About 50 skiers from Juneau’s Nordic Ski Club are scheduled to be in town this weekend. They’ve booked the Mosquito Lake School and planned to ski on Mosquito Lake, Kelsall Road, the riverside loop at 25 Mile Haines Highway as well as up in Chilkat Pass.

Deborah Asper was featured recently in “What’s On Your Shelf,” a books column in the Ketchikan Daily News. Asper, who operates the city’s homeless shelter as CEO of First City Homeless Services, recommended “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and “The Last Silk Dress” by Ann Rinaldi.

The sixth-grade Book Hoarders topped the Fantasy Manatees of fifth grade to win the Tournament of Readers championship at Haines School library Thursday. The championship team includes Chisel TriezenbergSpencer BaumgartnerPatience Nelson, and Finn McMahon. The Manatees are Meg DavisGwendolyn KosinskiAsher Jimenez, and Ivy Elliott. Third place in the six-week reading comprehension tourney were the fourth-grade Grim Readers, including Mila ThomasKayci FerrinEvan White, and Lila Tarleton.

The December edition of the student magazine Scholastic Science World featured a photo of resident Tim Shields with an accompanying, two-page story about his use of decoys to save juvenile desert tortoises from predation by ravens. The story includes how Haines High School student Eli White used a 3-D printer to create the prototype decoy or “techno-torts.” The decoys explode in a nasty spray of repellent when attacked by ravens. The tortoises are a threatened species at risk from development, which increases raven populations.

Besides cupcakes sold by the Haines High School student government on Valentine’s Day, sophomore Colin Aldassy sold “Colin-grams” to classmates. For $3 Colin offered to dance an Irish jig, sing an ABBA song, or cry and beg for forgiveness from the buyer’s certain someone. He was still delivering jingles on Wednesday and said he raised about $200 in travel funds for the Drama, Debate, and Forensics teams.

Deana Strong hosts bingo games every Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Senior Center located at the corner of First Avenue and Mission Street. Bingo proceeds benefit the Haines Chamber of Commerce. Nancy Nash plays piano music during lunch hour at the center on Tuesdays.

Kaitlin CombsErica Carrington, and Scott and Candi Bradford were among business people shopping for new merchandise at the recent winter Las Vegas Market at the city’s World Market Center starting Jan. 29. The biannual event describes itself as “the most exhaustive furniture, home decoration and gift market in the United States.” Kaitlin and Erica also saw the extravaganza “Absinthe” and took in a Luke Bryan concert.

Former resident and one-time CVN advertising director Zach Sheldon is being credited with discovering Alaska’s northernmost known surface glacier. A tour company owner in Valdez, Sheldon spends hours on computer mapping and found a discrepancy between existing maps and a satellite image. More research exposed the glacier 10 miles further north than any were known to exist. The ice block north of the Brooks Range is covered by snow most of the year.

Lilyanne Marie Tarr-Hagwood was born to Nicole Elizabeth Tarr and Easton Hagwood at 11:07 a.m. on Jan. 12 at Whitehorse General Hospital in Whitehorse, Y.T. Lilyanne measured 20.25 inches and weighed 8.4 lbs. at birth. The couple lives in Whitehorse.

The Haines High School Arts Club is hosting a three-course dinner by chef Travis Kukull on Feb. 25 and diners get to take home their ceramic plates made by students. Squash ravioli or seafood linguini are the main courses. Proceeds benefit from taking six local students to a ceramics camp during spring break. The suggested donation is $100 per ticket. Contact art teacher Giselle Miller for more information at [email protected].

Haines children of all ages are invited to participate in the Winter Games at Dalton City, starting at 11 a.m. on Feb. 25. The afternoon of free, friendly competition for youngsters and adults begins with an “opening ceremonies” where youngsters carry “flags of all nations” to the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic cauldron. For more information, contact Amanda Randles at the state fair, at 907-766-2476.

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