Monthly Archives: June 2010

Longtime Delta Junction resident, Mrs. Judith “Judy” Anne Sowell, 67, passed away unexpectedly, Sunday, June 13, 2010 with her family by her side at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Judy was born March 13, 1943 to Olin & Hazel Herchenroder in Albany, NY. She graduated from Bethlehem Center High School in 1961. She then married Ed Smith and had three children and started her adventure to Delta Junction, Alaska. In 1971 they bought and ran the Evergreen Inn and C’s Motel. Her love of animals also got her into raising silver fox, rottweiler and pappion puppies. She then went back into the restaurant business and reestablished the Miner’s House and Hide Away. Judy married Gene Sowell in 1993 and became a snowbird until his passing in 2003. She continued to reside in Delta Junction and worked as the business manager for J-L Ventures. Judy was a member of Delta Sportsmen Association, Women of the Moose, Ducks Unlimited and the Delta Water Fowl Association, along with the Deltana Fair Association, where she volunteered many hours and years and was finally fair manager assistant before becoming the fair manager. This little fireball will be greatly missed by her community, friends and family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Olin and Hazel Herchenroder; and daughter, Joyce Tuttle; and her husband, Gene Sowell.

She is survived by her daughter and son in-law, Lisa & Rodger Sturgis of Delta Junction, AK; son and daughter in-law, Mike and Robyn Smith of Delta Junction, AK; and her many grandchildren, Michelle & Megan Tuttle, Robert & Samantha Smith, Delaney, Shaun, Joe, Tyler, Trevor, Travis, Walter, Sarah, Logan and Morgan; sisters and brothers in-law, Lynn & Richard Hummel of Glenmont, NY and Sandra & Robert Callaghan of Lake Clear, NY; sister, Pamela House of East Berne, NY; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held 2:00 p.m., Saturday, June 19, 2010 at the First Baptist Church, 1801 Richardson Hwy. in Delta Junction.

Condolences or cards may be mailed to the family at P.O. Box 817, Delta Junction, AK 99737.

Arrangements were by the Fairbanks Funeral Home & Crematory.
Ryan Mills, Funeral Director

Come join us this Saturday, June 19 at Crowley’s Delta Junction Terminal (located at Mile 267.5 of the Richardson Highway) for the 2010 Crowley 5K Fun Run and Community Appreciation Picnic

This is open to the community and it is free, there is no age limit.

Registration: 9-9:50am

5K Run Start Time: 10am

Community Appreciation Picnic: 11am-1pm

Free T-Shirts for the first 75 people who register!

For more information: 907.895.4515

A Memorial service for Judy Sowell will be held this Saturday 19 June at the First Baptist Church at 2 PM.

Anyone wishing to help with food for the reception following is asked to call Jamie 895-4037, Dee 895-2077 or Barb 895-4593.

Donations can be dropped off at the Delta Laundry Friday 9-5 (Laundry will be closed Sat.) or after 12:30 Saturday at the church.

Governor Sean Parnell and First Lady, Sandy Parnell, along with their daughter Rachel, will be guests of honor at a reception held by Rick and Bonnie Stillie and their daughter-in-law Monica Stillie at the Alaska Garden B & B on the Tanana Loop this Saturday from 1:30pm to 3:30 pm.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet Governor Parnell and visit with him in the Stillie’s beautiful B & B. Everyone is welcome! Bring the family!

We don’t often have the opportunity to host our Governor in Delta Junction so we hope you will come out and meet Governor Parnell and talk with him about issues that are important to you and find out about his vision for Alaska.

Get to know the man at the helm of our great state! Finger foods will be served. Directions to the Stillie’s is at http://alaskagardenbandb.com/

 Prism Optical of Alaska is coming to Delta Junction June 21 and 22 at the Clinic.

Complete pair of eyeglasses only $99

Select frames with single vision plastic lenses (exam additional)

With single vision plastic Transitions Gray lenses $169

For an appointment call the Clinic at 895-5100.

Most insurance, Tricare, Medicaid and Denali Kid Care accepted. All major credit cards accepted.

Anchorage, Alaska – June 15, 2010 – Homeowners feeling the impact of overwhelming financial obligations and unforeseen circumstances may have fear of losing their homes, but there are choices available to help prevent that outcome.

“Consumers in distress need to be aware that there are options and free resources within reach,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington.

For those having trouble making mortgage payments, BBB offers the following:

Communicate with your lender or loan provider. They may be able to adjust the repayment schedule, temporarily defer the loan or assist in loan modification.

Consider free resources first. Check with agencies and organizations that offer tips and tools to help struggling homeowners. Credit counselors are available to help adjust budgets, re-work finances and evaluate options.

· The Making Home Affordable Program is designed to help homeowners get relief and avoid foreclosure; help is available at http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/. Borrowers can find free resources, get foreclosure scam prevention tips, and find a HUD-approved agency or counselor.
· Hope Now—an alliance of mortgage experts, supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—offers free housing counseling; call 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) or visit http://www.hopenow.com/

· It can be beneficial to see if counseling agencies are affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at www.nfcc.org or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies at http://www.aiccca.org/

Be wary of crooked companies. Although there are legitimate companies that can provide assistance, beware of dishonest mortgage modification or foreclosure rescue companies just looking to make a quick buck.

· Verify if they have a clean record; be sure to check their BBB Reliability Report. Visit http://www.bbb.org/  to look up companies for free.

· Be wary of companies charging up-front fees and those that discourage you from contacting your lender, mortgage company or credit counselor. Read everything before you sign and get all “promises” in writing; never sign away ownership of your property without consulting with a trusted, qualified attorney or financial advisor.

· Check with local authorities to ensure companies are properly registered with the state and that individuals hold competency licensing; for local companies contact Alaska Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.

Visit http://www.bbb.org/  for additional tips for troubled homeowners.
If a business is acting fraudulently, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, http://www.ftc.gov/ , state Attorney General, www.naag.org, and your BBB. http://www.bbb.org/

The Delta Diner officially opened on Saturday. 

Stop by and enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner served daily.

Hours of operation are:

Monday through Friday
7am – 9pm

Sunday
11am – 9pm

The winner of last week’s mystery photo is Christian Congiolosi

We had 22 correct entries last week.

Christian will receive a gift certificate from the Buffalo Center Drive-In, courtesy of John and Linda Sloan 

The mystery photo is part of a sign dedicating the portion of the Alaska Highway between Fairbanks and Delta Junction as the Purple Heart Trail honoring those who have served their country and were awarded the Purple Heart Medal for their sacrifice.

It is located numerous places on the Richardson Highway (Purple Heart Trail) and outside on the grounds of the Visitor Center, on a commemorative plaque for the Purple Heart Trail.

Even though the webmaster had taken this mystery photo from the Visitor Center, each entry was submitted since this particular mystery photo does appear along the highway.

The workshop this week, Wednesday, June 16, will be a Market Beautification and Children’s Planting Project.

Adults and children encouraged to plant the flower barrels at the market site. There will be an art project to make your own “planted by” labels for the barrels as well.

Flowers and art project material will be provided at no charge.

Bringing your own trowel is encouraged. Cupcakes will be provided to all beginner green thumbs.

The Preschool Story Hour at the library that morning at 11:00 A.M. will be reading a book about gardening that morning.

Children of all ages are encouraged to help plant the flower barrels at the farmers market and watch their development during the summer.

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale. Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, 110 is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President’s discretion to proclaim officially the observance.

One of the longest-running Flag Day parades is held annually in Quincy, Massachusetts, which began in 1952, celebrating its 57th year in 2009. The 59th Annual Appleton Wisconsin 2009 Flag Day Parade will feature the U.S. Navy. City of Appleton Wisconsin. The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York, which bases its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators.

Perhaps the oldest continuing Flag Day parade is at Fairfield WA. Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield has held a parade every year since, with the possible exception of 1918, and will celebrate the “Centennial” parade in 2010, along with some other commemorative events.

Information has been taken from Wikipedia. Click here to read the entire history.

The June 14 date is when Congress adopted “the American continental army” after reaching a consensus position in The Committee of the Whole. This procedure and the desire for secrecy account for the sparseness of the official journal entries for the day. The record indicates only that Congress undertook to raise ten companies of riflemen, approved an enlistment form for them, and appointed a committee (including Washington and Schuyler) to draft rules and regulations for the government of the army.

The delegates’ correspondence, diaries, and subsequent actions make it clear that they really did much more. They also accepted responsibility for the existing New England troops and forces requested for the defense of the various points in New York. The former were believed to total 10,000 men; the latter, both New Yorkers and Connecticut men, another 5,000.

Click here to read the entire story.

To the Editor of Delta Wind and the Delta News-web,

There are corrections needed to Mike Paschall’s recent article about Rural Deltana Volunteer Fire Department supposedly wishing to merge with the City of Delta Junction Fire Department. The City Fire Department was never ever approached by RDVFD, let alone refused to talk with representatives of RDVFD.

When I got back from Canada the city administration presented me with Mike Pachall’s letter, handed in to the City Council on the same day as I left for my trip. This letter proposed a hostile take-over of the DJVFD and the Delta Rescue Squad by RDVFD, because RDVFD does not believe the two City Departments do their job, while on the other hand RDVFD would be able to do a good job running the whole show by themselves.

To claim that the City Fire Department was approached to discuss a possible merger with RDVFD is an outright lie. Upon my return to Delta Junction I was the one who called Ted Hamilton, who did not come to the phone due to a difficult dental procedure, Ernie Wyrick could not come to the phone either, due to a sick father, Mike Paschall had only an answering machine and neither one of theses people Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain and Board Member saw fit to call back at a later time.

Instead RDVFD by-passed both the Delta Rescue Squad and the City Fire Department and went directly for the City Council with their complaints about the city volunteers. Had there been a respectful approach to the issue and had the issue been a merger instead of a hostile take-over, I am sure that both City Council, the Delta Rescue Squad and certainly the DJVFD would have been glad to come to the table for constructive discussions. Emergency Services are all about team-work.

The low blow this was is well exemplified by such petty complaints to the City Council as that I supposedly had been standing in my yard, refusing to respond to a call out. Fortunately this could be proven for what it was, more lies. Instead of the issue becoming a he-said-she-said, all I needed to do was to hand in my airline ticket to the city, proving that I was in Canada at the alleged time.

This whole issue proves to me the point that a Newspaper should be an independent entity in a community. Mike Paschal being both on the RDVFD, its board and the owner of the Newspaper obviously leads to dissemination of false information. Further, it is false accusations like these that make working with Fire and EMS totally unattractive. Who would voluntarily want to be drawn into this kind of petty turf wars.

My suggestion is that RDVFD should focus more on their own department than spending their time trying to discredit other volunteers.

Carin “Bear” Bjorn von Letzendorf
Chief DJVFD and Member of the Delta Rescue Squad.

Delta Junction, AK – Another rainy morning greeted fire fighters yesterday morning and one is forecast for today. The rain gauge in Delta Junction measured .65 inches in the past 12 hours and the rain gauge at Goodpaster Creek had a reading of .25 inches. In the past 5 days well over 2 inches of rain has been recorded over the fires. Access and travel concerns became issues for crews travelling in vehicles off the pavement. Temperatures were also dropping and when combined with wet conditions, created crew safety concerns for potential hyperthermia from prolonged exposure. Crews fully contained the South Fork Healy Fire and increased the containment estimate to 80 percent on the Gilles Creek Fire. Today crews will continue moping up or extinguishing any burning materials within 100 feet of containment lines and rehabilitate any negative fire suppression impacts.

A smaller type III incident command team (IMT) will be shadowing the ORCA IMT today with the objective of transitioning command tomorrow at 08:00 a.m. Mike Bobo will be the new Incident Commander, taking over the responsibilities from Ken Paul, the ORCA IMT Incident Commander. Command and general staff positions from both IMT’s will be working together closely to share knowledge from the past two and half weeks of fire suppression activities.

There are a total of 437 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of fourteen, 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date

Gilles Creek, 19,372 acres, 80% contained
Big Swede – 4,000 acres, 50% contained
South Fork Healy – 2,686 acreas, 100% contained
Healy River – 81 acres, 100% contained
Upper Gerstle – 1,379 acres, 0% contained

This will be the last daily update from the Delta Complex unless conditions change.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Tom Lavagnino – ORCA Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472
Email: gillescreek@gmail.com
http://inciweb.org/incident/1980/

Incident Command Post is located at the Delta Elementary School in Delta Junction, AK (until Monday, 6/14/10)

I would like to graciously thank the folks in Delta who came to my aid during my crisis on May 27, 2010. Unfortunately, I have no memory of that situation. However, I know I would not be here today if not for my spouse, Ken and the many folks involved with the EMTs and the Family Medical Clinic. Thank you all for your assistance in saving my life.

Judith Farrow

Delta Junction, AK – Periodic rain showers were reported in many areas of the fire yesterday and crews are expecting similar showers today. The incident meteorologist is forecasting very similar weather conditions for the next five days. Fire crews have almost completed fire line construction around the entire Gilles Creek Fire. Very few smokes or hot spots were discovered yesterday along the northern boundary of the fire.

Firefighting hand crew hikes back up the fire line to mop up hot spots.     Photo Credit: Joel Carpenter

Hand crews constructing fire line and mopping-up hot spots are “spike camping” or eating and sleeping in very primitive conditions near the northern flank of the Gilles Creek Fire. Other fire crews are “spiking out” at the Big Swede and South Fork Healy Fires that are even more remote and harder to access than the Gilles Creek Fire. These crews are making significant progress constructing fire line which is reflected in the containment estimates. The South Fork Healy River Fire is 75 percent contained and the Big Swede Fire is estimated at 50 percent containment.
 The fires did not increase in acreage burned yesterday and continue to smolder on the ground.

There are a total of 579 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of twenty-one, 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date.

Gilles Creek – 19,372 acres, 75% contained
Big Swede – 4,000 acres, 50% contained
South Fork Healy – 81 acres, 100% contained
Upper Gerstle – 1,379 acres, 0% contained

Tom Lavagnino – Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472

http://inciweb.org/incident/1980/

CES Office hours

Closed Monday, June 14
Open June 15, Tuesday through Friday, June 18
8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Week of June 21:
Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

It is suggested calling 895-4215 to confirm that someone will be available.

Delta Junction, AK – Fire crews continued containment efforts on all fires in the Delta Complex yesterday and hope to made significant progress today on all fronts. The fires have not grown in size for the past few days and due to more accurate mapping techniques on the Gilles Fire, burned acreage estimates actually went down by 28 acres. The fires have been smoldering with occasional flare-ups of low intensity fire due to the wet and cool conditions.

Plans are being made to transfer fire command responsibilities from the ORCA Incident Management Team to a smaller Type III incident management team in the next few days. This “right-sizing” is an efficient, cost-effective, and logical step to containing the Delta Complex. Excess fire-fighting resources are scheduled to be released as soon as fire managers determine that they have a secure and stable containment line around the fires. The weather forecast for the next 5-7 days calls for very similar conditions as today. Temperatures are predicted to be in the mid to upper 60’s and the fuel moisture will be high with a relative humidity (amount of moisture in the air) expected to be around 40 – to – 50 percent.

There are a total of 625 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of twenty-three, 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date.

Gilles Creek – 19,372 acres, 70% contained
Big Swede – 4,000 acres, 50% contained
South Fork Healy – 2,686 acres, 75% contained
Healy River – 81 acres, 100% contained
Upper Gerstle – 1,379 acres, 0% contained
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Tom Lavagnino – Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472
Email: gillescreek@gmail.com
http://inciweb.org/incident/1980/
Incident Command Post is located at the Delta Elementary School in Delta Junction, AK

The next membership luncheon will be held at noon on June 17, 2010 at the Alaskan Steakhouse. Lunch will be $15.00 Please RSVP by 4pm on June 15th to be eligible for the free lunch drawing.

Guest speakers will be Delta/Greely School District Superintendent Dr. PJ Ford Slack and Assistant Superintendent Laural Jackson. Their presentation will focus on “What is an REAA”?

Relocation Bags for newcomers to the area are now available at the Delta Chamber of Commerce Office, Durham Realty, Mt. Hayes Realtors and at Ft. Greely.

They contain free items from local businesses, a Delta Visitor Information and Chamber Guide, phone book and other useful items.

Any business wishing to contribute to the bags can contact the chamber office at 895-5068.

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived-the tea you’ve all been asking about…it’s time to tea at the Sullivan Roadhouse and Gardens! Please join us as we serve an afternoon tea in the roadhouse or out in the beautiful blooming gardens on Tuesday, June 29th. There will be two seating’s to accommodate lunch breaks. The first seating will be from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and the second seating from 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Come enjoy the tea with friends and neighbors and then take time to stroll through the gardens.

This is a most special tea, as it will benefit two very worthy causes. The majority of the proceeds will be donated to the Delta Senior Housing Project and a donation will also be made to the preservation and maintenance of the Sullivan Roadhouse and Gardens.

Our tea menu will offer a variety of tasty items to include the herbs and vegetables that would have been part of the early Sullivan gardens and also meats and smoked salmon too! Anyone who appreciates the historical values Delta and Alaska has to offer won’t want to miss this special event.

Tickets are $15 and are available for purchase at Acacia Floral. Questions? Call Kathy Trim 895-4911 or email her at ktrim@acsalaska.net.

Delta Junction, AK – For the first day in more than four, fire crews could see their shadows. Sporadic rain showers were reported across the fire, but some clearing in the cloud cover was also noticed. Lightning was reported to the north of Gilles Creek and Big Swede Fires. Crews took advantage of these favorable conditions as they continued to construct fire lines and mop-up burning vegetation 100’ from containment lines. The fire behavior analyst assigned to the Delta Complex described today’s conditions as a “non-fire spread” day. This means the fire remains relatively active but is of low intensity and is on the ground. Fuels are mostly continuous and the fire is slowing moving into adjacent piles by smoldering and creeping. The Gilles Creek Fire is now 65 percent contained.

Demobilization of un-needed fire equipment and personnel is continuing. Two 20-person hand crews will be released today followed by one tomorrow, three on Saturday and five on Sunday. One helicopter will also be released today leaving 4 helicopters on the Delta Complex.

Water-handling specialists have completed installing fire hoses on most accessible parts of the Gilles Creek Fire to further secure those lines and to allow fire fighters adequate supplies of water during the mop-up phase of fire suppression. The Delta Complex did not increase in acreage burned yesterday due to the wet and cool conditions and the hard and arduous work performed by the fire fighters.

There are a total of 633 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of twenty-one 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Tom Lavagnino – Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472
Email: gillescreek@gmail.com
http://inciweb.org/incident/1979/
Incident Command Post is located at the Delta Elementary School in Delta Junction, AK

The Fort Greely Chapel will host a Vacation Bible School from 1-4pm. at the Chapel.  June 14 – 18.

The bible school is available for children ages Kindergarten through 5th grade.

For more information please call Kim Mortrud at 873-2476.

Anchorage, Alaska – June 9, 2010 – A phone scam touting bulk merchandise is targeting businesses in several states, warns Better Business Bureau. The scam company with a generic name calls business owners to peddle products over the phone, but those who place orders receive nothing or random “junk” instead.
One fly-by-night company, called Wilson Company, has been accused of soliciting for this purpose.

Business owners have ordered and paid $300 to $500 for resale products—such as bulk calling cards or cigarettes—but instead, receive packages with unordered merchandise. When customers contact Wilson Co. to explain the apparent “mix-up” or request a refund, the company does not answer or abruptly hangs up. According to complainants, the company calls from 1-877-634-1180—a number that is no longer in service.

BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington has received 5 complaints against Wilson Co. The company falsely purports to be located at 4200 East 4th Plain Blvd.—an address rightly belonging to Rent-A-Center; however, packages seem to be coming from Van Nuys, Calif. BBB has not been able to verify a legitimate address to process complaints against this company.

According to BBB’s research, Wilson Company may be using several names and locations. Blue Company of Van Nuys, Calif. fits the same profile. This business, which also goes by Wilson Company and AZ Company, has 16 unanswered complaints and an “F” rating with BBB.

Don’t impulsively agree to buy merchandise over the phone without first checking to make sure the company is legitimate. Be wary if the company:

Pressures you to make an immediate purchase over the phone.

Can only accept a check, money order, or wire-transferred funds as payment.

Uses a common name, and can’t provide proof of business licensing.

Has no website or online presence, or a search engine yields negative results.

Can’t or won’t provide written materials in advance, such as a: business card, brochure, or written purchase agreement.

Has a negative rating with BBB; always check for a BBB Reliability Report before doing business. Beware of those that have unanswered complaints.

Visit http://www.bbb.org/  for more consumer tips.

City Councilman Sherman Stebbins and anonymous donors are giving away fifty basketballs in conjunction with the City of Delta Junction’s 50th Birthday (1960-2010).

To be eligible, students, ages 5-18, must live in the Delta-Greely area and must have been enrolled in school (or home school program) this past year. Limit one entry per student.

Fifty winners will be drawn.

Stop by and drop your name and number in the bucket at City Hall, 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday. Call 895-4656 for more information.

The Delta Chamber of Commerce is very disappointed over the removal of the beautiful trees in front of the post office in Delta Junction and concerned about the other trees that line the streets of our town.

We invited Northern region DOT & PF Director Steve Titus to our membership luncheon on April 15th as guest speaker to inform us of the specifics of the downtown construction project.

It was never disclosed that those trees, which were part of a beautification project years ago, were to be removed, nor did it occur to anyone at that luncheon that their removal would be an option.

Over the past several years it has been impossible to obtain permission from DOT for beautification projects through our small community and to lose what little we already have is disheartening.

While it is too late to save those trees, maybe there is a chance that new trees can be re-planted. The construction company already has the equipment there so why not plant new trees to replace those destroyed.

We look forward to hearing from Mr. Titus on this issue.

Delta Junction, AK – More rain fell across the fire area yesterday in varying amounts. The rain gauge located near the Big Swede Fire measured over 1” of precipitation and the rain gauge in Delta Junction measured almost ½”. Lightning was also reported in the fire area and to the north of Gilles Creek and Big Swede Fires. Crews took advantage of these favorable conditions as they continued to construct fire lines and mop-up burning vegetation 100’ from containment lines. The Gilles Creek Fire is now 60 percent contained.

There are five medium-lift and three light-lift helicopters assigned to the Delta Complex. Due to the low cloud cover and visibility over the fire area, no fixed-wing aircraft were used yesterday and helicopters were only used for crew transport. The weather is expected to clear in the next few days and this will permit the safe and efficient use of aircraft for aerial reconnaissance, crew transport and fire suppression activities.

Fire line rehabilitation projects are being implemented after fire lines have been completed and a few days have past where no heat has been detected and the containment lines are secure. Water bars will be placed in areas that will allow running water to drain away from recently exposed soils. Excess fire suppression equipment will be removed and transported to camp for cleaning and reuse. The Delta Complex did not increase in acreage burned yesterday due to the wet and cool conditions.

There are a total of 591 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of twenty-one 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date.

Gilles Creek – 19,400 acres, 60% contained

Big Swede – 4,000 acres, 0% contained

South Fork Healy – 2,686 acres, 0% contained

Healy River – 81 acres, 100% contained

Upper Gerstle – 1,379 acres, 0% contained

Total acres 27,546

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Tom Lavagnino – Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472
Email: gillescreek@gmail.com
http://inciweb.org/incident/1979/
Incident Command Post is located at the Delta Elementary School in Delta Junction, AK

To the Delta Junction Community,

You are invited to attend Delta’s World Refugee Day celebration on Saturday, June 19 at the City Park from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
National World Refugee Day is officially on June 20, but we have chosen to celebrate it with a potluck picnic open to the community on Saturday June 19. The entire Delta community is invited to share in the food, music, and a few awards.

Nearly 20% of Delta’s population are currently or formerly of refugee status from varied places such as Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Moldova, Uzbekistan as well as Ukraine and Russia. The RAIS (Refugee Assistance and Immigration Service) office in Delta Junction has been working with our refugee families over the last few years, encouraging them to seek official naturalized Citizenship, learn English, find homes and work, and help them integrate into our community as productive citizens who enhance our town.

World Refugee Day is a day set aside to celebrate their new lives in America, and a time to promote understanding in our community.

We hope that this World Refugee Day celebration will continue to build the bridge between our two major local cultures.

Sincerely,
Vera Gorban, Site Manager
895-9830

Have you been having problems with your greenhouse or garden? Cooperative Extension Service is presenting free classes to the public on greenhouse management and gardening.
• The Garden – this class discusses gardening, buying seeds, seeding, transplanting from greenhouse, what plants grows well in Delta soils, fertilizer and watering practices. Saturday, June 12th, from 2 to 4 or 5 to 7 pm.

• Garden Soils – this class discusses soils testing, soil amendments, manures, and fertilizer. Saturday, June 19th, from 2 to 4 or 5 to 7 pm.
• Garden Problems – this class discusses insect, weed, fungus, and other problems found in local gardens. Saturday, June 26th, from 2 to 4 or 5 to 7 pm.

If you have problems with either your greenhouse or garden please contact Lynn Bundy the IPM Technician. To attend the classes please call and sign up. Both the 2 o’clock and 5 o’clock classes will be held in the CES conference room in the Jarvis Office Center. Call 895-4215.

Anchorage, Alaska – June 8, 2010 – Social networking sites are a great tool for networking, socializing and even building business contacts, but site users should be cautious of security threats and criminals looking to exploit profiles.

Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington encourages responsible use of social networking sites:

Avoid choosing obvious, easy-to-guess passwords. Memorize them. Refrain from sharing joint accounts with friends or family.

Never give out passwords, Social Security or bank account numbers. Avoid posting information that could be viewable to the public, such as: addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and birth dates.

Review account privacy settings. If it is not a business account, make sure settings are selected to make comments, photos, and contact information only viewable by “friends.”

Review the privacy policy to see if the company sells or redistributes information to third parties.

Depending on your security settings and the website’s privacy policy, pictures posted online can be copied, shared and distributed by visitors without your consent.

Be cautious when submitting information online; if it’s confidential, make sure the site is secure.

Be mindful of hackers. Messages on social networking sites could appear to come from friends, but could actually be from strangers who’ve stolen account information.

Parents, Teach Your Kids How to Stay Safe on Social Networks.

Visit http://www.bbb.org/  for more advice on how to protect data online. For instant tips and marketplace news updates, follow your BBB on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Gilles Creek – 19,400 acres – 50% contained
Big Swede – 4,000 acres - 0% contained

South Fork Healy – 2,686 acres – 0% contained

Healy River – 81 acres – 100% contained

Upper Gerstle – 1,379 acres – 0% contained

Total acres 27,546

Delta Junction, AK – Rainy conditions throughout the fire area yesterday were reported. Some areas experienced significant amounts of persistent rain, but that was not enough to put out the fire. Numerous hot spots are present in the northern portion of the Gilles Creek Fire and crews will be assigned to mop-up and to continue to construct fire line directly in front of the low intensity fire. An infra-red device was used to detect hot spots from the air and fire managers directed crews to those exact locations to extinguish any hot spot. The Delta Complex did not increase in acreage burned yesterday due to the wet and cool conditions
Today crews will continue to construct fire line in the northern portion of the Gilles Creek Fire and mop-up other sections of that fire. Two 20-person hand crews and misc. overhead will be assigned to the Big Swede Fire and one crew and misc. overhead will work the South Fork of Healy Fire today.

Remote spike camps are being planned for fire fighters along the Goodpaster River near the Big Swede Fire and near the South Fork Healy Fire. This will minimize travel time and allow for an effective and safe work/rest break between shifts.

There are a total of 548 people assigned to the Delta Complex, which consists of nineteen 20-person hand crews. No lost-time injuries have been reported to date.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Tom Lavagnino – Incident Information Officer (907) 895-7472
Email: gillescreek@gmail.com
http://inciweb.org/incident/1979/
Incident Command Post is located at the Delta Elementary School in Delta Junction, AK

The winner of last week’s mystery photo is Grace Dalton
We had 20 correct entries last week.

Grace will receive a gift certificate from the Buffalo Center Drive-In, courtesy of John and Linda Sloan .  Website