Monthly Archives: January 2010

Senator John Coghill will be coming through Delta Junction tomorrow, Thursday, January 14. He will be at the Clearwater Baptist Church from 4-6pm tomorrow.

If you would like a chance to chat informally with our Senator, come on by and meet John Coghill.

Feel free to bring a finger food to share. Senator Coghill will be sharing his dinner hour with us.

Debbie Joslin
National Committeewoman for Alaska,
Republican National Committee

Business Owners, Residents, Community Leaders to Share Ideas of Creating Jobs.
These forums will provide an opportunity for residents, business owners and community leaders across the state to share ideas on creating jobs and economic opportunities.

The schedule for Alaska meetings is:

Fairbanks-1/14/2010 at the Alpine Lodge at 1:30pm

Kotzebue-1/19/2010 at the Alaska Technical Center at 9am

Juneau-1/26/2010 at Centennial Hall at 1:30pm

Anchorage-2/1/2010 at Millennium Hotel at 1:30pm

The primary focus will be on ideas to accelerate job growth in rural America.

For more information contact:
State Director: (907)761-7705

Anchorage, Alaska – Jan. 13, 2010 – As immediate relief needs are assessed in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, many Americans are looking for ways to help by donating to a charity. Your Better Business Bureau Foundation warns that—as occurred following the tsunami in 2004 and Katrina in 2005—fraudulent charities will likely emerge trying to scam donations from well-meaning Americans.
“Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. “Not only do Americans need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance.”

BBB Foundation offers the following six tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

- Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity  to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

- Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fundraising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting earthquake victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fundraising and administrative expenses. They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.

- Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and e-mails that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims.

- Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the effected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance. See if the charity’s Web site clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.

- Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

- Ask before giving gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing—while well intentioned—may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need, unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

Place an order for pizzas for your Super Bowl party.

DHS Fundraiser for students attending Close-up this March.

Contact Pam Krepel at 895-5182 and leave a message or stop by Busy Bee to pick up or drop off your order form.

The Delta Junction Public Health Center will be holding a Woman’s Health Clinic on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 26th and 27th. A Nurse Practitioner will be offering complete pelvic exams including Pap smears and breast exams. This clinic is designed to serve teens and women who have difficulty accessing health care due to lack of health insurance or other barriers. Family planning information and supplies, urine testing for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and HIV counseling and blood testing will be available for men and women. Fees for service will be on a sliding scale and no one will be refused service if unable to pay. There is no charge for sexually transmitted disease screenings.

Teens and young adults remain at high risk for all sexually transmitted diseases. About 65 percent of all Chlamydia cases reported are among teens. Many people don’t know they have Chlamydia so they don’t get treated and the disease continues to spread. If left untreated it can cause permanent damage for both men and women.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment for the Women’s Health Clinic, call the Delta Junction Public Health Center at 895-4292.

Alpha Omega Life Care,Inc annual membership meeting will be held on January 30, 2010 at 7pm at the Delta Community Center.

The annual dues are $10.00, however, we will give new members a 50% discount in dues if you are present at the meeting and sign on. We have started a membership program so that we can have a state gaming permit for raffles as a fund raising mechanism to support our programs. We also have an ongoing project to build another pantry for our hunger abatement programs. For that project we have established a pantry fund at McKinley Bank.

Alpha Omega has begun a college scholarship in the name of Bruce Marden,Sr. for his kindhearted volunteerism on behalf of Alpha Omega’s Hunger Abatement programs in the years before his death. There is also an established Marden Scholarship fund at McKinley bank.

For more info you may call 895-4104.

Spring 2010
The UAF Tanana Valley Campus is offering courses to the Delta Junction/Fort Greely community.

Don’t forget to ask about the Partners for Progress in Delta, Inc. $50 voucher and the Fort Greely military dependent tuition waiver!

For more information on classes or registration information, contact Cheryl Helkenn at (907)895-4605.

• Computer Business Applications
  Dates: Jan 21 – May 7
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: TBA
  Time: TBA
• Beginning Autocad
  Dates: Jan 21 – Mar 11
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: M. Adams
  Time: 6:00 – 9:00pm
• Academic Writing About Literature
  Dates: Jan 25 – Mar 15
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: A. Glynn
  Time: 6:00 – 9:00pm
• Individual, Society & Culture
  Dates: Jan 21 – May 7
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: TBA
  Time: TBA
• Welding I
  Dates: Jan 21 – Feb 27
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: J. Morris
  Time: 6:00-9:00pm
• Welding II Jan 21 – Feb 27
  Dates: Jan 21 – Feb 27
  Location: DCAC
  Instructor: J. Morris
  Time: 6:00-9:00pm

The community is invited to the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest Finals at the Delta Community Library on Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30. Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. It encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
Contest finalists from Pepper McFarland’s English class at Delta High School and the Whitestone community under the guidance of Diana Harper will be reciting memorized pieces in front of six judges and you, our always appreciative and supportive audience.

Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends at the National Finals will be awarded to the winners. Who knew poetry could be so exciting?

During the judge’s deliberation, two solo drama pieces will be performed by some very talented young people for your enjoyment. One is a selection from “The Diary of Anne Frank”, and the other is titled “Jason Bowman”. Come enjoy an energizing dose of arts and culture and brighten your winter evening with this short and entertaining program. Light refreshments will be provided by the Delta Library Association Board following this free event.

January 19, 2010 – April 22, 2010
Games are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00-9:00PM
Open to Delta Community

Non-Authorized Users: $20.00 per player
Registration and Fees due no later than 12 Jan 2010

Information required for Post Access:
Last four of your Social Security Number & AK Drivers License Number

Contact Ft Greely Fitness Center 873-2696 or Robin Fellman at 803-3687. Website

Mount Moffit is a peak in the Alaska Range in central Alaska, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) east-southeast of Mount Hayes. It is notable for its steep faces and large relief above local terrain. For example, the north face drops 7,400 feet in approximately 1.2 miles (2 km) horizontal distance.

For more information see Wikipedia

The Alaska National Guard Yellow Ribbon Program will be conducting Veteran Outreach services in Delta.

Place: Delta Junction City Hall
Date: January 13, 2010
Time: 5 pm – 8 pm

All veterans and former service members of all branches, families, and Soldiers currently serving are invited to attend this information fair for our veterans and their families, which includes:

• Tri-Care Benefits

• Funeral Honors

The Delta Junction Legislative information office is here to assist in filing for your PFD on-line. We have Permanent Fund Dividend Information and Instruction Booklets, as well as paper applications for adults and children.

Come by during regular business hours 7:00AM-4:30PM; we are located in the Jarvis office Center, Suite 218-221.

Call 895-4236 if you have any questions.

The next membership luncheon will be held at noon on January 21, 2010 at the SNOWHOOK CLUB. The Buffet style lunch will be $14.95. Please RSVP by 4pm on January 19th to be eligible for the free lunch drawing.
Guest speaker will be Deborah Hayes, Director of the Deltana Community Services Partnership project.

The Deltana Community Services Partnership formed when a group of concerned Delta area residents began meeting in February, 2008. The focus of the meeting was to discuss ways to address community needs. The
concerned citizens, school, law enforcement, the military, and city government all agreed that a plan for attracting and implementing integrated behavioral health and other services was needed. The Deltana Community Services partnership formalized as a 401 C(3) Non profit corporation in 2009. The current project director is Deborah Hayes. The board of directors is as follows: president Barbara Flynn, Vice President Cathie Green, Secretary Rachelle Hill, and Treasurer Joseph Brokus, remaining board members are John Lewis, David Flynn and Vera Gorban. Our project assistant is Deborah Snyder.

The Deltana Community Services Partnership’s mission is:
To develop and implement a 10-year plan that will address a broad scope of behavioral health needs in order to insure individual, family and community health for all ages in the Deltana region.

If you are interested in joining the coalition and becoming involved, contact us at deltana@nwresource.org or phone 907-895-3234

Anchorage, Alaska – Jan. 5, 2010 – 2009 will be remembered as a year when consumer finance, employment and pop-culture trends were at the forefront of everyone’s minds—especially scammers, who preyed heavily on emotions. Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington reports on the top 10 scams of 2009:
1. Lottery checks – Consumers receive letters in the mail from supposed lotteries like “Publisher’s Clearing House” telling them they’ve won millions, and must wire hundreds of dollars back to the scammers to cover taxes or some other bogus fee.

2. Mortgage foreclosure rescue/debt assistance – Unethical companies target families struggling in the current economy by offering to help save their home or reduce debt; victims pay hundreds of dollars up-front for assistance they never receive.

3. Robocalls – Phone numbers—some of which are on the do-not-call list—receive harassing automated telemarketing calls, which often falsely claim that the consumer’s auto warranty is about to expire or offer to help reduce debt and credit card interest rates. The issue prompted the FTC’s ban on robocalls. 

4. Job hunter scams – As unemployment in the U.S. hit double digits for the first time in over 25 years, scammers had a large pool of out-of-work individuals to target, taking advantage of job hunters: False work-at-home opportunities and rebate processing schemes abound.

5. Mystery shopping – The job asks consumers to secret shop a few stores, evaluate customer service and then transfer money back to their employer via Western Union or MoneyGram. The scam company sends an authentic-looking check to cover the costs. After wiring funds, victims discover it’s a fake check and are out hundreds or thousands of dollars.
6. Google work-from-home scams – Countless Web sites claim “you can learn how to make money from home using Google or Twitter.” Schemers lure in consumers—who think they’re getting a job with Google or Twitter—with misleading trial offers, starter kits and software.

7. Phishing emails/H1N1 spam – Fake Web sites and phishing or spam e-mails promising to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus were rampant in 2009.
8. Weight loss pill free trial offers – Online ads for acai berry or resveratrol weight loss pills use false endorsements from trusted national news organizations, Oprah, Rachel Ray or Doctor Oz in order to sell a “free product trial” with a small shipping charge; allegedly, credit cards are automatically charged month after month, without permission.
9. Memorabilia – With the election of the first African American President and the death of Michael Jackson, 2009 provided great opportunities for scammers to sell memorabilia, collectibles and commemorative items at inflated prices, which may have only sentimental value.
10. Friend/family in distress – Also known as the “Grandparent Scam,” the victim receives a call or online message from a “friend” or “family member” claiming to be stuck in an emergency, car accident or false arrest. The victim wires the money, discovering later it was a scam artist impersonating a friend or relative.

Despite our best efforts, two more DVD movies have been taken from the Delta Library since January 1.

They are “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

We ask again, why steal what you can borrow for free?

Do the right thing – return these movies to the library today.

Thank you,
Joyce McCombs, Library Director

Emergency Trauma Technician Class

Delta Rescue Squad

Class Dates:
Sat, Jan 9: 10am-6pm
Sun, Jan 10: 8am-6pm
Mon, Jan 11: 6pm-9pm
Sat, Jan 16: 10am-6pm
Sun, Jan 17: 8am-6pm
Mon, Jan 18: 6pm-9pm

Cost of the class per person with books and supplies – $215.00. Must attend all classes for certification. For more information please contact City Hall at 895-4656.

2010 Health and Wellness Tips
Anchorage, Alaska – Jan. 4, 2010 – Losing weight, becoming more physically fit or living a healthier lifestyle are common New Year’s resolutions. Consumers planning lifestyle changes should be careful of corrupt companies trying to capitalize on self-improvement goals.

Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington warns of misleading fitness and weight loss advertisements that entice consumers with urgent limited-time offers and promise fast results: “Drop 3 sizes in one week” or “Lose 37 pounds in only two weeks guaranteed!” Watch out for “miracle pills” touting no diet or exercise required. Avoid being lured in by exaggerated before and after pictures or unrealistic weight loss claims. Beware that most “free” trials require an initial credit card payment for shipping or processing—which could lead to continuous monthly charges, if consumers don’t cancel before a deadline.

BBB provides the following tips for finding reliable health and fitness businesses and professionals:
Fitness centers, health clubs and trainers: Carefully inspect membership contracts and cancellation policies for health clubs and fitness centers. In Alaska, anyone doing business in the state is required to have a business license, verify licensing through the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.  Visit http://www.fitness.gov/  for more fitness resources.

Nutrition experts: Before enlisting help from dietitians and nutritionists, verify professional licensing through Alaska’s Regulation of Dietitians and Nutritionists. Visit http://www.nutrition.gov/ for more tips.

Vitamin and supplement sellers: Although a product or supplement may be featured online or in television, newspaper or magazine advertisements, remember that effectiveness, safety and approval by the Food and Drug Administration is not guaranteed. Before buying products, consult with a physician and research the retailer’s reputation online. Review the FDA’s guidelines at http://www.fda.gov/ and the National Institute of Health’s tips through the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Check with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for additional tips.

Make it a New Year’s habit to check with BBB first: Visit http://www.bbb.org/ for BBB Reliability Reports on businesses.

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – All of the Donnelly Training Area West will be closed to recreational use from Jan. 4 through Feb. 28, 2010, while the Army conducts testing. Road blocks and signs will be in place at primary access routes into the DTA West to ensure safety.

The U. S. Army Cold Regions Test Center will conduct firing activities in remote areas of the Donnelly Training Area West. The tests will include firing of weapons systems from and into remote areas of the training area.

Delta Junction residents may see lights and flashes in the training area during the firing missions.

Epiphany is a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God made Man in the person of Jesus Christ. It falls on January 6 or on a Sunday close to that date. On this day, Western Christians commemorate principally the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the child Jesus, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles; Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.

In Puerto Rico, it is traditional for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. These traditions are analogous to the customs of children leaving mince pies and sherry out for Father Christmas in Western Europe or leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus in the United States.
For more information see Wikipedia

Please pass the word! The U.S. Census Bureau offers good pay ($25.00/hr), flexible hours and paid training. Approved travel expenses reimbursed.

Testing/info sessions will be held Thursday, Jan 7 at 2:30pm and 5pm in the conference room at Delta City Hall.

To find more info, and get scheduled call: 1-866-861-2010

Practive tests may be found on the web

A person may take the test as many times as they wish and in any area.