50 Years Ago (or thereabout)
From the Polar Star, March 22, 1956

Indoor rinks may be military plan

That hockey equipment bargain we mentioned in the Polar Star a couple of weeks ago is no longer. It seems that the military bases may go in for hockey again in a big way.

Here is the story as it came to us, and there is no telling how many times it has been around the world first.

As the story goes, a civilian V.I.P. returning to the states from Alaska was conversing with an officer from one of the local bases when the officer mentioned that Alaskan sports, especially hockey, were being neglected up here, and that if they had an indoor rink, hockey would be a popular sport.

We surmise that some V.I.P.s at Washington, D.C. got together, the upshot of which is that the Air Force and Army have turned their thoughts to indoor rinks for both Eielson and Ladd. Unconfirmed reports say the army is planning a $60,000 indoor rink and Eielson A.F.B. is planning a $40,000 to $65,000 indoor rink.

25 years ago:
From the Northern Sun, March 20, 1981

Dorm bugs persist; more spraying eyed
by Todd Paris

German cockroaches aren't supposed to like Alaska. They're not a native species of the Great Land. But for residents of Skarland Hall, the cockroaches are a very real problem.

The problem began last summer.

"We now suspect some summer student brought them inside their luggage," said Eric Jozwiak, director of the university housing office. "We received the first reports of cockroaches in the dorm back in August."

Two efforts to kill the insects by spraying failed last October. Now Jozwiak plans to try again to get rid of the pests once and for all. He said that over spring break he plans to enter the kitchen in Skarland where the roaches seem to congregate, and either spray again or resort to other alternatives now being considered.

One such consideration is the use of boric acid. Ann Jones, a graduate student in entomology, was approached by the physical plant in October and asked what she would do to alleviate the problem.

She responded by saying it was essential to identify the species they were dealing with to determine the incubation period of the roaches. Since it is impossible to kill the eggs by spraying, a second or even third spraying would be necessary to ensure that all the roaches are killed.

She suggested the possible use of boric acid, an inorganic compound that is used in many eyewashes and even in some mouthwashes.

Jones said that because boric acid is so low in toxicity, it doesn't set off the roaches' alarm system, so they don't sense the fact that it's killing them. She also said the roaches carry the boric acid back to their nests and when their offspring hatch, they are killed by the residue.

If no solution can be determined by the end of spring break, Jozwiak said they will have to wait until summer and fumigate the entire dorm. Jim Cox, director of the Physical Plant, said there is a sense of urgency to stop the roaches before they spread.