he was told at 1:15 p.m. Friday to attend a meeting at 1:30. At that meeting, he was laid off and told to turn in his keys and badge.

“It was very short notice,” he said. “It was 15 minutes for some of us.”

[more- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]

Dear Community Partner,

The Delta Public Health Center would like to invite you to attend a community presentation on avian and pandemic influenza on Tuesday, June 27th, 6:00 pm at the Community Center.

The State of Alaska/Public Health is working hard to help communities become prepared for any potential disaster or disease outbreak. Part of being prepared is to be informed. Chris Dubois, a nurse consultant from the Fairbanks Regional Public Health Center, will present information that will help our community understand avian flu and pandemic flu and get us thinking about how we can be prepared as individuals and communities.

A pandemic occurs when there is a major change in the genetic make up of a virus. This results in a new strain of virus to which people have not been previously exposed and therefore they are more susceptible to serious illness. Three influenza pandemics occurred in the 20th century – in 1918, 1956 and 1968.

The current avian flu, Asian H5N1, has not been found in any wild or farm-raised birds in America, has not been identified as being passed human to human, and has not been identified as causing a pandemic flu at this time.

No one knows for sure when the next pandemic may strike, or whether it will be related to the current Asian H5N1 strain of avian flu. We still need to plan and prepare for the potential that this could change. Your involvement in the community meeting is just the start for individual and community preparedness.

We invite you to join us and begin the process of developing a plan for pandemic flu. Please feel free to invite family and friends to this presentation.
For more information call Janice or Rachelle at the Delta Public Health Center at 895-4292.

Sincerely,
Janice Templin-Weller, PHN
Rachelle Hill, PHN

Avian Flu / Pandemic Flu Community Presentation
Tuesday, June 27th
6:00 pm at the Community Center

Rainbows taken out of my office window, May 22nd at 10:30pm These rainbows hung around for a long time. Simply beautiful. Photo Courtesy Candy Corty

Dermot Cole’s Daily News-Miner column often has many nice news tidbits. These news tidbits should make many Delta fisher folk happy.

LOTSA FISH: The preseason projection for Copper River salmon passing the Miles Lake sonar from May 29 to June 4 was just under 100,000. The number actually counted was 289,698, so the fishing should be good.

The Chitina personal use dipnet fishery is to open Friday at 12:01 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m. Sunday. The fishery will be closed for four hours and reopen next week from Monday at 12:01 a.m. to the following Sunday night. A supplemental harvest of 10 sockeye will be allowed during the opening next week.

This article focuses on Fairbanks. However if you read near the bottom you’ll find a few words about Delta’s farmers.

Read Fatal frost by Tim Mowry in Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006 – DELTA JUNCTION–Gov. Frank Murkowski was one of approximately 100 guests who joined owners of the Pogo gold mine Monday to celebrate the mine’s official opening.

At a luncheon and ceremony inside a large industrial building in the mine’s camp, Murkowski commended the owners and said that the development of the state’s natural resources, including minerals, oil and gas, fish and tourism, was critical for building a strong state economy. [read Stefan Milkowski's full News-Miner article]

Today, Tuesday, June 6 is National Hunger Awareness Day, and has been proclaimed Hunger Awareness Day in Delta Junction by the City Council.

Alpha Omega Life Care of Delta has hunger abatement as a program goal and brings three tons of food to the community each month to distribute to qualified recipients. Food Bank of Alaska and partners like Alpha Omega are providing food to approximately 1 in 8 Alaskans.

Read the entire Council proclamation >>>

On June 6, 1944, a date known ever since as D-Day, a mighty armada crossed a narrow strip of sea from England to Normandy, France, and cracked the Nazi grip on western Europe.

Encyclopædia Britannica tells the story of the Normandy Invasion through the spoken recollections of veterans who fought it, the newsreels that brought the news home, and the written words of historians who have dedicated years to studying the great campaign.

Steve DuBois shows the rewards of good moose and lawn management

To celebrate Memorial Day with WWII Navy veterans and long-time Delta residents Carl and Marge Bandy, Kenna DuBois gives them a flag cake.

Here are three extremely exhausted Delta Junction men, (Steve, Don and Jason) who have spent the last two weeks installing wireless equipment on towers at the APM Port Terminal in Kingston & Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Approved MinutesDelta/Greely School Board Business Meeting, Thursday, May 4, 2006

Approved MinutesDelta/Greely School Board Special Business Meeting May 18, 2006

For more information about our schools please visit the Delta Greely School District

After two record-setting fire years, Alaska’s 2006 fire season is off to a slow start, especially in the Interior.

“We’re well below normal as far as fire activity goes,” said Maggie Rogers, spokesperson for the Alaska Fire Service in Fairbanks.

Through Friday, a total of 135 fires had been reported throughout the state, and only 32 of those were in the Fairbanks and Delta areas. The total acreage burned so far is 2,516, which is well below the 10-year average of 84,000 acres by June 1, said Rogers. Last year, 172 fires had been reported by June 1 and they burned 19,150 acres. [read Tim Mowry's full article in Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]

[Note: The latest Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) Situation Report dated Monday, 06/05/2006, 07:13 ADT has slightly different figures. Delta area had 10 fires that burned 104.2 acres. Fairbanks area had 24 fires and 8.7 acres. This AICC report is available as a pdf download from the Alaska Fire Service online New Room]

The Delta Regional Economic Development Council (DREDC) has immediate openings for two At-Large Seats: Seat L – Marketing / Public Relations and Seat M – Regional Planning.

If you are interested in participating on this volunteer council please contact City Hall for an application.

The DREDC meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Conference Room.

For more information contact Paul Knopp, Pres. at 895-4150.
City’s website

On May 23, Hugh Wingfield, Delta Junction, caught a big halibut while fishing aboard the Dawn Treader. Hugh’s 117 lb fish placed him 3rd in the Valdez Halibut Derby as noted in Anchorage Daily News’ Outdoor Hot Line column.

That was as of May 29, but the latest report on Valdez Fish Derbys’ Web site indicates that Hugh’s catch is 4th or lower.

As of 5/311/06, overall leaders were:
(click links to see fish fotos in a new window)
1st 195.0 on 5/31 Rich Piech of North Pole
2nd 133.8 on 5/24 Bill Langley of Fairbanks
3rd 118.2 Chad Greenway on 5/24 of Fairbanks.

Tough luck Hugh. You haven’t caught the reel big one yet in this derby. But still, that’s some nice Alaskan fish eatin’ for folks at Delta’s Alaska 7 Motel. (You are going to share aren’t you?)

If other fisher folk in Delta are having similar derby successes in Alaskan waters (salt or fresh), please send your fish fotos and fish tails to Delta News Web.

For the last several years the Grossmann family has been the last to leave the theatre when they attended movies that their son Ben was been involved in making. Ben works in Visual Special Effects in the film industry so he and his fellow artists are about the last folks to handle a film before it is released for public viewing. They call it post-production. Consequently his name is listed in the credits close to the end … but not this time.

May 23rd Hollow Man 2 was released straight to DVD. This time Ben Grossmann appears in the very beginning credits and is even on the box and DVD cover. On Hollow Man 2 Ben’s job is “The” Visual Effects Supervisor. The movie depicts Seattle, but was actually shot in Vancouver, Canada. Ben worked with director Claudio Faeh. They have worked together previously on “Coronado,” and several Spanish commercials.

The most exciting part of the whole project for the family is that Ben is also prominently featured in the “Inside Hollow Man 2” Featurette. ‘The family was watching the movie in the living room and from the kitchen I heard Ben’s voice talking. It was almost like having him in the room,” says Dawn, Ben’s mom. “I would say he has a good 5-10 minutes worth of interviews on there and he looks comfortable in the role.”

This is a huge step up for Ben who has worked on nearly 20 feature films and commercials since making the jump from Fairbanks to Hollywood. His credits have included compositor, VFX compositor, supervising compositor, and on-set VFX supervisor. This film brings him to the level of being the Visual Effects Supervisor for the entire film working closely with the director, producers and Sony Pictures.

Hollow Man 2 is also significant in that Ben’s own company One Hour VFX in Venice, California worked on the film also. Sarah, his sister works closely with him in One Hour VFX. So the family still has to wait until the end of the credits. This time they are watching for Sarah’s name to scroll by at the end of the movie.

Ben and Sarah have always wanted to work together in the visual effects arena. Sarah worked on the TV mini- series “The Triangle” and Ben helped on that one as well. Hollow Man 2 is their second project together and probably not their last. Both Ben and Sarah grew up in Delta and made their way north to work in Fairbanks before making the move to Southern California. For more information about any of Ben’s projects check out the website and click on his name.

A picture from the set of Hollow Man 2 of Ben’s chair next to Christian Slater’s. The woman is Laura Regan the female lead in the movie. Photo and article Courtesy of Dawn Grossmann

ANCHORAGE–When the dust cleared and the final out was made after the first day of the Alaska School Activities Association State Small School Softball Championship, only one team remained from the Mid Alaska Conference.

Monroe Catholic, after dropping its first game to Kodiak 6-4, bounced back and defeated conference rival Delta Junction 6-4 in the first round of the losers’ bracket at Cartee Complex to keep its season alive.

The Rams advance to play Ketchikan, which eliminated Eielson 11-5, at 9 a.m. today in the second-round of the losers’ bracket.

“It feels good to knock off the conference champion,” said a joyful Monroe coach Bea Merino. “I knew we could do it. It’s good to capitalize on their loss and our rest. The girls wanted to play and they did it nicely.”

Monroe (6-9) had to wait nearly six hours after their opening-round loss to Kodiak to take the field again. However, Delta Junction, after losing its first game to Homer 14-0, had a mere 30-minute break in between games.

This ends Delta’s (9-7) incredible season, in which it qualified for the state tournament for the first-time since 1999.

“This was a great season,” said a teary-eyed Delta coach Regina Pelto. “Sometimes stuff happens, but the girls didn’t give up. They gave the team hope all the way to the end.”

The win was even sweeter for Monroe considering it had dropped its previous three regular season meetings against the Huskies.

It was just one-week ago that Delta pitcher Lana Green flirted with a no-hitter against Monroe. The Rams made sure that wouldn’t happen this time by collecting nine hits off the senior hurler. Senior Jennifer Ribar, junior Judi Stalter and sophomores Amy Helmbrecht and Jessica DeBano each tallied two hits.

Delta’s only lead of the game came in the first inning, before Monroe added two to take the lead for good. [more- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]

Saturday, June 03, 2006 – WASHINGTON–Army budget tightening has cost at least 50 civilian contract workers at Fort Greely their jobs, and another 160 positions may soon disappear.

Before the cost-cutting, the Army estimated that Fort Greely had about 1,000 civilian employees, including contract workers.

In a statement Friday, the Army said it is working with its two major contractors at Fort Greely–Kaya Associates and Chugach Alutiiq–to make sure the health and safety of people on post “are not compromised.” [more-Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]

Delta girls softball team faced a tough Friday in the state’s small-school tournament down in Anchorage.

In their first game they lost to a tough Homer Mariner team 14-0. Then in the losers bracket, the Huskies lost a closer game to Monroe Catholic. [For other results in Friday's games read the full article in Anchorage Daily News]

District 12 incumbent John Harris is now challenged by a Republican and two Democrats. Previously, as noted in an earlier DNW post, “Rep. Harris to face opponent in fall primary“, that opponent was Republican Mike Pearson of Sutton.

Later Thursday, Democrats Bill Johnson of Delta Junction and Valdez Mayor Bert Cottle joined against Republican incumbent Harris.

Read more about these and other “Last-minute filers enter House, Senate races“, in Friday’s Daily News-Miner.

Friday, June 02, 2006 – WASHINGTON–Fort Greely has a ninth interceptor in its national missile defense arsenal, and silos at the base will be retrofitted to address a mechanical problem experienced elsewhere.

The Missile Defense Agency said after installation of the eighth interceptor at Fort Greely late last year that it would no longer announce additions to the line-up, for strategic reasons.

However, its main missile defense contractor, The Boeing Co., said in a May 10 news release that Fort Greely now has nine interceptors in place at the post 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks.

Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner confirmed the number Thursday. He said he was uncertain when the ninth interceptor arrived. A spokesman for Boeing could not be reached Thursday. [more-Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]