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At this time of year, with temperatures in the subzero range, the driving conditions are usually pretty good, with the snow taking on the texture of sand.

But that’s not the case right now, thanks to the mid-January semi-thaw and fog that worked wonders in wiping out friction.

Some of our major roads are covered with a dense ice layer that is thick enough for hockey practice. Drive around a bit and you’ll see indentations in the snow where drivers have gone astray, not thinking that when the roads glisten with lubrication, stopping requires advance planning.

Based on the number of accidents and skidding vehicles I’ve seen on such clogged arteries as the Johansen, the Steese and the Richardson, many drivers appear to be unaware of the road conditions.

The state could help this situation by applying more gravel and doing so a bit farther from intersections on stretches where the roads are as slippery as ball bearings, but it’s even more important for drivers to slow down.

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STOP AND GO: When the lights went out at the intersection of Farmers Loop and the Steese on Friday night, numerous law enforcement officers responded to try and keep things under control.

It was a mess. This was one of those situations where the warning lights—or in this case the lack of warning lights—creates an extra hazard because the drivers on the Johansen who didn’t see warning lights flashing had no intention of stopping at the light.

If some major crime or accident had happened elsewhere during that time, I doubt that that there would have been enough people on duty to respond.

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MARDI GRAS: The basement of Immaculate Conception Church, otherwise known as Murphy Hall, is open again and renovation work is to begin soon on the kitchen in the oldest church building in town.

Immaculate Conception is again sponsoring a Mardi Gras Festival to support the rehabilitation project. ICC opened a soup kitchen in 1987 to serve hot meals to those in need and has offered as many as 700 meals each month on weekends and holidays.,

The 13th annual Mardi Gras Festival is set for Saturday at the Elks Lodge. There will be dinner, dancing, door prizes, a silent auction and an opportunity to purchase some fabulous homemade desserts.

There are many ways to help. You can purchase tickets to attend the event, $35 in advance or $45 at the door, or donate items for the silent auction. Cash donations are also welcome.

For more information, contact the church at 452-3533 or call Georgianne Want at 457-4736.

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TRADITION: In the interest of preserving history, Rodger Hughes, who was present at the recitation, sent me the “Traditions Farewell,” a funeral dirge delivered at the original event when the Tradition Stone was placed at UAF in 1957.

(For those who might not know, he points out that the reference to “Coke” is a reference to the soft drink.)

This was to be performed to the tune of “Rock of Ages,” expressing remorse at the move by UA President Ernest Patty to ban alcohol on campus as students gathered outside Constitution Hall around a 400-pound tombstone emblazoned with the words “HERE LIES TRADITION.”

The president ordered that the offending marker be discarded, but before that happened it was spirited away. The Tradition Stone has been on the move ever since.

Prohibition—woe is me, Old tradition’s gone you see.

Engineers and miners too, weep for their forbidden brew.

Since the law has been laid down, Coke shall now our sorrows drown.

We knew it was too good to last, when we had our busts and blasts.

On our picnics, hayrides gay, Now we’ll bless the Good Old Days.

Why did this happen to us? Nothing left to do but cuss.

In the span of four short years, Many things have brought us tears.

When we used to brew our own, Old Main dorm was just like home.

Now this place has lost its jazz, Oh: It’s just like Alcatraz.

Sadie Hawkins was our dream, When Olympia reigned supreme.

Now together let us wail: No more nights to spend in jail.

From now on the Gulch is dry, Memories here beneath us lie.

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NEW BOOK: One of the more talented contributors to the News-Miner in recent years, Michelle Cuthrell, has completed her first book.

Cuthrell, a 2004 journalism graduate of Ithaca College, wrote a column in 2005-06 about what it was like to be in Fairbanks while her husband Matt was deployed to Iraq. She was 11 weeks pregnant when he left.

Her book is, “Behind the Blue-Star Banner: A Memoir from the Home Front.”

The Cuthrells and their son, who is almost 2, now live in Western Washington. Matt is stationed at Fort Lewis and Michelle is editor in chief of Good Catch Publishing.

She will be back in Fairbanks for book signings Saturday, Feb. 16 at Barnes & Noble and a release party and book signing at the Common Grounds Coffee Shop in the Friends Community Church.

Michelle said the title came to her one day when she was staring out her front window in Fairbanks, looking past the blue-star banner the VFW had given her, a symbol of a family member serving overseas.

“I realized that there was an entire second life that took place behind that blue-star banner that no one really knew about. That life is the life I shared in my weekly columns in the News-Miner for 16 months, and the life I share in this new book,” she said.

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CANDIDATES: Local residents Sue Hull, John Brown and Tim Wert have added their names to the list of candidates intending to run for state office this year. Most of the incumbent legislators have already filed letters as well.

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OF NOTE: Fairbanks artist Alfred Skondovitch exhibited his work in New York with the likes of Willem de Kooning a half-century ago. Skondovitch painted “small, moving landscapes,” a New York Times reviewer said, and de Kooning was among those in the same show with “equally good work.”

A report in the New Yorker last year mentioned how a prominent hedge fund billionaire had paid $143.5 million for a de Kooning painting. Another report lists the price for the 1953 painting at $137.5 million, the second most expensive painting ever sold.

Dermot Cole can be reached at cole@newsminer.com or 459-7530.