Ketchikan: Holy Name Catholic School Dedicates New Playground By MARIE L. MONYAK - It was wet and windy Wednesday for the ribbon cutting and dedication of the new playground at Holy Name Catholic School. As the weekly school Mass let out, the Holy Name school children filed into the covered patio area to await Father Pat Travers who would be offering a prayer and blessing the new playground and equipment before cutting the traditional ribbon.

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Barely able to contain their excitement, the children stood patiently and quietly while Father Travers read from the First Letter to the Corinthians, 9:24. The Pastor proceeded to bless the new playground as the children from Preschool through sixth grade stood ready to charge. Monsoons could not have held the children back as Father Travers cut the ceremonial ribbon signaling the opening of the colorful and modern playground. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

National: NOAA climate-study projects hurt by federal earmarking By TODD NEFF - A 50 percent budget cut is delaying upgrades for supercomputers for modeling hurricanes and improving storm prediction.

An effort to understand how much of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide the United States generates is limping along because of a 30 percent cut.

The sole U.S. civilian laboratory dedicated to monitoring and predicting solar storms, which can knock out communications satellites and trigger power blackouts, is running on 44 percent less money than in 2005. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Science - Technology: NASA thinks small for Mars trip By KEAY DAVIDSON - If American astronauts fly to Mars in the next few decades, they might be chaperoned by NASA's version of "thinking machines" - electronic brains that will run the spaceship largely without human aid and make lightning-fast decisions to guard the crew against danger.

These machines won't be lovable-looking, clankety-clank robots like Robbie in the 1956 film classic "Forbidden Planet" or his similar-looking, near-hysterical cousin ("Danger, Will Robinson!") in the 1960s TV show "Lost in Space."

Nor are the machines likely to look or sound like the red-eyed, suave-voiced Hal of the 1968 blockbuster "2001: A Space Odyssey." - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Health - Fitness: New insight into near-death experiences By LEE BOWMAN - People who have been through a near-death experience often have different arousal systems controlling their sleep and wakefulness than those who have not had a close call.

The study, published Tuesday in Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that people with near-death experiences are more likely to have a sleep-wake system where the boundaries between being asleep and being awake are less clearly regulated.

In particular, for many of them, the deep, rapid-eye-movement state of sleep often intrudes into times of wakeful consciousness. For instance, they wake up but feel they cannot move; just before falling asleep or just after waking up they hear sounds that no one else can hear; or they have sudden muscle weakness in their legs.

"These findings suggest that the REM state intrusion contributes to the near-death experience," said Dr. Kevin Nelson, a neurologist at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and lead author of the study. "People who have had a near-death experience may have an arousal system that predisposes them to REM intrusion."

Nelson and colleagues compared 55 people with near-death experiences with 55 people of the same age and gender who had not undergone such an episode. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Sourdough Stampede Sam Severin - First Place 5K Run Front Page Photo Courtesy of Bill Elberson

Ketchikan: Sourdough Stampede Results - The results of the Ketchikan Running Club's 2006 Sourdough Stampede were announced by Race Director: Bill Elberson.

This Annual KRC Fundraiser event took place Saturday and followed by a pancake breakfast served at the VFW. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Alaska: Iditarod musher slowly recovers from frozen eye By CRAIG MEDRED - Back home in Minnesota now, the eye that musher Paul Ellering froze in Alaska last month is slowly healing. The pain is gone, the vision apparently returning.

This week he was to try putting a contact lens in place for the first time in weeks. The last time he used a contact, he couldn't get it out.

"The lens froze to the eye," Ellering said.

He said this matter-of-factly over the telephone from his home. A retired professional wrestler, Ellering had to chuckle at the irony of spending his career in an occupation where participants sometimes stick their fingers in each other's eyes only to suffer his most serious eye injury in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race where nothing obvious happened. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Musings: The Soul Of Landscape Ketchikan artist James Mix stands next to his work called Olney's House on Pennock Front Page Photo by Marie L. Monyak

Ketchikan Arts: Musings: The Soul Of Landscape By MARIE L. MONYAK - "Musings: The Soul Of Landscape" is a soothing display of the works of Ketchikan artist James Mix. This past Friday was the opening reception for Mix at the Mainstay Gallery where guests were treated to this Renaissance mans interpretation of the nature that surrounds us daily.

Mixes' art is primarily executed by way of acrylic on canvas and many of his works show his lack of fear in using bold colors. Trees with Reeds is stunning in its simplicity and brightness. Using bold strokes, in a linear fashion, Mix relates a certain order in the subject matter.

In Mixes' biography provided by the gallery, it recorded six years of military service in the U.S. Army. When I asked Mix if he felt his military background influenced him in the orderliness of some of his works, he replied, "I think all of your life's experiences come in to play."

There's certainly been no lack of influence for Mix throughout his life. Having lived in northern California, Utah and Ketchikan, Mix has worked as a truck driver, coal miner and put in his time at the Ketchikan Pulp Mill. His military service included a tour in Vietnam in the mid sixties and a year stationed in Germany. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

FIRST CITY PLAYERS AND ActOUT'S "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY" A DELICIOUS TREAT Willy Wonka (played by Cody Dean) offers a guided tour of his magical chocolate factory. Front Page Photo by Carl Thompson As you read the article, View the Photo Gallery by Carl Thompson

Ketchikan Arts & Entertainment: FIRST CITY PLAYERS AND ActOUT'S "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY" A DELICIOUS TREAT By SHARON ALLEN - At 7:30 pm this past Friday and Saturday nights, First City Players and the ActOUT Youth Performance Company put on "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the Kayhi Auditorium. It is always a delicious treat to see the kids of Ketchikan on stage; however, this production was especially "scrumdidilyumptious." After all, who doesn't love the combination of chocolate, kids and fun?

Forty-four youngsters made up the cast which was directed by the gifted Elizabeth Nelson. John Gierard starred as the gentle Charlie Bucket, Cody Dean was the famous Willy Wonka and Jeanette Sweetman played the part of the informative Narrator. Adapted by Richard R. George, this sweet play was first published in 1990 and was based on the book of the same title by Roald Dahl.

Besides stirring George to dramatize the book, Dahl's work also inspired two films. You may remember the first of these best of all. Released in 1971, it starred Gene Wilder as the nutty chocolate mogul, Willy Wonka. The second more recent (and darker) version was directed by Tim Burton, written by John August and starred Johnny Depp. Two of Dahl's other titles "James and the Giant Peach" and "Matilda" have also been made into huge box office smashes. - More...
Monday - April 10, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Voting "Yes" gets our economy back on track and moving forward. By Tom LeCompte - Sunday PM Time to stand up for our children By Amy Schmitt - Sunday PM RE: Drugs-Freedom By Tori Jackson - Sunday PM Drugs-Responsibility By Catlin Rettke - Sunday PM Be positive and vote Yes! By Mike Holman - Friday PM Please vote YES on April 11th for the Port Improvement Bond. By Lance Moyer - Friday PM Vote YES on Port Improvement Bond By Chris Parks - Friday PM Drugs - Bondage By John Maki - Friday PM Clarification of facts regarding Mr. Warner's Bond Vote Letter By Chris Parks - Friday PM Immigration: Letter to Senator Murkowski By A. M. Johnson - Friday PM Discussion of Simple By Kevin Mackey - Friday PM Port Bond. Risk or investment? By Dennis Pope- Thursday The Draft- Another View By Jerry Cegelske- Thursday The courage to vote NO! By Robert D. Warner- Thursday Open letter to Klukwan Inc. Shareholders By Rob Sanderson Jr.- Thursday Drugs-Freedom By Catlin Rettke- Thursday A warning collects no fines. By Hunter Davis- Thursday Clarification with Senator Elton By A. M. Johnson - Thursday Thank you Senators and Representatives By Frances Natkong - Thursday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan April 10, 2006, Monday, beginning at 11:30 a.m The newly formed Board of Ethics for the Borough is holding an organizational meeting in the City Council Chambers. The public is invited to attend. 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 12, 2006, Wednesday, 6:00 PM - Ketchikan School Board Meeting - Ketchikan City Council Chambers Agenda 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 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: Suddenly Over the Hill - I had a weird experience in the aisles of Safeway recently.

Yes, I know that's not usual, but this was even more disconcerting than the normal, run-of-the-mill run ins with the usual wackos and miscreants that grocery shop after normal hours.

A couple of missionaries, female ones, flirted with me.

Okay, maybe they were just being really friendly.

I was in the cold remedy aisle, pondering just how it could be that a single medicine could cure both runny and stuffy noses.

Suddenly, I noticed a young woman was standing fairly close to me. In fact, she was staring over my shoulder and at the package I was holding in my hands. I looked up and she gave me a great big smile. I smiled back, she smiled back. I smiled. She smiled. I got nervous and dropped the cold medicine into my basket. - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006

Michael Reagan: The USA - Love It or Head South - There's a constant drone about the "Nation of Immigrants" America has always proudly claimed to be, but now it's being used as a slogan for those who believe we should accept absolutely anybody - even if they have absolutely no legal right to be here.

Yes, we are a nation of immigrants - all our ancestors came here from someplace else - but the difference is they all came here legally and came to be American citizens.

The illegals that come here for a job or for some other reason don't come to become American citizens.

In 1919 Theodore Roosevelt said it best: "In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American," Roosevelt said... - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006

John Hall: Finding the door knob in Iraq - U.S. casualty rates in Iraq leveled to about one a day in March - better than any month in two years.

But 14 died in the first three days of April. The sight of the smoking body of an American helicopter crewman being dragged out of the wreckage by gleeful Mujahideen insurgents last week was posted on the Internet. In New England another young mother was left to raise her daughter alone.

A departing British general created a stir in Iraq when he said withdrawal of United Kingdom troops would begin in weeks and most could be home by summer. It proved to be a contingency plan based on many optimistic scenarios.

Nonetheless, it is clear that the British are thinking in terms of strategies to garrison their troops and turn matters over almost entirely to their Iraqi replacements. They are looking for the first opportunity to pull out. - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006

Preston MacDougall: Chemical Eye on the Atomic Deficit - The first rule of holes is: If you are in one, stop digging.

This bit of folksy wisdom came to mind when I heard that President Bush selected the current Director of the Office of Budget and Management, Joshua Bolten, to be the new White House Chief of Staff.

You have probably also heard that, in order to accommodate continuing near-record budget deficits, Congress was recently obliged to raise the federal debt ceiling to $9 trillion.

Any more digging, and we will have to add another zero to the federal debt. For those who are counting, that would be the thirteenth.

There isn't a superstitious bone in my body, but something tells me that 13 zeros on the federal debt will not bring good fortune to future generations. Cost them a fortune? Undoubtedly.

As astronomical as this debt is, it is the atomic deficit that has me more concerned. I refer to the teeter-tottering imbalance in the international trade of the U.S. chemical industry. - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006

Bob Ciminel: Drivers' Test - The traffic problems around Atlanta are monumental. I've been driving through Atlanta for over 30 years and have lived in the metro Atlanta area for 12 years, and it has only gotten worse with every passing year. Atlanta's roads and streets are in much better condition than most cities, and particularly cities in the northeast, because it is a young city, relatively speaking. Many of our most heavily populated areas only recently transitioned from dirt roads to paved roads, but not so much because of progress. It's difficult to sell land for $350,000 and acre and homes for $500,000 and expect people to drive around on gravel-topped red clay roads, particularly people who routinely drive through residential areas at 55 mph.

What follows are some of the unwritten rules I've learned to live with while driving in Atlanta. - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006

Dick Morris: Hillary Leaves Room For Gore - Hillary Clinton made a fundamental decision in 2002 to support the invasion of Iraq. In doing so, she sought the center of American politics, reacting to issues much as her husband had throughout his ascent to the presidency.

But times have changed, and the center is not what it used to be. In the highly partisan and charged environment of politics in 2006, what has become of the centrist doctrines that reelected Bill Clinton and brought George W. Bush, the compassionate conservative, to the White House? Is the center still the place to aim in getting votes?

At the White House, I described the Clintonian brand of centrism as triangulation, with the polarized, partisan participants in the dialectic aligned to the left and the right at the base of the triangle and the centrist synthesis atop the apex, embracing the best of both arguments and rejecting the worst. - More...
Sunday - April 09, 2006