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If you are reading this short piece, you are most likely a senior, like me, interested in continuing to play a role in the Alaska economy. I came to Alaska ten years ago, toward the end of a long career of college teaching. Now I'm coordinating the Northern and Interior regions of the MASST program. It is a challenging, rewarding job. I often say that nobody is learning more than I am in this program. It's also meaningful work, because I know that it is making a difference in Northern and...
If you face heating bills that are burdensome, the State of Alaska’s Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program could be your solution. LIHEAP is a federally-funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills. It can help you stay warm in the winter and reduce the risk of health and safety problems such as illness, fire or eviction. The program may be able to offer you one or more of the following types of assistance: bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, and weatherization and energy-related home r...
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a global campaign to increase awareness about this prevalent disease. Breast cancer affects millions of women worldwide. Early detection, often through screening, increases the chances of successful treatment and can save lives. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. It can affect both men and women, but it’s far more common in women. Regular self-examinations and routine screenings can help in the early detection of breast cancer. Mammography remains one of the m...
Family Caregiver Support Programs offer free support meetings to allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, S...
The tourists have departed and the land is changing colors, and it's the time when Alaskans can see the state unhindered by tour buses and being asked pesky questions like, "when do the Northern Lights come out?" Best of all, the fish are running and the crowds are gone. Hook a fish Best Fishing Specials Of 2023 on The Kenai River: • Drifters Lodge,18404 Sterling Hwy., Cooper Landing, AK 99572 20 percent to 30 percent off guided fishing and rafting trips on the Kenai River. Call and book at 9...
A proposal to help Alaska seniors fix their homes so they can live at home longer is on its way to the legislature. Current state statutes provide a minimum $150,000 property tax exemption for Senior Citizens/Disabled Veterans. If approved by legislators, modifying a home would add an additional $20,000 to the property tax exemption at no cost to the State of Alaska. The home modifications incentive is a way to motivate older Alaskans who think about adding grab bars, raised toilets or roll-in showers with hand-held showerheads. Often...
September is a bustling month for Alaska Health Fair, with numerous opportunities to participate in health education and affordable blood and health screenings. We invite you to join us at these events across various communities, whether you attend to receive services, volunteer to help serve the public or share a mission by exhibiting. Southcentral Sept. 9 Valdez Valdez Civic Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 9 Anchorage St. John Methodist Church, 1801 O’Malley Road, 8 a.m. to noon. Sept. 15-16 Palmer Palmer Depot, 610 S. Valley Way, 2 to 6 p...
Do you care deeply about improving seniors’ quality of life? Join us in speaking up for Alaska seniors living in long term care facilities. As a Long Term Care Ombudsman volunteer, you’ll advocate for residents of assisted living homes and skilled nursing facilities across Alaska. We need compassionate volunteers statewide who want to defend seniors’ rights and dignity. Free training is provided, and you’ll be supported every step of the way. No previous experience required —just bring your empathy, patience and drive to help vulnerabl...
Family Caregiver Support Programs offer free support meetings to allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, S...
The Alaska Dept. of Health and Alaska Health Fair, Inc. are thrilled to announce the continuation of a vital screening program this fall through Alaska Health Fair, Inc. health fairs - free Hemoglobin A1C and Estimated Average Glucose tests. Our aim is to empower Alaskans with the information they need to lead healthier lives, by identifying early risks for diabetes and prediabetes. Are you at risk? Take our short self-assessment survey at https://bit.ly/3rk9Djt to find out. If your survey result indicates a risk, and you’re not presently d...
Family Caregiver Support Programs offer free support meetings to allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, S...
By DIMITRA LAVRAKAS Senior Voice Travel Correspondent "That the Alaska Railroad was ever built is astonishing," writes Alaskan author Steven Levi in his rollicking history of the Alaska Railroad in "A Rat's Nest of Rails: Tundra, Ice, Mosquitoes and Permafrost Saga of the Alaska Railroad" (signed copies available at https://authormasterminds.com/steve-levi). It was a feat of engineering and pluck, resulting in 100 years of carrying freight and tourists, much to the benefit of Alaska. "It was...
All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial On view May 5, 2023 – Feb. 18, 2024, Anchorage Museum Atrium, first floor. Opening in the centennial year of the completion of the Alaska Railroad, this exhibition created in collaboration with Alaska Railroad historians and experts looks at the history, impact and legacy of the railroad through archival images, objects and ephemera. Examining three key eras of railroad history spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, the exhibition highlights crucial m...
As we joyfully bask in the extended daylight hours of the Land of the Midnight Sun this July, let’s not forget that this month is also UV Safety Month. We Alaskans cherish our unique summers but it’s crucial to remember that the risk of harmful UV radiation exposure is real and can increase, especially for those enjoying the outdoors or planning trips to sunnier locales. Exposure to UV radiation, whether from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds, can cause significant health issues. It’s the leading cause of skin cancer, inclu...
Family Caregiver Support Programs offer free support meetings to allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, S...
One spring morning during breakfast, back in 2003 when we lived in Slana, my husband Gary said, "I turned the oil stove on out in the greenhouse. Let's move plants today." "Fine," I replied, glad to get the seedlings in the upstairs room and the front porch out of the house. This was our second season to have a garden and greenhouse in Slana. The greenhouse was his domain and the vegetable and flower gardens were mine. We didn't plan it that way; it just happened. When I was a kid growing up in...
It seemed like it would never happen, but the snow is gone and you can take to the road to check out all the great summer fairs and festivals Alaska has to offer. This year, try voyaging in a direction you've never gone by taking the Alaska Marine Highway to Cordova, Haines or Ketchikan, and be treated to bubble feeding whales, porpoises trailing alongside and breaching belugas-all at no extra cost. Here are some fairs and festivals to put on your list. Southcentral Anchorage Love My Pet Fest,...
First, I'm going to tell you a true story. Then we'll talk about how your public transit driver can pick you up and take you where you want to go for free, or sometimes for just a buck or two. In the late 1990s Christy (my wife) and I lived for nearly a year in Huntsville, Alabama, while I did research for a book I was writing. On weekdays she took our car to her job, and I took a city bus to the law office where I was doing the research. After a few months I got to know the bus drivers pretty...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, Soldotna, Talkeetna, Willow. Call 1-800-478-1080 for details. ARA also hosts a statewide call-in meeting on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of every month, 1 to 2 p.m. For information, call Gay Wellman, 907-822-5620 or 1-800-478-1080. The Homer caregiver support group meets at the Homer Senior Center on the second and fourth T...
Registration is open for this year’s Alaska International Senior Games, taking place Aug. 5-13 in Fairbanks. The online registration portal is at www.alaskaisg.org. The annual event brings together athletes and recreation enthusiasts age 50 and older from all around the state and beyond. This year’s events include archery, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, ice hockey (co-ed), indoor shooting, mini golf, pickleball, power walk, road race, swimming, table tennis, team toss, tennis, track and field and triathlon. Com...
Thousands of gold seekers flooded into the North country during the late 1800s and settled around new towns such as Nome, Juneau and Dawson. Several also streamed into Cook Inlet. They hacked out primitive trails connecting scattered camps and eventually unified the region between Cook Inlet on the south and the Talkeetna Mountains on the north, and the Matanuska River on the east and the Susitna River in the west. Although few of the prospectors who entered Cook Inlet became rich, by the early...
Recently, a press statement came in from online travel guide Travel Lemming that reported on national parks ranked by affordability, accessibility, biodiversity, crowds, reviews and weather. The overall rankings of Alaska's National Parks are: Kenai Fjords, No. 13; Katmai, No. 21; Denali, No. 36; Wrangell-St. Elias, No. 39; Lake Clark, No. 43; Glacier Bay, No. 48; Gates of the Arctic, No. 62; and Kobuk Valley, No. 63. All eight of Alaska's National Parks were in the top 15 for crowds. Gates of t...
May has arrived, and as we welcome the warmer weather and blooming flowers, let us also take a moment to recognize the importance of mental health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Alaska Health Fair, Inc. is dedicated to raising awareness for mental well-being. Mental health is a crucial aspect of our overall well-being, as it encompasses our emotional, psychological and social wellness. Our mental health influences how we think, feel and act, and plays a significant role in our ability to cope with stress, relate to others and make d...
Noel Wein Library in Fairbanks will close for renovations starting May 1, according to the Fairbanks North Star Borough Libraries website. The renovation work is expected to last about 10 months. During that time, library services will continue at other locations in town, including North Pole, and a new location will open temporarily on June 1 at Joy Community Center, 24 Margaret Ave. The book mobile will continue service at its regularly scheduled times and locations. Books on hold will continue to be picked up at the Noel Wein location...
This coming Memorial Day, it seems fitting to honor the sacrifice that America's brave military made in the Aleutians 80 years ago this month. Under the mistaken belief the Doolittle Raiders had taken off from an air base in the Aleutian chain to bomb Tokyo during spring 1942, Japanese forces bombed Dutch Harbor two months later. They then proceeded to occupy the islands of Kiska and Attu, although most Americans had no idea the enemy was entrenched on our soil – no enemy had occupied A...
