Valdez police and fire officials are on the lookout for an arsonist or group of arsonists after a spate of suspicious fires, including a car behind Gilson Junior High School.

An injured bald eagle that survived a nosedive into a rock-hard snow bank last spring is ready to be released back into the wilds of Valdez, according to Cindy Palmatier, director of avian care at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center (TLC) in Anchorage. The large female raptor became a media darling after surviving what experts say was most likely an ill-timed aerial mating ritual that claimed the life of the male.

Connie Ballow of Valdez is the first place winner for the first week of the legendary Valdez Silver Derby, which began Saturday.