FEATURES Annual Fire
by D. Helfferich The annual meeting of the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., was sprinkled with grand door prizes, exciting news, and interrupted by--what else?--fire.
Before & After: Pits and Adits in the Ester Area, Reclaimed
photos by Jeffrey A. Rogers Cinnamon Toast
by D. Helfferich The arrival of snow brings with it the nostalgic memory of an old cranky toaster and the wonderful smell and taste of cinnamon raisin toast.
Dose of Reality: Beware--A Medical Bill is Not a Normal Bill
by Neil Davis When you get a bill from the phone company, or your car mechanic, or the bank holding a mortgage on your house, you know that you are expected to pay the bill in full. But beware the bill you get from the hospital or your doctor: that total doesn't represent what they actually expect you to pay.
An Errant Odyssey: Siblings Reunited
part two of two, retold by Roger Freed Richard Dern, conscripted into the German Air Force's ground-to-air artillery crews, found himself on his way to the dreaded Russian Front.
Grow or Die: Bigger Business
by Stephen Hannaford Behind all the mergers and acquisitions of the recent business consolidations--the greatest wave ever--lie the twin motivators of greed and fear. The publicly-held giants of the business world can't rest on their laurels: they've got to grow or die.
The Long View: An Apologetic Don
by Ross Coen Our Congressman for All Alaska has had to save his career before, and he did it in a surprising way: he apologized.
Mark of the Beast
by Tom Sorensen That skinny little miner told a tale at the bar of a romantic tryst in the Bush gone wrong--you just don't mess around with the affections of Bigfoot.
The Missionary Position on the 100 Percent Mentality
opinion by Neal Matson All or nothing, that's the 100 percent mentality, and those who demand it of others tolerate no ambiguities, no reservations or criticisms. But how does it play when you throw it back at them?
Outpost Agriculture: Slow Food Wedding
by Philip A. Loring Eating locally produced food is reasonably easy when I only had a household to feed, but with my upcoming wedding planned for at least 120 guests, it might be a little more difficult.
The Phantom Camper
a tale of terror by Jeffrey A. Rogers A camping trip with the boy scout troop mixed with a practical joker led to a chilling tale around the campfire.
Red Alert: Uncle Ted Up the Block
by Sören Wuerth One rainy fall evening, I decided to walk from my Girdwood rental up the road to see the ill-famed home of Senator Ted Stevens.
Take Five: Eminent Domain
Live Free or Die, part 7
by Hannah Hill The eminent domain clause of the 5th Amendment was unused until 1876. The Supreme Court has yet to bar either state or federal goverment from "appropriating" private land for private developers who build private commercial developments.
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