Monthly Archives: February 2009

Alaska McDonald’s supports the State of Alaska Office of Children’s Services by offering a 10% discount for foster families. All Alaska McDonald’s with the exception of Ketchikan and Juneau have signed on for this promotion.Foster parents will need to show their foster parent ID card. If you have misplaced your ID or didn’t receive one with your license; please contact your regional OCS licensing office.If you are interested in opening your heart and home to a child, call the Alaska Center for Resource Families at 1-800-478-7307.
Promotion begins Friday, February 27th

Alaska McDonald’s is committed to making a difference in the communities in which we work. You can help us by simply eating at McDonald’s or dropping your change into the canister next time you’re in the drive thru or at our front counter. Together we’re helping Alaska kids.

Get to know Fairbanks’ local military men and women…and thank them for their service to our community and our country!

As we witness daily, the sacrifices of our military and their families during this momentous time, we are especially proud to announce that the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Military Appreciation Banquet will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at the Carlson Center, Social 6pm, Dinner & Program 7pm.

This year we are honored to have Lieutenant General Harry M. Wyatt, III, Director, Air National Guard as our special guest speaker for an evening that honors the military personnel from Interior Alaska who have been awarded for their excellence, leadership, and commitment in service to our armed forces. The banquet is a great way to show our gratitude and support for the military as civilian hosts.

Tickets are $250 (includes dinner for 2 civilians to host 2 military). Tickets sell out quickly so please send in your reservation form as soon as possible (downloadable from www.FairbanksChamber.org). You may also make your reservation over the phone by calling (907)452-1105.

Each year, the Chamber is contacted by civilians in the community who wish to support our military but cannot afford the cost of a ticket. If you are unable to attend, but wish to purchase a ticket and donate it to a civilian couple who is interested in hosting a military couple, please contact Lisa Cassino at 374-6706 to make arrangements.

The special men and women who gave time and effort for our country, by serving in the U.S. military, should be recognized on more that just a couple of special holidays. To this end, a small group of retired veterans in Blue Bell, PA makes thirty-six metalized film window stickers and magnetic vehicle plaques honoring military service from WWII to today’s War on Terror. They are called VetSignias and are designed to give veterans every-day visibility.

The stickers and plaques feature black print on bright silver metallic, with a stars and stripes background.

Veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf can display the war served and their branch of service. VetSignias for those who served in overseas expeditionary campaigns such as Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, etc., show branch of service and expeditionary. There are three VetSignias for veterans of the War on Terror. Veterans who served in Peacetime can get VetSignias that show Vet and their branch of service.

VetSignias show combinations like VET/KOREA/U.S. AIR FORCE, VET/VIETNAM/U.S. ARMY, VET/IRAQ/EXPEDITIONARY, or VET/U.S. NAVY.

VetSignias are not big billboards or banners, but they are a distinctive reminder to all. Everyone who sees one of the bright silver stickers or plaques will immediately know the bearer did something good for our country.

All VetSignias, window stickers and magnetic vehicle plaques, can be viewed at the groups web-site www.vetsignia.org.

VetSignia window stickers (2”x4”) are 3/$12, magnetic vehicle plaques (2.5”X5.75”) are 2/$12 (S&H Incl.). Send requests to: Bob Kline, Box 382, Blue Bell PA 19422. Be sure to include your branch of service; and, war served, expeditionary, or peacetime. For additional information phone (610)277-1171 or E-mail bobk.ww2usmc@vetsignia.org

The Delta News Web will be offline approximately 10pm – midnight on February 24. Our server needs to be rebooted to resolve some technical issues.

During the reboot, all sites and services will be unavailable. The expected outage duration is 2 hours.

Thank you for your time and patient.

Check BBB Reliability Reports before making a purchase.

Anchorage, Alaska — Feb. 23, 2009 — Your Better Business Bureau has received a surplus of complaints regarding the purchase of Acai Berry supplements.

Common complaint:
Consumers from Alaska, Oregon and Washington have contacted your BBB stating they ordered a “free” trial of Acai Berry supplements or wait loss pills. After seeing the advertisement, usually on a Web site, consumers are under the impression they are required to pay only the shipping – $4 to $7. However, their credit or debit card is charged an additional $50 to $90.

Many consumers were unable to reach the company while trying to cancel the order. Online cancelation processes have been reported to link to reorder forms, and phone calls often are put on hold for long periods of time or consumers receive “busy signals.”

Businesses linked to complaints:
Acai Berry products go by several different names including: Acai Berry, Acai ELITE, Acai Berry Edge, Extreme Acai Berry and Natural Acai.

Complaints link to several different companies offering the same or similar products. Each of the following have BBB’s lowest rating, “F.”
- SFL Nutrition, LLC, 123 NW 13th St. #212, Boca Raton, Fla. 33432. www.acaiberrysupreme.com. 3,161 complaints in the last 3 years.
- Crush LLC, 11778 Election Rd, Suite 140, Draper, Utah 84020. Also uses a P.O. Box in Sandy, Utah. www.exremeacaiberry.com. 399 complaints in the last 3 years.
- FWM Laboratories, Inc., 4961 Leeward Lane, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33312. www.acaielite.com. 351 complaints in the last 3 years.
- Cheshunt Overseas, Ltd., 1285 Baring Blvd PMB 297, Sparks, Nev. 89434-8673. www.natural-acai-berry.com. 122 complaints in the last 3 years.

Ad Examples:
Advertisements can be found in magazines and other publications. Most are found on social networking, newspaper and Internet search engine Web sites. Ads say things like, “Lose 37 pounds in 2 weeks” or “1 flat stomach rule: obey.” Ad links to what looks like a blog. Links there go to the Acai Berry Web sites, which sell the products. Ads stress urgency with comments like, “Limited quantities available,” “Only 97 free trials left!” and some sites have a five-minute count down before the offer expires. When trying to leave many of the Web sites, a warning pops up trying to convince the consumer to rethink the offer.

Your BBB advises the following when considering purchasing supplements online:
- Check business reliability. Look for the BBB Online seal or check the business’ Reliability Report at www.bbb.org or contact the Attorney General’s office.
- Review claims. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The Food and Drug Administration allows for some claims, if scientific evidence is available. The FDA does not review or authorize claims. Dietary supplement companies are required by law to post the following disclaimer on Web sites, “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
- Read and understand terms and conditions, privacy policy and return policy.
- Check for online security. If you check business legitimacy and decide to make a purchase make sure the Web site is secure before entering personal information. Confirm the Web address, on the page for ordering, has an “s” in https. Also confirm there is a lock box in the bottom right corner of the window.

Similar issues have also been reported concerning the colon cleanser supplement, sometimes advertised with Acai Berry.

Consumers who wish to file a complaint can visit bbb.org.

Friday February 20 Legislative Information Office Newsletter and Teleconference Schedule.

Click here for the newsletter and schedule.

“Good morning, handsome!”

It was February 1, and my alarm had barely stopped beeping. With a groan, I pried apart my heavy eyelids to peer blearily at my wife who was hovering over me with a cherubic grin. She planted a big juicy smackaroo on my somnolent physiognomy.

“What’s going on?” I muttered.

“Nothing particular. I’m just excited! It’s February.” She raised her eyebrows and her eyes took on the look that every husband dreads. It was the look that meant she expected me to be reading her mind.

I tried to stall for time. “Whad’ya know? February already. Isn’t that something? Where does time go?”

She inclined her head slightly and bored into me with those eyes. Evidently my stalling was not doing the trick. I needed to carefully attempt to milk a hint from her while simultaneously bluffing that I had some clue what she was talking about. I winked conspiratorially. “Hey, you know what February means.”

Her eyes twinkled with what I desperately hoped was not mockery. “Yes I do. Do you?”

“Do I? Oh, do I ever. Yes I do. You betcha.”

“Good, I wouldn’t want you to forget this year.”

To read the entire story please visit our Chinook pages.

ATTENTION ALL JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL!!

The American Legion would like to invite you to a mock week long legislative session. Are you interested in city and state government? This is an Americanism/Citizenship class. You will run for a city office as well as run a campaign for a legislative office. Possibly be chosen to attend Boys or Girls Nation in Washington Dc in July.

Girls State is June 6th-12th and Boys State is June 14th-21st. Both will be located at the Meier Lake Conference Center in Wasilla, Alaska. The American Legion Post and Auxiliary Units pay the registration fees for you to attend.

Your local school has the Girl State application packets for you, if you are interested.

For Boys State contact Bill Jacobi at (907) 723-8028 for information.

The National Caregiver Training Program is being offered by Judith Farrow, LPN, BA

This is a 21 hour curriculum and I would like to make it a 28 hr class so that we can add some topics of interest. Texts and workbooks are included in cost of class. The curriculum consists of lectures, videos, hands on instruction and an exam. The training is generally for informal caregivers of family or friends.

This training can provide you with a formal certificate. Cost of class is $400.00

I will set a schedule for class if I receive enough interest. Will hold class if I have at least 4 and up to 10 people sign up. Would like to have the class on Saturdays through March.

Please call Judith at 895-4104 M – F between 10:30am – 4:30pm, or leave message at 895-2221

The annual “I Did It By Two” Race to Vaccinate campaign has started at Delta Public Health and will run through the end of March. Commemorating the original race to bring life-saving serum to Nome to stop a deadly diphtheria outbreak in the 1920′s, this campaign promotes the importance of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Children through age 5 years who are up-to-date or are on a catch-up schedule may participate in entering the drawing for the adorable stuffed husky pup with a collar signed by Iditarod champion Martin Buser.

Please contact the Delta Public Health Center at 895-4292 or stop by for more details and to enter the drawing.

Take this opportunity to check your child’s shot records to see if they are up-to-date on all their immunizations and maybe your child’s name will be drawn on March 31st!

The Delta Chamber of Commerce has sold out of Festival of Lights Hooded Sweatshirts, also we have sold out of Medium, 2X and 3X T-shirts.

Currently we are taking orders for those who request a certain size.

If you have been waiting get yours now is the time to order.

We will be placing an order on Tuesday February 24, 2009.

To order your shirt please call Dani @ 895-5068 or email deltacc@alaska.net

BBB recommends not trusting text messages that discuss finances.

Anchorage, Alaska — Feb. 18, 2009 — Your Better Business Bureau has received recent inquiries showing that con artists are using text messages to attempt to scam financial-institution customers.

Scam examples:

• Washington and Oregon consumers called your BBB saying they received the following scam text message: “Application Center / This is an automated message from Cullman Savings Bank. Your ATM card has been suspended. To reactivate call urgent at 1-888-873-9356.” Cullman Savings Bank Web site says they “do not use e-mail, text messaging or telephone calls to verify personal or account information.”
• Alaska consumers called your BBB and Alaska State Troopers sent out a press release warning that text messages were being sent that falsely informed consumers their Credit Union One account had been suspended. It directed mobile phone owners to call the bank at 870-345-4202, or visit 8705874360@cu1.org to resolve the problem. Credit Union One will never send consumers a text message or e-mail to verify account information.

Smishing:
Such scams – where consumers are contacted through a text message in hopes of swiping their personal information – are known as smishing.

Your BBB advises the following to avoid smishing scams:

• Assume unsolicited text messages are fraudulent.
• Know your financial institutions’ communication policies. These can be found on the Web site or by calling the customer service line. Financial institutions will never contact you for personal or account information via text message or e-mail.
• If you receive an unsolicited message supposedly from a financial institution, contact the business at the number you know is valid – not the number in the unsolicited message. Check the legitimacy of the message in this way. Never reply back, click on links or visit Web sites from unsolicited messages.
• Consumers can also report unsolicited text messages to their phone service provider.
• If you discover you have provided financial account information to a scam artist, contact the financial institution immediately. If you had money stolen from the account, file a police report and place a fraud alert with the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, 800-525-6285; Experian, 888-397-3742; and TransUnion, 800-680-7289.

Visit www.bbb.org to stay up-to-date on scams affecting your area.

Legislative Information Office Newsletter and Teleconference Schedule. Please click here to open the PDF file.

DMV will be closed on Wednesday, February 25th, for training in Fairbanks.

How many questions did you have to read before you knew the answer?

1. I’ve been around for more than 30 million years.
2. I am found in countries around the globe.
3. Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette were crazy for me.
4. Part of me is extremely high in vitamin C.
5. The Divine Miss M made a movie named for me.
6. I have more than 6,000 varieties.
7. I come in every color except blue and black.
8. I’m a symbol of love and friendship.
9. By any other name, I’d smell as sweet.
10. On Valentine’s Day, I’m often sold by the dozen.

A Rose

Mike Paschall – Delta Wind newspaper 265 Votes
LTC Vince Malone – CRTC Commander 213 Votes
Dani Markham – Chamber of Commerce 175 Votes
Patsy Ewing – Clearwater Lodge 163 Votes
Abby Brennan – Poorboy 138 Votes
JR Tiger- Clearwater Lodge 121 Votes
Mike Adams – Jack’s Service 95 Votes
Bill Adams – Jacks Service 73 Votes
Toni Johnson- CRTC 36 Votes
Ian Dickson 33 Votes
Megan Brown – Buffalo Bar 25 Votes
Phil Kaspari – UAF Cooperative Extension 23 Votes
Gwen Leivdal – Alaskan Steakhouse 12 Votes
Heather Martin – Alaskan Steakhouse 5 Votes
Kate Evans- Buffalo Bar 4 Votes
Glen McPhail – CRTC Cook 1 Votes
Libby Child – Posh Salon 0 Votes

LTC Chris Chronis – Declined
Gideon Bak – Declined

Meet the mushers and hear their stories. Watch the mushers and their dogs get awards!

5:00PM social hour, 6:00PM dinner.

Tickets on sale at the Yukon Quest office or by phone at 452-7954 or at the door.

Location: Carlson Center – Fairbanks. February 28, 2009

A Valentine for Kristin – My heart says I love you – Derek

Mike Paschall – Delta Wind newspaper 230 Votes
LTC Vince Malone – CRTC Commander 213 Votes
Dani Markham – Chamber of Commerce 160 Votes
Patsy Ewing – Clearwater Lodge 163 Votes
Abby Brennan – Poorboy 138 Votes
JR Tiger- Clearwater Lodge 121 Votes
Mike Adams – Jack’s Service 85 Votes
Bill Adams – Jacks Service 73 Votes
Ian Dickson 33 Votes
Megan Brown – Buffalo Bar 25 Votes
Toni Johnson- CRTC 16 Votes
Phil Kaspari – UAF Cooperative Extension 15 Votes
Gwen Leivdal – Alaskan Steakhouse 12 Votes
Heather Martin – Alaskan Steakhouse 5 Votes
Kate Evans- Buffalo Bar 4 Votes
Glen McPhail – CRTC Cook 1 Votes
Libby Child – Posh Salon 0 Votes

LTC Chris Chronis – Declined
Gideon Bak – Declined

Using cold climate building techniques with new homes and retrofitting existing homes can trim homeowners’ energy bills. Richard Seifert, Cooperative Extension’s Service energy and housing specialist, will offer two courses in Delta Junction aimed at lowering home energy costs.

Seifert will offer his newly developed course, “Retrofitting Your Home,” from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Delta Career Advancement Center, and his Cold Climate Homebuilding Techniques Workshop will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 21, also at the center. Both workshops are free.

Seifert retrofitted his Fairbanks home in 2005, and notes that relatively modest weatherization retrofit can make a difference with heating costs. The retrofitting workshop will cover windows, ventilation, cold climate options, walls, roofs and materials.

During the cold climate workshop, Seifert will talk about windows, ventilation, cold climate options, walls, indoor air quality, roofs and permafrost foundations. Participants in the cold climate workshop will receive a free manual with a CD.

To register for either workshop, call 895-4215. For more information, call Seifert at 800-478-8324 at the Fairbanks Extension office. Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

CONTACT: Christy Roden at 895-4215 / fncmr1@uaf.edu OR
Richard Seifert at 474-6366 / ffrds@uaf.edu.

Tough Economy Raises Interest in Work-at-Home Jobs, but not all are Legitimate

Anchorage, Alaska — Feb. 11, 2009 — Better Business Bureau is warning job hunters to beware of opportunities to work from home processing rebates. While the job offer may claim that people can earn up to a thousand dollars a day without leaving the comfort of their home, BBB has received hundreds of complaints from victims nationwide who never earned a dime and were, in fact, ripped off for hundreds of dollars in upfront fees.

With the nation’s unemployment rate expected to hit a 25-year high in early 2009, work-at-home Web sites which promise big money for little or no experience are extremely tempting in the best of times. But now, with so many cash strapped families, they’re especially appealing. In 2008 alone, more than one million people checked with their BBB about the legitimacy of companies that offer work-at-home jobs. Unfortunately, BBB warns that most work-at-home opportunities, such as supposed “rebate processing” jobs, are ultimately scams.

“With the nation’s unemployment rate hitting double digits in some states, more families are desperately searching for ways to bring in income and these rebate processing scams lure them in with promises of big money for little work or no experience,” said Robert. W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB Serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. “No one ever wants to lose money, but in these hard times, job hunters are getting scammed when they can least afford it.”

According to complaints on file and research conducted by the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau and the BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas, the larger offenders — which have racked up hundreds of complaints from consumers nationwide — operate under such names as Angel Stevens and Cindy Dalton with Web addresses including www.processathome.com and www.rebateprocessorjobs.com. While the names might be different, the scam remains the same.

Victims stated that they paid an upfront fee anywhere from $40 to over $500 for a trial program earning money by processing rebates from home. By representing that the opportunity is affiliated with 11,000 companies including some household names like Hewlett Packard and Home Depot, complainants are deceived into thinking that the offer is legitimate.

Instead of guidance and a starter kit on processing rebates, victims report that they actually received instructions on how to make money by sending e-mails, posting blogs and paying for ads on the Internet in order to sell various products. The products being sold are marketed with a rebate and the victim allegedly makes money by receiving a percentage of sales for any products sold as a result of the ads they placed.

“Adding insult to injury, recent complainants state that after paying the initial fee of $359, they find that their credit card or checking account is charged each month thereafter for $59. The charges continue even though the victims cancel and demand refunds,” said Robert W.G. Andrew.

Complainants allege that they are victims of misleading advertising and demand their money back. A few complainants who decided to try placing Internet ads to earn money became dissatisfied after spending even more money on ads and additional training, but still failed to make the amount advertised.

The marketing language on “rebate processing” Web sites makes the offer sound risk-free and usually advertises a “90 day money back guarantee” or “100% Satisfaction Guarantee,” but complainants state that the companies failed to honor the guarantee. If they respond to requests for refunds at all, it’s usually with an excuse for not making the refund.

BBB offers the following advice to help job hunters avoid being taken advantage of by a work-at-home scam:

• Beware of offers that sound too good to be true, including the promise of big bucks for little work or no experience.
• Always check out the company’s BBB Reliability Report for free at www.bbb.org to see if the company has received a passing grade from BBB.
• Never give your credit card or checking account information to an individual or business that promises employment. Legitimate employers never charge fees to prospective employees. Period.

Click on the image for a photo enlargment.

Come and celebrate the Festival of Lights.

A spaghetti dinner will be held at the Delta Presbyterian/Faith Lutheran Church from 5 to 8pm on Friday, next to the Delta Community Center on the Richardson Highway.

Meal includes cole slaw, spaghetti, garlic bread, beverage and dessert.

Price is $10 for over 12 and $5 for 12 and under.

Take-out and vegetarian sauce available.