Episodes

Motorists are urged to use extra caution this time of year when traveling roadways in Southcentral, Interior, and other regions where moose are common. Long nights and short, often dimly lit winter days make the animals especially difficult to spot, increasing the danger of moose-vehicle collisions.

“The majority of our road kills occur during the winter months,” said Kenai Area Wildlife Biologist Jeff Selinger. “Decreased visibility due to lack of daylight, icy roads, and moose movement patterns all contribute to the increased collision rates we see at this time of year.”

Visibility hazards are further compounded when accumulating snow forces moose into lowland areas, often around highway corridors where travel is easier and food sources more exposed. The combination can be deadly for moose and motorists alike when vehicles traveling at normal highway speeds collide with the animals that may weigh between 500 and 1,000 pounds.

To help prevent collisions with moose, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game suggests drivers practice the following safe winter driving habits:

• Clean vehicle headlights and windshields. Moose can be difficult to see and most moose-vehicle accidents occur at dawn and dusk when the light is low and moose are most active.
• Drive according to weather conditions. Reduced driving speeds at night and in adverse weather allow motorists better opportunity to spot moose near roadways and provide more time to react should animals bolt into the road.
• Be alert. Deliberately and continuously scan for wildlife on both sides of the road and along road corridors and medians.
• Stay tuned. Cow moose crossing or standing near roads are often accompanied by calves; reduce speed when moose are spotted and look for additional animals that may be crossing behind the first.
• Observe Signs. Watch for highway warning signs marking high moose-vehicle collision areas and known moose crossing areas such as moose ranges or refuges; remain especially alert for a few miles before and beyond those areas.
• Back Off. Increase the distance between you and the car in front of you to allow for greater braking distances and reaction time.
• Other Clues. Watch for flickering in the headlights of oncoming traffic or against reflective signs that may be caused by an animal crossing in front of that vehicle.

Motorists involved in or who witness moose-vehicle collisions should contact Alaska State Troopers. Injured moose should be reported to the nearest Department of Fish and Game office during normal business hours, online at adfg.alaska.gov (Report a Wildlife Encounter), or to the troopers outside normal business hours.

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The City Council will discuss a Memorandum of Understanding between the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive (VMHA) and the City of Valdez to work jointly to plan for and build a new museum facility. The MOU up for review states the City will commit up to 50% of the cost of a new museum facility up to $14 million dollars through various stages of design and development.

CLICK HERE for MOU

Nordic Ski (Coach Timi Miner – High School / Coach Cole Beck- Gilson Middle School):

Skiing is a sport that should never be underestimated- there are so many variables that must be considered and so much effort put into learning various techniques. First, a skier must learn to have good coordination and balance. Second, they are given a set of skis and poles and asked to learn an entirely new and very different way of moving. They develop skills that allow them to glide gracefully and ski with rhythm. Third, we introduce them into ever-changing temperatures and weather patterns. Maybe they learn how to ski on compact, fast snow during a warm day but are then turned around and thrown into the freezing cold while having to struggle uphill over what feels like gliding on sandpaper. This is exactly the battle our Cross Country Ski Team experienced this weekend.

This was our first race of the season in Palmer with temperatures ranging from -1 F to -3 F. The snow was slow and the skiers faced a challenging 5 kilometer skate course. For the boys, Blake Morrison came in at a time of 36:47 and Aiden Stefanec at 42:34. As for the girls, Samantha Benda at came in at 44:29 and Anastasia Blake at 48:30. Blake Morrison was the only skier to compete in the 5 kilometer classic race and came in at a time of 39:09. They faced many challenges during the trip but we are all very proud of them pushing through and coming out a stronger skier as the result.

-Coach Timi Miner

The Gilson Middle School Ski Team had their first race this weekend, 13 skiers traveled to Palmer for a 3 kilometer skate fro at the Government Peak Recreation Center. The Skiers came up against a lot of difficulties due to cold temperatures and difficult snow. I am very proud of them for rising to the challenge and never giving up! We had a great learning experience and enjoyed the excitement of being at a race with teams from all over Alaska. Great job skiers!

-Coach Cole Beck

We would also like to thank our ski manager William Benes for coming. And shout out to all the volunteers we have had this season: Michelle Cullen, Sergei Wegner, Ryan Good, Riley Norris, Karen Cline, Denise O’Brien, and Betsy Caruthers.

Results from our community 4 kilometer ski races are: Ben Stolen: 11:57 Riley Norris: 13:41 Sam Shirk: 18:41 Karen Cline: 38 Thank you to all those who have come out and supported us! Our next scheduled town race is Saturday January 26, 2019.

Girls Varsity Basketball (Coach Joe Robison):

Varsity Girls Basketball – West Valley Invite

Thursday, Jan. 10

The VHS Lad Bucs played Anchorage Christian in the first round of the West Valley Ice Jam last Thursday.  Despite the 65 – 25 loss, the Lady Bucs played hard and played better than the score indicated against the reigning State Champions.  The Bucs were led by Ally Sieber with 15 points, and Reese King with 6 points.

Friday, Jan. 11

The Lady Bucs met East Anchorage in the 2nd round of the Ice Jam Tournament.  Valdez erased an early deficit, and was within 5 points to start the 4th quarter.  Despite cutting the lead to 1 points with 4 minutes to go, the Lady Bucs just couldn’t finish the job and lost 46 – 37.  The Lady Bucs were led by Ashley Ramoth and Reese King, who both scored 11 points.

Saturday, Jan. 12

The Lady Bucs defeated Eagle River 42 – 24 in their final game at the West Valley Tournament.  The Bucs played really well, and handled Eagle River’s size with a great effort on the defensive end.  The Bucs were led by Ally Sieber with 12 points and Reese King with 10.

Coach’s Comments

“I am very proud of the girls this weekend.  As a group, we know the importance of taking steps forward.  We want every practice and every game to be another step forward, and I really felt we took 3 steps forward this weekend.  We played extremely well on the defensive end and really forced people to work for what they got.  The girls continued to battle each game, and that is a testament to how they really love to play for each other.”

Girls JV Basketball (Coach Jodi Arnold):

Valdez v Hutchinson 30-12

Valdez v Lathrop   29-32

Valdez v West Valley 38-46

Kylie Fletcher Gilbert takes it to the hole against Hutchinson

Lily Alfaro

Coaches’ Comments:   We had a great weekend of basketball in Fairbanks. Our main goal this weekend was to get better with each game. This goal was accomplished! We played all our games this weekend with 6 players. I am very proud of how hard our girls played throughout all of the games.

Highlights:  Our game with Lathrop was our most exciting match-up. At the end of the third quarter we were down by 10 points. The Lady Bucs battled back and outscored Lathrop 10-0 in the fourth quarter which put us into our first overtime. We tied again at the end of the first overtime. Though our girls fought hard to gain back ground, we came up a little short at the end of the second overtime.

Boys Varsity Basketball (Coach Bart Hinkle):

VHS Varsity Boys Basketball Wrap-Up [Alaska Prep Shootout, January 10 – 12]

Thursday, January 10th:    Valdez 55, Kenai 37

The Buccaneer Boys traveled to Anchorage to participate in the 26th Annual Alaska Prep Shootout, which boasted a field of Kenai, Barrow, Eagle River, Grace Christian, West Valley, Palmer, Valdez, and the host Dimond Lynx.  The last time Valdez participated in the tournament was 2004 – when they won it.

Valdez’s opening round matchup was against the Kenai Kardinals – a senior laden team that previously was 4A, but reclassified this year into 3A.  The Bucs dominated scoring inside the paint (38-6) and forced Kenai into 26 turnovers – which directly resulted in 24 Buc points. The Bucs broke a close contest open in the 2nd/3rd quarters with a 21-2 run en route to a 55-37 victory.

Bennett Hinkle led the Bucs with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Ike Watson contributed 13 points and snagged 7 rebounds.  Four Buccaneers [Kyler LaBonte, Bennett Hinkle, Ike Watson, and Logan Heckathorn] successfully drew an offensive foul. Bennett Hinkle was announced as player of the game.

Friday, January 11th:  Valdez 57, Barrow 35

The first-round victory provided the Bucs with an opportunity to face the Barrow Whalers in the semi-final game for the second consecutive week.  Barrow advanced by beating Eagle River in overtime the first round.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Whalers entered intermission with a 23-22 lead.  From there the Bucs took over – outscoring Barrow 35-12 in the second half. The Bucs out-matched the physical play Barrow is notorious for, outscoring them 40-14 in the paint.  The game was blown open in the second half due in large part to suffocating defense and 16-of-25 shooting from the floor.

The Buccaneers had two players with a double-double (Logan Heckathorn with 19 points, 11 rebounds and Ike Watson with 11 points, 10 rebounds).  Bennett Hinkle chipped in 12 points while registering 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Logan Heckathorn was announced as player of the game.

Saturday, January 12th:  Valdez 30, Dimond 66

Saturday’s championship game, like the championship game a week prior, pitted the Bucs against the host team.  The Dimond Lynx advanced to the championship by stifling the opposition with their full-court press, beating both 4A opponents by an average of 37.5 points.  Alas, the Bucs were unable to recreate the magic of 2004, falling to the Lynx by 36 points.

Unlike the previous two teams Dimond faced, the Bucs adequately handled the full-court pressure, with a mere 3 turnovers in the first half.  However, the Bucs were a paltry 12-of-39 (30%) shooting from the field for the game. (Conversely, the Lynx shot 25-of-57, including sinking 11 of 22 three-point attempts)

Kyler LaBonte and Ike Watson paced the Bucs with 9 points apiece, while Douglas Cummins grabbed 8 rebounds.  Ike Watson, Logan Heckathorn, and Douglas Cummins each drew an offensive foul. Ike Watson was announced as player of the game.

Notes:

Bennett Hinkle and Ike Watson were voted onto the All-Tournament Team for the Alaska Prep Shootout.

The Buccaneers will host Aurora Conference opponent Eielson Ravens on Friday and Saturday (January 18th and 19th).

Ike Watson, Photo courtesy of Jennifer Watson

VHS Boys Basketball Teams Takes 2nd Place at Dimond Tournament 2019, Photo courtesy of Jennifer Watson

Boys JV Basketball (Coach Lee Chadwick):

This past week the Boys JV team visited Fairbanks for a 3 game run against Hutchison, Lathrop, and West Valley.

Thursday’s game against Hutchison was a close contest the entire game. In the final few seconds and down by two, we converted only one of 2 free throws. However, on the ensuing inbounds play we caused a fumble, giving us the ball on our baseline with 7 seconds left. A bungled play on the inbounds pass ended with us having the ball again on the baseline with only 2 remaining seconds. A second bungled play led to a rushed shot at the buzzer that fell short. The final score was 47-48, won by Hutchison.

The second night we played Lathrop. We quickly fell behind to a deep Lathrop squad, ending the first quarter 6-19. The second and third quarters were played roughly even. In the final two minutes, a re-invigorated defensive effort narrowed the final score but the Bucs fell short at 48-56.

The final night was a contest against West Valley JV. In December we played the same team and narrowly beat them. However, with some squad personnel changes and limited practices over the holidays factoring in, we were out of sync offensively and lacking a defensive focus. The second quarter was particularly disasterous as we were on the short end of a 14-2 run by the Wolfpack. The final score was 28-43 with a 3rd Buc loss on the weekend.

Up Coming Sports Events:

Friday, January 18: Home Basketball Games vs Eielson in High School Gym

4:00 JV Boys

5:30 JV Girls

7:00 Varsity Boys

8:30 Varsity Girls

Saturday, January 19: Home Basketball Games vs Eielson in High School Gym

3:00 JV Girls

4:30 JV Boys

6:00 Varsity Girls

7:30 Varsity Boys

KVAK Radio is looking for someone to work part-time January 21^st through mid-March. Position is 10 to 15 hours a week, mostly between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Hours are flexible. Ideal candidate would be someone who can get projects done in a fast-paced environment, is organized and enjoys working with people and helping with events.

Fill out application form below OR CLICK HERE to fill out application and e-mail to kvaksales@gci.net or drop by the KVAK studios on Bremner Street to pick up an application.

The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) application will be used to automatically register eligible individuals to vote, or update their voter registration information, unless voters opt-out.

After the PFD application deadline, voters who will be automatically registered to vote or have an update to their Alaska residence address will be notified by mail. Voters will have 30 days to opt-out by completing and returning the mailer.

For more information contact the Division of Elections or read the FAQs on the elections website at elections.alaska.gov.