'Deer
Mountain'
Front Page Photo by Kip Tyler - More
Ketchikan: Veneer
plant expected to add 50-100 new jobs in Ketchikan - Governor
Frank Murkowski applauded the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly's
proposal to restart the veneer plant at the Ward Cove industrial
site. The new plant is expected to generate up to 50 new jobs,
Murkowski said.
"My administration has
committed two years of hard work toward reinvigorating Southeast
Alaska's timber industry and a project of this nature moves us
closer to our goal," Murkowski said Tuesday. - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2005
 Ketchikan: Borough
Green-Lights Veneer Mill - In a unanimous decision Monday
night, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly agreed to lease
six acres of Ward Cove property and its veneer mill to Ted Falconer
and his company, New Veneer Corp. The agreement includes a $10,000
a month rent payment plus utilities and $500,000 for the purchase
of veneer mill equipment. Following several weeks of negotiation
and contract discussions, the Borough Assembly has launched the
community of Ketchikan into the New Year with the first of many
landmark decisions aimed at improving the financial stability
of Ketchikan.
Under the leadership and vision
of Washington businessman Ted Falconer, the new veneer mill operation
is expected to create fifty new jobs in the community and an
additional forty within two years. The target date for production
at the veneer mill has been set for May of this year. The total
cash revenue from the agreement is approximately 2.6 million.
In the interest of providing sufficient support for the new venture,
the Borough Assembly has allowed 90 days for the $500,000 equipment
payment and four months from the agreement date before rent payments
begin. The Borough Assembly is optimistic about the agreement
and the positive impact it will have for our local economy. -
More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2005
Ketchikan: Group
Calls for Greater Protection of Forests; Moratorium on large-scale
industrial logging and road-building in all forests administered
by the USFS and BLM sought - The rainforest of Southeast
Alaska was named on Monday as one of the nation's 11 "Keystone
Forests" by the environmental group Greenpeace. In a new
report released by Greenpeace, America's Keystone Forests: Mapping
the Next 100 Years of Forest Protection, the environmental group
identifies the biggest forest areas left in the United States
that provide the best habitat for the most diverse species. -
More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2005
Alaska: State
Declares Impasse in Fairweather Negotiations; ALRA asked to mediate
labor agreement to keep fast vehicle ferry operating beyond January
25 - After nearly a year of bargaining described as fruitless
by the state for a labor agreement to cover workers on the state's
new fast vehicle ferry, the state has declared negotiations to
be at an impasse, and has petitioned the Alaska Labor Relations
Agency (ALRA) to order mediation. Since voluntary mediation failed
on October 1, state labor negotiators have met 17 times with
representatives of the three maritime unions that represent ferry
workers - the Inland Boatmens' Union (IBU), the Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association (MEBA), and the Masters, Mates and Pilots
(MM&P). - More...
Alaska: Murkowski
Orders Flags Lowered to Half-Staff for Tsunami Victims -
Governor Frank H. Murkowski on Monday ordered state flags to
be flown at half staff this week, in conformance with President
George W. Bush's order to lower U.S. flags as a mark of respect
for the victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting
tsunamis. - More...
Tuesday - January 04, 2005
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