Ketchikan: Voters Say "Yes" to Port Revenue Bond MARIE L. MONYAK - According to unofficial election results released Tuesday evening, with a 28% voter turnout, voters have said "Yes" to Proposition NO. 1 allowing the City to issue up to $38,500,000 in Port Revenue Bonds. The revenue bonds will be used to fund the reconfiguration of existing cruise ship facilities and upland imporvements along the Ketchikan waterfront.

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Prior to the announcement of the unofficial election results, the mood was apprehensive as members and supporters of Ketchikan for a Positive Economy! arrived at Steamers Restaurant on Tuesday evening to await the results of the special Port Bond Election.

Mike Holman, a tireless advocate for the Port of Ketchikan Improvements Project and member of Ketchikan for a Positive Economy!, departed the gathering and headed for Ketchikan City Hall shortly before the polls closed at 8:00 P.M. Tuesday. Holman met with Ketchikan City Clerk Katy Suiter who served as the election supervisor as prescribed by the Ketchikan Municipal Code. Suiter, with the assistance of Deputy City Clerk Dorene Smith, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager Rebecca Brown and City Library Director Judith Anglin, counted the ballots and tabulated the unofficial results. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 12, 2006

National: Bush discusses leak, dismisses attack on Iran By JAMES W. ROSEN - President Bush on Monday dismissed as "wild speculation" reports that his administration is weighing possible military air strikes against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

On Iraq, Bush confirmed for the first time that he authorized the release of prewar classified intelligence about Iraq three years ago in a bid to influence public debate about his decision to invade the country in March 2003.

"After we liberated Iraq, there was questions in people's minds about the basis on which I made statements - in other words, going into Iraq," Bush told international studies graduate students at Johns Hopkins University in Washington. "And, so, I decided to declassify the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) for a reason. . . . I thought it was important for people to get a better sense for why I was saying what I was saying in my speeches." - More...
Wednesday AM - April 12, 2006

Alaska: Governor Comments on OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski Monday submitted comments to the federal Minerals Management Service on the draft proposed program for Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing for 2007-2012.

"I firmly believe that Alaska can play a significant role in meeting future U.S. energy supply needs," said Murkowski. "Alaska can contribute to increasing domestic gas production, diversifying the nation's supplies of oil and gas and providing important energy supplies near critical west coast markets. As we look to the potential of our federal offshore waters to help supply those needs, I am encouraged by this proposed lease sale program."

The governor specifically noted support for the proposed leasing programs in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and encouraged MMS and industry to continue to work with the North Slope Borough, whaling organizations and Native communities to ensure that activities are conducted in a manner compatible with subsistence whaling. The governor also endorsed the draft proposed plan's option 1 for the Cook Inlet planning area, which calls for two special interest sales in 2009 and 2011 in the program area. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 12, 2006

Science - Technology: Lunar crash will sample debris for water, minerals By DAVID PERLMAN - Space scientists plan to blast two fresh craters on the moon in a couple of years - one could kick up a cloud dozens of miles high - in an effort to learn from the dust and rubble whether water and valuable minerals might exist there to help astronauts "live off the land" in the far distant future when they return to the lunar surface and build bases.

Already pocked with thousands upon thousands of craters from asteroid impacts over billions of years, the moon's new artificial craters will be created by two "impactors" riding aboard a spacecraft called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA officials announced Monday it will be launched in 2008. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 12, 2006

Local Horticulturist Jeannie Blackmore and Pat Haley Front Page Photo by Marie L. Monyak

Ketchikan: Discovering Gardening By MARIE L. MONYAK - This past week's Friday Night Insight Program at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center drew a large crowd to hear local horticulturist Jeannie Blackmore talk about her personal experiences as a gardener in Ketchikan.

Blackmore began with a bit of background on herself and her husband Pat Haley who provided her with some assistance during the evening. Having moved here two and a half years ago from Oregon, Blackmore said the two of them have 30 years experience as gardeners and in that time she told the gathering that she has had 3 gardens in various climate zones. - More...
Wednesday AM - April 12, 2006

Laine Welch: Alaskans Participate in International Smart Gear Competition - Fishermen from around the world appear more interested than ever in sharing ways to become more selective with their fishing gear.

This year's International Smart Gear competition attracted 83 entries from 26 countries, up from 50 entries from 16 countries last year. The contest, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, pays cash prizes for practical, low cost solutions that allow fishermen to target their intended catches while letting marine mammals, sea turtles, birds and small fish swim away unharmed.

For the first time, Alaskans have joined the challenge offering four entries. "I'm not surprised to see good ideas on bycatch reduction coming out of Alaska," said Scott Burns, director of WWF's marine conservation program. "It's a state that has a pretty successful track record, so it's great to see some ideas surfacing in this competition." - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Port Bonds By A.M. Johnson - Wednesday PM It's Time to Help Prevent Identity Theft and Protect Our Data By Sen. Gene Therriault and Sen. Gretchen Guess - Wednesday PM We cannot tax our way into prosperity By Gov. Frank H. Murkowski - Wednesday PM Questions By Neil Gray - Wednesday PM Hawaii Abortion Tourism By Mark Beatty - Wednesday PM Abuse Can Impact Children Negatively For Years By Patrick Cody - Wednesday PM Clarification By Anita Hale - Wednesday PM Ketchikan's youth doing amazing and positive things By Karen Eakes - Tuesday PM "Suddenly Over the Hill" By Kirk Thomas - Tuesday PM Drivers responsible By Greg Harris - Tuesday PM Drug abuse affects everyone in some way By George Jackson - Tuesday PM Thank you By Frances C. Natkong - Tuesday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan 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. April 14, 2006 - Friday - 5-7pm - Opening Reception for the 2006 Hummingbird Festival Juried Art Show. Free and open to the public, the reception will be at the Visitor's Bureau, 131 Front Street. Please call Leslie Swada at the Discovery Center at 228-6247 for more information. April 14, 2006 - Friday, 7-8 pm - Friday Night Insight Programs at the SE Alaska Discovery Center:- A Close Look at Southeast Alaska's Songbirds, with Gwen Baluss, bird expert. April 15, 2006 - Saturday, 7 - 8pm - Friday Night Insight Programs at the SE Alaska Discovery Center: Discover Southeast Alaska's Wildlife on the Alaska Coastal Wildlife Viewing Trail: Jamie Karnik will introduce you to the Wildlife Viewing Trail concept. April 17, 2006, Monday - 5:30 pm - Borough Assembly Meeting - City Council Chambers Agenda - Information Packet April 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

Jason Love: Tattoo Removal - Once upon a time I drank so much tequila that I lost track of ... what's that called ... consciousness. Next morning, I couldn't remember a thing.

Fortunately, the tattoo would jar my memory.

The "tribal band" circled my left bicep like a serial bee sting, the om symbol thirteen times. Om is supposed to reveal the fleeting nature of reality. I had decided to honor it with a PERMANENT MARK.

Every tattoo should say the same thing -- "I'm an idiot." That way, when you wake up ten years later and wonder what you were thinking, the answer is right there. - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006

Linda Seebach: A book to consider reading before you tie the knot - I remember a Soviet joke about the American traveler to Moscow who bragged to a Russian acquaintance that America was a free country, where he could give a speech sharply critical of the president of the United States and nothing bad would happen to him.

"That's nothing," the Russian retorted. "So can I!"

I had my own domestic version of that joke. I believed that marriage meant I should treat my husband better than I treated anyone else, except our son.

So did he. - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006  

Dale McFeatters: Twisting Iran's arm - Over the weekend, stories appeared to the effect that the Bush administration was drawing up contingency plans for air strikes, possibly including tactical nukes, on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Maybe this was an orchestrated leak, heavy-duty saber rattling. We now know this happens in the Bush White House. Maybe it was a for-real leak and there's something to it. Maybe it means nothing at all. The military is constantly planning for various scenarios.

But the Iranians are surely taking this threat seriously. Just last month, President Bush reaffirmed his 2002 doctrine of military pre-emption against gathering threats and, in the same document, named Iran as the United States' most serious security threat. And we happen to have a large, battle-trained army in the neighborhood, next door, in fact, and naval forces offshore. - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006  

Bonnie Erbe: Twisting Title IX - When it comes to Title IX, the Bush administration can't figure out if it's pitching or catching. Most Americans associate Title IX with the incredible burst in participation rates for girls in high school, college and ultimately professional sports. Signed into law in 1972, Title IX requires colleges and universities receiving federal funding (few if any refuse all federal support) to spend equal amounts of money on men's sports and on women's sports.

The boost Title IX gave to girls and women has helped them well beyond the bounds of the gymnasium or the soccer field. Experts credit team-sports training with helping women advance in corporations and in politics.

Despite all this, even after three decades, the law never succeeded in leveling the college sports playing field (arghhh - a cliche, I admit). Most estimates are that colleges funnel some 60 percent of their sports funding into men's programs, and around 40 percent into women's sports. Nonetheless, in 2002 the Bush administration made a widely decried attempt to weaken enforcement of Title IX. Washington was deluged with letters, calls and e-mails from angry parents, saying, "Don't touch Title IX." A USA Today poll taken at the time showed that 7 in 10 Americans familiar with Title IX wanted it left alone or strengthened, not weakened. The Department of Education sprinted hastily away from its failed plan. - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006

Jay Ambrose: Politics by euphemism - What a difference a phrase makes.

Some years back, when we talked about foreigners sneaking into our land in contravention of the law and then setting up camp for years and years, we called them illegal aliens, which, of course, is exactly what they were.

Says one online dictionary by way of its first definition, an "alien" is an "unnaturalized foreign resident of a country." You can't come any closer than that except by tossing the word "illegal" ahead of the word "aliens" to differentiate them from legal foreign residents.

But some were unhappy with the word choice. They worried that the phrase was insulting because, you see, another definition of alien is a "creature from outer space," and besides, the word as an adjective can also denote strangeness. - More...
Wednesday - April 12, 2006