21 June 2013

Summer Solstice

Today is the day on which the maximum number of tourists gather in Anchorage, and elsewhere in Alaska, to enjoy the long day. This time of year, we have 22 1/2 hours of daylight, and 90 minutes of dusk as the sun dips just below the horizon but doesn't get very far away. Farther north, there's even more light.

Here in Anchorage, there's the Mayor's Midnight Run Marathon. In Fairbanks, they begin their annual solstice baseball game with the first pitch at midnight.

Naturally, it's overcast today with a chance of rain, but we'll take it.

It hasn't rained in weeks, and the fire danger here in town is at the "very high" level. There was a truck fire along the highway north of here a couple days ago, and it set fire to the shoulder and some adjoining trees.

The Anchorage Fire Department has banned all open fires for the weekend, including barrels and fire pits. Apparently BBQ grills are still okay, but we're advised to have a hose handy - just in case.

There's a video at www.ktuu.com which provides a nice look at the mountainside above town, while discussing the fire danger. It's about halfway down the page, and doesn't appear to have a separate link (sorry), so I don't know how long you'll be able to find it.

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There are couple of "feel good" stories in this morning's news:

Anchorage police say a woman with disabilities who walked into a school Thursday afternoon asking for assistance has been identified and safely reunited with her family, following an appeal to the public for help.

... According to Myren, a Crisis Intervention Team officer spoke with the woman, but wasn’t initially able to identify where she came from. Soon after local media posted APD's request for help, however, members of the public were able to confirm her identity.
 Given the recent police-involved shootings over the last year, this one caught my eye:

Alaska State Troopers safely arrested a Homer man on assault charges Wednesday night, after a two-hour standoff that began when he allegedly threatened troopers and fired a pistol.

... “Upon arrival, Troopers were challenged by an intoxicated male individual who yelled at Troopers and made reference to a .44 caliber handgun,” troopers wrote in a Thursday dispatch on the incident. “As Troopers were establishing a perimeter the individual fired several shots from a .44 caliber handgun.”
Kudos to our troopers who were able to take the man into custody without any more shots being fired. Too many of these stories end with dead victims.

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Tune in later for more fun & frolic from Dutch Harbor via the Unalaska Police Blotter.

Thanks for stopping by, friends; have a wonderful Friday!

4 comments:

Six said...

I'm glad those Troopers were able to end that standoff with no one hurt. My hat's off to them.

As to the solstice. My birthday is tomorrow. That doesn't mean I have to visit Stonehenge does it? Those hippie druid chicks just give me the heebie jeebies.

Rev. Paul said...

Six, it's perfectly okay to stay away from the hippie druid chicks - have a happy birthday anyway!

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

This time of year is so dangerous with the dry grass and the potential of fires.

We have to be very careful with this here too.

Every year, areas of Oklahoma just burn down.

Rev. Paul said...

Sandy, I hear you. The mountainsides above town are lots of homes built in thick spruce forest. Just ripe for a huge fire which would be nigh impossible to extinguish.