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Getting diverse elders ready for the 2020 Census
By now, every home in the United States should have received an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census, our once-in-a-decade opportunity to ensure that our communities are counted. Census results help determine how billions of dollars in...
Alaskans, your service is needed
Where were you when the pandemic came to Alaska? Future generations will demand an answer from each of us. Did we change our habits to protect the vulnerable? Did we make sure our elderly neighbors had everything they needed? Long after the virus...
Prop 7 passage is vital to Anchorage seniors
Thousands of Anchorage area seniors, youngsters and others need help from voters in this spring’s municipal election. Voting begins after ballots go in the mail on March 17 and ends on April 7 when the polls close. I ask voters in the Municipality...
Washington Watch: High drug costs top voter concern
Despite a genuine consensus that something must be done, Congressional efforts to rein in drug prices remain stalled and more than likely dead until after the November elections. Even with rhetoric rising on how important controlling drug prices is...
Parkinson's and pingpong; shingles vaccine and stroke
Protecting yourself from COVID-19 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that the new novel corona virus will be spreading around the country and everyone in Alaska should be as pre...
Washing was part of the price of log homes
I welcome the sight of springtime sunlight streaming through the south facing windows of my home, but along with that comes noticing dirt on the window glass and a thicker than usual layer of...
Alaska produces its first homegrown movie
Movies about Alaska, mostly based on books by Jack London and Rex Beach, thrilled audiences during the early 1900s. But all motion pictures were filmed outside of Alaska. So when a group of Oregon...
France Nuyen's amazing Hollywood journey
France Nuyen remains astonished not only by her successful Hollywood career, but by her very survival. Turning 80 last year, Nuyen is still beloved by Star Trek fans for her role of Elaan, the...
What does a Miller Trust actually do?
I’m keeping a list of the most frustrating myths I run into. First on the list, without a doubt, is the belief that a will avoids probate (it doesn’t). A close second is the myth that a Miller...
App Store permissions, internet self-care, new drive storage
Q. I was tempted by an app on the Microsoft App Store but stopped when I saw the permission list: “Access all your files, peripheral devices, apps, programs, and registry.” Do I have to let them breach my security? A. Any sort of restriction on...
2020 Census is vital for American Indians and Alaska Natives
American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the highest undercount of any defined by the Census Bureau. Approximately 4.9 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives were undercounted by the 2010 Census. The reasons for this...
Emergencies happen. Are your pets prepared?
Wildfire. Earthquake. Winter storm. Windstorm. Any of these events can, and have, happened in Alaska. And any of them can result in you and your pet having to either shelter-in-place or evacuate. Are...
"Please return" letters yield surprise family treasure
My mother's handwriting jumped out at me as I pulled out the contents of a 1960s-era postmarked envelope. What a wonderful surprise, I thought, as I read her letter and set it aside. I was half an...
Anchorage booming into a 'Baghdad on the Tundra'
By the early 1950s, the tent city at the mouth of Ship Creek had turned into a bustling, modern city. Clifford Cernick wrote that Anchorage was much like Baghdad in an article that appeared in the...
Pat Priest remembers Munsters fondly
When Universal Pictures assembled the cast of the popular TV series "The Munsters" for the big screen adaption in the 1966 film "Munster, Go Home!" another actress replaced Pat Priest as Marilyn...
Analysis: Health, money, politics -- what's in it for you (or not)?
President Donald Trump recently has been making a striking claim – insisting he has ensured that people with preexisting medical conditions continue to have health insurance coverage. In tweets, at campaign rallies and even at his recent State of...
The sharpest (estate planning) tool in the shed
IPop quiz: What is the most powerful estate planning tool? Most people are thinking: “That would be a will, right”? And indeed, the good old Last Will and Testament is important, but it has its...
Windows 7, smart home gear, iPad anniversary
Q. I see that Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft. Do I have to upgrade right away? A. If you found a 10-year old can of beans in your pantry, would you eat it? How about an ancient jar of mayonnaise? Just like old food hidden away in the...
Analysis: Congress' ongoing paralysis and political wrangling
Congressional lawmakers find themselves caught between the unlikely and the impossible as they try and work through complicated issues like drug price controls. With the sharp partisan divide, the ongoing impeachment of President Trump, the upcoming...
Avoid becoming isolated as a caregiver
Family caregivers of loved ones with disabilities and chronic illnesses experience life transformations that are often unexpected. Their altered lifestyles, frequently resulting in dramatic changes to their personal identities, can last for many...
Ice fishing trip was an all-around success
By Al Clayton, Sr., as told to Maraley McMichael. Recent clear sunny days in make me think of going ice fishing. I've made many winter fishing trips through the years, but one in particular stands...
Chickaloon coal drive helps to establish Anchorage
In the early 1900s, coal was being shipped from as far away as Cardiff, Wales, to the U.S. Navy's coal station at Sitka. Some thought that the coal deposits at Chickaloon in the Matanuska Valley...
James Drury remembers 'The Virginian' co-stars
Originally airing on NBC from 1962 to 1971 and currently rerunning on several cable networks (INSP and Starz), the enduring popularity of the "The Virginian" doesn't surprise 85-year-old James Drury,...
A lump of coal, and the Stretch is gone
Well, they did it to you. Right before Christmas, too. Your Congress sent you a nice Christmas stocking, but inside was a nasty lump of coal. They eliminated the “Stretch IRA”. I guess I had...
Smartphone medical info, battery hogs, and cookies
Q. How do I show my medical information on my smartphone’s lock screen? A. Both Android and iPhone support storage of personal medical information and emergency contacts, accessible even when phones are locked. In an emergency, your phone can...
