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Sunday
May 28, 2023
Music on the Dock
Jamie Karlson directs Schoenbar Jazz Band & Choir for the first Music on the Dock series for 2023. I just returned from the Schoenbar Jr. Hi. Jazz Band and Choir presentation on dock # 2 for the Music on the Dock summer series. What a way to kick off the season. Congratulations to Jamie Karlson, Director of Music and to KAAHC for the programing. The kids were brilliant, energized and stage savy as they performed song after song. Special kudos to all the soloists also.. It is such a treat to see students of this age so actively engaged in a fun and rewarding activity that demands a great deal of discipline while at the same time allowing for energized spontaneity that seems commonplace with any Jamie Karlson led concert.Congrats, Jamie and kids……….. a great show !
SitNews Front Page Photo By ROBERT HOLSTON ©2023
Schoenbar Music Director 1981
To have your photo(s) featured on the front page,
email your photo(s) to editor@sitnews.us |
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National: Debt ceiling negotiators reach a deal: 5 essential reads about the tentative accord, brinkmanship and the danger of default By BRYAN KEOGY and MATT WILLIAMS -
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on May 27, 2023, agreed in principle to a tentative deal that would raise the debt ceiling while capping some federal spending at current levels.
The accord, if approved by both houses of Congress, would avert an unprecedented default that threatens to derail the economy and put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. Negotiators agreed to lift the ceiling for two years – past the 2024 presidential election – while putting a temporary cap on most nondefense spending at 2023 levels. It would also reduce planned funding for the IRS, impose new work requirements on some people who receive benefits from the federal program known as SNAP and claw back billions of unspent funds from pandemic relief programs.
The Conversation has been covering the debt ceiling drama since January, when Republicans took over the House, raising fears that brinkmanship would lead to an economic catastrophe. Here are five articles from our archive to help you make sense of a couple key aspects of the tentative deal and provide context on the debt ceiling fight.
1. What is the debt ceiling
First some basics. The debt ceiling was established by the U.S. Congress in 1917. It limits the total national debt by setting out a maximum amount that the government can borrow.
Steven Pressman, an economist at The New School, explained the original aim was “to let then-President Woodrow Wilson spend the money he deemed necessary to fight World War I without waiting for often-absent lawmakers to act. Congress, however, did not want to write the president a blank check, so it limited borrowing to US$11.5 billion and required legislation for any increase.”
Since then, the debt ceiling has been increased dozens of times. It currently stands at $31.4 trillion – a figure reached in January. The Treasury has taken “extraordinary measures” to enable the government to keep borrowing without breaching the ceiling. Such measures, however, can only be temporary – meaning at one point Congress will have to act to lift the ceiling or default on its debt obligations, which is expected to happen by June 5, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, if the deal isn’t approved in time.
2. The trouble with work requirements
One of the biggest sticking points toward the end of negotiations was work requirements for recipients of government aid. The tentative deal would raise the age for existing work requirements from 49 to 54 years on able-bodied adults who have no children. This is less than what Republicans had earlier sought. There are exceptions for veterans and the homeless.
But if the goal is to help people find jobs and make more money, work requirements don’t actually do the job, wrote Kelsey Pukelis, a doctoral student in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School who has studied the issue. Rather, they make it much harder for people who need food aid to get it.
“Our findings do suggest that work requirements restrain federal spending by reducing the number of people getting SNAP benefits,” she explained. “But our work also indicates that in today’s context, these savings would be at the expense of already vulnerable people facing additional economic hardship at a time when a new recession could be around the corner.”
3. IRS funding takes a hit
The deal also takes aim at a big boost in spending Congress gave the Internal Revenue Service beginning in 2022 to crack down on tax cheats and upgrade its software. Democrats agreed to a Republican demand to cut the extra IRS funding from $80 billion to $70 billion.
Back in August 2022, Nirupama Rao, an economist at the University of Michigan, explained why Democrats included all that funding in their Inflation Reduction Act and how it would help the IRS collect more tax revenue, since the agency does not fully collect all the taxes that are owed.
“The main target of this spending is the so-called tax gap, which is currently estimated at about $600 billion a year,” she wrote. “While an $80 billion investment that returns $204 billion already sounds pretty impressive, it may be possible that it’s a conservative estimate.” - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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Southeast Alaska: NOAA Fisheries Announces Recent Actions in the Southeast Alaska Salmon Fishery Case -
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced it has recently taken several actions in Wild Fish Conservancy v. Jennifer Quan, et al (the Southeast Alaska salmon fishery case).
The Wild Fish Conservancy v. Jennifer Quan, et al (the Southeast Alaska salmon fishery case) involves a challenge to a 2019 biological opinion that analyzes two actions related to salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska and a third action on a conservation program for habitat improvement and hatchery production to be implemented in the Pacific Northwest to offset the effects of salmon fisheries managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty on ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whales. On May 2, 2023, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued an order directing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to address the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) deficiencies identified by the court. The court vacated portions of the incidental take statement (ITS) that exempts take of the Southern Resident Killer Whales and Chinook salmon resulting from the Chinook salmon commercial troll fishery in Southeast Alaska during the winter and summer seasons. The district court did not vacate portions of the biological opinion analyzing a prey increase program or enjoin the program, which is one component of the conservation program.
Following the district court’s order, there has been significant activity in this case. NMFS has taken several actions in response, as explained below, and NMFS is continuing to work expeditiously to respond to the court’s decisions.
On May 8, 2023, the State of Alaska filed a motion for a stay pending appeal on the portion of the district court’s order vacating the ITS. The Alaska Trollers Association joined that motion. On May 22, 2023, NMFS filed a response in support of the State’s motion for a stay pending appeal. NMFS argues that a stay pending appeal is warranted because the district court gave undue weight to any conservation benefits from the cessation of the commercial troll Chinook salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska, ignored the increased prey now available to Southern Resident Killer Whales through the prey increase program, and underestimated the severe economic consequences of vacatur of the ITS, which effectively closes the Southeast Alaska commercial troll fishery. This fishery supports communities across Southeast Alaska, most of which are small and isolated and some of which are Alaska Native communities, and there are over 1,000 active permit holders, many of whom are small-scale participants reliant on the fishery. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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Alaska: The Dungeness crab is losing its sense of smell, putting it at risk – and climate change may be to blame By DON CAMPBELL
- A new study released this month by researchers at the University of Toronto finds that climate change is causing a commercially significant marine crab to lose its sense of smell, which could partially explain why their populations are thinning.
The research was done on Dungeness crabs and found that ocean acidification causes them to physically sniff less, impacts their ability to detect food odours and even decreases activity in the sensory nerves responsible for smell.
“This is the first study to look at the physiological effects of ocean acidification on the sense of smell in crabs,” says Cosima Porteus, an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough and co-author of the study along with post-doctoral researcher Andrea Durant.
The Earth’s oceans are becoming more acidic because they are absorbing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Such ocean acidification is a direct consequence of burning fossil fuels and carbon pollution – and several studies have shown it’s having an impact on the behaviour of marine wildlife.
Dungeness crabs are an economically important species found along the Pacific coast, stretching from California to Alaska. They are one of the most popular crabs to eat and their fishery was valued at more than US$250 million in 2019.
Like most crabs, they have poor vision, so their sense of smell is crucial in finding food, mates, suitable habitats and avoiding predators, explains Porteus. They sniff through a process known as flicking, where they flick their antennules (small antenna) through the water to detect odours. Tiny neurons responsible for smell are located inside these antennules, which send electrical signals to the brain.
The researchers discovered two things when the crabs were exposed to ocean acidification: they were flicking less and their sensory neurons were 50 per cent less responsive to odours.
“Crabs increase their flicking rate when they detect an odour they are interested in, but in crabs that were exposed to ocean acidification, the odour had to be 10 times more concentrated before we saw an increase in flicking,” says Porteus.
There are a few potential reasons why ocean acidification may be impacting sense of smell in crabs. Porteus points to other research done at the University of Hull that showed ocean acidification disrupts odour molecules, which can impact how they bind to smell receptors in marine animals such as crabs. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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| Ketchikan - Southeast Alaska: Polynesian Voyaging Society Launches 4 Year Voyage Around the Pacific from Juneau; KIC Invites Community to Ketchikan Canoe Festivities - Hōkūleʻa, the legendary voyaging canoe that revived the lost art of Polynesian voyaging and navigation and sparked a cultural renaissance in Hawaiʻi, is preparing to embark on a four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific.
This Moananuiākea Voyage, led by the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), will make its global launch from Juneau, Alaska on June 15, 2023. The four-year expedition will cover an estimated 43,000 nautical miles around the Pacific, visiting 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 indigenous territories and more than 300 ports. Moananuiākea is the oceanic home for all peoples who are indigenous to islands and continents touched by Pacific waters.
The goal of the voyage is to ignite a movement of 10 million “planetary navigators'' by developing young leaders and engaging communities around the world to take part in navigating earth towards a healthy, thriving future. The voyage itself is a global educational campaign that will amplify the vital importance of oceans and indigenous knowledge through port engagements, education and storytelling shared via a virtual “Third Canoe” called Waʻa Honua, which translates to “a canoe for the earth” (www.waahonua.com). PVS and its educational partners are creating stories, and lessons for all ages with the goal of inspiring people to care for and make better choices for the earth.
The double-hulled voyaging canoe arrived in Juneau, Alaska on May 9 on an Alaska Marine Lines barge after being shipped from Honolulu to Tacoma, WA in April. Prior to the Moananuiākea Voyage’s Global Launch on June 15, 2023, Hōkūleʻa has been sailing through a portion of Southeast Alaska on a pre-launch voyage called the Alaska Heritage Sail to pay homage to Alaska Natives and the places that played a part in the 30-year history between Hawaiʻi’s voyaging community and Alaska. PVS chose Yakutat to be the first stop on the Alaska Heritage Sail to honor the late Byron Mallott who was born and raised there. In 1990 under Mallott’s leadership, Sealaska, a corporation owned by the Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian tribes of Southeast Alaska, gifted two 200-foot Sitka spruce logs to Hawai‘i to help construct the voyaging canoe Hawai‘iloa. This kind gesture, which came at a time of decline for Hawaii’s native koa trees, sparked reforestation efforts on Hawai‘i Island, and started the special bond between the native peoples of Southeastern Alaska and Hawai'i. Byron later joined the PVS Board of Directors. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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Alaska: Arctic ground squirrels changing hibernation patterns; Unique long-term study helps us understand biological responses to climate shifts - Arctic ground squirrels are unique among mammals. Their ability to keep from freezing even when body temperatures dip below that mark on the thermometer enables them to survive extreme winter climates. New research published in Scienceanalyzes more than 25 years of climate and biological data. The findings include shorter hibernation periods and differences between male and female hibernation periods. Spoiler alert - the girls “rise and shine” a little earlier in response to warming, which could have both positive and negative ripple effects throughout the food web in these ecosystems.
Senior author Cory Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University, began studying arctic ground squirrels while at the University of Alaska Fairbanks more than 15 years ago. “I think the thing that makes our study unique is that we are looking at a long enough dataset to show the impacts of climate change on a mammal in the Arctic,” said Williams, who joined the CSU faculty in 2021. “We can show a direct link between changes in temperature and the physiology and ecology of these animals.”
Helen Chmura, lead author for this latest research, started the analysis while a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2018 and now works as a USDA Forest Service researcher with the Rocky Mountain Research Station. “Our data show that the active layer, the soil layer above the permafrost, freezes later in the fall, doesn’t get as cold in the middle of winter, and thaws slightly earlier in the spring.” She added, “These changes, amounting to about a 10-day reduction of the time soil is frozen at a meter deep, have occurred over just 25 years, which is fairly rapid.”
Arctic ground squirrels survive harsh Alaska winters by hibernating for over half the year, drastically slowing their lungs, heart, brain, and body functions. They still must spend energy to generate enough heat from stored fat to keep tissues from freezing. They resurface from their burrows more than 3 feet below the ground each spring, famished and eager to mate.
Chmura and Williams, along with co-authors, analyzed long-term air and soil temperature data at two sites in Arctic Alaska in conjunction with data collected using biologgers. They measured abdominal and/or skin temperature of 199 free-living individual ground squirrels over the same 25-year period. They found that females are changing when they end hibernation, emerging earlier every year, but males are not. Changes in females match earlier spring thaw. The advantage of this phenomenon is that they do not need to use as much stored fat during hibernation and can begin foraging for roots and shoots, berries and seeds sooner in the spring. Scientists think this could lead to healthier litters and higher survival rates. - More....
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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Juvenile salmon migration timing responds unpredictably to climate change
Study lead author Sam Wilson, along with collaborators, sampling juvenile salmon in the Skeena River. The Skeena River rises in the Skeena Mountains in the northern part of the BC province and flows generally southwestward, receiving its two major tributaries, the Babine and Bulkley rivers, before emptying into Chatham Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean), south of Prince Rupert, after a course of about 360 miles.
Photo courtesy
Fraser University. |
| Fisheries: Juvenile salmon migration timing responds unpredictably to climate change - In a new study, published in the journal Nature, Ecology & Evolution, Simon Fraser University (SFU) researcher Sam Wilson led a set of diverse collaborators from across North America to compile the largest dataset in the world on juvenile salmon migration timing. The dataset includes 66 populations from Oregon to B.C. to Alaska. Each dataset was at least 20 years in length with the longest dating back to 1951. Only wild salmon, and not salmon from hatcheries, were included.
Sam Wilson, a postdoctoral researcher in the Salmon Watersheds Lab at SFU and lead author on the review, says, “Field scientists from many different organizations work really hard to collect data on the migration of smolts, day after day, year after year. Bringing this data together really showcases the importance of long-term monitoring.”
Many salmon species have migration timing that has substantially changed over the last 20 or more years. Pink and chum salmon had the fastest rates of change (migrating seven days per decade earlier), while other species’ migration timing has not been changing, on average.
However, a deeper dive into the data showed that there was greater variation between populations within species than between different salmon species. These population-specific changes were unpredictable with currently available climate and geographic data.
“We were really surprised. Yes, there were really strong signals of climate change as many salmon tended to be migrating earlier, but it was incredibly variable and unpredictable.” Wilson says.
In response to the same level of warming, the study showed that some populations had earlier migration timing, while others had no change, or even migrated later in the year.
When the timing of juvenile salmon migrations and food availability matches, this creates ideal conditions for surviving those first few months in the ocean and can directly influence how many adults return.
The researchers are concerned that salmon do not appear to be responding to changes in the coastal ocean, which could make mismatches more common under future climate change. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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What's behind the toxic algae producing killer shellfish in Alaska?
By CYNTHIA McCORMICK HIBBERT
Co-op student Anushka Rajagopalan at the dock by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, where she is studying Alaskan algae blooms that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. The blooms threaten the shellfish industry as well as the lives of birds, fish, marine mammals, pets foraging on the beach - and even humans.
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University |
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Alaska: What's behind the toxic algae producing killer shellfish in Alaska? By CYNTHIA McCORMICK HIBBERT - Most people probably associate algal blooms with red tides in Florida that can lead to skin irritation, burning eyes and rashes in exposed individuals.
But, increasingly, Alaska's Bering Strait also is home to toxic algal blooms—blooms that threaten the shellfish industry and cause paralytic shellfish poisoning that imperils the lives of seals, birds, fish, foraging pets and even humans.
Northeastern University co-op student Anushka Rajagopalan is part of a team of researchers in Don Anderson's lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who are studying the conditions behind the creation of Alaska's harmful algae blooms, with an eye to contributing to mitigation efforts.
In particular, Rajagopalan is focused on Alexandrium catenella, a single-celled marine plankton that produces the neurotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.
"It's impacted the Alaskan coastal community pretty severely," says Rajagopalan, whose six-month co-op ends June 30.
"A lot of restaurants have had to close down and a lot of fish markets haven't been able to collect shellfish from affected areas for several years now," she says.
"Indigenous communities are particularly impacted by it because shellfish and fish are main sources of subsistence," Rajagopalan says.
Poisoning occurs after shellfish ingest the neurotoxin created by algal blooms.
"The shellfish themselves don't get poisoned. But other marine animals, like seals, who eat shellfish have been having higher mortality rates because of this poisoning," Rajagopalan says.
The poisonings also affect other marine animals, birds, fish, pets foraging on beaches and even humans.
The Washington state Department of Health says deaths have occurred 30 minutes after ingesting poisoned shellfish, with fatalities attributed to suffocation as chest muscles become paralyzed. There is no antidote to the poisoning, only life support for severe cases.
"Research that is done in this lab will be helpful for future mitigation strategies and long term monitoring for coastal communities," says Rajagopalan, a third-year student majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology.
The co-op student says she is finalizing analysis of water and sediment samples containing Alexandrium cells collected by a WHOI research vessel from a stretch of sea from western Alaska to the eastern border of Russia. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
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TOM PURCELL: A DAY TO HONOR OUR WAR DEAD - Every year, polls show that a large number of Americans don’t know why we celebrate Memorial Day.
According to People, a 2020 Onepoll survey found that fewer than half of the 2,000 people surveyed knew that the purpose of Memorial Day was not to honor those who served in the armed forces, but to honor those who gave their lives while they served.
Few Americans are aware that the original reason for Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War.
Originally called Decoration Day, its purpose was to remember the nearly 500,000 soldiers who died during that incredibly bloody conflict.
That large number becomes especially sobering when you realize that the Civil War claimed roughly half of the 1.1 million service members who gave their lives in all of our conflicts, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense.
Consider the cost of our other wars:
The American Revolution was a hard-fought battle, but our successful fight for freedom claimed fewer than 1% of the lives of service members than the Civil War claimed — about 6,800 lives.
World War I — the “war to end all wars” — took 120,000 American service members. Regrettably, a lot more war was yet to come. - More..
Sunday - May 28, 2023
DAVE KIFFER: Ketchikan, If You Just Listen! - You can learn a lot about Ketchikan by talking to the visitors, they seem to know everything.
For example, Ketchikan has a glacier.
The other day, a pleasant middle-aged woman (I can't really call her elderly because she seemed to be about my age) asked me if I could tell her how to the get to "the glacier."
I've gotten this question before, because, frankly, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway end up seeming the same to many visitors.
I have also been asked if it is a "long walk" to the railroad.
Indeed it is.
Either 90 miles south to Prince Rupert or 372 miles (12 hours, light traffic, according to Google Directions) to Skagway. I'm not convinced you can even fly to Skagway from here in 12 hours, given connections and layovers, let alone drive, but knock yourself out if you have an Amphicar or an Aquada, the traffic is indeed "light."
But I digress. - More...
Sunday - May 28, 2023
FINANCIAL FOCUS: What should you expect from your investments? Provided By BEN EDWARDS, AAMS® -
To help achieve your financial goals, you may need to invest in the financial markets throughout your life. However, at times your investment expectations may differ from actual returns, triggering a variety of emotions. So, what are reasonable expectations to have about your investments?
Ideally, you hope that your investment portfolio will eventually help you meet your goals, both your short-term ones, such as a cross-country vacation, and the long-term ones, such as a comfortable retirement. But your expectations may be affected by several factors, including the following:
• Misunderstanding – Various factors in the economy and the financial markets trigger different reactions in different types of investments — so you should expect different results. When you own stocks, you can generally expect greater price volatility in the short term. Over time, though, the “up” and “down” years tend to average out. When you own bonds, you can expect less volatility than individual stocks, but that’s not to say that bond prices never change. Generally, when interest rates rise, you can anticipate that the value of your existing, lower-paying bonds may decrease, and when rates fall, the value of your bonds may increase. - More...
Sunday - May 21, 2023
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POLITICAL CARTOONS
Political Editorial: Memorial Day - May 29, 2023
by John Darkow©2023, Columbia Missourian
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Editorial: Memorial Day Debt
by Rick McKee©2023, CagleCartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Cartoon: Debt Ceiling Cliff
by Rivers©2023, CagleCartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Cartoon: Robert F. Kennnedy, Jr. Gaining Stature
by Dick Wright©2023, PoliticalCartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Cartoon:ina Tina Turner, Queen of Rock
by Jeff Koterba ©2023, patreon.com/jeffreykoterba
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Cartoon: Feinstein Won't Go
by Rick McKee©2023, CagleCartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com
Political Cartoon: Summertime Jazz
by Rivers©2923, CagleCartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by CagleCartoons.com |
Schoenbar Spring Concert By Judith Green -
In a galaxcy far, far, away... was the spring concert and it was OUTSTANDING!
These students had such a fun night - the flow was easy and so well coordinated. There were even Star Wars characters in and out during the evening -and some of the student members were dressed to fit the theme.
Ms Jamie Karlson - THANK YOU! What a fun program! You did amazing with these middle school students! You too were dressed to fit the theme - and you even joined in with the chorus while the jazz band played "Counting Stars".
Cantina Band was arranged by one of our talented community members - Thank you to Austin Hays, it was just right for Schoenbar students!
There was a classical piece by Gustav Holst "Mars" a section from his larger work "The Planets". - More...
Thursday - May 11, 2023
RE: Southeast Ferry Survey by A.M. Johnson By Rep Dan Ortix - I can say without doing a survey that it’s well known that folks in our district want ferry service to Prince Rupert. Over the last two years, there has not been one topic that I have heard more about from my District 1 constituents, than the importance of the AMHS to restore regular reliable service to Prince Rupert.
I fully agree with the concerns you raise about affordability and convenience.
Over the last four years I have been working with the Department of Transportation and AMHS management to get this ferry service going again. The reason for lack of service this summer has to do with not being able to fully crew both the Columbia and the Kennicott. The Department has known about these crewing issues for some time and needless to say I’m disappointed this was not resolved in time for summer service. - More...
Thursday - May 11, 2023
Corrupt Process Makes for Bad Government By Veri di Suvero and Andrée McLeod - We appreciate the arduous task legislators are charged with to assemble a balanced budget in order for Alaskans to live, play, work, and study in this great state.
However, the Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG) objects to the 67% legislators’ salary increase on the basis of the corrupt process by which these salary increase decisions have been handled.
First, the State Officer Compensation Commission (SOCC). They submitted a report on January 24, 2023 which recommended salary increases for the Governor, Lt. Governor, and executive department heads. The Commission specifically did not recommend salary increases for legislators in a statement:
“No recommendations are being submitted for the legislator as the commission believes further discussion is necessary.”
The Legislature unanimously rejected the SOCC’s recommendation.
On March 14, 2023, the governor removed and replaced all members of the State Officers Compensation Commission. The SOCC held a "public" meeting the next day, on March 15th, for which the public was given less than two days' notice and no agenda or attachments. The five new Commission members met in a short 15-minute meeting. They waived the 20-day public notice requirement, provided a couple of anecdotal statements about the cost of living in Juneau, and voted to amend the report to include the 67% legislative pay raises without any explanation or supporting documents for this significant expense whatsoever. - More...
Thursday - May 11, 2023
Ferry to Prince Rupert Needed By David Alderson - I agree with Mr. Johnson and Frank Murkowski in need of the ferry to Prince Rupert. Also, Mary Dahle’s information she shared on the - More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
Open Letter to Rep. Ortiz: Southeast Ferry Survey By A.M. Johnson - In receipt of the recent survey, you have asked input for.... well and good, may I suggest an additional survey, one that ask Southeast residents which southern terminal they prefer for the Alaska Ferry, Bellingham or Prince Rupert? - More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
Thank you Ketchikan By Michelle O’Brien - On behalf of First City Rotary, I would like to humbly thank our community for your overwhelming welcome of First City Rotary’s Polish Open World Delegation. This is the second time that Ketchikan was tapped as an Open World Program location, with a group of Russians visiting Ketchikan approximately seven years ago. From what I understand, it’s somewhat rare to be selected twice as a host community. Our Russian group had an environmental focus, and this year’s Polish group concentration was Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. - More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
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GRIFTING AWAY ON THAT SLIPPERIEST OF SLOPES; OR LEAVE THE SENIORS ALONE By David G Hanger - What a pathetic waste this city council is!!! As described by a former elected official they are a dull bunch of “tax and spend” Trumpistas, an observation clearly reinforced by their asinine conduct as the worst of “tax and spend” liberals while purporting to be small government fascistas; in short a gaggle of ungrounded idiots. Please recall these people; we simply cannot afford this kind of ignorance. In a year when the March inflation report was 10.4% per annum this bunch of bird brains jacked up the sales tax to 8% thereby burdening even further the locals trying to make ends meet while buying in stores that are increasing their prices 10% weekly. - More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
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Why small businesses should care about the debt ceiling By U.S. Senator Ben Cardin - Starting or running a small business can be a challenge in the best of times. It requires bravery and personal risk. The financial risk is very real: Almost 65% of entrepreneurs rely on personal and family savings for startup capital, and others rely on their personal credit cards. - More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
Earth Is In Trouble By Donald Moskowitz - On April 22,2023 we celebrated Earth Day, but unfortunately our earth is in serious trouble.- More...
Wednesday - April 26, 2023
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