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Flotsam and Jetsam is a weekly roundup of PSAs, news briefs, and odds and ends from across Southeast Alaska. E-mail news from your community to editor@capweek.com by 5 p.m. Thursday for publication the following Wednesday. We'd love to have every Southeast community represented, and will print as many announcements as space allows.

Haines

The SEARHC Health Promotion department is hosting free health screenings for adults age 18 and older on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 1-2, in Haines. The screenings will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at the Chilkat Center for the Arts, located on the historic grounds of Fort William H. Seward. Participants are encouraged to schedule 20-minute appointments for their health screenings, but they can be seen as walk-in patients (be aware there may be a wait). The biometric health screenings involve a simple blood test that gives people their non-fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and blood pressure results. Health professionals will be available to discuss screening results with patients. While the biometric health screenings don't replace a person's annual visit to their medical provider, the screening results can let people know if they are at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or stroke. For more information or to make an appointment for your health screening, contact SEARHC Community Wellness Advocate Mandy Ramsey in Haines at 766-6317.

Juneau

Big Brothers Big Sisters is recruiting School Program Bigs for the 2010-2011 school year. Big Brothers are needed at all elementary schools and Big Brothers and Big Sisters are needed at the Valley Elementary Schools.

Bigs meet regularly with their Little at a nearby school to play games, eat lunch or hang out. A professional from Big Brothers Big Sisters matches you with a child with similar interests and give support as you need it. You don't need experience, money or a degree - you just need to be yourself and have fun. Once you're matched, you'll spend time with your Little on a regular basis. It's as simple as that.

Contact Katy Jordan, Recruitment & Partnership Manager, at 586-3350 or katy.jordan@bbbs.org, or visit www.bbbsak.org.

A Hunter Education course will be offered in Juneau August 20-21 at the Juneau Hunter Education Facility (JHEF) at 5670 Montana Creek Road. The course will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The course fee is $10. A Hunter Education course is required to hunt in several Game Management Units (GMUs) throughout the State and on the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. The course includes instruction on firearms safety and handling, wildlife conservation and management, game laws and regulations, and hunter ethics and responsibility. Successful graduates will be awarded a lifetime hunter education certification recognized throughout North America. Course registration requires the purchase of an independent study packet at the Douglas office of the ADF&G room 201 (465-4265) or the JHEF (586-4101). The study modules must be completed prior to the start of the course and brought to the class.

Dust off your skates and cool off at the Treadwell Ice Arena! The Arena opened Monday, August 16. Pre-registered hockey camps, open skates, pond hockey and stick 'n' pucks will be available throughout the month. New programs this August are drop in Family Learn to Skate Lessons, Family Learn to Play Hockey, Adult Hockey Skills N' Drills. The Arena will be open seven days a week beginning in September. For further information, details on August programs and to see a listing of the August skating schedule, visit www.juneau.org/parksrec/icerink or call the Treadwell Ice Arena at 586-0410.

The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council has been awarded a Rasmuson Foundation Effective Organization Grant. The award will assist the organization as it expands its activities to include management and operation of the Juneau Arts & Culture Center. For more information, visit www.jahc.org or call 596-2787.

Ketchikan

The Waterfall Committee gave the Ketchikan General Hospital Foundation $25,000 at their annual dinner last Friday night. The Waterfall Committee was formed eighteen years ago by Nancy Murkowski to help meet the need for breast cancer screening in Alaska, particularly in rural areas.

The Ketchikan General Hospital Foundation has received $80,000 from the Waterfall Committee since its first grant of $25,000 in 2005; that was the KGH Foundation's first campaign to help fund the Women's Diagnostic Imaging Suite. Since then the KGH Foundation has received two additional grants of $15,000 from the Waterfall Committee.

The Waterfall Committee has raised and distributed over $4,500,000 to health care facilities statewide. The annual fishing weekend and auction was August 7 and 8 at the Waterfall Resort on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island.

Prince of Wales

The Alaska Energy Authority recently approved a $9 million Power Project Fund loan to Haida Energy, Inc. to help finance a new 5 megawatt hydroelectric project at Reynolds Creek on Prince of Wales Island. Haida Energy, Inc. is a newly formed entity established by Haida Corporation and Alaska Power and Telephone Company, Inc. (AP&T). The corporation was formed to construct and own the new Reynolds Creek 5MW plant, which has a total project cost of $17,245,000. State and federal grants totaling $5,340,000 were previously approved. Haida Corporation invested $4 million, and will reduce its equity investment to $2,905,000 through use of the loan. The Alaska Energy Authority is a public corporation of the state. AEA's purpose is to reduce the cost of energy in Alaska.

Skagway

Many caring locals and seasonal workers attended a fundraiser for Michele Strand, manager of Skagway Tour Outlet, held at the Bombay Curry on July 17. Strand was medevaced to Seattle's Virginia Mason Hospital on June 26, complaining of abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with stomach tumors. Unfortunately, the operation was delayed because she had developed an infection and a blood clot, which caused a lung to partially collapse. Finally, on Monday, July 5, the operation took place, removing two tumors - one an amazing 12 inches in diameter. Thankfully, both tumors were benign. Strand has been discharged and is slowly recovering with her husband, Tom, at their home in Hammond, Wisconsin.

Bombay Curry's owner, Santosh Wadhwani, immediately stepped in to with the all-you-can-eat buffet, which was followed by a showing of the movie "India - the Far North," filmed and presented by Barry and Corinne Smedley. Donations towards Michele's medical bills, as well as get-well cards, are being received and forwarded by Jeanne Gonzalez. They can be dropped off at Skagway Tour Outlet, located at 510 Broadway, next to Kirmse's. Skagway is renowned for its caring community spirit, so a pat on the back for those that gave so generously and wrote words of love and support. All of this will make a big difference in helping Michele to recover.

Yakutat

Rulon Gardner, 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2004 bronze medalist, will visit Yakutat on Sept. 10. He will address the students and staff at the school, and on Saturday he will conduct a wrestling clinic for the wrestlers. Kids from other schools will also be able to attend the clinic, but it is in Yakutat and there is a fee of $95. For more information about Gardner's visit, contact Michael Johnson at 784-3119. Learn more about Rulon Garnder at rulongardner.com.