In this time of holidays and of bringing cheer to others, hate crimes seem very foreign. Thus the revelation of a young couple in Anchorage being prosecuted for perpetrating a crime of hate against an Alaska Native last summer seems completely out of season, both then and now. The couple not only harassed this man, they threw bottles and eggs at him and pushed and kicked him, all the while taunting him with racial slurs. They then put their attack on YouTube (since removed).

The Crimson Bears staged a stirring fourth-quarter comeback Wednesday, scoring 26 points in the final frame to upend Palmer 56-49 in the last game of the Capital City Classic at Juneau-Douglas High School.

Editor’s note: Due to space constraints, not every story on our list was able to make it into print. Below are our Top 10 selections, chosen by relevance to the Juneau community.

This year’s Juneau Lyric Opera Mid-Winter Vocal Festival will celebrate the music of Broadway. Guest artists for the festival are conductor Dr. Byron McGilvray and accompanist and vocal coach Janis Capelle. Classes are offered Dec. 29 through Jan. 8 and include group voice, festival chorus, and master class.

Juneau Dance Unlimited is currently registering students for its winter and spring 2010 semester classes. Classes begin Monday, Jan. 4 and continue through May 30.

Mickey Avalon, one of hip-hop’s most enigmatic stars of the last several years, will perform in Juneau at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7 at Marlintini’s Lounge.

ART, EVENTS &PERFORMANCE

We’re adding lots of new fiction audiobooks on cd for fans of mysteries, thrillers and classics. Look for new titles by Colleen McCullough, T.C. Boyle, and P.G. Wodehouse in addition to the titles below at our public libraries.

Fresh from a 10-week tour down South, The Alaska String Band is back on home turf, and will perform for local audiences Friday night.

When I was in Anchorage, we stayed in a hotel that had satellite television broadcasting by the DISH Network. All of the local television stations that are broadcast in Southeast Alaska and in Anchorage were broadcast in high definition.