Ketchikan: Keel laid for revolutionary dual-use catamaran vessel, M/V Susitna - On August 24, 2006, onlookers gathered at the shipyard of Alaska Ship & Drydock Inc. in Ketchikan, Alaska, to witness the keel laying of what will be a very unusual and versatile ship.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the vessel's sponsor, performed the honors as she welded her name onto the keel of the M/V Susitna, a twin-hulled catamaran ferry that is being funded jointly by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Alaska's Matunuska Susitna (Mat/Su) Borough. Attendees also included ONR's Chief of Naval Research RAdm. William E. Landay, Mat/Su Borough Mayor Tim Anderson, as well as State of Alaska and Ketchikan officials and the management team for the Susitna program. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

SEAFAC Completes Upgrades Front Page Photo by Carl Thompson

Ketchikan: SEAFAC Completes Upgrades By ANGELA GRUBE - Navy Region Northwest Sailors, local politicians and business leaders gathered at the Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC) near Ketchikan, Alaska, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Aug. 22, marking the completion of the first of two phases of upgrades to the facility.

"The United States has been at the forefront of submarine stealth for the past 50 years," said Rear Adm. William Timme, deputy commander for Undersea Warfare Naval Sea Systems Command. "Through superior engineering and testing at facilities like SEAFAC, our submarines remain unmatched in the world. Submarine designers and builders have learned from acoustic experimentation and testing, and applied those lessons learned to new platforms." - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

Grounded passenger vessel Totem Princess assisted by Coast Guard Front Page Photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Ketchikan

Ketchikan: Grounded passenger vessel Totem Princess assisted by Coast Guard - Coast Guard Station Ketchikan responded to the grounding of the passenger vessel Totem Princess Thursday one half mile north of Totem Bight.

Petty Officer Eric Chandler said the Coast Guard received notification from the crew of the Totem Princess that they were aground at approximately 12:35 p.m. Thursday. The Coast Guard launched a 25-foot and a 47-foot small boat from Station Ketchikan. The small boat crews arrived on scene about 25 minutes after notification.  They reported that the Totem Princess was not hard aground but the vessel's beam was to the rocks and it was having rudder and propulsion problems.  The passengers had all donned life-jackets.

The Coast Guard 47-foot utility boat proceeded to tow the 52-foot Totem Princess from the rocks. Petty Officer Eric Chandler said there was concern by the Coast guard that the vessel would be in more danger if it remained where it was and the surf continued to pound against the hull and push the ship into the rocks.  - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

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Wrangell: Public input gathered on wilderness management of the Stikine River Corridor - The Wrangell Ranger District has organized a facilitated "listening session" to gather public input on issues related to wilderness management of the Stikine River Corridor. "A number of proposals have come up this summer relating to use of the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness, including requests by outfitters and guides to use cabins and outhouses, and a proposal to limit the size of private groups using the area," said Mark Hummel, Wrangell District Ranger. "We could talk about each topic one at a time, but I think there's a critical mass of ideas here, and it's time to hold a larger conversation about management in the river corridor."

The Forest Service enlisted the help of John Hendee, Professor Emeritus in the University of Idaho's Department of Conservation Social Sciences. Dr. Hendee has authored over 150 publications, including three books, spanning a range of topics on human dimensions of natural resources, the resolution of land use problems, wilderness, and wildlife management. He will be on hand to conduct interviews with those who use or are otherwise interested in the management of the Stikine River Corridor. Interviews will be held on August 27, 28, and 29. Those interested in participating in this unique planning opportunity are encouraged to call the Forest Service at (907) 874-2323 to arrange an interview time. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

Alaska: North slope pollution debated in Alaska By DAVID R. BAKER - Scan the landscape surrounding Alaska's northern oil fields and you won't see much obvious pollution.

Litter is scarce. Pipeline leaks, like the one that shut half of the Prudhoe Bay oil field this month, tend to be small. An intricate network of pipes crosses the land, but much of it hangs suspended several feet above the tundra, propped up on supports.

Yet the North Slope operations - like oil production facilities everywhere - taint the environment in a more substantial way.

They release into the air a steady stream of pollutants and greenhouse gases, spewed by vehicles, power generators and the drilling process itself. Estimates vary, but the North Slope oil fields probably produce more smog-forming nitrogen oxides than Washington, D.C., and more carbon dioxide than San Francisco. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

Hoonah: Proposal for Hoonah Timber Sale Developed - The Tongass National Forest's North Zone Planning Team has developed a proposal to make wood products available from the Iyouktug valley on northeast Chichagof Island, approximately 12 miles east-southeast of Hoonah, Alaska. The Iyouktug Timber Sale proposal involves harvest of approximately 57 million board feet of timber from about 4,430 acres over a 10-year period. All harvest would occur in areas approved for such activities under the current Tongass forest plan.

Chris Budke, Acting Hoonah District Ranger, explained that this sale is larger than many recent sales planned by the Tongass National Forest in an effort to provide a stable supply of wood to the local wood products industry over time: "Our primary intent with the Iyouktug project is to make numerous small sales available over the course of a decade, though the project would not preclude us from offering one or more larger sales if such interest exists. A decision to implement this project could provide some much needed stability to local sawmills and timber operators." The sale is being planned as part of the Tongass timber sale program. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

Alaska: Telemetry Buoy Tracks Entangled Whale - Members of the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network can claim partial success in their August 21 attempt to remove gillnet gear tangled around the tail of a humpback whale in Stephen's passage near Juneau. The team was able to remove much of the gear, but not all. With approaching darkness, they returned to port, planning to regroup later in the week and attempt to free the humpback whale completely.

The whale is not in immediate danger from the lines which are still tangled around its tail. A telemetry buoy, which is beaming the whale's location over satellite, is attached to the remaining gear. The telemetry buoy will allow the team to travel straight to the whale when they are ready, avoiding a sometimes costly and frustrating search effort before further disentanglement efforts can take place.

The whale has been in the Hobart Bay and Five Finger Light area in the southern part of Stephen's Passage, not moving far from where it was first spotted. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

National: Vets group to renew call for larger active-duty military By MATTHEW D. LaPLANTE - The American Legion will renew its call for a larger active-duty military at the group's convention this week in Salt Lake City, officials from the nation's largest veterans organization said.

The legion's bid for more service members comes as the U.S. Marines are preparing to recall thousands of troops who have left active service.

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Elkins has earned his place in Ketchikan's roster By June Allen - Saturday Grounded Vessel By Jennifer Brewer - Saturday My last trip to Alaska By Peter James - Saturday Bully breeds By Kelly Needham - Friday Support Your Locally-Owned Businesses By Mark O'Brien - Wednesday Medical Costs By Pat Long - Wednesday Pleased with vote By Douglas J. Thompson - Wednesday Living in a vacuum? By Vicki Harsha - Wednesday Eye of the Beholder Letter By Rob Glenn - Wednesday This Will Only Take A Minute! By Marcia Hilley - Tuesday Gaming? By Lonnie Guthrie - Tuesday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map Classifieds & Announcements August 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S   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

"We've been very concerned about the drawdown of our military," American Legion national commander Thomas Bock told The Salt Lake Tribune. "We've had more and more reliance on the Guard and Reserve and now the Individual Ready Reserve. When you're reaching back like that, that's an indication that we do not have a big enough force."

The Individual Ready Reserve comprises troops that have left active-duty service but are still required to return if called to duty.

Defense Department officials confirmed Tuesday that President Bush has authorized the Marines to call up to 2,500 at a time. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

National: Katrina begat sorrows but also lots of greedy frauds By LISA HOFFMAN - Tina Marie Gilmore said she lost her two young daughters in the floodwaters that besieged New Orleans, suffering the unimaginable horror of watching the girls float away but being helpless to save them before they disappeared.

She bore other losses as well from Hurricane Katrina: destruction to her home on Cedar Street and $10,075 worth of personal property. Soon after the storm, Gilmore asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help her with financial disaster assistance. FEMA sent her $4,358.

Turns out, her real name was Tina Marie Winston, she had no such daughters, her New Orleans "address" didn't exist and, when Katrina struck nearly a year ago, she actually was in Belleville, Ill., where she had lived for more than a year. She was indicted on federal fraud charges in June.

Gary Kraser also bore testament to the heartbreak the storm brought, and the desperate and costly struggle to help the survivors. On a Web site dubbed AirKatrina.com, Kraser recounted the flights he piloted to Louisiana, bringing medical supplies and helping to evacuate the sick. One flight carried a 7-month-old in critical need of transplant surgery, he said. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

National: Medicare patients have increasing number of diseases By LEE BOWMAN - More than half of Medicare patients are being treated for five or more chronic medical conditions, far more than 15 years ago, and these patients accounted for more than three-quarters of Medicare spending, according to a new analysis.

The study, published online this week by the journal Health Affairs, examines trends in annual Medicare spending and caseloads between 1987 and 2002.

Kenneth Thorpe, chairman of health-policy management at Emory University's School of Public Health, and David Howard, an assistant professor in the department, found that in 1987, 31 percent of Medicare patients were receiving treatment for five or more conditions; by 2002, that share had risen to 50.2 percent.

Better diagnostic tools and more options for treating chronic diseases of aging appear to be part of a trend toward doctors aggressively treating the elderly.

Obesity also appears to be a major factor behind the spending increases. The study found that while obesity rates among Medicare patients doubled during the 15-year period, spending on obese patients tripled, to account for 25 percent of the total. - More...
Friday - August 25, 2006

National: For today's couples, cell phones put the mess into messaging By MATT EHLERS - She remembered it fondly enough, seeing as how she referred to him as "Mr. Smooth" in open court - the nationally televised kind.

They met in a breakfast joint, she explained to the judge, and were standing near the counter waiting to be seated. The waitress asked if the pair were together. He said, "not yet," and asked for her cell phone.

She gave it to him, he programmed his number into it, she called him about a week later and they went on their first date.

Cell phones, you see, can bring people together. But it's the bills that bring them together in court.

So that's why they were standing on the set of "Judge Mathis," sharing their broken-relationship woes with the country. She said he owed her $390 for the cell-phone bill. He said she owed him $1,895 for scratching naughty words on his car.

Watch any of the reality court shows and it probably won't be more than a few minutes before a cell-phone issue pops up. For all of the good that these phones bring, they sure do get between boys and girls. - More...