In Alaska, Even a Few Gold Diggers Would Be of Help

Alaska is rich in natural resources. But an Anchorage couple think one resource has been overlooked--men. So, to showcase the state’s males and to attract more women to Alaska, where males outnumber females, publisher Susie Carter, her husband, Dave, and an all-female staff have begun a quarterly pictorial magazine, Alaska Men. The cover of the first edition this month is adorned by Dr. Peter Hackett, a medical researcher seen smiling under his fur hat. Inside the magazine are stories on 30 other men. Several tell bear stories, few wear ties and most sport beards. All are clothed. “We don’t want to be ‘Alaska Playgirl,’ ” says Dave Carter. Ads for the magazine will be in 22 magazines, including McCall’s, True Romance and True Confessions, and in newspapers in Iowa, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The call from a 68-year-old woman seeking a subscription “so I can find myself a honey” prompted plans for an “Oldies but Goodies” section.

--A dog’s life can be one of luxury. Butch, a purebred English bulldog with a fondness for fried chicken and television, has been awarded $300 a month for food and upkeep by a judge in Springfield, Mo. Greene County Circuit Judge John Burrell also awarded the dog’s caretaker, Ruby Keen, $9,100 for care since February, 1984. The money comes from a $98,500 estate inherited from Butch’s master, William Morrison, a park concessionaire who died in 1983. Morrison had no children. Butch’s inheritance will revert to relatives when the 7-year-old dog dies. Morrison took Butch out for fried chicken every day, Keen said. Butch’s diet includes dog food, bones, chicken, scrambled eggs and cottage cheese, and the dog will drink only iced water, Keen said.

--Another animal who has lived an unusual life is going home. Sam, the smoking, drinking chimpanzee, will be returned to his Ohio owner, who has been acquitted of a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals. A Warren County jury found Ken Harris innocent of abusing Sam, who lived at the Train Stop Inn, a bar Harris owns in Foster. The U.S. Humane Society had accused Harris of keeping Sam in a filthy cage and letting the 120-pound primate smoke cigarettes and drink beer. Harris said Sam is like a member of his own family and promised to improve the chimp’s living conditions, including keeping his cage cleaner. Veterinarians who examined Sam said he is in good health.