Fish Factor: Fishermen Seeing Red Flags as Congress Retools Rules; & Hosing off recreational or fishing boats could be subject to EPA regulation and permitting By LAINE WELCH - Fishermen are seeing red flags as Congress retools the rules that will govern the U.S. Coast Guard through 2012.

The USCG Act that was passed by the U.S. House (HR 2830) contains business busters for fishing operations, mostly in the form of new licensing, inspection and reporting requirements for even the smallest boats. The bill now passes to the U.S. Senate.

"It would require survival craft on any commercial fishing vessel, even seine skiffs. That doesn't' make sense," said Mark Vinsel, executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska, representing 37 fishing groups.

"We've got fishing vessels registered in Alaska as small as 7 feet, and more than 2,000 that are 20 feet or under," Vinsel said. "The breadth of the different fisheries in Alaska does not necessarily match the Coast Guard's idea of what they are trying to regulate, and the safety they are trying to ensure for fishermen."

The U.S. Fishing Industry Safety Advisory Committee recommends that the USCG assess "risk by fishery", instead of using a blanket approach. The committee is chaired by Jerry Dzugan, director of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association in Sitka. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Alaska: Kenai Police Chief to Head Department of Public Safety - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today appointed Kenai Police Chief Chuck Kopp to lead the Department of Public Safety.

"I am pleased to announce the Department of Public Safety will be led by Chuck Kopp," Governor Palin said. "Chuck's combination of decades of law enforcement experience, a tireless work ethic, and strong administrative skills will help address the difficult challenges facing law enforcement in Alaska."

"The Department of Public Safety is facing several tough issues right now, and recruiting is definitely a priority," said Commissioner Kopp. "From initial comments to me, the message was clear last session: The troopers need to improve their recruiting, and until they do, and those vacant positions are filled, the legislature will not look kindly on the Governor's continued operating budget requests for more troopers. We will improve in this area."

About one out of every six trooper positions is vacant and there were a total of 56 unfilled positions in the Division as of June 30. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Ketchikan: Adjustments To IFA Northern Route Schedule Announced - Changes to Alaska Marine Highway System vessel port times at Wrangell will result in adjustments to the Inter-Island Ferry Authority's M/V Prince of Wales northern route schedule. The IFA uses the AMHS terminal at Wrangell.

Changes of between 20 minutes and one hour in northern route schedules between Coffman Cove, Wrangell and Petersburg will be effective on July 21, August 4, 25 and 29, and September 1 and 8. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Southeast Alaska: Sitka Ranger District Open Roads Information Available - The Tongass National Forest, Sitka Ranger District released a new Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for the District July 1, 2008 as part of the national 2005 Final Travel Management Rule for National Forests. This is the first MVUM to be released on the Tongass National Forest.

The MVUM displays National Forest System routes (roads and trails) or areas designated as open to motorized travel. The MVUM also displays allowed uses by vehicle class (for example, off-highway vehicles (OHVs) less than 50 inches wide and motorcycles), season of allowed use, and provides information on other travel rules and regulations. Routes not shown on the MVUM and areas not designated as open are closed to public motor vehicle travel. Routes designated for motorized use may not always be signed on the ground but will be identified on the MVUM. It will be the public's responsibility to consult the MVUM so that they know that they are staying on open (designated) routes for motor vehicle use. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

National: Plan for fish farms in federal waters criticized By MICHAEL COLLINS - Fish farms could be allowed to operate for the first time in federal ocean waters under a Bush administration proposal that critics say is a blatant attempt to bypass Congress and set up a marine program that lawmakers have been reluctant to approve.

A proposed rule, published Wednesday in the Federal Register, opens the door for fish-farm operators to obtain leases, easements or rights-of-way for the use of existing oil and gas platforms in federal waters.

Administration officials say there are currently no proposals to set up fish-farm operations in federal waters, which generally begin three miles beyond the nation's shores.

The proposed rule would simply put in place a process to review and evaluate such a proposal should someone request permission to use offshore platforms for a fish-farming operation, said David Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. Minerals Management Service.

But environmentalists and other watchdog groups suspect something else is behind the administration's plans.

"The Bush administration's proposal provides back-door access to our oceans for industrial-sized fish farms," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Washington Calling: Will military draft return? ... catching drug test cheaters By LISA HOFFMAN - This month marks the 35th anniversary of the suspension of the military draft at the end of the Vietnam War.

But even though the Pentagon regularly -- not to mention unequivocally -- assures lawmakers and others that the current all-volunteer force continues to handle its combat and other defense duties splendidly, rumors of a return to the draft won't die.

The latest saber-rattling between Israel, Iran and the United States, abetted by hyperventilating bloggers predicting the U.S. will bomb Iran's nuclear facilities after the November elections, has breathed new life into the rumors.

They also are popping up on the campaign trail. One rumor has it that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's promise to make public service a central tenet of his administration includes a veiled intent to bring back the draft. Others paint GOP Sen. John McCain as a warmonger who will so stretch the armed forces that a draft will be necessary.

Both candidates say all that is hogwash, with McCain recently spurning a draft for anything short of "an all-out World War III." Obama has not disagreed. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Politics: VP search perilous 'outside box' By MACKENZIE CARPENTER - First, do no harm.

Then, deliver something -- preferably a big electoral state.

They're the two cardinal rules of Vice-Presidential Politics 101, but in this confounding, precedent-shattering election year, will they still matter in the selection of a running mate?

For example, does Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive officer who has been campaigning vigorously for presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain, really have a shot at the No. 2 spot?

She has been in the news a lot lately -- not always in a way she might like -- most recently last week when she complained to reporters that insurers cover the cost of Viagra but not birth-control pills, in the process misrepresenting McCain's record and igniting a mini-firestorm on the Internet.- More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Personal Finance: Bankruptcy filings on rise among older Americans By TIM GRANT - These are tough economic times for people of all ages, but few are affected more than senior citizens living on pensions and Social Security, and juggling medical bills, credit card payments and mortgages along with soaring food and gas costs.

Americans age 55 or older experienced the sharpest rise in bankruptcy filings during the 16-year period between 1991 and 2007, according to a report released by AARP, "Generations of Struggle." The rate of personal bankruptcy filings among those ages 65 or older grew by 125 percent, while the bankruptcy rate of seniors ages 75 to 84 jumped a stunning 433.3 percent.

"It's frightening. It's a horror story in the making. It will not get better. It will continue to get worse," said Thomas Mackell., chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and author of "When the Good Pensions Go Away." "We are facing a generation of boomers where 55 percent of them are ill-prepared economically to retire." - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

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THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A... BEACH By Glen Thompson - South Point Higgins Beach has been a desired public beach in every community plan for the past 30 years.

Several meetings were held between the Ketchikan Beaches Association (KBA), the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office (MHT) and the borough (KGB) over the past year and a half or so regarding beach acquisition. MHT agreed to sell the property to KGB at 120% of the appraised value per their board's policy. - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

A classic review of the AGIA decision By Sen. Kim Elton - There are two main types of cross-country skiers: classic (cut through the snow, slow and steady, take what the terrain allows, stick to the basics); and skate (skim over the top of the snow, speed around circular groomed trails, try not to stab your dog companion, and have a physique that looks good in Lycra). - More...
Monday - July 14, 2008

Plow Energy Revenue Windfall Into Renewables and Power Transmission Systems By Sen. Lisa Murkowski - Everyone in Alaska knows that the current record prices for fossil fuels are a two-edged sword. They are fattening the state's treasury while shrinking Alaskans' pocketbooks and driving "energy refugees" from villages as fuel costs pass the point of endurance. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

We're All on the Same Page By Tom Irwin - As we celebrate 50 years of statehood, we are reminded more than ever of the many leaders who stood before us and helped guide this great state to where it is today. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

Gasline project must put Alaskans in driver's seat By Rep. Beth Kerttula and Rep. Berta Gardner - Last year when the Legislature passed sweeping oil tax reform we finally ensured a fair deal for our resources and created a simpler, more transparent process - but we also did much more. By taking a strong stance and fulfilling our constitutional mandate to maximize the benefits of our natural resources, we turned a crucial corner for resource development in Alaska. We put Alaskans in the driver's seat, and as we prepare to vote on the TransCanada gas pipeline proposal, we are determined to protect Alaskans' right to steer our own course. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

Private Use of Electric vehicles in Ketchikan By Chris Wilhelm - In response to Joy Barry's remark on all electric vehicle use, nothing seems better suited for Ketchikan! We can nearly eliminate, yes, eliminate petroleum dependency in the First City by having electric cars. Except in extreme months of dry or cold weather, our electricity is generated by falling water, which these days looks pretty cheap and easy. Thanks to KPU's hydroelectric facilities our electricity is not dependent on any country's oil production levels. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

Ketchikan's New Fire Station By Anna Marie Mestas - Members of the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank Senator Bert Stedman, Legislative Aide Miles Baker, Representative Kyle Johansen and the Ketchikan Legislative Liason for their efforts to secure State funding for a new fire station. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

Anderes Oil Team By Diane Daniels - Congratulations to all of the Anderes Oil teammates and to the coaches as well, Dennis Pope, Rick Erickson, and Tory Korn the team could not have done it without the support of coaches, parents and the local community. - More...
Friday - July 11, 2008

Oil Prices By Mark Neckameyer - Oil prices are still zooming up. All time record hit today of $147.00 a barrel, the stock market crashed and as it costs too much for me to drive my small SUV around town so I have to ride my bike most of the time.. Barak Obama again today warned against trying to "drill our way out of this mess". Senator Obama said it is foolish to drill as it would take seven years to start harvesting oil from any drilling begun now. - More...
Friday - july 11, 2008

Do your part to lower demand for oil By Joy Barry - About two months ago I was feeling pretty dismal about the rising cost of oil. I lamented to my husband that soon he wouldn't be able to go to work anymore because he wouldn't have the gas money to get there! We would love to buy an all-electric car (a perfect option for Ketchikan where we can't drive very far anyway), but that is way out of our budget at the moment. We currently don't even have the funds to get a more fuel-efficient gasoline car. I was about to descend into despair when suddenly a bright light bulb appeared over my head. I recalled the energy crisis in the seventies when my dad traded in his motorcycle for a bicycle and began pedaling to work. He continued to use his bicycle as his main transportation for his entire career. I realized that there are other ways of getting around besides driving! After all, automobiles are a fairly recent invention when you consider the entire history of the world. - More...
Wednesday - July 09, 2008

Your Stimulus Check By Jessica Peavey - While I fully agree that the system is backwards, it's still more money than we had before. I can't complain about that. It is unfortunate that the people who need this most, (low income/no income) will either never receive this money, or they will only get a minimum of what was expected. It's all based on what you do now(tax year 07), not what you have paid into the past. (unfortunately) The IRS counts EARNED income- things that you do to bring income into the home. In certain situations, they count UNearned income.(as long as you have some sort of EARNED income to go along with it) SSI, disability, social security, Veterans benifits, etc. are counted as UNearned income. - More...
Wednesday - July 09, 2008

SURVIVING THE BIGGEST WAVE EVER By Jim Pound - Great story. - More...
Wednesday - July 09, 2008

Response to 1st place Anderes Oil and Allstars By Scott Kline - In addition to all the boys that played, I would also like to point out that fiesty girl Brooke Simmons. The tournament games that I did get a chance to watch Brooke smacked a couple of home runs and threw some heat while on the mound. - More...
Wednesday - July 09, 2008

WE NEED TO SAVE THE BEACH! By Kathleen Wiechelman - On Monday, July 7th, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly will consider two items relating to the Borough s proposed purchase of South Point Higgins Beach. Item 9e would put a bond issue before the voters of Ketchikan in October 2008, which, of course, may or may not pass. If it does pass, it would cost the people of Ketchikan $5,000 in attorneys fees, in addition to other related costs. Item 9d would take $400,000 from the Borough s land trust account towards the purchase of South Point Higgins Beach and leave the remaining nearly $800,000 of the purchase price mandated by the owner Alaska Mental Health Trust to be raised by community organization Ketchikan Beaches Association and its partner Southeast Alaska Land Trust. This option would give the citizens of Ketchikan a much better chance than the bond issue option of turning South Point Higgins Beach into a public park for the use of current residents, as well as future generations. - More...
Monday - July 07, 2008

Property Taxes: Fair or Unfair? By Jerilyn Lester - I agree with Mr. Warner. I agree with Mr. Warner. I think Ketchikan's elected officials just blew it when instead of cutting the mill rate they just inflated the appraisals for the houses. That not only makes it harder to make all our payments, it makes it just almost impossible to keep our heads above water with the price of gas and food. - More...
Monday - July 07, 2008

IBU TA contract proposal By Robert Rice - Governor's office: "We are committed to a long term vision for improving working conditions for state workers" Annette Kreitzer, commissioner. What a totally one sided, self serving press release. I guess you believe that omissions that present a totally slanted view is not just a rationalization for lying. These one sided half truth-lies are exactly why most people in this country consider our government to be completely untrustworthy. - More...
Monday - July 07, 2008

Congratulations to 1st Place KLL Andres Oil By Linda Hansen - I want to congratulate the Ketchikan Little League Andres Oil for taking 1st Place this year. Great job with all the teams. We are so proud of all the boys. - More...
Monday - July 07, 2008

EXXON VALDEZ PLAINTIFFS LOOK TO THE FUTURE By Rochelle van den Broek - If you are due to receive compensation in the Exxon Valdez case, would you rather give the tax man up to $35% of your settlement, or keep it yourself for later down the road? - More...
Monday - July 07, 2008

It Takes Courage to Cut the Budget By Robert D. Warner - Many of us are suffering "sticker shock" as we receive our current billing for property taxes. This should remind us that it takes real courage and hard work for our elected leaders to cut spending and reduce our taxes or keep increases modest and reasonable. - More...
Wednesday - July 02, 2008

IBU members not the bad guys By Diane Charrier - Instead of making it sound like the IBU members are the bad guys by all the things they (the state) wanted to give us, maybe you should of dug deeper to report all the things the state was trying to take away from us. - More...
Wednesday - July 02, 2008

IBU Contract Not Ratified: One sided By Ronald C. Currit - Your article titled IBU Contract Not Ratified seems to be only one sided, it only says what was offered BUT it does not say what was being changed or taken away. - More...
Wednesday - July 02, 2008

Ketchikan's new community library can't wait By Heidi Ekstrand and Susan Fisher - If all the stacks of books in the Ketchikan Public Library were spread apart so a person in a wheelchair could get up the aisles, and upper shelves were removed for a safe height, we'd need double the present space just for what we have - nothing new. - More...
Wednesday - July 02, 2008

ANWR and NATURAL GAS By Mary Henrikson - This is a response to Marlowe Thompson and her frustrations over ANWR. I am confused by the standard statement that oil from ANWR won't get to market for 10 years. I worked on the The Trans Alaska Pipeline and it took a fraction of that time to build a pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. I can't help but feel technology has improved. I know oil companies must find and drill, but it sounds like they've a good idea where the oil is located and the Governor states the foot print will be the size of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). So the industrial layout will be smaller than Prudhoe, and if they tap into the trans-Alaska pipeline then it sounds like a 3-5 year project on the outside to the outside, and not nearly as intrusive. - More...
Wednesday - July 02, 2008

Outrage! Private Profit on public Alaskan Lands By Norbert Chaudhary - I read today of the plan by AP&T (Alaska Power and Telephone) (NOT an Alaskan Company - it is based in Port Townsend,Washington) to build a dam on PUBLIC LANDS in Southeast Alaska in order to sell electicity for PRIVATE PROFIT to Canada. - More...
Monday - June 30, 2008

Statehood Day By Alan R. McGillvray - When I was a young sprout, wasn't even interested in girls yet, my younger brother and I were over at Minnich's house on 3rd Ave. up by the High School, playing around, when we heard the sirens go off. So we all knew that the STATEHOOD vote was up in the Senate of the U.S.A. govt. and it finally went in our favor. - More...
Monday - June 30, 2008

Gasline, Energy & Salmon By Rep. Mike Doogan - Hearings, we got hearings.

The legislature held more hearings on Gov. Sarah Palin 's proposal to give TransCanada subsidiary TC Alaska a state license to build a gas pipeline from the North Slope. We met Tuesday afternoon in Palmer and Thursday afternoon in Soldotna, with public hearings on those evenings. - More...
Monday - June 30, 2008

Trans Canada Pipeline By Ben Moffett - Way down here in New Mexico, where we have quite a bit of oil and gas too, we're pulling for Trans Canada Pipeline. - More...
Monday - June 30, 2008

Open letter: Gravina Access Priorities, Public Spending for Roads By Michael C. Spence - In my informed opinion, as long as the road system and infrastructure of Ketchikan on the Revillagigedo Island is poorly maintained, with vast areas either unpaved or pothole-ridden, it is a travesty to spend any more public money on roads on Gravina Island. For example, Tongass Avenue near the main post office, Tongass Highway from Revilla Road to Refuge Cove are a mess. Revilla Road is unpaved over much of the area above Ward Lake recreation area, as is South Tongass Highway from mile 8 to the end of the road at Beaver Falls. Both of the latter roads are frequently used by local residents and visitors. There is inadequate pedestrian access throughout the road system in Ketchikan, and critically inadequate in the downtown area where thousands of tourists and residents alike are on the streets during the Summer. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

Our Fuel for the Future By Gov. Sarah Palin - Summer is officially here. And during this time, we like to put the winter months behind us and focus on the longer and warmer days. But we are in the midst of an energy crisis across the nation and in Alaska. And the warmer summer months will only provide a brief respite from the colder months and the increasing need for fuel which lay ahead. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

Customer service By Cecelia Johnson - I recently had a pleasant surprise walking into a business downtown, "Crazy Wolf Studio." I felt like a celebrity and I was treated with respect. Why the surprise? I am a local resident. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

Instead of a tale of two cities, we have two different tales of floating cities By Sen. Kim Elton - Cruise ship compliance with Alaska's environmental laws likely is okay if the question is "can they do lunch?" Ask more relevant questions, though, and compliance apparently is more difficult to assess. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

Oil from ANWR/ gas price reduction By Marlowe Thompson - I have no expertise in the petroleum business. I am retired and trying to convince my U.S. Representative Democrat Mike Thompson (no relation) to change his view and vote to drill in ANWR. He stated in a letter to me that it would take too long, 10 years, to get oil to the Lower 48 and would only lower the gas price about 1.5 cents. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

Moving Forward?? By Jerilyn Lester - It seems to me that Governor Palin is just intent on ripping Alaska off for all it is worth. First the Governor steals the money for the bridge promised to Ketchikan 30 years ago only to build another one across Knik Arm because it takes too long to drive around. Now the Governor is taking jobs and money out of the state and sending them to Canada. - More...
Saturday - June 28, 2008

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