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Thursday
July 18, 2013
Northern Lights Over Ketchikan
Taken Sunday July 14th, 1:30am, Annette Bay
Front Page Photo By TERRANCE HENRY BOOTH, JR. ©2013
E-mail: Annette Island Photography
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Ketchikan plays a part in Jack Wiegand's Mission to Be the Youngest Pilot to Fly Solo Around the World - Twenty-one year old Jack Wiegand completed his mission to break the current Guinness World Records™ title and became the youngest person to fly solo around the world on June 29th.
Jack Wiegand, 21, lands safely in Fresno, CA to become the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
Photo courtesy SOLO 20/13
Jack’s journey to make history began years ago on his 13th birthday when he piloted his first introductory glider. On his 14th birthday, he became the youngest pilot in the Central California Soaring Club to solo a glider, and when Jack was 16, he soloed his first single-engine power plane.
A Fresno, Calif. native, Wiegand, now aged 21 years 7 days, broke the current record held by James Anthony Tan of Malaysia who was aged 21 years 344 days when he took the title in May 2013.
Wiegand departed on this historical voyage from the Fresno Yosemite International (FAT) Airport and headed east making 22 stops - including one in Ketchikan on June 27th as he was on his return trip to his starting point of Fresno. Wiegand flew approximately 21,000 nautical miles, crossing three oceans and visiting 12 different counties.
Amidst the excitement and nerves to begin the record-breaking journey, Wiegand forgot one of his most important documents -- his passport. A fact, he only realized once when he arrived at his first international destination in Iqaluit, Canada, a remote town northeast of Hudson Bay. After searching his plane, the passport was discovered in the copy machine in his parent's home where Wiegand had made photocopies of his visas, identification and passport. The passport was sent via UPS and Wiegand was able to continue on his international route. - More...
Thursday PM - July 18, 2013
Southeast Alaska: Humpback whale fully entangled in gillnet fishing gear released by fisherman - A humpback whale fully entangled in gillnet fishing gear south of Haines was reported by a fisherman at about 7 a.m. Wednesday to the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region.
NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard partnered on the response, with NOAA deploying their whale disentanglement team (cetacean scientists and veterinarians from NOAA’s Auke Bay Lab and Alaska Regional Office in Juneau), and the Coast Guard providing transportation and a platform for disentanglement operations.
Before NOAA and the Coast Guard arrived on the scene, the fisherman was able to free the whale and it swam away.
This is the third whale entanglement report to NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region this season, but the first their whale disentanglement team had enough information regarding location to respond to. - More...
Thursday PM - July 18, 2013
Ketchikan: CCHRC Video on Crawl Spaces in Southeast Alaska - A Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) video on designing and maintaining crawl spaces in Southeast will be airing on CBS this month, on Saturdays at 7:30am and 4:00pm and on Sundays at 8:30am.
Cold Climate Housing Research Center produced the video in partnership with Marquam George and University of Alaska Southeast. It covers the typical problems in crawl spaces as well as how to manage moisture and increase energy performance. - More...
Thursday PM - July 18, 2013
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Alaska: Some volcanoes ‘scream’ at ever-higher pitches until they blow their tops By VINCE STRICHERZ - It is not unusual for swarms of small earthquakes to precede a volcanic eruption. They can reach a point of such rapid succession that they create a signal called harmonic tremor that resembles sound made by various types of musical instruments, though at frequencies much lower than humans can hear.
A new analysis of an eruption sequence at Alaska’s Redoubt Volcano in March 2009 shows that the harmonic tremor glided to substantially higher frequencies and then stopped abruptly just before six of the eruptions, five of them coming in succession.
“The frequency of this tremor is unusually high for a volcano, and it’s not easily explained by many of the accepted theories,” said Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, a University of Washington doctoral student in Earth and space sciences.
Documenting the activity gives clues to a volcano’s pressurization right before an explosion. That could help refine models and allow scientists to better understand what happens during eruptive cycles in volcanoes like Redoubt, she said.
The source of the earthquakes and harmonic tremor isn’t known precisely. Some volcanoes emit sound when magma – a mixture of molten rock, suspended solids and gas bubbles – resonates as it pushes up through thin cracks in the Earth’s crust.
But Hotovec-Ellis believes in this case the earthquakes and harmonic tremor happen as magma is forced through a narrow conduit under great pressure into the heart of the mountain. The thick magma sticks to the rock surface inside the conduit until the pressure is enough to move it higher, where it sticks until the pressure moves it again.
Each of these sudden movements results in a small earthquake, ranging in magnitude from about 0.5 to 1.5, she said. As the pressure builds, the quakes get smaller and happen in such rapid succession that they blend into a continuous harmonic tremor. - More...
Thursday PM - July 18, 2013
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Alaska: Study Shows U.S. Cruise Industry A Substantial Contributor to U.S. Economy; Alaska ports received about 3.55 million cruise passenger visits, approximately 65 percent of all port-of-call cruise passenger visits to U.S. - The North American cruise industry continued to be a substantial contributor to the U.S. economy in 2012 according to an independent study commissioned by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The study shows that CLIA's 26 North American member lines and their passengers and crew contributed over $42 billion in total U.S. economic impact, a 4.6 percent increase from 2011. In addition, the cruise industry generated 356,311 jobs, paying a record $17.4 billion in wages to American workers.
After a strong rebound in 2010 and 2011 from the recession induced impacts of 2009, the North American cruise industry continued to expand in 2012. According to the study, CLIA's North American member cruise lines carried a record 16.95 million passengers on cruises worldwide in 2012, a 3.8 percent increase from the previous year. More than 10 million passengers embarked on their cruises at U.S. ports - another all-time high - delivering significant economic benefits to local and port communities nationwide. Every week, cruise ships provision in U.S. ports prior to embarking on an itinerary and purchase products and services from American business across the nation.
"The cruise industry is a growing contributor to our nation's economy and the economic benefits of cruising go beyond port communities as all 50 states benefit from the cruise industry's direct and indirect spending," said Christine Duffy, CLIA's president and CEO. "Various businesses nationwide contribute products and services that are integral to the cruise experience. The study demonstrates that cruising, aside from being a fun and affordable vacation option, continues to spur U.S. economic growth."
"The State of the North American Cruise Industry in 2012" was prepared for CLIA by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) of Exton, Pennsylvania. Key findings include:
Total economic impact on the U.S. economy grew by 4.6 percent to $42.3 billion in 2012, with direct spending by the cruise industry growing by 4.0 percent to $19.6 billion.
During 2012, CLIA's North American cruise line members carried nearly 17 million passengers on cruises around the globe. This represented a 3.8 percent increase from the previous year.
An estimated 10.1 million cruise passengers embarked on their cruises at U.S. ports, accounting for 59 percent of the CLIA North America member cruise line global embarkations and representing a 2.5 percent increase from 2011.
The North American cruise industry benefited every state in the nation through direct purchases of goods and services, with approximately 80 percent of the impact concentrated in ten states – Florida, California, Texas, New York, Alaska, Washington, Georgia, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Jersey.
Alaska is the premier cruise destination market in the United States. During 2012, Alaska ports received about 3.55 million cruise passenger visits, approximately 65 percent of all port-of-call cruise passenger visits at U.S. ports. - More...
Thursday PM - July 18, 2013
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Update in Progress
 Facts Regarding STVFD Grant By Steve Rydeen -
With all due respect to Mr. Plute, I find it remarkable that he didn’t investigate before writing his letter. The South Tongass Fire Chief and the Borough Manager are readily available to answer questions and to provide accurate information. The project in question was a grant request to the State for a back-up Generator and alarm system for the new Mountain Point fire station. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 10, 2013
Another tax break for the rich? By Norm Noggle -
I appreciated reading Bill Walker's piece regarding the recommendation to allow the public to vote on any proposed tax giveaways to the oil companies in this state. Gov. Parnell came up with the scare tactic that the oil companies need to have reduced taxes in order to continue to have the financial resources to explore for more oil. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 10, 2013
Maisch Hoodwinks Congress About the Tongass By Larry Edwards -
Alaska's chief forester, Chris Maisch, should be fired and be held in contempt of Congress. Falsehoods were plentiful in his June 25 testimony to the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, representing the state on Tongass National Forest issues. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 10, 2013
Sealaska By Michael Beasley - Humbling opinion. Leaves You with a heavy heart. I believe Sealaska is a product of the Landclaims settlement and has lost its way by hiding behind being a Corporation. Altering the election system and creating a monopoly of directors is the cancer with Sealaska Corporation. Nothing will change until a fair election system occurs. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 10, 2013
Bugge's Beach By Clayton J. Benner -
I grew up in Ketchkan, bike riding out to Bugge's Beach many summer days as a teanager. In about 1945 or 1946, when I was just learning to drive, Dich Borch organized a big project at the beach. He gathered a bunch of us youny-ins and, with the help of Public Works equipment (trucks, bull-dozer, etc) we scooped out the muck from the enclosed beach area. Then the big job. We added 2'-8" to the top of the dam and a diving board mount on top of that. - More...
Monday PM - July 08, 2013
The Lies and Truths of Local Government By Ed Plute -
With the recent revelations of scandal after scandal in our current government, it is only a matter of time before our own communities corruption comes to light. Exhaustion is the only word that comes to mind when dealing with the current system. Not to mention as we speak, every person reading this is certainly wondering what is REALLY going on? Not only out there in the world, but right here in our own town of Ketchikan. For the past few years the world has been progressively waking up to the reality that our own bureaucracy is a facade and that our current local governments are not much better. Supporting personal agendas through manipulative processes and seemingly getting away with it time and time again. However, it is about time we put our own community back together. How, you may ask, do we do this? - More..
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
Let Alaskans Vote on Oil Tax Overhaul By Bill Walker -
The fight for Alaskan statehood took 88 years - from the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 to our Union admittance in 1959. During this time, Alaskans suffered one form of exploitation after another. - More...
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
Referendum to repeal SB 21 By Sen. Bert Stedman -
Americans just celebrated the declaration of our independence from the British and the birth of our country based on democratic principles and individual rights enshrined in our Constitution. In light of this important holiday, I find it rather fitting that on Wednesday my family and I exercised our right to petition the government by signing the referendum to repeal SB 21, the new petroleum tax that undervalues our oil. Every Alaskan who signs the referendum to repeal SB 21 is simply expressing a desire to participate in a public debate about the selling price of their primary resource. I’m proud to place my name on the referendum with other Alaskans who want to exercise their fundamental right to participate in the government process. - More...
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
Open Letter: A "Bit" of Governmental waste By A. M. Johnson -
The following has come to my attention. Perhaps you are aware of the issue, perhaps not, It would not be surprising if you are not, It would not be a issue normally visited by the general public and so assumed, would remain hidden un-noticed, ignored,and allowed to continue with congressional awareness unabated. - More...
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
RE: Ketchikan-what a town! By Jim Duncan -
Great Call Teri! Fantasy Island I like to think! - More...
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
Racist Words By Al Johnson - Since Wal-Mart and Target dropped Paula Deen, I fully expect them to remove all hip hop and rap DVDs that contain the same word and that are also racist against whites. - More...
Friday PM - July 05, 2013
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