2011 Sam Pitcher Scholarship Recipients Announced
Left to Right: Katie Powers, Abigail Sweetman, Thomas Varela, Jillianne Fazakerley, and Treva Widness.

Ketchikan: 2011 Sam Pitcher Scholarship Recipients Announced - Five Ketchikan students have been selected to receive 2011 Sam Pitcher Music Scholarships. The students are 7th grader Katie Powers, daughter of Karl and Julie Powers, 8th grader Thomas Varela, son of Gilbert and Kathleen Varela, 9th graders Jillianne Fazakerley, daughter of Glen and Elizabeth Fazakerley, Abigail Sweetman, daughter of David and Marggie Sweetman, and Treva Widness, daughter of Bob and Ann Widness. The scholarships are for $500 each awarded on the basis of merit, goals and musicianship. All recipients plan to attend the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.

Katie Powers has studied flute, piano, and saxophone. Katie wants to improve on these instruments and continue playing all three throughout high school.

Thomas Varela plays the French horn and sings. He is also involved in tap and jazz dance. Thomas enjoys performing in concerts and theater. He hopes to work professionally in the arts as an adult. - More...
Tuesday PM - January 25, 2011

Alaska: “Ain’t gonna happen” says Begich of Anti-ANWR Legislation - - Today legislation to protect the coastal plains region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil and gas exploration and drilling was introduced by U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). The bill will designate 1.5 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Wilderness for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. As designated Wilderness, the land would become subject to specific management restrictions: human activities would be restricted to non-motorized recreation, scientific research, and other non-invasive activities.

In response to the legislation, Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) said, “Ain’t gonna happen."

Sen. Begich has been a staunch supporter of responsible oil and gas development in Alaska, noting Congress specifically set aside the 1.5 million acres along ANWR’s coastal plain for oil and gas exploration. The vast majority of ANWR is already off limits to development.

Begich also joined the rest of the Alaska Delegation last year in voicing strong opposition to an effort by the Obama Administration to review and consider designating further areas of ANWR as “wilderness.”

In announcing the legislation, Lieberman said, “I have long believed that we have a responsibility to future generations to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and I have fought to protect it for as long as I have been in the Senate,” Lieberman said. “The fact is, we do not have to choose between conservation and exploration when it comes to our energy future; we can do both simultaneously while moving toward a sustainable and diverse national energy policy.” - More...
Tuesday PM - January 25, 2011

Ketchikan: Public Evaluation Board Meets to Score 2012-2015 STIP Nominations - The Project Evaluation Board will meet to score the 2012-2015 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program nominations in Juneau at the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities' headquarters building located at 3132 Channel Drive in Room 140 on February 8-10, 2011.

Each region in Alaska has received several project nominations and has scored them using the updated criteria for the 2012-2015 STIP. Of the top scoring Community Transportation Program (CTP) projects, Central and Northern Regions will bring a maximum of 20 projects each, and Southeast will bring a maximum of 10. If the project falls below a minimum score of 278, they will be reviewed by the PEB only as time allows.

Ketchikan has several projects listed among the Community Transportation Program (CTP) Nominations for 2010-2015 STIP. - More...
Tuesday PM - January 25, 2011

Ketchikan: BOARD OF FORESTRY MEETING AND TELECONFERENCE - The Board of Forestry will meet by teleconference on Monday, January 31, 2011 from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. The agenda will include reports and discussion on 2011 legislation regarding: Additions to the Southeast State Forest; Public safety and the Forest Resources & Practices Act (HB 91); Invasive species council and coordination; Other forestry matters may be included on the agenda. The meeting is intended to comply with the requirements of AS 41.17.047(b) and (d).

There will be an opportunity for public comment at 1:10 p.m. Public teleconference sites will be available at the following locations:

Ketchikan: Division of Forestry office, 2417 Tongass Avenue, Suite 213, Ketchikan, Alaska

Juneau: Dept. of Natural Resources 4th floor conference room, 400 Willoughby Avenue - More...
Tuesday PM - January 25, 2011

Alaska: Alcohol & Drug Abuse Relates to Elevated Fire Deaths – Fire statistics gathered in Alaska for the last five years show that fire fatalities occurring in January were mainly caused by careless smoking. Almost 75% of these fires showed that alcohol or drug use was a contributing factor.

All evidence points to the fact that people who abuse alcohol and other drugs are a growing high-risk fire group. Alcohol-impaired fire fatalities exhibit an age pattern that is quite the opposite of other fire fatality patterns in that the very young and old are not the higher risk. It is also noted that smoking combined with alcohol use, creates an even greater risk for fire injuries and fatalities. Studies have shown that more than half of all alcohol-impaired fire deaths were the result of fires caused by careless smoking. The United States Fire Administration reports that smokers consume more alcohol than do non-smokers, heavy drinking tends to be associated with heavy smoking, and a large majority of alcoholics are smokers. - More...
Tuesday PM - January 25, 2011

Columns - Commentary

DAVE KIFFER: The Three Day Snow!!! - Once upon a time we didn’t worry much about upcoming weather.

Sure, we would get a little concerned it the skies darkened when we were traveling on the water and we certainly looked askance at rising winds if we had a plane flight coming up but in general the weather just sort of happened and we dealt with it.

We used to always kind of chuckle when we saw TV news reports of hurricanes down south and all the folks running around nailing up plywood and stripping the grocery store shelves bare of necessities.

Sure, we had storms. We had occasional blizzards, random hurricanes, torrential downpours that would have drowned half the Lower 48. But there wasn’t much point in getting ready for them because we didn’t usually know what was coming.

That, of course, has changed in the information era where you can’t click on a computer or turn on the TV without getting a massive injection of “storm warning.”

And so it was the case a couple of weeks ago when Ketchikan residents prepared for the “storm of the century” to bury us in somewhere around three feet of snow. - More...
Monday PM - January 24, 2011

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