Iditarod Teams Stream Steadily Into, out of Koyukuk Checkpoint

One dollar MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017 newsminer.com

T HE VOICE OF INTERIOR ALASKA

Inside Today Snowmachine incident hampers Annamaet Limited North American’s inal day. » B1 ‘It’s a beautiful trip’

Denali musher Jeff King departs the Koyukuk checkpoint Sunday. MATT BUXTON/NEWS-MINER PHOTOS Iditarod teams stream steadily Seavey dad, son into, out of Koyukuk checkpoint battle for lead ASSOCIATED PRESS

By Matt Buxton ANCHORAGE — A father and son continued MBUXTON to battle for the top spot in the world’s most @NEWSMINER.COM famous sled dog race, despite another veter- an taking the lead Sunday night. OYUKUK — Smoke Mitch Seavey, a two-time from wood stoves Iditarod champion, was K hung in the air the first musher out of the over Koyukuk on checkpoint in the village of Sunday as the sun rose Kaltag on Sunday, leaving at to reveal a dog lot that 4:40 a.m. His son, current had seen a steady stream champ Dallas Seavey, depart- of dog ed five minutes later. Koyukuk elder teams Dallas Seavey has won Mitch loves today’s pass four of the past five races. Seavey sled dogs through He is a third generation but insists during musher who grew up help- the ing his dad train his racing the ones he night. teams, according to the Idi- mushed with Vol- tarod’s website. were tougher. unteers The father and son are » A4 cleaned close but competitive. Mitch up piles Seavey finished in second of used straw and discard- place behind Dallas the past Dallas ed drop bags as a handful two years. Seavey of mushers, solidly in the This year’s race across nearly 1,000 miles middle of the pack of the of grueling Alaska wilderness started March Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Jodi Bailey works with her dogs after arriving in the Koyukuk checkpoint 6 in Fairbanks. The winner is expected early Race, looked over their Sunday. this week in the town of Nome, along Alas- teams as the morning sun ka’s frozen Bering Sea coast. turned the sky a soft pink. still collected signatures, into Koyukuk, sipped make his way to Nulato. Last week, two dogs from two Alaska Gone were the big lent a hand and dropped some coffee and looked With nearly everyone hav- teams died. crowds of locals cheer- off breakfast bacon and over his team as they pre- ing taken their mandatory A necropsy on an injured dog that died ing on the leaders, but a pared to depart the Interi- buttered muffins. SEAVEY » A8 handful of dedicated fans Jeff King, who was 30th or Alaska community and KOYUKUK » A8

Aurora forecast. GOOD This information is provided Auroral activity will be low. Weather by aurora forecasters at the MORNING permitting, low-level displays will Geophysical Institute at the Teaching Trump: Should be visible overhead from Utqiagvik University of Alaska Fairbanks. to Fairbanks and visible low on the For more information about northern horizon from as far south as the aurora, visit http://www. teachers offer their politics? Anchorage and Juneau. gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast a squirt gun at an im- “Why shouldn’t a • • • By Carolyn Thompson age of the president, teacher be able to ASSOCIATED PRESS and yelling, “Die!” vocalize their opin- In the age of Trump, ion?” Niagara Falls SOURDOUGH JACK: The weather. NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. when current events High School student — Mostly cloudy. Flur- “I do love sled dogs, A New York City are increasingly dom- Santino Cafarella, 18, teacher was warned inating classroom dis- asked after his gov- ries in the afternoon. especially ones that over a homework cussions, a debate is ernment class this Highs in the lower look directly into the question critical of ongoing among edu- past week. “We’re in to mid teens. North camera when their President Donald cators about whether high school at this winds 10 mph. pictures are taken.” Trump. An Alabama it’s appropriate or even point. We should be Tonight: Mostly district fielded com- ethical for teachers able to discover our cloudy. Lows 4 to 14 plaints for a teach- to weigh in with their own viewpoints.” below. er’s “Obama, you’re own political views. It’s become a flash- High today ...... 13 fired!” caption under Is there a point when point at a time when a Trump display. And such opinionating many teachers say Low tonight ...... -11 video caught a Texas crosses the line into WEATHER » A7 art teacher shooting political proselytizing? TRUMP » A5