newsminer.com • Staff: Mary Beth Smetzer

Mary Beth Smetzer

Community reporter

Call Mary Beth at 907-459-7546.

Community News and Faith page editor Mary Beth Smetzer grew up in Michigan, arriving in Alaska in 1969 after a stint in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan vaccinating women and children against smallpox.
Mary Beth worked for four years at the Royal Oak Tribune, a suburban Detroit daily, and joined the News-Miner editorial department in 1986. In the early 1970s she edited The River Times at the Fairbanks Native Association, and from 1980-86 she was communications coordinator at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.
Mary Beth is longtime quilter and one of the founding members (1979) of the Cabin Fever Quilters Guild. She loves reading and being a grandmother, and enjoys cooking, baking and fishing. She found Fairbanks to be a wonderful, supportive place to raise her three children, Megan, Nick and Gabriel, now pursuing careers in academia, police investigation and computer design, respectively.

Recent Stories

New director begins at UA Museum of the North: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Three weeks since arriving from the warmth of New Zealand, Carol Diebel, the new director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, said she hasn’t noticed Alaska’s cold.
Some Fairbanks military families are stuck between celebrating homecoming or providing for children: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Now that the troops are back home, some formal ceremonies are in order, including a round of Battalion Balls beginning in early November.
2009 HIPOW raises $600,000 for Fairbanks Catholic schools: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Buzz Otis’ vocal cords were the hot commodity at the 40th annual HIPOW closing auction and black tie dinner Saturday night.
10-year-old Fairbanksan is among the nation’s best in Bible knowledge: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Since May 1, Danielle “Dani” Miller, 10, has been spending many of her waking hours carrying around three sets of 100 flashcards, each filled with biblical verses.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly votes to repeal bag tax: Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; FAIRBANKS — In a two-part move wiping out the five-cent plastic bag tax Thursday night, Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly members first voted to rescind their previous vote taken last month to levy a borough-wide bag tax, and followed it up by voting to rescind the ordinance.
No go on Dogs Bar liquor license transfer: Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Two weeks after declining to support Troy Poage’s plan to transfer his liquor license to open a coffee bar/pizzeria on Chena Hot Springs Road the Borough Assembly formally opposed the move.
Budget shortfalls force closure of two Fairbanks-area Boys and Girls Clubs: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Two Fairbanks-area Boys and Girls Clubs are closing because of severe budget shortfalls. They are among more than a dozen clubs around the state affected by the statewide organization’s loss of funding.
Stiver, Roberts lead races for Fairbanks City Council seats A, B: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; FAIRBANKS — As election tallies began flowing in Tuesday evening shortly after polls closed, it quickly became obvious that incumbents Vivian Stiver and Chad Roberts were leading in the races for Fairbanks City Council seats A and B.
Catholic Schools of Fairbanks prepares for annual fundraiser: Monday, Oct. 5, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Volunteers were buzzing about Monroe Catholic High School gym Saturday, industriously kickstarting the monumental task of unpacking, sorting and displaying thousands of auction items on multiple rows of tables for the 40th annual HIPOW (Happiness is Paying Our Way) auction.
Fairbanks Jewish congregation celebrates restoration of 100-year-old Torah: Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009; FAIRBANKS — Just before the Jewish High Holy Days in September, seven members of Congregation Or HaTzafon had the unique privilege of inking a multi-pronged crown over one of seven letters in the Torah, containing the Five Books of Moses.

Recent Photos

: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; Zeng Yang of Beijing, China, demonstrates a series of solar thermal panels for Lu Jenks of Anchorage at the fourth annual Chena Renewable Energy Fair at Chena Hot Springs Resort on Sunday, August 22, 2009. Similar panels are used at the resort.
: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; Matt Seymour holds up his daughter Maya, 2, to examine a horse at the fourth annual Chena Renewable Energy Fair at Chena Hot Springs Resort on Saturday, August 22, 2009. Also examining the horse is Seymour's other daughter, Amanda, 5.
: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; Ilya Benesch, a building educator with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks, talks about the latest developments in energy research with Jeff Bosworth Sr. and his daughter Kaylee at the fourth annual Chena Renewable Energy Fair at Chena Hot Springs Resort on Saturday, August 22, 2009.
: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, discusses renewable energy with Dennis Meiners of Intelligent Energy Systems in Anchorage during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at Chena Hot Springs Resort on Saturday, August 22, 2009.
: Thursday, April 16, 2009; Last-minute tax filers were met with early closing post offices in Fairbanks on Wednesday, such as the Airport post office at 5400 Mail Trail.