Alaska Digest 2/8/12: Good & Bad

It Ain't Heavy, It's My Snow-Load Dept.: The well-over-100 inches of snow that has fallen on Anchorage so far is starting to stress some buildings to the breaking point. Two commercial buildings have suffered roof failure in the last week or so. They were older, flat-topped structures with wooden trusses.

The post-'64 earthquake building code requires metal studs and trusses now, so modern buildings aren't in as much danger. The sub-zero temps during the month of January also evaporated much of the moisture in the snow, too, so it weighs that much less.


What Goes Around Comes Around Dept.: a federal judge ruled today that the investigation into federal prosecutors' misconduct in the rail-roading trial of Senator Ted Stevens must be made public.


Sad Story of the Day Dept.:  The FBI has joined the search for an abducted coffee kiosk barista. Samantha Koenig, 18, was seen on video (captured by a nearby security camera) being robbed and then led away from the kiosk where she worked, by a man who appeared to be holding a weapon.



Happy Story of the Day Dept.: Lance Mackey has taken the lead in the Yukon Quest, a 1,000 mile sled dog race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon Territory. (It reverses direction in alternate years.) Mackey, a four-time winner of the historic Iditarod Race, leads by only a minute or two.

My Cup Runneth Over Dept.:  Several folks (four, at last count) have included me on their 'Liebster Award' list, and for that I thank them all.