Monthly Archives: April 2007

Residents of Delta Junction and neighborhoods near Fort Wainwright will experience increased aircraft activity April 16 through 23 as Soldiers train.

Task Force Dragon field training exercise includes night-flying operations with CH-47 (Chinook), OH-58 (Kiowa) and UH-60 (Black Hawk) aircraft in and around the Donnelly Training Area and into and out of Fort Wainwright. Officials expect the flights to begin near darkness and last throughout the night.

The Soldiers will also conduct some convoy live-fires and other maneuvers as part of the exercise. The training is necessary for mission readiness and to maintain the pilots’ certification using night vision goggles.

Residents can expect to hear more activity than normal during the week.

Friendly Frontier Days is scheduled for May 26, 2007 and one of the highlights of this event is the annual Pig Kissing Contest. Three lucky people get the chance to jump in the pig pen, run around and roll in the mud until they catch their pig of choice and plant one big kiss on the cute little pig. Now it may not be love at first sight…but be assured that the participants and the onlookers will have a “squealing” good time.

So how can you or someone you know kiss a pig? I’m here to tell you. All you have to do is find one of the pig voting cans that are placed at businesses around town and nominate or vote for someone. Nominations are $5 and once a person is nominated then others can vote for them for $1 each vote. The three people that have the most votes by May 26 will kiss a pig. Now you can vote for anyone that is 18 years or older, it can be you, a friend, enemy, or family. Anyone…so place your vote today.

Pig cans are located at Buffalo Diner, IGA, Frontier Pull Tabs, Granite View Sports, Delta Library, Mt. McKinley Bank, Wells Fargo, Tiki Tanning and Nails, Calico Cow, Clearwater Lodge.

If you are a business member of the Delta Chamber and would like a pig can in your business please let Dawn know at the Chamber. Call 895-5068

The Alaska Commemorative Coin Commission has settled on four finalist designs for Alaska’s Quarter, due out in 2009.

Governor Palin and the Commission are seeking your comments on the designs.

To see the possible quarters and to offer feedback on them, visit http://www.gov.state.ak.us/coin_comments.php.

Public comments are welcomed through April 22, 2007.

Robert “Bob” Hendrix, Sr. from the American Legion Service Office will be in Fairbanks on 24-25 April 2007. He will be at the Vet Center on 4th Ave in Fairbanks, on the 24th from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, then at the American Legion Post #30 in Moose Creek from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. On the 25th, he will be at the Vet Center on 4th Ave from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.

The American Legion Service Officer provides information on VA benefits, helps with the filing of a claim with VA for benefits, compensation, health, pension and can answer questions on pending claims. Can also assist Veterans returning from Enduring Freedom and Iraq Freedom on benefits provided by VA for them.

Contact number is (Anchorage) 907-276-8211 or toll free at 1-888-353-7574, ext. 4802. Thank you for your assistance.

STATE OF ALASKA LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION (LBC) NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

The LBC will meet on Thursday, April 12, 2007, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in Suite 1760, 550 West Seventh Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska. Items on the agenda include: (1) adoption of a statement of decision regarding the Deltana Borough proposal; (2) selection of the Vice-Chair of the LBC

The LBC concluded at the decisional session in Delta Junction on March 17, 2007, that the Deltana Borough incorporation proposal meets all of the legal standards applicable to borough incorporation. Accordingly, the LBC approved the Petition for incorporation of the Deltana Borough on that date. On April 12 in Anchorage, the Commissioners will meet to adopt a written decisional statement required by law to explain in detail how the legal standards are satisfied.

There will be no public testimony regarding the adoption of the LBC decisional statement at the April 12 meeting.

To view the proposed agenda, click on the Notices link on the LBC Web site and select April 12, 2007, LBC Public Meeting or call 907-269-4501 and request that a copy be faxed to you.

Teleconference sites for the meeting may be added for the convenience of the public and/or LBC members. Individuals wanting to participate by teleconference should contact LBC Staff by 9 a.m. on April 12, 2007. There will be no public testimony regarding the adoption of the LBC decisional statement on the Deltana Borough. Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids, services, or special modifications to participate should also contact LBC Staff by telephone at 907-269-4560; fax at 907-269-4539; or e-mail at LBC@commerce.state.ak.us

Persons interested in receiving future LBC notices by electronic mail may subscribe to the LBC Notice List service by visiting the LBC Web site set out above, clicking on the link to the LBC Subscription service by visiting the LBC Web site set out above, clicking on the link to the LBC Subscription Service, and following the instructions.

If you want to participate in the meeting on April 12, you can gather at City Hall at 10 am in the small conference room. (City Administrator Pete Hallgren said they would be serving cookies!) The LBC will be paying for that teleconference call.

If someone wants to call in from their home, you can, but you will have to pay for the call. The phone number to call in yourself, and pay for the call, is 1-800-315-6338, Code 729.

Interior Alaska building expert Charlie Deer will be offering classes at the Delta Career Advancement Center. The Heating System Workshop will cover design, installation, and maintenance of energy efficient boilers. This two day workshop presented by AHFC and ABSN will be held from 8 am to 5 pm, Thursday and Friday, April 26th and 27th.

There will also be a one day workshop: Thermodynamics of a Cold Weather Window – “What you should know about insulated glass performance and design”. This one day workshop will be held on Friday, April 20th, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.

These classes are sponsored by Alaska Building Science Network and are offered at no cost to the participants. For questions or to register, call Cheryl Helkenn at 895-4605.

Golden Valley Electric Association is requesting permission to increase rates for all customers by 4.13 percent. They are asking that this increase become effective June 1, 2007.

If the regulatory commission approves the request, residential customers will see a small increase in their monthly bill. For a household using 780 kilowatt hours of electricity each month, the new increase would add $3.35 to the monthly electricity charge, one of four factors used to tabulate the monthly bill.

GVEA has approximately 36,000 residential customers, 6,000 small commercial customers and 500 large commercial customers around the Interior.

For more information click here.

A few dozen Canada geese were spotted Sunday at Delta Junction’s Clearwater Lake, about 100 miles south of Fairbanks, by Bill Barron.

The sightings at the lake usually mean geese will begin arriving in Fairbanks within a week. In preparation, crews just plowed the fields at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge on Friday, April 6. Click here for more information.

The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow and half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breaking through to drag us all away

And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call
I hurried to the window and looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers feet

There was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me as she told us where she’d been
She said they’ve moved him in the night and none of us knows where
The stone’s been rolled away and now His body isn’t there.

We both ran t’ward the garden and then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and the empty tomb just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in was just an empty shell
And how or where they’d taken Him was more than I could tell

Something strange had happened there just what I didn’t know
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation didn’t lift me very high’
Cause I’d seen them crucify Him, and then I saw Him die

Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came
Everything I’d promised Him just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive, it wouldn’t be the same

Suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room
Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees and I just clung to him and cried

He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes
Love was shining out from them like sunlight from the skies
Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I’d every had just melted into peace

He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive and I’m forgiven

Heaven’s gates are opened wide
(Repeat chorus two more times)

He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive….He’s alive!

Submitted by Pastor Howard EchoHawk
Delta Christian Center

Friendly Frontier days is just around the corner scheduled for May 26, 2007. Pre-orders are being taken for hooded sweatshirts. Sweatshirts are available in all sizes and will cost $25. The Delta Chamber orders short sleeved T-shirts that will be available before and during the Friendly Frontier Days Event. We only order a limited amount of sweatshirts. So, this is your chance to make sure to get one. Event T-shirts and sweatshirts will have the logo (see below) and sponsor names on the back and will be a steel grey. Please call the Delta Chamber office to place your order 895-3279 payment may be made by cash, check or credit card.

Chad Padgett, Alaska Acting State Director of USDA Rural Development, has announced that workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency will be held next week in Delta Junction and Fairbanks for rural small businesses and ag producers.

“These renewable energy workshops scheduled for Delta Junction and Fairbanks will build upon the recent workshop held in Palmer that was a success with area small businesses and ag producers,” said Padgett.

The workshops are half-day events covering the topics of renewable resources, bio-diesel, retrofitting for energy efficiency, and financing options for rural small businesses. The last hour of the workshops will include a session on how to apply for grants and loan guarantees from USDA Rural Development’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program.

“We are partnering with UAF Cooperative Extension Service, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Division of Agriculture in these workshops,” said Padgett. “The intent of these workshops is to provide information to help mitigate the impact of high energy costs on Alaska’s ag producers and rural small businesses.”

The workshop scheduled for Delta Junction will be held on Thursday, April 12th from 1:00 to 4:30 in the Cooperative Extension Service conference room in the Jarvis Office Building. Advanced registration is required. To register, call the Cooperative Extension office at (907) 895-4215 by April 10th.

The Fairbanks workshop will be held on Friday, April 13th from 9:00 to 12:30 in the Borough Assembly Room in the Fairbanks North Star Borough Office at 809 Pioneer Road. Advanced registration is required. The deadline for registration is April 11th. To register, call the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation at (907) 452-2185 or toll-free at (888) 476-3332.

Open House Public Meeting
Thursday, April 12, 2007
5pm – 8pm
Presentation at 6:30pm
Delta Junction Community Center

The Army intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed increase and reorganization of aviation assets in Alaska. This will allow the Army to transition to a force that is capable of providing a broad range of integrated aviation training experiences to the forces of U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK), and more aviation capabilities when the unit deploys to support operational missions abroad.

Exisiting aviation units would potentially be reorganized and stationed at Fort Wainright, Fort Richardson, or other installations to support the training assets on U.S. Army training lands in Alaska.

The Army proposes to add helicopters capable of providing medical evacuation, air reconnaissance, close air supper, and aviation attack capabilities. Proposed reorganization of aviation assets involves construction of new facilities, execution of day-to-day support operations, and routine joint military training at nearby training lands and ranges. The EIS will analyze the impacts of the proposed action and a full range of reasonable alternatives upon Alaska’s natural and man-made environments.

To participate in the public scoping process, please attend the open house public meeting on April 12 from 5pm to 8pm at the Delta Junction Community Center. Written comments identifying potential impacts to be analyzed in the EIS must be received not later than May 4, 2007 and may be directed to:

Aviation Alaska EIS
c/o Denise Trutanic, CH2M Hill
301 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Suite 601Anchorage, AK 99503

or by Email: aviationalaskaeis@ch2m.com

Web updates available at: www.usarak.army.mil/conservation

The contestants begin by finding their own character in the Bible, then creating a “trailer” that tells the story of that character, using the guidelines provided.

Kevin Jackson/CR (April 1st, 2007) Reality TV is kicked up a notch when children, teens, and youth pastors are challenged to bring Bible characters to life. The Bible-Is-Reel competition is taking advantage of the newest video sharing forum, GodTube.com, by instructing competitors to upload a 1-3 minute preview of their newest creation in trailer format.

The contestants begin by finding their own character in the Bible, then creating a “trailer” that tells the story of that character, using the guidelines provided. All the productions must be G-rated.

Winners will be given Shofar Awards, which will be chosen from a variety of categories. The grand prize winner will be given ten fully-paid tours to the Holy Land to expose the kids to other cultures.

For further information on how to enter your movie Click Here Source: The Christian Post

Officials at Boeing released a statement on Thursday indicating that only a portion of the missile construction site at Fort Greely was affected by flooding last summer, and that the current missile inventory remains intact and unharmed. More