Anthony J. "Tony" Dimond may largely be forgotten, but he still remains prominent in the annals of Alaska's history. Who was Tony Dimond? Have you heard of Dimond Boulevard in Anchorage? The Dimond Center mall? The Dimond Court House? Dimond High School? These were all named after the man, a U.S. congressman from Alaska's territorial days who was also a district court judge, a lawyer and gold miner. He holds a special place in my own personal history as I'm a graduate of the high school named in his honor. 

Have you been part of an accident?  Have you been the part of what caused the accident?  I sometimes wonder how each of us really feel inside when we experience an accident?  It seems to me that accidents can be seen as just random things that happen TO a person and that they sometimes cannot explain its origin, then there are those accidents that happen and we know exactly what happened as we were the one holding the cause in our very hands…

This morning I was awakened by the sunshine coming into my window.
So nice, so natural, and so welcoming is the sunshine.

This was happening 3 weeks ago.  Then we "sprang forward" and all got to wake up in the dark for 2 more weeks - as if we hadn't had enough darkness during winter.

Let us abolish the “Spring Forward Daylight Savings Time.”
Let us simply use Alaska Standard Time all year!

Did you know that today’s style of prom really began in the 1950s?

Proms today are an iconic, integral part of the high school experience. They come complete with stretch limos, fancy ballrooms, live bands, kings and queens, and, most importantly, dresses worthy of movie stars. However, proms have not always been the elaborate, inclusive show they are today.

Matanuska Lake, a popular, swimming, boating and fishing lake located along the Glenn Highway, has been the scene of multiple drowning over the years.

Thanks to support from AARP, the Alaska Avalanche Information Center will be hosting two free water safety workshops in May in recognition of National Water Safety month. The first course will be held on May 14 in Anchorage and the second class is set for May 21 in the Mat-Su Valley.

On May 7th at 4:00 pm, doors will open to the Boom Town’s first ever Roller Derby House Cup. Skaters across Alaska can register for a chance to be sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts!

So what’s the catch? Well, for starters the audience will be calling the shots. Teams will be sorted evenly, but that means little when witches and wizards of all ages can pay to cast spells on the players.

In articles past I have written about rubies, sapphires, and diamonds, now I will be adding the last piece of the puzzle; more on that later. Emeralds have been around since the time of Cleopatra and have been associated with much lore. So what makes this green beauty so valuable?

Emeralds have been associated with much lore such as, healing, protection from evil spirits, and the revelation of truth or falseness of a person’s love oath. It has even been said that the emerald was one of the stones given to Solomon by God and the four stones together is what “endowed him with the power over all creation.”

A poem by Dan Renshaw.

The Governor and the Legislature have both professed that a combination of budget cuts and revenue options will be necessary to solve the State of Alaska’s fiscal crisis. So where are the cuts? The data shows that little progress has been made towards reducing the size and cost of state government.  Juneau seems to be in a hurry to change the cash flow that impacts the Permanent Fund in order to operate Big government. Unfortunately, many in the State Legislature are considering either a broad state income tax or reducing Permanent Fund dividends to maintain the status quo. 

Public Law calls for VA to provide you hospital care and outpatient care services that are defined as "needed." VA defines "needed" as care or service that will promote, preserve, and restore health. This includes treatment, procedures, supplies, or services. This decision of need will be based on the judgment of your health care provider and in accordance with generally accepted standards of clinical practice.

The following three categories contain a list of health care services that are provided under the Medical Benefits Package, a list of some that are not covered by VA, and a list of other services that are provided under special authority.

Pets in the Valley that are looking for a home.

It looks like butter. It's made with butter. It smells like butter. So how healthy can ghee really be?

So what is ghee? It’s nothing more than the pure butterfat extracted from milk...

On March 5th, Arkose Brewery invited women in the community to participate in the national “Big Boots Brew Day” put on by The Pink Boots Society (PBS).  

Women working at breweries all over the world were invited to participate. As a member of the PBS, I was excited to be part of this collaborative effort to raise awareness about the beer industry to women and to invite women in the community to join me in being a “Brewster” for a day.

My House offers transitional housing for young adults age 18-24.  With a grant from Alaska Housing for one 4 bedroom housing unit, we ask our residents to pay rent for their housing, and by doing so we were able to leverage one housing unit into three, so we have housing for 15 clients rather than 5.  

Of the clients successfully transitioning: Two left housing to attend college, and three went to Job Corps for continued training.  Two clients currently in housing are attending college, and almost all are in training programs of some kind and completing high school or a GED equivalent.

Hope Village is a community of tiny houses, planned by Wasilla Homeless Committee, and offered as a solution for emergency housing of the homeless, progressing toward stable low cost rental and purchase options.

Residents would be required to pay a rental fee based on a sliding scale of income.  As residents progress in stability and income, they could move into upgraded homes with the option of rent or purchase based on desire.

If you feel that you and your family are ready to make a lifetime commitment to a dog, do your homework, ask lots of questions, and access training and professionals as needed.  You will never have a better companion and your life will be so much richer as a result.

 “Financial security for artists can be elusive. Artists must supplement their income, or work primarily at a job unrelated to their art to make ends meet,” says playwright Vera Starbard. “The opportunity to work on my writing full time is a game changer for me, the gift of time to research, write, and produce is priceless.”

A poem by Tia Talbot.

I have had problems with my eyes since I was 18 months old! I had my first of six corrective eye surgeries way back then, when the muscles in my left eye did not receive the right nerve signal from my brain. 

Amblyopia or strabismus was my diagnosis—a condition where both eyes are not able to focus on the same object.  For me this caused poor uncorrectable eyesight in my left eye...