Front Page Photo: Trumpeter Swan - Trumpeter swans feeding in the Ward Lake area are providing winter viewing pleasure to Ketchikan bird-lovers.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the trumpeter swan was nearly extinct in North America. Today, some 3,000 or more of these birds nest in Alaska, and winter in coastal lakes and rivers in British Columbia as far south as Vancouver Island. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Ketchikan: Listen to the House Transportation Committee's discussion on January 10th of federal funds previously earmarked for the Gravina & Knik bridges and the STIP and public comments. (MP3) KTOO Gavel to Gaval www.ktoo.org/gavel/ Ketchikan: Listen to the House Finance Committee's discussion on January 11th on the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority & Gravina Island Bridge - Includes comments by City Mayor Bob Weinstein and J.C. Conley. (MP3 19.7 MB) KTOO Gavel to Gaval www.ktoo.org/gavel/ Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

Alaska: Governor Delivers Fourth State of the State Address; Resource development, transportation, education top priorities - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski delivered his fourth State of the State Address to the Legislature Tuesday night in Juneau, highlighting the administration's successes in growing Alaska's resource-based economy and improving education.

"Our development initiatives are working. The private sector has created more than 13,600 new jobs in this state since this administration took office," Murkowski said. "Today we can look forward to both a permanent fund and a permanent economy."  

Murkowski plans to deliver a State of the Budget Address to the Legislature on Thursday detailing the state's Fiscal Year 2007 priorities. Among the priorities highlighted Tuesday are another significant increase in K-12 funding, a balanced transportation agenda that includes Knik Arm and Gravina bridges and significant spending on road construction projects elsewhere in the state, and a rebalancing of the state's antiquated oil tax system. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Alaska: Names of Alaska Guardsmen Killed in Iraq Released; Governor Orders Flags Lowered for Guardsmen - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski ordered Alaska State flags to half-staff Tuesday in honor of the four Alaska Army National Guard soldiers who died in Iraq Sunday.

The Department of Defense on Tuesday released the names of the four Alaska National Guard soldiers who died when their UH-60L Blackhawk helicopter crashed in Iraq Sunday.

The Alaskan Guard members among the deceased soldiers, include: First Lieutenant Jaime Lynn Campbell of Fairbanks, Chief Warrant Officer Chester William Troxel of Anchorage, Specialist Michael Ignatius Edwards of Anchorage and Specialist Jacob Eugene Melson of Wasilla.

"This marks the first time since World War II that members of our Alaska National Guard perished in a theater of combat," said Murkowski. "We are deeply saddened by their deaths and express our sincere condolences to their families and friends. At this time of great sadness, we honor their commitment to Alaska, to their country and to freedom and democracy around the world." - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Alaska: Stevens vows to continue ANWR fight By RICHARD MAUER - Sen. Ted Stevens, in Anchorage for the congressional recess, blamed a coordinated campaign of environmental and taxpayer groups for the recent burst of criticism and ridicule directed against him and Alaska over the "bridges to nowhere" and his tactics for promoting oil drilling in the Arctic.

"Why would I take personal responsibility for that?" he told reporters at a 70-minute news conference Monday, rejecting any share of the blame for the relentless attacks. His measures, he said, were "the target for that extreme taxpayer's union on the one hand and the environmentalists on the other."

The last two months were particularly rough for Stevens in Washington. After threatening to resign if the huge bridge projects across Knik Arm and in Ketchikan were stripped from the federal budget to pay for hurricane relief in Louisiana, he was forced to accept the removal of the bridge earmarks in the federal transportation bill, though the money - more than $450 million - remained.

An even larger issue for Stevens went down in flames in December. For a generation, Stevens has been trying to open the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. A year ago, he said the effort had left him depressed. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Settlers Cove File Photo by Lance Mertz ©2005

Ketchikan: 207-Acre Addition to Settlers Cove State Park Announced - The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Alaska Department of Transportation and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, announced today the addition of a 207-acre tract to Settlers Cove State Park in Ketchikan, Alaska. 
 
Located along Lunch Creek at the north end of the North Tongass Highway, the property was purchased from the University of Alaska.  Funding for the purchase was provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation as mitigation for wetlands impacts associated with taxiway construction at the Ketchikan Airport.

Acquisition of this 207-acre tract enhances the state park system by providing increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and by protecting an area of significant natural, scientific and educational value.  Prior to the addition of the Lunch Creek tract, Settlers Cove State Park consisted of 76 acres in a narrow band of ocean frontage. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters On World Government By Josep Ll. Ortega - Wednesday AM More on the Wiretapping Controversy By Theresa Cullen - Wednesday AM PLEASE Donate Alaska Airline Mileage or Tickets By Nyna Fleury - Tuesday PM Where Do You Live? By Jerry Cegelske - Monday Response To "World Government" By Bob Caldwell - Monday More Email, Less Postage By Marie Monyak - Monday RE: Wiretapping Controversy By Robert Freedland - Monday A letter to My Daughter's Birthmother By John Wall - Monday Why children from our country aren't being adopted... By Ellen Rardin - Monday In the dark of the night! By Al Johnson - Sunday Owl Photo By Dave Person - Sunday RE: Write-in Sally Chapin By Samuel Bergeron - Sunday Please write-in Bill Thomas Sr. for KIC President By Bill Thomas Sr. - Sunday Harriet Hunt Lake Trash -- Pick It Up By Doug Barry - Sunday Response to "Wiretapping Controversy" By Mark Neckameyer - Sunday Reponse to Notification of Subsistence Survey By Dave Person - Sunday Subsistence Usage Study By Cheryl Haven - Saturday PM Wiretapping controversy By Robert Freedland - Saturday PM WRITE IN SALLY CHAPIN FOR KIC TRIBAL COUNCIL By Sally R. Chapin - Saturday PM Violating what privacy? By Virginia E. Atkinson - Saturday PM Happy New Year By Robert McRoberts - Saturday PM Pick it up By Nick Tucker - Saturday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan January 11, 2006, 6:00 pm - The Ketchikan School Board will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. Agenda January 19, 2005 - 7:00 pm - Recreation Plan Public Meeting at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, 50 Main Street. The meeting will be held in the Learning Center and people should go around to the back of the building to enter. The contact person for the Ketchikan meeting is Karen Brand at 228-4108. Saturday, January 21, 2006, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Public Hearing - Petition by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough for Legislative Review - annexation of approximately 4,701 square miles to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. City Council Chambers, 334 Front Street, Ketchikan, AK Summary & Annexation Petition & Exhibits Today's Forecast Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 01/04/06 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements January 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 r 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31         Front Page Archives

Ketchikan: 'Nowhere' label was winner for foe of Alaska bridge By LIZ RUSKIN - Maybe Alaska's "bridge to nowhere" wouldn't have become a national laughingstock, maybe Congress wouldn't have yanked its funding, if Keith Ashdown hadn't selected a catchy name and campaigned for its undoing.

Ashdown, spokesman for Taxpayers for Common Sense, was scouting for a wasteful government project his Washington-based group could shame with its 2002 "Golden Fleece Award" when an Alaska environmentalist told him of a proposed bridge, a very big bridge, in a small town called Ketchikan. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

National: Senators grill Alito about abortion, presidential power By MARA LEE - Judge Samuel Alito testified Tuesday that if he were confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, he would ignore his personal feelings about Roe vs. Wade and make decisions according to the law.

Tuesday was the first day senators questioned Alito during his nomination hearings, expected to last all week. The two hottest topics of the day were abortion and presidential power. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

National: New immigration cop criticized as inexperienced By LISA HOFFMAN - The swearing-in Monday of Julie Myers as head of a massive agency in the front lines of the fight against terrorists and illegal immigrants came amid criticism that she is too inexperienced for the job.

Myers, 36, took the reins of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau after her June nomination by the White House stalled on Capitol Hill. That prompted President Bush last week to make her a "recess appointment," which does not require Senate confirmation. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

National: Proving congressional bribery a tough nut to crack By MICHAEL DOYLE - Law-breaking lobbyist Jack Abramoff may be furiously singing to the feds, but prosecutors still face high hurdles in pursuing his former congressional allies.

Bribery and illegal gift cases can be elusive, in part because of a precedent incited by a band of politically ambitious California fruit-and-nut growers. That precedent, involving the cooperative once known as Sun-Diamond Growers of California, shadows the rapidly unfolding Abramoff investigation. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

National: Chest physicians offer new guidelines on treating cough By LEE BOWMAN - If you've got a cough from a cold or runny nose, the newest expert advice is not to waste time and money on over-the-counter cough remedies.

Instead, new guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians suggest that sufferers put their pennies toward a simple antihistamine that usually works to cut off the cough at the source - the upper respiratory system. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

National: Rise and shine? That's not quite how it works, study says By LEE BOWMAN - That trouble getting going in the morning isn't caused by just laziness. The inertia we feel after waking from a dead sleep is both real and enduring, according to a new study by scientists.

They found that people awakening after eight hours of sleep have more impaired thinking and memory skills than someone kept awake for 24 hours - equivalent to being drunk. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Technology: Online dating discovers a new age By NATE GUIDRY - Barbara Stumpf was convinced she wasn't going to meet anyone.

At 65 and divorced for 18 years, she was resigned to spending the rest of her life alone.

Then she saw an advertisement for an Internet dating service - eHarmony - on television. A few days later, she heard another eHarmony spot on the radio. - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006

Ketchikan: The Arts This Week - This week in Ketchikan...Singer, songwriter Lucy Kaplansky will bring her lovely and commanding vocal performance to the Kayhi Stage, Friday, January 13th at 7:30pm. Her unique blend of rock, folk, country and pop music will captivate audiences of all ages. Tickets on sale at TBC, Soho Coho, McPherson Music, Madison Hardware and the arts council or by phone at 225-2211.

Friday Night Insight Programs at the SE Alaska Discovery Center: Every Friday night, 7 - 8pm. January 13th Program: "Ketchikan Ladies Trails Association Adventure: Exploring the Stikine River and Beyond" presented by Sher Schwartz.

An Evening with Anne Philips and Matt Perri at The Other Place in the New York Hotel. Enjoy wine tasting, catered hors d'oeuvres and delightful music on Saturday, January 14th at 7:30pm. $25 per person, tickets available at First City Players, Bar Harbor Restaurant, and The Other Place. Seating is limited so don't wait to get your tickets and enjoy an intimate encounter with a charming pair of New York City cabaret performers.

Sweet Second Saturdays dance and dessert, Saturday, January 14th, at the Crow's Nest. $5 at the door, no experience necessary, live caller and instruction provided, music starts at 7pm.

Call for Artists for the 2005 Wearable Art Show! Amazingly enough it is time to start thinking about your wearable pieces and get ready to fill out that paper work. The next registration deadline is January 20th for artists under 18, and January 27th for regular registration. Call 225-2211 for more information or stop by 716 Totem Way to register. - - More...
Wednesday AM - January 11, 2006