Interview with Elijah Verhagen, Conservative Candidate for District
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NEXT ISSUE: OCT 15 Periodical Postage paid, Glennallen, AK USPS # 022164 Vol. 33 Issue # 27 Published Thursdays Glennallen, AK October 8, 2020 email:email: [email protected]@copperriverrecord.net * ph:ph: (907)(907) 259-4486259-4486 * fax:fax: (888)(888) 870-3167870-3167 Truly Unique Interview with Elijah Verhagen, Wood Carving Conservative Candidate for District 6 BY ALLISON SAYER - I felt, ‘What good is a is the people’s money,” CRR STAFF party if that’s continually said Verhagen, “Right happening?’’’ now the legislators have Elijah Verhagen is running Conversely, Verhagen cumulatively overspent for the District 6 State House also feels he has witnessed most of our savings and seat as a Conservative partisan behavior going too yet we have a big operating Undeclared Candidate. In far at times. He mentioned budget they don’t want to this Copper River Record party leaders treating cut. Cutting budgets is very interview, Verhagen talked members of the opposite hard but it doesn’t mean that about why he is not running party as “the enemy,” or it can’t be done.” Verhagen with a political party, and basing their decisions on went on to say that he his plans for what he would whether to vote for a bill strongly believes Alaskans do if elected. on which party or which must receive a “full PFD” “I am running as a caucus the bill came from. even as the government Conservative Undeclared “I do believe that every bill tightens its belt. He went candidate,” said Verhagen, should at least be looked at on to say that if the PFD “I am a born and raised thoroughly and if it’s good formula were to be changed Conservative Republican. for Alaska it doesn’t matter it should go to a statewide When I turned 18, who it came from,” said ballot for Alaskans to I registered to vote Verhagen. decide. Republican.” Verhagen Verhagen cites “limited Although Verhagen has attended almost every government” as a major believes some budget district and statewide priority should he get cuts were “too fast,” he Republican convention elected. “In 2010 and 2011 does approve of Governor since that age, and has oil was high so the state Dunleavy’s performance worked as a Republican brought in a lot of money. overall, and anticipates legislative staff er for seven They started growing the having a good relationship sessions. Over that time, operating budget and hiring with him if elected. “He’s Verhagen said it frustrated new state employees. As a doing exactly what he said him that “Candidates would fi scal conservative, it would he planned to do,” said use the party to get elected be one thing if we knew we Verhagen, “He’s fi ghting for and then a lot of them could bank on that forever a full PFD and cutting the would join with Democrats but Alaska is such a boom budget.” down in Juneau and caucus and bust economy.” Verhagen believes that with them just for power. “I do believe that the PFD Photo by John Tierney Continued Pg. 5 Local artist Jesse LaBlanc stands next to his cre- ation. He wanted to show a “ram doing ram things”. Bears, Ballots, and Bravery BY MARY ODDEN - NELCHINA the Haines newspaper, The book, though, and some of Chilkat Valley News. She the births are kittens. Editor’s Notes will involve participation What is it that makes some meets with family members Of Bears and Ballots: by John Tierney from our community of people reach outside of their so that she can represent the An Alaskan Adventure Copper River Record jobs and homes and families deceased truly and with re- in Small-Town Politics, readers. As election season draws to make “community” with spect. Her book, Find the is Heather’s most recent With school back in ses- to a close, my mind is other people? Good: Unexpected Life book, about serving a term sion, and sports happening. thinking about what to fi ll Haines writer Heath- Lessons from a Small-town on the Haines Borough As- I would like to encour- the paper with through the er Lende has written four Obituary Writer, is not a sembly. Her reasons for age coaches and parents winter. books about her town and its collection of these obituar- serving are recognizable to to share pictures and high- In development now is people. She knows Haines’ ies but a book about writing any small town person: lights from the events. A a project to work with the people pretty well, even if them. It is about fi nding the “In Haines, if you complain picture with a simple cap- National Park Service that she missed them when they good in people, as well as too much about anything, tion would be a great, any will provide interesting, lo- were alive, because for more fi nding the fascinating and from the decorations at the more detail is even better. cal content that hopefully than two decades she’s also surprising. There are more high school prom to the been writing obituaries in births than deaths in the Continued Pg. 10 2 October 8, 2020 copper river record Fall Equinox and the Big Turn BY NED ROZELL studied fl ying geese found that a fl ock of 25 birds in a On the fi rst day of Octo- V could fl y 70 percent far- ber, a little girl pulls on her ther than a single bird using rubber boots and rushes out- the same amount of energy. side into crisp fall air. She In a well-formed V, even the knows the days are getting bird at the front receives a shorter, but she doesn’t real- benefi t from its neighbors. ize Alaska is a week past the As the girl turns to walk autumnal equinox. home, she catches the On the equinox, the sun musky smell of fall wafting appears to sit over Earth’s from highbush cranberries. equator, causing days and The fragrance will remind nights to each last about her of home the rest of her 12 hours everywhere in the life. world. It is time for Alas- The scent — a chemical kans to start paying the bill compound released as the for all that summer daylight. fruit matures — may be in- The girl hears the ground tended to lure a creature to crunching under her feet. eat the tart berries, but the The temperature dropped to Photo by Ned Rozell girl wrinkles her nose and 27 degrees Fahrenheit the Highbush cranberry, which emits a musty smell in autumn. walks past the bushes, back night before, killing many up the path to her house. She of the plants in her mother’s dormancy allows other pig- the forest fl oor, are wood girl’s attention to the sky, will not be a seed carrier for garden. The plants didn’t ments within the leaves to frogs, the only amphibians which is clear and blue be- the highbush cranberry; it’s die on earlier nights when express themselves. It’s a in northern Alaska. During cause air molecules in the a task she leaves for the fox- the temperature dipped to brief show of color, lasting the weeks ahead, a blan- atmosphere scatter blue es and birds. 32 because sugars within until the tree forms abscis- ket of snow will protect light. Autumn skies in Alas- their sap depress the freez- sion layers at the base of frogs and other hiberna- ka are a deeper blue than ing point. leaves. After clipping their tors, such as yellowjackets spring skies. Snow cover- Since the late 1970s, the She walks to her favorite summer connection to and snow mosquitoes, from ing the ground in springtime University of Alaska Fair- place, the frog pond, down branches, the leaves fall to the cold air. Even close to refl ects about 90 percent of banks’ Geophysical Institute a forest path. She is sur- the ground. the warmth of the earth, the the light that hits it. Air mol- has provided this column rounded by the gold leaves The girl notices perfect frogs will freeze like little ecules scatter the refl ected free in cooperation with the of birch and willow trees. little spheres of water on green ice cubes — a pro- sunlight again, washing UAF research communi- The trees are responding the surface of a fallen aspen cess that doesn’t kill them away a bit of the blue. ty. Ned Rozell ned.rozell@ to cooler temperatures and leaf. Water molecules tend because their blood con- The little girl watches alaska.edu is a science longer nights by shutting to attract each other and tains high levels of glucose, as Canada geese fl y in a V writer for the Geophysical down their solar panels by trend toward the minimum which acts as a sort of anti- formation, leaving the rich Institute. A version of this destroying chlorophyll. possible surface area, which freeze. They will thaw and breeding grounds of the column appeared in 1999. Packed within leaf cells, is a sphere. The balls of wa- hop away the next spring. far north for warmer plac- chlorophyll enables plants ter will evaporate into water Honks in the air draw the es. Scientists who once to convert the sun’s energy vapor as the day warms. to sugars. Beneath the girl’s boots, The trees’ shift to burrowed a few inches into Local, Dependable, Year-Round Service Since 1987 You Call, We Haul: • UPS Delivery Agent • Freight service including furniture, appliances, parts.... • Same-day & next-day service from Anchorage/Mat-Su • Ask about our Costco delivery option Located in Glennallen across from the Post Offi ce Phone: (907) 822-5466 Fax: (907) 822-5916 Email: [email protected] Photo by Ned Rozell An Alaska yellowjacket in late fall.