Alaska Digest
Coast Guard seeks donations for families
JUNEAU - Throughout November, the crew aboard the Coast Guard cutter Liberty will conduct a food, winter clothing, blanket and toy drive to benefit Southeast families.
In the weeks before Christmas, the Liberty crew will deliver the items to Pelican, Hoonah, Angoon, Elfin Cove and Kake.
Donation boxes are located at Alaskan and Proud supermarket, Fred Meyer, Safeway, Costco, the Nugget Mall, the Mendenhall Mall and the Federal Building.
Lt. j.g. Rebecca Chambers, Liberty's executive officer, said the drive has been successful in the past.
"Thanks to the generous donations by Juneau citizens, the Liberty's crew has delivered more than 10,000 pounds of food and more than 500 blankets to needy families each year," she said.
Senate majority confirms Stedman
ANCHORAGE - State Senate Republicans confirmed the nomination of Bert Stedman to replace former Sen. Robin Taylor, they said.
Stedman, 47, of Sitka, was appointed by Gov. Frank Murkowski on Nov. 8 after the governor withdrew his support to Ketchikan bar owner Jim Elkins.
Elkins had earlier criticized the governor for some of his budget cuts while talking to a senior citizens' group.
Taylor stepped down from his Senate District A seat representing Southeast Alaska to take a job with the Murkowski administration.
A date has not been set for a swearing in ceremony, the Senate Majority said in a statement.
Ice hotel takes shape in Chena Hot Springs
CHENA HOT SPRINGS - Looking for a unique wedding venue or tourist experience in the frigid north?
Consider the Aurora Ice Hotel, a 30-foot-high Gothic palace near Fairbanks that resort owner Bernie Karl calls the first of its kind in the United States.
"I'm sure there will be some interesting comments from our guests," Karl said.
Destination resorts carved out of snow and ice already entertain guests in Scandinavia, Greenland and Canada.
An ice hotel in northern Sweden sleeps more than 100 guests, while a sprawling snow and ice complex in Quebec includes a main building with a ceiling 18 feet high.
By comparison, the ice hotel at Chena Hot Springs will cater to far fewer guests. Six bedrooms are planned so far.
The hotel will measure 110 feet by 40 feet and include seven rooms. Its 8-foot-thick sidewalls of snow and ice will curve together into a Gothic arch-shaped ceiling 6 feet thick and it will be reinforced with a skeleton of laminated wood arches, metal bands, chicken wire and refrigeration lines.
Sleeping on ice, however, won't come cheap at the hot springs. The resort's Web site has set rates of $878 per room for a two-night stay and $1,067 for three nights.
The fee covers complementary survival gear, including Arctic-grade sleeping bags, and a backup heated suite in another portion of the resort for the less hardy guests. Guests also get free access to the hot springs.
Karl said he hopes to open soon after Thanksgiving.