In the depth of winter, whether it is snowy or icy, it is always a bit of slow-going getting our household underway in the mornings. Always a first step is to start the water kettle for coffee, often doing this in the glow of headlamps in a dark kitchen if the generator isn’t turned on yet. Even after thirty years of marriage and with many modern conveniences creeping into our backcountry lives, my husband insists on coffee being made the old-fashioned way by grinding beans at last minute and pouring hot water over the grounds through a filter.

Waffles benefit from a gentle hand. Just fold the ingredients together without over-stirring. In our recipe below, the eggs and buttermilk work best together if they are at room temperature. If you have the time, whip the egg whites and fold them in to create a lighter, fluffy version. Of course, there are many flavors that can be added to waffle batter and lots of toppings to try, but in our version this week, we added bacon, Cheddar and sharp green apple to the batter. We topped our waffles with simple sautéed apple compote.

Come February, a federal fisheries council will continue to discuss catch-sharing programs in Alaska trawl fisheries — this time with a bigger voice from Southwest fishermen.

This winter the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) has heard from concerned parties in the state’s Southcentral ground fisheries, regarding a change over to catch sharing.

When the history of US politics in the early 21st century is written, two figures will stand out: Barack Obama and Sarah Palin.

The election of Mr. Obama to the highest elective office -- the first African-American to win the presidency -- did not necessarily signal a new era of post-racial politics. But coming just a generation after federal troops in the South (and a federal judge in Boston) were necessary to desegregate public schools, it was a huge milestone.

Recent update on the dogs-shot-with-arrows case in Haines.

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Haines Police
PRESS RELEASE Haines Police have continued to actively and aggressively investigate the two dogs that were shot by arrows on January 15th. We continue to go door to door talking with residents and following up on every lead that is given to us. This week, we served two search warrants and recovered items related to this incident, including the bow that is believed to have been used. All of these items, along with the arrows previously recovered, have been sent to the Crime Lab for forensic analysis. There are multiple rumors going around town regarding the involvement of specific persons or that an arrest has been made in this case. At this point, no arrests have been made and I do not anticipate an arrest until such time as the forensic examination of the evidence has been completed. We are still encouraging members of the public to call us with any information they may have. Several donors have added to the amount of the reward which now stands at $800.00. The investigation of this case has brought up the possibility that a homeowner was defending his/her property by shooting the dogs. If that is in fact the case, I highly encourage the people involved to come forward and clarify that action. The dogs were shot in the wooded area north of View Street, between Lynnview and 4th Avenue. If there are any homeowners in this area that have seen neighbors outside with a bow, please call the Haines Police. We will continue to pursue this investigation until we can determine without a doubt who was involved and why the dogs were shot. Haines Borough Police 766-2121 Gary Lowe Chief of Police

Join us for Talk Around Town this morning. We're talking about changes to the Alaska Class Ferry project and how it affects Haines and Skagway. 10 a.m. this morning on KHNS.