Ketchikan: Hoax Calls Near Ketchikan Under Investigation - The Coast Guard is searching for the source of four hoax distress calls made in the Ketchikan area recently.

The calls began on May 9, with a transmission indicating a disabled vessel near Metlakatla, in Nichols Passage.Two of the calls were short broadcasts of "Mayday" repeated twice with no further information.

Coast Guard boat crews from Station Ketchikan conducted search and rescue operations on each of the distress calls, but no actual signs of distress or reported overdues have occurred. The Ketchikan Police Department, Harbor Department and the Metlakatla Harbormaster have been given recordings of the broadcast to attempt to identify the source. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

Ketchikan: M/V Taku Held up in Ketchikan with Mechanical Problem - The Alaska Marine Highway System announced Thursday that the M/V Taku has not been able to leave Ketchikan, due to mechanical problems. The Taku was expected to sail from Ketchikan Monday night to fill in for the M/V Columbia, also stuck in Ketchikan with a mechanical problem. Passengers who anticipated taking the Taku north or south from Juneau will not be able to do so at this time. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

'On Watch' Front Page Photo by Chris Wilhelm

National: Achilles' heel in ID Act: security at motor-vehicle offices By LANCE GAY - he Achilles' heel of a new federal law to regulate driver's licenses revolves around security at motor-vehicle offices around the country.- More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

National: EPA rule would allow more partially treated sewage By JOAN LOWY - A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives is trying to block an Environmental Protection Agency proposal that would allow sewage-treatment plants to release partially treated sewage into waterways.

The lawmakers say they will offer an amendment to a bill containing the EPA's fiscal 2006 budget, blocking the agency from spending any money on the proposed policy. The House is expected to take up the bill next week.

"I think (the policy) is unhealthy for our environment and unhealthy for our citizens," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who is leading the effort. "It is, quite frankly, a ridiculous proposal." - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

National: Lott's role eyed in 'nuclear option' battle By MARGARET TALEV - In the nasty, partisan fight over President Bush's judicial nominees that could swallow Capitol Hill as soon as next week, one of the more curious power games is playing out within the Republican Party itself.

In December 2002, Sen. Bill Frist, a Tennessee surgeon with an eye on the 2008 presidency, wasted no time gathering up support to replace fellow conservative Trent Lott as Republican leader of the Senate. Lott, a political veteran from Mississippi, had gotten himself in trouble with civil-rights leaders and others by exuberantly praising colleague Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist, at Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Frist saw his opportunity and made his move. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Native activist Russell Means by Dave Kiffer - Thursday Re: Desecration bridge by Mark Hoyt - Thursday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Senate Fight Club ©RJ Matson, Roll Call Distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons, Inc. Political Cartoonists Ketchikan Editorial Cartoonist Roger Maynard May 2005 Click on the date for stories and photos published on that day... S M T W T F S 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

Michael Reagan: A Word to The Unwise - This is not going to be pretty, but it's something that needs to be said, so say it I will: the doors to the butchery and rape of little children are being repeatedly opened by the victims' own mothers.

I spoke about this Monday night on my radio show, and mentioned the discovery of the mutilated bodies of little eight-year-old Laura Hobbs and her best friend, nine-year-old Krystal Tobias. At the time it had not yet been revealed that their killer was allegedly Laura's own father, a man recently released from prison who had a history of violent behavior. I did not have any idea then that his horrendous crime and his involvement in it would offer terrible proof of what I was about to tell my listeners. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

Ann McFeatters: Pension problems move to front burner - Oh dear, more bad news on the retirement front.

Just as President Bush pledged again to keep pushing for partial privatization of Social Security - after proposing to cut the benefits of future middle-income retirees - a bankruptcy judge has approved United Airlines' bid to terminate its pension plans.

At first blush, unless we are or have been employees of the troubled airline, the nation's second-largest, this wouldn't seem to affect most of us. But it does. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

Lindsey Grant: All The Wrong Moves - The Bush administration seems determined to destroy the political and economic balances that have worked well for us.

From the pressures on the government's intelligence and scientific communities to give the president the answers he wants to hear, to the disastrous misadventure in Iraq, to the withdrawal from international efforts to limit human-induced climate change, there seems to be no end to the poor choices this administration wants to make for us all. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005

Deroy Murdock: Democrats hypocritical on Social Security - If Democratic hypocrisy on Social Security traded on Wall Street, President Bush could purchase shares and let the dividends finance his personal-retirement-account proposal. Several key congressional Democrats, who extol Social Security for average Americans today, labored feverishly a generation ago to exclude themselves and other government employees from Uncle Sam's biggest project.

"Social Security is the most successful program in the history of the world, and we're going to protect it," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said April 10 on CBS' "Face the Nation." "People depend on Social Security," Reid declared two days later. "That's the way it has been, and the way it should be, and we're not going to allow that to change." - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2005