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Alaska vintage tourist train to resume Friday

By WTOP Staff

MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A vintage rail company that transports hundreds of thousands of tourists a year along the route of the historic Klondike Gold Rush intends to resume operations Friday, two days after a derailment left 23 people with minor injuries, officials said.

Two vintage locomotives and four passenger rail cars were involved in the derailment Wednesday during a run of the White Pass & Yukon Route tourist train from Skagway to Canada, the company said in a statement.

“We heard a bang, then another bang, then there was shaking and then it stopped,” passenger Jerry Cable told The Skagway News.

He and his wife Judy were two cars behind one that left the tracks and partially went into a small lake. Two other passengers landed in the water.

The cars left the tracks in Alaska, just short of the U.S.-Canada border, as the train carrying about 360 passengers and crew reached the White Pass Summit, said railroad President John Finlayson.

Medical workers went to the scene, where they outnumbered the injured, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Officials initially reported there were nine injuries, but Shelly Moss O’Boyle, Dall Memorial Clinic executive director, said in a Thursday email to The Associated Press that 19 passengers and four railroad employees were treated and released at the Skagway facility.

Finlayson said power was restored to the train, and it brought everyone back to Skagway, about 100 miles northwest of Juneau. The four passenger cars were removed from the site, Finlayson said Thursday.

The train is a popular tourist attraction, taking passengers on a three-hour, 40-mile roundtrip tour. It climbs to 2,865 feet at White Pass Summit before it turns around and heads back.

Joe Gilsinger and his wife Dana of Crown Point, Indiana, watched the car in front of them go off the tracks.

“Then the car we were in came off the ground, and I was thinking, where the hell are we going?” he told The Skagway News after the front part of their passenger car came off the rails.

Finlayson said the White Pass Summit trip offers passengers the type of view they expect on an Alaska vacation: mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and even glimpses of the trails used by miners hoping to make it rich in the 1898 gold rush.

Up to seven train trips were canceled after the derailment. Finlayson said in an email to The Associated Press all regulatory reporting requirements have been met, and they intended to resume rail traffic Friday.

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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