AUTHOR’S NOTE: “Jackson” Ball met a tragic end nearly 20 years after moving to Alaska from the East Coast. Before coming north, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and throughout his life he left unanswered questions in his wake: Where did he get his nickname? To whom had he been married while serving in the military? Why did he move to Alaska? What did his actions, both good and bad, reveal about the character of the man?
The lights in the Burns household flip on around 4 a.m. every weekday. While the pot of coffee gurgles in the kitchen, Christina Burns loads packed meals into a reusable