newsminer.com

10 YEARS AGO

July 9, 1998 — When Tika opened her eyes, she saw just the face she must have been looking for. Slowly, her tail started thumping. She made a strenuous effort to sit up. Her whole body quivered with excitement. A few drops of blood-tinged fluid seeped from the dog’s sutured wounds and spattered on the floor.

Alaska State Trooper Randy Hahn stroked Tika’s face and murmured “good girl” Wednesday morning as he reunited with his police dog, shot Sunday during a standoff with a man who pledged he would not come out of the woods alive.

“I firmly believe had we searched the woods without a canine, one of us would have been shot,” the trooper said.

25 YEARS AGO

July 9, 1983 — It’s just not the same as fishing with a pole. Dip netting looks easy, but it is not. It can be exciting, exhausting work.

Two-thirds of dip-netters who travel to the Copper River are from Fairbanks and the surrounding area.

The eight-hour drive is the easy part. The hard work begins when you get there. A stiff breeze usually covers your face and gear with a fine layer of gray glacial silt. The muddy river is swift, wide and cold.

Earlier this summer, a 29-year-old outdoorsman died when the current swept him away. On average, there is a death every other year.

Dip-netters are urged to take safety precautions such as tying themselves to shore, wearing a wetsuit and even a lifejacket — just in case.

50 YEARS AGO

July 9, 1958 — The strike of Fairbanks plumbers and steamfitters continued today, no closer to settlement. Both sides have expressed eagerness to negotiate, but Alden Wilber, president of the Plumbing Contractors of Fairbanks, was hopeful that a negotiation session would take place this week. Gale Bennett, business agent for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local No. 375, was in Big Delta today.

Bennett said yesterday that 120 members were on strike, seeking a 25-cents-an-hour wage increase, a 40-hour week, double-time for Saturday and an increase in travel pay.

75 YEARS AGO

July 9, 1933 — Father Bernard H. Hubbard, the “Glacier Priest,” returned to False Pass after having successfully climbed Mount Shishaldin on Unimak Island. During the ascent, the expedition was almost wiped out by terribly cold winds.

Father Hubbard said that an 80-mile gale swept members of his party off their feet and blew them helpless along the snow while they were ascending the mountain.