ANCHORAGE — David Hall got an unexpected call a week ago Tuesday, just after 9 p.m. On the line: the Presidential Inauguration Committee. Would he be willing to be a co-chair for the inaugural celebration? Citizen co-chairs are people whose stories help illustrate the president’s first-term accomplishments. The president wanted him there because of Hall’s efforts to overturn Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

The president. Wow. Hall said yes. Less than a week later he found himself in the Oval Office, sitting across from President Barack Obama.

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KODIAK — David Anderson never played on Joe Floyd Track and Field’s new artificial turf, but the former Kodiak football player has left his mark on the multimillion-dollar field.

Anderson, a 2012 Kodiak High School graduate, is the artist behind the bear logo that covers the middle of the field. When he designed the logo during his senior year, he didn’t realize it would end up on Kodiak’s new playing surface.

“It was a complete and utter surprise to me,” Anderson said. “I am honored. How often do you get to make something that everybody will see and enjoy?”

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KENAI — Kevin Byers’ only day off is Sunday.

The other six days of the week he wakes up early on the farm, milks his 10 cows and, if it’s Monday, Wednesday or Friday, loads his GMC Safari with bottled raw milk and drives for hours over the Kenai Peninsula and up to Anchorage distributing his product.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday he spends on the farm.

Byers grew up on a farm in Wisconsin tending cows. He is a farmer, he said; he has been nearly his entire life.

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Team USA / Alaska captain, Pete Lucchetti builds his snow sculpture named ‘Raven Myth’ in the early morning out of a 12 foot tall, 20-ton block of compacted snow at the outdoor art gallery during the 23 annual International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colo., on Saturday. A total of 15 international teams participated in this invited competition. The sculptures will remain on display through Feb. 3, weather permitting. Visit www.gobreck.com for more information.

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The Alaska Board of Education and Early Development will meet by video and teleconference on Monday at 12 p.m.

The meeting will originate from the auxiliary boardroom at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development at 801 West 10th Street in Juneau.

The public is invited to attend or to connect to the meeting by teleconference. Persons may listen to and make public comment at the oral hearing at: 1-800-315-6338, using code 8578#.

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KETCHIKAN — An Alaska company has set its sights on developing a rare-earth element mine by 2016 on southeast Prince of Wales Island.

Ucore Rare Metals’ proposed Bokan Mountain Project could begin construction in 2014 with the proper permits, The Ketchikan Daily News reports.

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