making cookies for Santa

I'm sorry but I found this hysterical!!!!

Thieves take police car on wild drive along frozen Alaska river
by Rachel D'Oro / The Associated Press1 day 18 hrs ago | 4365 views | 11 | 22 | | ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Talk about a wild drive: barreling a stolen police vehicle on a frozen river in western Alaska while firing rounds from an officer's semiautomatic rifle.

Police in the commercial hub community of Bethel arrested a 24-year-old local man after the SUV was found abandoned about 10 miles from town.

Charles Chaney Jr. is charged with vehicle theft. Bethel Police Chief Larry Elarton said Wednesday other charges are pending against Chaney and three possible accomplices.

The vehicle was stolen Tuesday evening while Officer Jerry Herrod spent a few minutes inside a home working on a case, Elarton said. Inside the marked SUV were a rifle, a speed radar gun and the officer's gear, including his gloves. Herrod left the car running because of the cold, but didn't know if he left it unlocked or if the locking mechanism failed as it had in the past.

Police quickly spread word of the theft to nearby villages along the Kuskokwim River.

Greg Larson, a village public safety officer in Napaskiak, was among those notified. Within minutes of hanging up the phone, he heard gunfire.

He ran over to the Kuskokwim, which is used as a road in the region not linked by a road system. A half-mile away, a vehicle was going in circles on the river, lights flashing, with a four-wheeler close behind. Larson could hear sirens blaring and loud hollering.

"And I knew it was the stolen patrol car," he said.

Standing at the edge of the frozen river, he called Bethel police while the vehicles headed downriver toward the village of Napakiak. Elarton said authorities believe Chaney, who was out on bail on an unrelated assault charge, was alone in the SUV.

Police also notified Alaska State Troopers, who sent out a plane to search for the SUV. Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the pilot radioed area villages, warning people to stay inside. He then spotted the patrol car on the river.

"The lights were flashing at the time, then they went off," Ipsen said. The pilot lost sight of the vehicle.

Elarton said the ice was unsteady in places after recent temperatures rose above freezing. So officers gingerly set out on snowmobiles, and the police chief and another officer took the lightest patrol truck in the department.

"It was definitely different," said Elarton, who is in his second year of living in Bethel after working as a sheriff in Colorado's Washington County and for police in San Diego. "You don't do this in San Diego - driving on an ice road."

Meanwhile, a village officer in Napakiak reported encountering Chaney - whom he identified - and another man on a four-wheeler, which held the radar gun, police said. Police tracked down Chaney's address, where authorities say they found the four-wheeler. Inside, police said they saw Herrod's gloves in plain view and interviewed two women and two men, including Chaney, who was arrested.

While the occupants were being interviewed, the patrol vehicle was found between Napaskiak and Oscarville. Police said numerous expended rounds were found on its floor, seats and dashboard. There was no damage to the SUV, but one of its high-beam lights was out, which might have hampered the search, Elarton said.

"A vehicle with one headlight might appear to be a snowmobile," he said. "So our attention would not be drawn to it."

Corrections officers in Bethel declined to say Wednesday evening if Chaney was still in custody or what his bail was, and it was unknown if he had an attorney

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

unfortunately it was an ugly game....

Patriots defeated

The West Anchorage Eagles opened a three-game road trip to the Interior by posting a 10-2 victory over the North Pole Patriots on Thursday night at the Polar Ice Center.

Dylan Longoria and Tyler Keturi scored goals for the Patriots, who host East Anchorage at 7 tonight at Polar Ice.

Other details of Thursday night’s game were not available.

North Pole takes Second place

North Pole falls

The Dimond Lynx got the best of the North Pole Patriots in the championship game of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament on Saturday night in Wasilla.

The Lynx outshot the Patriots 37-18 in posting a 9-1 victory to claim the championship trophy in the eight-team tournament.

Tyler Keturi scored North Pole’s lone goal off an assist from Jordan Pascoe. Tyler Bunch earned player of the game honors for North Pole.

North Pole goalie Josh Fine made 28 saves.

North Pole wins 10-2!!!!

North Pole Patriots’ scoring surge scours Kenai Kardinals from playoff ice
by Bob Eley / beley@newsminer.com7 hrs ago | 55 views | 0 | 2 | | FAIRBANKS — The North Pole Patriots continued their scoring surge on Friday in Wasilla to earn a spot in tonight’s championship game of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament at Menard Arena.

The Patriots registered a 10-2 win against the Kenai Kardinals to advance to the title contest where they will face the powerful Dimond Lynx of Anchorage tonight.

North Pole opened the tournament with an 8-0 triumph against the Palmer Moose on Thursday.

Vance Bridgman continued his torrid scoring pace on Friday with three goals and four assists to earn most valuable player honors. He had five goals in Thursday night’s win.

Dylan Longoria registered two goals and four assists in the victory. Hank Parra, Tyler Bunch and Tyler Keturi each had a goal and assist.

Dylan Canoy and Alex Tilman had goals, and Jordan Pascoe picked up an assist. The Patriots had 50 shots on goal.

Josh Fine turned in another strong effort in goal for North Pole, stopping 17 of 19 shots to earn his second straight win.

NP beats Palmer 8-0!

North Pole’s Bridgman nets 5 goals in Wasilla
by Staff Report17 hrs ago | 149 views | 0 | 6 | | FAIRBANKS - The North Pole Patriots got off to a roaring start in the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament on Thursday at Menard Arena in Wasilla.

Vance Bridgman scored five goals and netminder Josh Fine registered a shutout to lead the Patriots to an 8-0 win against the Palmer Moose during the first round of the eight-team tournament.

Bridgman scored in every period, netted a hat trick in the second and posted power-play and short-handed tallies to lead the Patriots into Friday’s semifinal round against the Kenai-Houston winner.

Austin Wood, Jordan Pascoe and Hank Parra also scored goals for the Patriots. North Pole outshot Palmer 51-28. Dylan Longoria had four assists, while Tyler Keturi and Alex Lemelin each had one.

Fine stopped 28 shots to earn player of the game honors.

In other first-round action, Dimond skated to a 7-1 win against Colony and Wasilla blanked Bartlett 8-0.