Photo by Diana Haecker FAST AND FURIOUS— Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King rounds the corner of 4th Avenue and Cordova during the ceremonial Iditarod start in Anchorage, on March 1. C VOLUME CXIV NO. 10 March 06, 2014 Iditarod 42 is on its way to Nome 69 Iditarod mushers left Willow, many scratch after Alaska Range due to rough trail By Diana Haecker said he never worries about the trail The day before the ceremonial too much. start of Iditarod 42 in Anchorage, “If I get too excited about the trail melting ice and snow was dripping then I don’t focus on the dogs,” he off rooftops, cars splashed through said. “I take it one mile at a time, run sizable puddles and mushers avoided my dogs according to my schedule talking about the weather. and do what’s best for them, and see Confident that a miracle would where that puts us.” happen and that the 1,049-mile trail Unlike most mushers from around between Willow and Nome wouldn’t the state, Burmeister reports having be so bad and rough after all, the Id- had an excellent training season. itarod mushers “We had consistent voiced optimism. conditions, decent “They showed snow and it’s been a us pictures of the cold winter in Ne- trail at the mush- nana,” said Burmeis- ers meeting,” said ter. He spends four-time cham- summers in Nome and pion Jeff King. moves his family to He said he has Nenana for winter seen the trail like training. He said since that before, and November, he had a even in worse great training season. condition. “We were fortunate King acknowl- that we were one of edged the work the few mushers with the Iditarod Trail Committee puts in decent trails and conditions. We to prepare the trail, although there is hooked up and ran right out of the very little snow to work with this kennel,” he said. year. “I know they can’t make snow While mushers from the Bethel out there, but they can get the obsta- area, Kenai Peninsula and Mat-Su cles out of the way and put up mark- Valley had to contend with a warm ers to tell us there is a dangerous spot winter, little snow and very icy trail coming up. So, I’m confident conditions, Jeff King said he had a they’ve done the best they can. And great training season, putting about I’m confident that a well-trained, ex- 4,000 miles on the dogs in training perienced musher can navigate it,” since November. King purchased a King said. Jeep mounted on tracks last fall, This stoic attitude was prevalent which he utilized for fall and winter in most mushers, however, some ad- training on the Denali Highway. The justed their gear or number of dogs highway is now plowed in the win- to the trail realities. ter, and the track Jeep allowed King Cindy Abbott and Jim Lanier to hook up a big string of dogs and wore helmets even during the cere- train long miles on snow in near per- monial start in Anchorage. fect conditions. “Kotzebue didn’t Written on Lanier’s helmet were have great training, the Peninsula the words “For Brent,” alluding to didn’t have great training and I never Yukon Quest musher Brent Sass, had better training,” he said. “If who fell off his sled during last training and conditioning counts, I month’s Quest and suffered a con- cussion, which forced him to scratch continued on page 5 from the race. Jeff King said he would not hook up all 16 dogs to his sled until he reached Nikolai. King has a little On the Web: sled trailer behind his sled, which www.nomenugget.net comfortably carries two dogs. Photo by Diana Haecker Kotzebue rookie Katherine Keith E-mail: DEFENDING CHAMPION— Eager to repeat his 2004 and 2013 feat of winning The Last Great Race, left Willow with less than the maxi- [email protected] Mitch Seavey of Seward and his Iditarider John Radtke of Florida leave the ceremonial start line on Sat- mum of 16 dogs allowed. “I’m leav- urday, March 1, in Anchorage. As usual, Seavey has family on the trail as his son Dallas, the 2012 Iditarod ing with 14 dogs. Given the trail champion, is competing and son Danny is driving a team of young dogs on the IditarodΔ trail. The 42nd conditions, I didn’t want to have a running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is taking the trail along the Northern route, crossing the team that was too powerful,” Keith Alaska Range, a vast stretch of the interior before heading onto the Yukon River. From there the trail said. leads from Kaltag to Unalakleet and up the Norton Sound coast to Nome. This year is billed to have one Nome’s Aaron Burmeister, em- of the most challenging trail conditions due to an unusually warm and snowless winter in most parts of barking on his 15th Iditarod race, Alaska. Visit the Nugget on line at www.nomenugget.net e-mail [email protected] 2 THURSDAY, MARCH 06, 2014 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Dear Editor: destruction in being just another ity to think for themselves! cern is that many of the young peo- tell you? Dream down the drain. The When being a follower of one po- mindless and unquestioning follower H. Rick Tavares ple go off to college or technical only way for a person to get experi- litical party or another, being con- of a corruptive status quo – just ask Campo, California, 91906 school with whatever dream they ence is to give them a chance. It’s nected to one element within society, the Nazis, the Fascists, and even the have of accomplishing, their life time for our community to give these or even being a member of the (so- Communist? Dear Editor: dream of “ what I want to be when I young people a chance and hire our called) monetary elite, means more For that matter, you may also wish February is Career and Technical grow up.” Some come back to the own people, to show them how to you than being a proud and pro- to consult with your own conscience Education Month and Alaska Gover- community and some move on. proud we are of them furthering their ductive citizen of this great nation of about those times when you too have nor Sean Parnell has endorsed the Many have come back completing education. Young people are our fu- ours, then you may just as well backed some political party line that importance of career and technical college, technical or trade school, ture voices and leaders. Our young throw in the towel, for you have be- you knew to be in error, and this over education in the state in a formal hoping to fulfill their life-long families that have committed them- come just another part of the overall the dictates of your own common proclamation, effective January 30, dream. I feel overjoyed when I run selves and their families are here to problem! sense and power of reasoning? 2014. across the young people, happy to be stay. Their children are our future Being an American after all, often Again, if there is indeed power in First of all “Governor Parnell En- back with family and friends and leaders. The ones who have gradu- entails making waves, bucking the numbers, destruction too, has often courages Alaskans to Explore Career most of all, job searching. ated are freshly qualified and must be tides, and even abandoning the cor- rested silently beneath the very same and Technical Education Opportuni- I run across them a few months or given the opportunity to fill positions rosive mentality of being just an- soiled bed sheets that give comfort ties.” a year or so later, asking them that the jobs require, instead of fill- other yes man! And if there is indeed and solace to those who have lost the In the past few years I have seen “How’s work, did you get a job?” ing them with unqualified individu- power in numbers, you can also find power, the desire, and even the abil- many of our own young people from Many and too many responses that als. our community graduate from high really bother me are “No, I don’t I often wonder do you have to be school and/or get their GED. Hats off have enough experience.” How is somebody or someone to get hired, to all of you— a huge accomplish- one to get experience if they are not or to fill this or that position with the Daylight ment in life —proud of each and given a chance? Responses of “ I ap- piece of paper that you went out to every one of you. plied all over and I give up.” “No one get, hoping to get a good job, maybe Savings Time The reason I am voicing my con- wants to hire me.” What does that continued on page 7 begins Juneau Juice Governor comments on federal EPA control and Alaska Retirement Management Board investment permitting case returns Sunday, March 9 Governor Sean Parnell issued the following statement Gail Schubert, chair of the Alaska Retirement Man- Feb.24 as arguments were heard before the U.S. Supreme agement Board announced the investment returns of the Court in Chamber of Commerce, State of Alaska, et.al., Public Employee’s Retirement System (PERS) and the v. EPA. Specifically, the chamber, Alaska, and others are Alaska Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS).