An Early Robin
The early bird gets the worm... or in this case the berry! 
Front Page Photo by SUSAN HOYT

Alaska: 2011 PFD Application Period Opens – The 2011 PFD application period opened January 1, 2011, at 12:00 a.m. To file for your 2011 Permanent Fund Dividend, applicants can either go online or obtain paper application forms in their community.  A list of distribution sites is available by using the search tool on the PFD website, or by calling and talking to division staff.

The PFD Operations Divison says the online application has been upgraded so that it’s easier than ever to submit an application, whether you sign electronically or by pen.  Every Alaskan, including first time filers, can apply for their PFD online.  

When you go online to apply for your dividend, you will also see the Pick.Click.Give option. Here you will have the opportunity if you choose to give to your favorite Alaska nonprofit organizations.

You may also choose to sign up for the University of Alaska College Savings Plan while applying for your PFD online. Just check "yes" in the UA College Savings Plan box on the online PFD application if you would like to contribute half of your PFD automatically to a Plan Account.

According to PFD Operations Manager Dan DeBartolo, in 2010 the division received 541,078 online applications, just over 80% of total applications received for the 2010 PFD.  DeBartolo encourages all Alaskans to discover for themselves the convenience of applying for a PFD electronically. - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2011

Alaska: Health survey seeks opinions on child vaccination; Officials looking for causes of relatively low immunization rates for children - According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Immunization Survey, one-third of Alaska children have not received all the recommended vaccines to fully protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases.

The question is: Why not?

That’s what Alaska’s public health nurses and members of a workgroup trying to increase immunization rates are hoping to answer through the Alaska SHOTS survey. SHOTS stands for Searching for Hardships and Obstacles to Shots.

“The survey asks questions of parents in order to determine why their children haven’t been completely immunized,” said Marcy Custer, Maternal Child Health Consultant. “Are there problems getting to a clinic? What do parents believe about how important vaccines are? Are they worried about vaccine safety? Knowing the problems parents encounter will help us remove roadblocks, address their concerns, and hopefully increase childhood immunization rates.” - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2011

Alaska: PROTECT DEBIT CARD NUMBERS FROM ATM SKIMMING – The Alaska Better Business Bureau warns that ATM skimming is a growing problem. Identity thieves tamper with ATMs to steal debit card numbers and PINs. It only takes a few seconds to install cameras over the keypad and a device over the card reader. ATMs aren’t the only hot spots, credit card readers at gas pumps and retailers can be tampered with as well.

According to Bankrate.com, ATM skimmers are close to reaping $1 billion annually from unsuspecting consumers. Javelin Strategy & Research estimates that one in five people have become victims.

“Skimming devices are becoming increasingly harder to detect and often blend in seamlessly with the ATM,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington. “If you’re going to use an ATM, it’s important to monitor accounts closely, so you can quickly detect fraudulent activity and minimize your losses.” - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2011

Alaska: Alexander Creek Pike Removal Project Funded – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game was recently awarded $635,000 from the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund for a four-year program to accelerate efforts to remove northern pike from the Alexander Creek drainage in Northern Cook Inlet. Coupled with funds appropriated by the legislature last session, this award will allow the department to further the objectives of removing spawning northern pike through intensive gillnetting. A program for enumerating king salmon smolt in the area will also be initiated to help monitor the effectiveness of pike removal.

Northern pike, which are not native to areas south and east of the Alaska Range, have been illegally introduced into a number of river basins where they have had very detrimental impacts on other fisheries resources. Alexander Creek in the Susitna River basin is one of the most heavily impacted systems. - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2011

Alaska: Alaska Guardsmen Recognize Veterans with Final Honor - The Alaska National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team conducted 290 funerals in 2010, 109 more than 2009, and is projected to support 400 in 2011.

Napakiak
Spc. Spencer Sheals, of the Alaska National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team, presents the American flag to a family member during a ceremony honoring Alaska Territorial Guard members who never received military funeral honors. Sheals travelled to Napakiak on snowmachine to present the flag to family members and honor those who’ve served their state and country. Photo: Courtesy of the Alaska National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team.

The program, which began in 2007, is supported by Alaska National Guardsmen and conducts funeral honors for all branches of service, but focus mainly on Army, Army National Guard and Alaska Territorial Guard members.

“We provide military funeral honors to all veterans across the state of Alaska,” said Norman Hood, Alaska National Guard honor guard state coordinator. “We are doing the right thing, for the right reason, for the right people.”

In 2010, the Alaska National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team conducted 99 Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG) funeral honors, supporting Alaska veterans who were organized in 1942 by Alaska Territorial Gov. Ernest Gruening in response to attacks by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2011

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