Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

Ketchikan: Ketchikan man makes emergency landing on Oregon freeway - A 34-year Oregon State Police veteran thought he had seen it all until he saw an amphibian-style airplane in his rearview mirror after it made an emergency landing Sunday morning on Interstate 84 about fifteen miles east of Baker City due to poor weather conditions. The plane was able to take off about three hours later with the assistance of Oregon State Police troopers and Oregon Department of Transportation personnel.

According to an Oregon State Police news release, on February 25, 2007 at approximately 10:50 a.m., Senior Trooper Robert Hereau was stopped on Interstate 84 eastbound near milepost 320 at the scene of a non-injury traffic crash when he heard a loud noise. According to Sergeant Darin Helman, the senior trooper looked in his rearview mirror and saw an airplane taxiing on the eastbound lanes coming up behind the patrol car.

Senior Trooper Hereau allowed the 1952 DeHavilland DHC-2Mark1 "Beaver" amphibian plane go past the patrol car and continue eastbound until it found a wide area on the side of the freeway to pull off to allow other traffic to be able to pass the plane which has about a 48-foot wingspan. Senior Trooper Hereau followed the plane up to the point where it was able to stop and contacted the two occupants. - More...
Tuesday - February 27, 2007

Alaska: Scandals leave lawmakers wary of lobbyists By SABRA AYRES - Lawmakers in Juneau say there was a time not long ago when a cocktail party sponsored by Veco executives in a Baranof Hotel suite would have seen oil executives and lobbyists cozying up to state lawmakers and staffers.

But such a scenario was before the FBI raided six legislators' offices last year. It was before a House member was indicted on charges of bribery, conspiracy and extortion, and before talk in the Capitol turned to ethics reform and clean government.

This year, lawmakers said, Veco executives haven't been around either the halls of the Capitol or the hotel bars frequented by the lawmakers who rent rooms upstairs during the session.

When the FBI searched legislative offices last August, search warrants show they were targeting material linked to interactions with Veco chairman Bill Allen, among other documents.

None of the lawmakers' whose offices were searched or any Veco executives have been charged. In December, then-Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Anchorage, was indicted on charges of bribery, extortion and money laundering. But the two actions have not been linked by the FBI's continued investigation into government corruption in Alaska.

One lobbyist is registered to work for Veco this year, compared with three last year, according to the state's Public Offices Commission. - More...
Tuesday - February 27, 2007

Alaska: Proposal would make truants' lives a little less fun By KATIE PESZNECKER - Kids who habitually skip classes and miss days of school could face juvenile detention or be sent to foster care if their parents are found negligent, under a bill sponsored by state Sen. Con Bunde.

Bunde said he crafted Senate Bill 31, which will be considered during the current legislative session, to help school districts whose superintendents for years have said truancy is a major problem. When kids miss too much school, it's hard to get them caught up in classes.

Also some adults complain that juveniles are roaming around during the school day. And that, they say, is never a good idea: Not only can they get into trouble but, in today's climate, they're vulnerable to gang recruitment and all the dangers that go along with it.

"I'm sure the liberals will say, 'No, this is unfair,' " said Bunde, an Anchorage Republican. "And maybe the ultra-conservatives will say, 'This is going to cost so much.' But the ultra-conservatives are still throwing money away on bridges to nowhere. Maybe this is money better spent." - More...
Tuesday - February 27, 2007

National: Aside from the troop surge, what's next for Iraq? By CAROLYN LOCHHEAD - While Democrats on Capitol Hill are denouncing President Bush for sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq, both parties are skirting the question of what comes next.

By the administration's own description, the troop surge is temporary. Yet with a handful of exceptions, few politicians are discussing an endgame, even as national security experts warn that Washington must begin laying the diplomatic and military groundwork for the next phase if U.S. options narrow.

Much of the congressional debate has consisted of maneuvering to blame the other party for losing Iraq.

House Democrats passed a nonbinding resolution opposing but not stopping the troop increase. Republicans blocked the resolution in the Senate, blaming Democrats for undermining the troops and emboldening the enemy. - More...
Tuesday - February 27, 2007

National: Sweeping legislation targets tobacco By BARBARA BARRETT - R.J. Reynolds' new Camel No. 9s arrived this month in a black package trimmed in fuchsia, the slim cigarettes stamped with a tiny pink dromedary. The No. 9s are, according to the floral advertising, "light and luscious," and full-size packs are handed out free to women at bars.

"They're cute," said Samantha Brown, a 20-year-old North Carolina State University junior. "And they're lighter. They are. It's like smoking air."

But the marketing of the brand - along with other tobacco products - would change under a bill in the U.S. Senate's health committee. Ads in young people's magazines would be stark. Gone would be the colorful posters at convenience stores. And the cigarettes couldn't be offered in free sample packs of fewer than 20.

There would be no "light" cigarettes, like the No. 9. - More...
Tuesday - February 27, 2007

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Basic Rules The Forest Service's TLMP revision By Stephen Todd - Wednesday AM The only bridge Ketchikan needs... By Michael Spence - Wednesday AM Our Forgotten Heroes By Ralph Mirsky - Wednesday AM "Bridge to Nowhere" By Robert D. Warner - Wednesday AM Government with wrong priorities for Gravina Island By Amy Kay Snider - Tuesday PM Open Letter to Assembly & City Council By David G. Hanger - Tuesday PM Eyes on Gravina By Roberta McCreary - Tuesday PM Heroic Last Gift By David J. Undis - Tuesday PM Litter By Janelle Hamilton - Tuesday PM Academy Awards By Mark Neckameyer - Tuesday PM Encourage a Round Log Export Ban By Larry Jackson - Sunday AM Soccer at the Ketchikan Rec Center By Tony Gwynn - Sunday AM All Eyes on Gravina By Gregory Vickrey - Sunday AM PALIN ECONOMIC POTENTIAL APPRECIATION By Pete Ellis - Sunday AM Promotional Flyers By Bobbie McCreary - Sunday AM Gravina Access Highway and Bostwick Road: Immoral, Illegal, Unchecked By Jessie Ballowe - Sunday AM "Thanks" By Jerry Cegelske - Sunday AM Gravina Island By Stephanie Patton - Sunday AM June Allen By Chris Elliott - Sunday AM Palmer, AK By Lynn Dockendorf - Sunday AM What is Victory in Iraq? By Mark S. Beatty - Sunday AM The Stedman By Al Johnson - Friday AM Legislators' Salaries By Rick Krueger - Friday AM Ketchikan Bridge Project: Open Letter to the Governor By Robert Warner - Friday AM The Stedman Hotel... By Pamela (Stevens) Dunn - Thursday AM Gravina Project: Open Letter to Governor Palin By David Beebe - Thursday AM Stop the Road Building on Gravina By P. J. Travis - Thursday AM Out Of Site Out Of Mind By Ken Levy - Thursday AM Ban Nicotine Nationwide By Chris Elliott - Thursday AM Keep public facilities open and affordable By Bill Thomas Sr. - Wednesday AM Road Conditions By Dave Hanger - Tuesday PM Open Letter To Governor Palin regarding the Gravina Access Highway By Heather Hollowell - Tuesday PM Re: Novel litter idea By Karen Ramsey - Tuesday PM Youth Indoor Soccer League By Phil Doherty - Tuesday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Ketchikan Ketchikan Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Today's Forecast Satellite Today's Weather Images Marine Forecasts Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map Meetings The Ketchikan School Board will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at 6:00 pm. Download the Agenda (pdf) CLASSIFIEDS Auto-post your ad in the proper category, or email your ad & photos to ads@sitnews.us  CLASSIFIEDS' CATEGORIES Announcements For Sale / Free Stuff Garage Sales Homes / Apts/ Property Pets Wanted Lost & Found Local Services February 2007 S M T W T F S 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28       More Front Page Archives

Jason Love: Spin Class - When I arrive at the gym, I feel satisfied with the achievement. That was the deal, right? Go to the gym. Any work I do after that point is pretty much gravy.

Mmm. Gravy.

You can always tell the regulars from those of us undoing 10 years of beer and pizza. The square-headed men grow so big that they can't even bend their own elbows.

"Hey, Bob. Do me a favor -- scratch this itch on my chin."

The ladies spend more time with the Stairmasters. If I owned a gym, I would just build it on top of a really steep hill, and by the time people reached the door from the parking lot below, their workout would be over. Think of the savings!

Recently, I followed a flock of women into spin class, which I had always avoided for two reasons: 1. questions have already been raised about my masculinity, and 2. it seemed tedious as all get-outa-here. I mean, maybe if they were performing some function like churning butter or generating electricity...

Being a macho manly man, I decided to try anyway. This was, after all, the same activity that I mastered at age six on my Big Wheel.

The regulars were all smiles, helping me with the knobs. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. One woman was indecently thin, as in management might intervene.

"We're sorry, Kitty, but you've become entirely too skinny. We're going to have to cut you off."

I want a thin physique, just not as much as I want desert. Had I been Gandhi, I would have tried a different tack altogether -- to eat and eat until the British moved out or I finally exploded. - More...
Sunday AM - February 25, 2007

Preston McDougall: Chemical Eye on Lincoln Blogs - If money really could talk, I presume one of the first things it would say is "What does E Pluribus Unum mean? After all, Latin was a "dead language" long before anybody started whispering their heart's desires to amphibious pennies.

To a pocket translator, it means "From many, one." But what does it mean to you? Or, to get to the point, what does it mean to us?

Every great President has forged this motto into a timeless message that best served the needs of the country at the time. JFK did it in a grammatically awkward way, when he memorably prepositioned his message with "Ask not what".

For my money, though, Lincoln's second inaugural address echoes most loudly during this time of national division and international strife. You know the best part of it - by heart - even if you haven't seen it carved in marble on the North wall of the Lincoln Memorial. I'll bet a Franklin that most Americans would give me back a "with charity for all" if I gave them a "With malice toward none".

Just before Presidents' Day this year, I was visiting the Lincoln Memorial while the U.S. House of Representatives was debating the Iraq war. Coincidentally, the last time I had visited Lincoln was also around Presidents' Day, but back in 2002 and with my two sons. - More...
Sunday AM - February 25, 2007

Bob Ciminel: Give Me That Old Time Religion - Please! - A couple of weeks ago I attended a christening at a Presbyterian church near downtown Atlanta. From the size of its parking lot, this church had a large congregation. Of course size is relative, and this house of worship was small compared to the Southern Baptist church out where I live. It has a parking lot that would put some shopping malls to shame.

I would say the congregation was young to middle-aged, with a really good mix of ethnicities and nationalities, and that usually means it is a vibrant church with lots of kids. As with size, the term middle-age is also relative. I, for example, am in my early Sixties, but I plan on living until I'm 120 so that makes me middle-aged, right?

They say that first impressions are lasting impressions, so when I walked into the church foyer I was impressed with its modern appearance and the friendliness of the people who greeted us. So far, so good; everything correlated with my expectations for a Presbyterian church in a large metropolitan area. However, things kind of went downhill from there.

When I entered the sanctuary I expected to see the traditional cross hanging over an altar and a seating area for the choir with a pipe organ or piano nearby. That seems to be fairly standard for most Protestant churches, although as an ex-Catholic I prefer an arrangement with the choir and organ in the back of the church. After all, we are supposed to go to church to commune with God, not watch a show. - More...
Sunday AM - February 25, 2007