Ketchikan: Skinner Sales and Service Celebrates Grand Opening; Skinners recognized for contributions to community - Driving past 4950 North Tongass Avenue this past Friday evening, seeing flags and balloons, residents would have thought there was a party going on at the Chevrolet, Buick, Subaru Dealership, and they would have been right.

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

What was Lewis Chevrolet is now Skinner Sales and Service and Friday was the official ribbon cutting and grand opening. But it was more than just a ribbon cutting and celebration; it was a tribute to the man and woman that have extended their unselfish generosity to a grateful community.

New owners, Rob and Kimberly Skinner, welcomed the community to their dealership with live entertainment, hors d'oeuvres, refreshments and the traditional cake, expertly decorated with the Skinner Sales and Service logo; three S's in the classic monogram style that is rapidly becoming familiar in Ketchikan and the surrounding areas.

After the initial social hour, Rob Skinner, with the support of Ketchikan City Mayor Bob Weinstein and Chamber President Joe Johnston, cut the ribbon signifying the official opening of Skinner Sales and Service. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Southeast Alaska: Southeast Communities Look at Borough Formation - On Thursday, March 30, mayors and community leaders from six city governments gathered in Juneau for a historic meeting to discuss the prospects of forming an expansive borough government covering a large portion of Southeast Alaska. Sponsored by the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, community officials shared information and ideas regarding borough government and the potential benefits a borough government would bring to the communities and residents within the region.

Topics of discussion included a comparison of the unorganized borough and organized boroughs; pros and cons of borough formation; organized borough powers; and the process for borough formation.

Forming a regional government and making use of the resources and economies of scale, currently not available to the communities individually, could significantly enhance the financial capacity and service delivery for the area. The proposed new borough would likely be eligible for more than the individual cities in federal timber receipts. Additionally, a borough could collect taxes on industry in the area that individual communities could not. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Saxman: Organized Village of Saxman Announces Tribal Council Election - The Organized Village of Saxman will conduct their annual Tribal Council election on Thursday, April 20, 2006. In Saxman there are two forms of government one is the City of Saxman which serves as the municipal government and the other is the Organized Village of Saxman which serves as the Tribal government. The City of Saxman is governed by the Saxman City Council and the Tribal Government is governed by the Saxman IRA Council.

On April 20, 2006 the election for the Saxman Tribal Council will be held. There are two Council positions for a term of one-year, three Council positions for a term of two-years and one position for Council President for a term of one year. Polls will be open starting at noon until 8:00 PM at Saxman City Hall, 2706 South Tongass Highway on Thursday, April 20th.

Outgoing Council Members are Denise James , Nora DeWitt, Ginger Fox, Melvin Charles and President Lee Wallace. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Golden king crab (Lithodes aequispina), such as these, were observed in abundant numbers at the upper elevations (generally above 500 meters) of the Patton Seamount in the Gulf of Alaska during the 1999 Patton seamount expedition. Most of the adults were observed on rocky substrates, and grasping pairs were seen on several submersible dives. Photo courtesy National Marine Fisheries

Fish Factor: World's foremost crab scientists share home grown crab findings By LAINE WELCH - People are already growing crops of king crab in several countries around the world. But tracking how well the home grown crabs might survive in the wild remains one of the biggest mysteries. That was just one of the fascinating findings shared by the world's foremost crab scientists future at a first of its kind gathering two weeks ago in Kodiak.

In Japan, for example, researchers ten years ago produced half a million king crab larvae in large hatchery vats. The small crabs were eventually placed in bags in the ocean to harden and after several months, they were released into the ocean. But no follow up was done, so nothing is known about their survival.

Russian researcher Nina Kovacheva of Moscow has developed a closed recirculation system for king crab that has yielded a 35 percent survival rate through the first stage of development. Her team is now raising 2,000 juvenile crabs in a 1,500 square meter pen on the sea floor (about half the size of a football field). The Russian scientists are also using a system of 42 floating tanks, each holding about 40 pounds of king crab. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters "Taxes are bad" ads by Big Oil By Samuel Bergeron - Monday PM Sex Offender Bill Reflects Alaska's Values by Senator Con Bunde & Senator Gretchen Guess - Monday PM Benefit Dinner For Jessie Chapman By Pat Chapman - Monday PM North Tongass Community Club By Tony Yeisley - Monday PM Dead lefties? By George Miller - Monday PM Thank you Ketchikan By GAYLOR SMITH-HORTON - Monday PM Vehicle registration By Jerry Cegelske - Monday PM Was war with Iraq our nation's only course?  By Sam Osborne - Monday PM Service to our country; It's now your generation's challenge By Mike Harpold- Sunday Move the Capital or save a life? By David Hull - Sunday Support bond with YES vote on April 11 By Mike Dooley- Sunday Ketchikan, an adventure of a lifetime By Vicki O'Brien - Sunday Re: Time for a draft By Ken Lewis - Sunday DEAD LEFTIES By David G. Hanger - Sunday Troubled Youth By Ericka Heard-Rabon - Sunday Alternate energy source needed By Karl Themann - Sunday Support bond with YES vote on April 11 By Zig Ziegler - Saturday AM Time Right to Move Legislature? By Mike Moyer - Friday PM Democrat majority in 06? By Mike Isaac - Friday PM RE: Tom Proebsting/Katrina By Neil Gray - Friday PM RE: Some Just Don't Get It By Robert McKinstry - Friday PM Child abuse: Weak reply By A.M. Johnson - Friday PM Regarding the Moose lodge permit, and tax collections... By Ty Rettke - Friday PM RE: MARIJUANA LAWS By David G. Hanger - Friday PM Ketchikan has a reputation for being very friendly By Marie L. Monyak - Friday PM Not to worry... By Charlotte Tanner - Friday PM War on Drugs/War on Terrorism. By Virginia E. Atkinson - Friday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan April 3, 2006, 5:00 pm - Borough Assembly Special/Regular Meeting - City Council Chambers Agenda - Information Packet April 6, 2006, 7:00 pm - City Council Meeting - City Council Chambers Agenda & Information Packet April 11, 2006 Special Election Port of Ketchikan Improvements Project - Detailed Project Description; Ask A Question, Get an Answer; Special Election Information; and much more... April 13, 2006 at 5:30 - Democratic caucus for those interested in developing a local platform and organizing the local democratic party - IBEW building on Stedman, contact Micheal Hyre 617-0238 for information. March Calendar Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 04/03/06 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements April 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S 26 27 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 29 30 31            Front Page Archives

Dave Kiffer: A 'Token' for Your Thoughts! - When my older brothers vacated the old family homestead on First and Jefferson, they left a lot of fun stuff in the attic for me to discover.

There were old baseball cards, parts of model trains, bits and pieces of radio controlled planes, even old deer antlers and carved gun stocks. Just your average childhood debris.

They also left a couple of 1950s era "men's' magazines, but that's another column.

The one item that most captured my attention (besides the 1964 Gibson electric guitar and amp of course) was an odd little "coin" like nothing I had ever seen. On one side it read "Stedman Hotel Co. Ketchikan, Alaska."

On the other side it read "Good for 12 1/2 Cents in Trade."

By the time I grew up the grand old Stedman Hotel was long gone (it's the corner of Dock and Front Street, somewhere under that lovely, brown metal siding). It had this great old octagonal cupola and was often featured in post cards during Ketchikan's first half century.

Even in the 1960s and early 1970s, I realized that 12 cents wouldn't go very far towards hotel costs. And what's up with the 12 1/2 cents? It wasn't like half pennies were used at any time during Ketchikan's history (even our half cent sales taxes always seem to get rounded up!). - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Preston MacDougall:  Chemical Eye on Xenophiles - Compared to "The New Colossus", which is Emma Lazarus's sonnet to the Statue of Liberty, and is engraved at the base of this gift from the people of France in honor of our centennial, the immigration reform bill currently being hammered out in Congress is bound to be a shoddy piece of work.

For one thing, it completely ignores 15,000 "undocumented workers" crossing our border every day - from Canada. Currently, Canadians only require a birth certificate and/or a driver's license from their home province to gain entry into the US - documents that I am sure many Mexican migrant workers could also produce.

Like the "undocumented workers" crossing our other border, Canadians contribute enormously to our economy, and to our quality of life. If agents from the INS were to do a document sweep during the first intermission of a NHL hockey game in Nashville, I doubt that the skill and tempo would drop with the puck in the second period. That's why professional athletes have their own agents.

However, if the INS agents were to do a document sweep of all the honky-tonks in Nashville, I wouldn't be surprised if their dragnet snared a few crooners from Calgary, or fiddlers from Fredericton. They may have entered the US legally, but without additional documents their gifted performances may be illegal.

As the title of this commentary suggests, it is not primarily about the xenophobes among us, but the xenophiles. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006

Dick Morris: How The GOP Can Survive The Immigration Debate - The immigration bill pending in Congress poses as crucial a test for GOP efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters as the 1964 Civil Rights Act did in determining the future partisan preferences of America's African-Americans.

In 1964, the Republican Party, led by Barry Goldwater, was painted as sacrificing the interests of civil rights to its goal of attracting Southern support, although Republicans backed the bill in far greater numbers than Democrats did. But when Goldwater ran for president rejecting civil rights legislation, it doomed GOP chances among black voters for at least the next 40 years.

Will the Republican need to appease its anti-immigration base similarly vitiate President Bush's efforts to appeal to Hispanic voters? - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006  

Bob Ciminel: Don't Mess with Texas - I visited the charming town of Bay City, Texas earlier last month. Located on the eastern shore of the Colorado River, about 45 minutes southwest of Houston, Bay City is noted for its beautiful horses and fast women.

While ensconced in a ground floor room next to the elevator at the world renowned Holiday Inn Express on State Route 60, I was bitten on the right ear lobe by some denizen of the night. I suspect it was of the eight-legged variety. Other than an irritating itch, it was a non-event. Until two days later, that is.

I was bitten on a Thursday night; by Saturday morning my right ear lobe was about three times larger than the left and the lymph nodes on the right side of my face were swollen. The wife and I were on our way to the North Georgia Mountains to celebrate our 35th anniversary, but I made a detour to the local emergency room as we arrived at our destination.

The nurse who took down my information - they call it triage - never looked at my ear, and spent the entire time with her back turned toward me typing into a computer. Her comment that this was all new to her - the computer, I hoped - didn't raise my confidence. As things turned out, I was right to be concerned. - More...
Monday - April 03, 2006