Lauren D’Agostino and Danny Willard got hitched in Las Vegas on Sept. 22, the day of Equinox and a full moon. The wedding was at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is outside of Las Vegas. Haines residents Nancy Coleman and Dorothy Willard were among guests. The newlyweds took a two-week trip to France for their honeymoon, visiting the cities of Strasbourg, Colmar, Kayserberg and Paris. They also spent time in Amsterdam and Brugge, Belgium.
Haines first-grade teacher Sophia Armstrong has written a children’s book with her class. She was inspired to write the book after discovering the lack of material available about Tlingit civil rights activist Elizabeth Peratrovich, who fought on behalf of equality for Alaska Natives. She helped pass the first anti-discrimination law in the United States. The book details Peratrovich’s life in the early 1900s and the discrimination she faced, and includes students’ illustrations. The book is available for loan at the public library, and an ebook can be downloaded via iTunes.
Nelle Jurgeleit Greene is in Italy catching up with students that she met when she taught there four years ago. Nelle first joined two friends from the East Coast and they traveled to Montecatini Terme, Italy. From there they took side trips to Florence, Cinque Terre, Lucca and Pisa. Then they traveled to Rome, where they stayed at a convent and saw the Pope at the Vatican. The trio split up after Venice and Nelle headed south to the Marche region to stay with Italian friends and family who live in San Girio. While there, Nelle experienced her second earthquake in Italy, the 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit the central region of the country. “It was quite frightening because of the intensity,” Nelle said. “Many people in this area have had to leave their homes because of damage to these very old structures. Schools were closed all last week while inspectors checked that the schools were safe to be used again.” Despite this, she said she’s enjoying the slower pace of the area.
Royal Henderson spent election day knocking on doors outside of Cleveland, Ohio, encouraging people in the swing state to vote for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Royal, who attends Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., turned in his absentee ballot a week ago and decided on a whim to make the trip to Ohio after a Gonzaga alum invited him on the drive. He was not there with an organization. “People have been generally receptive, for the most part,” Royal said. “And there ended up being a pretty good voter turnout.”
Dave Berry and his wife Jana recently moved to Anchorage. Dave is a former Haines Borough Mayor and served 13 years on the old Haines city council and three years on the borough assembly. He was also tribal administrator at the Chilkoot Indian Association. He is now retired. He said part of the reason behind the move was to be closer to his three grandchildren who live there. Dave and Jana are currently in Pocatello, Idaho, visiting other family members.
Lexie DeWitt is back from Juneau after delivering six totes full of crab to Alaska Glacier Seafoods Friday night. While there, she stayed with former residents Josh and Tennie Bentz. Lexie was also invited to play “walleyball” at the Alaska Club and had dinner with Tennie’s friends in Juneau.
Micah Bochart, son of Adrian and Jeff Bochart, finished the New York City marathon on Nov. 6 with a time of 3 hours, 26 minutes and 22 seconds. It is the largest marathon in the world.
The Wild & Scenic Film Fest, presented by Takshanuk Watershed Council and hosted by the Southeast Alaska State Fair, will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday at Harriett Hall. Nine films will be screened, ranging from “Water is Life,” a film capturing the story of the people living along the Stikine River in Southeast Alaska, to “Walt,” which details a San Joaquin-area grape farmer who has been striving to bring back this river for over six decades.
Mika and Kaegan Gudmundson’s cousins, Bob Gudmundson and Melinda Sweet, made the news in the Bellingham Herald on Nov. 5. The couple, who own Desire Fish Co., were coming back from Anacortes Friday night in their 37-foot gillnetter. A storm hit around 5 p.m., causing them to divert their route about 400 yards from shore, near Squalicum Harbor. It was then that they heard screams for help coming from an unlit day marker. A couple, in their 20s, had fallen out of their kayaks in the rough conditions and were stranded in the water for about 15 minutes. Bob and Melinda were able to pull the pair onto the boat to safety. “It was a lovely bunch of synchronicity,” Sweet said.
Girl Scouts is starting up again. The program will include a Daisy troop, for kindergarten and first graders, and a Brownie troop, for second and third graders. Sign-ups will be at the library Saturday from 1-3 p.m.