Alaska's state cocktail? Buzzfeed, the pop culture website responsible for popularizing GIF-heavy "listicles," has proclaimed the smoked salmon bloody Mary Alaska's signature cocktail. The drink is made like any other bloody Mary -- tomato juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and vodka -- except for the vodka part. The Alaska version is made using smoked salmon vodka from Alaska Distillery, a Wasilla-based company. Buzzfeed named the cocktail the state's signature drink despite the fact that the flavored vodka has only been produced for a few years.
Barrow's first sunlight: For residents of Barrow, it's time to dig out the SPF -- for at least a few minutes. Although the official first sunrise of the year took place on Jan. 22, bad weather blocked the rays, meaning citizens of the Arctic hub had to be satisfied with a toned-down daylight experience. The northernmost community in the U.S. finally saw its first rays of sunlight today.
Chythlook-Sifsof fails to qualify for Olympics: Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, 24, an Alaska snowboarder who competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, has failed to make a return to the Winter Olympic Games. Chythlook-Sifsof was left off the three-woman U.S. Olympic snowboardcross team that is headed to Sochi, Russia, in February. Snowbaordcross is a relatively new Olympic sport in which up to six snowbaorders race down a narrow course. Lindsey Jacobellis, Faye Guilini and Jackie Hernandez will fill out the US snowboardcross roster for the games. Another Alaska snowboarder, Ryan Stassel, was named to the men's slopestyle team earlier this month.
Anchorage police identify man found dead in Spenard: The Anchorage Police Department said it has identified the man found dead inside a car in the city's Spenard neighborhood on Jan. 23 as 31-year-old Aylett Hanson. APD said it notified Hanson's family of his death and the medical examiner conducted an autopsy on Hanson's body on Friday. APD said it was investigating Hanson's death as a homicide after his body was discovered inside his car -- which had a shattered window -- parked on the 2600 block of Spenard Road.
Interior dog killed by owl: A North Pole woman is mourning the loss of her dog after it was killed by what was believed to be a great horned owl. The Fairbanks Daily News-miner reports that Teddy -- a 7-pound Yorkiepoo -- was found dead by a neighbor with the owl standing over him. Teddy's owner, Patty White, told the News-Miner that a veterinarian who examined the dog's body told her that the owl had left a huge gash on Teddy's head, and hit the little dog with such force with its talons that it broke his skull. White said she had heard that owls can kill small dogs but never really believed it. Great horned owls are the second-largest species of owl in Alaska (behind snowy owls) and can reach heights of up to 2 feet and have wingspans approaching 5 feet. Owls typically hunt small animals like mice, voles, and snowshoe hares but have been known to kill and eat small household pets.