A UFO report in Dyea, a sightseeing sign slapped on a city garbage truck, two penitent rhubarb pilferers \u2014 \u201cBest of the Skagway, Alaska Police Blotter,\u201d published by Jeff Brady, former owner of The Skagway News, features the best of small town crime and \u201ccrime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first volume, \u201can Alaskan classic,\u201d was published in 1995. Now, those who enjoy the quirkiness of Southeast Alaska have two volumes to choose from. Together, they span more than 30 years of Skagway\u2019s history. Each volume is unique.<\/p>\n
The first volume, \u201cBest of the Skagway, Alaska Police Blotter and Other True Tales from Alaska\u2019s Fun City,\u201d took the best of the police blotter (\u201cHeavy breathing over the 911 line resulted in an obscene phone call investigation. The call was traced to a five-month-old baby\u201d), as well as stories Mike Sica wrote for the Skagway News.<\/p>\n
[Read highlights of ‘Best of the Skagway’ police blotter volumes 1 and 2<\/a>]<\/p>\n One such story features a visiting villain called \u201cThe Creep,\u201d who tries, without realizing it, to impersonate well-known former Skagway city manager Skip Elliott in order to steal his ferry ticket \u2014 and whom Skagway Police Chief Dave Sexton \u201calso accused\u2026 of committing the literary crime of telling bad stories,\u201d according to Sica\u2019s column.<\/p>\n The first volume, which went out of print in 2015, got going at the suggestion of Skagway News readers.<\/p>\n \u201cMike Sica had a flair for really fun stories and angles to things,\u201d Brady said. \u201cSome of his features are classics.\u201d<\/p>\n For the second volume, Brady collaborated with Dave Sexton, now a police officer. Sexton served as Skagway\u2019s police chief in the 1990s but left to serve as chief in other locations. He returned to Skagway \u201cto finish out his Alaska retirement,\u201d Brady said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has taken over the blotter writing duties again,\u201d Brady said. \u201cHe\u2019s a good writer\u2026 it\u2019s not just the \u2018stick to the facts, ma\u2019am\u2019 kind of thing. He puts his own little flair to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The second volume also includes highlights from \u201cHeard on the Wind,\u201d a column Brady wrote in the persona of \u201cThe Windy One,\u201d who overhears outlandish questions from tourists. The column includes gems like: \u201cThe northern lights are reflections of the glaciers, right?\u201d and \u201cHow old does a deer have to be before you call it a moose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny Alaskan that goes outside is bombarded with these,\u201d Brady said. The acknowledgements thank people \u201cwho taught us how to laugh, and who don\u2019t mind laughing at themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n The books were fun to put together, but they also include \u201csome serious police work,\u201d Brady pointed out.<\/p>\n Chapters are structured chronologically. The first volume covers 1983-1995, with a special section of selections from 1996-2004. The second volume begins in 2005 and continues through 2014.<\/p>\n The cover art is by former Skagway resident Kathy Cooney, and the books are published by Lynn Canal Publishing, Skaguay News Depot & Books\u2019 in-house press.<\/p>\n The books don\u2019t need to be read front to back. Rather, \u201cjust crack it open anywhere,\u201d Brady said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great gift to hand somebody and say \u2018This is what we\u2019re all about. It\u2019s not the typical Gold Rush history book \u2026 it\u2019s kind of a window into modern day life in Skagway\u2026 dealing with a lot of visitors, and a quiet town that settles down at night unless people are out partying. And people do a lot of that in Skagway\u2026. I just hope people will grab a copy and have fun reading it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 The revised edition of the first volume and new second volume are arriving at bookstores around Southeast Alaska, Brady said. They\u2019re also available at Skaguay News Depot & Books and on Amazon.<\/p>\n The books will launch in Skagway from 3-6 p.m. on June 24 at the bookstore. Brady and Sexton plan on coming to Juneau for a book signing in mid to late July, and may do the same in Whitehorse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A UFO report in Dyea, a sightseeing sign slapped on a city garbage truck, two penitent rhubarb pilferers \u2014 \u201cBest of the Skagway, Alaska Police Blotter,\u201d published by Jeff Brady, former owner of The Skagway News<\/a>, features the best of small town crime and \u201ccrime.\u201d The first volume, \u201can Alaskan classic,\u201d was published in 1995. 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