Elimination of statewide Alaska Hire By Andree McLeod - A sweeping change happened when Gov. Sean Parnell, through his Deputy Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, ended statewide Alaska Hire requirements for public works contracts. With one stroke of the pen, a statewide Alaska Hire policy that's been in place for the last 25 years to serve the interests of Alaskans and their families was made null and void by the elimination of Alaska Hire preferences in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and other communities. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 21, 2013

Tour Companies By Marlene Steiner - I don't know how many years that Herring Cove has been dealing with Tour Companies and cabs taking people down Powerhouse Road during the summer months and letting these people they haul go on private properties or walk on the highway to and from the bridge. It getting to the point where these drivers park half way on people's properties or block where someone cannot get off Powerhouse Road if they want to leave. Now they are going on property when fenced off and when clearly marked. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 21, 2013

KPU Late Charges By Gladys Natkong - I also wrote a letter about the "late charges". My Ketchikan Public Utilities electric bill fell late in Dec. after my daughter forgot to tell me that the KPU worker came and told me to have my payment in by noon. It was 12:26 and I was still getting ready to go. My late charge was $350.00 and was told that if my payments were paid on time it would be applied. I am also on a fixed income. All totaled I paid close to $1000.00 to have my lights turned back on. They knew I have a grandchild living with me and it was Christmas. We went without lights for 3 weeks. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 21, 2013

RE: Guns: Stand Your Ground By Larry Meehan - I would ask that Mike Harpold look at the last three words in his 2nd paragraph,"When I could". - More...
Wednesday PM - august 21, 2013

Stand your ground By Duane Hill - The opposition to "Stand Your Ground " laws makes me wonder about those opposed. No part of any of these laws requires a person stand his ground, just as no part requires a person be armed. - More...
Wedneday PM - August 21, 2013

Trayvon Martin's death By Duane Hill - Criticism aimed at George Zimmerman is based on GZ not profiling or stereotyping Trayvon Martin as being the depraved and violent criminal he proved to be. GZ "should have known better" (Why?) than expect TM to act as a responsible and civilized human. As a result, GZ ended up flat on his back with TM beating the snot out of him, with a cement sidewalk behind his head so he was taking head injuries. There was no playground monitor or school teacher around to tell TM to behave, not that the 17 year old criminal would have obeyed. Then Trayvon Martin told George Zimmerman that TM was going to kill GZ. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 21, 2013

VOTE YES ON HOSPITAL BONDS By Bill Tatsuda - PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, Ketchikan’s largest private employer with over 400 good paying jobs, is very important to our local economy and quality of life.  The key to the hospital’s viability is its ability to perform surgeries, which bring patients to the hospital facility thus generating enough revenue to keep the hospital open.  The current operating rooms are too old, too small, and inadequate to carry the hospital far into the future.  Recruiting and retaining top surgeons in Ketchikan will become more and more difficult if not impossible unless new, larger, modern, state of the art surgical suites are added.  The viability of our hospital depends on accomplishing its planned expansion. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Obamacare is not ready: Alaska declined to create an exchange, for good reasons By Gov. Sean Parnell -  As governor of Alaska, I have a responsibility to carefully review federal policies and consider how they will impact the 49th state. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

WAKE UP POWERS TO BE AND PAY ATTENTION!!! By Sally Balch - My heart breaks for Cody and Kathy Evans as they are going through the grieving process of losing their wonderful son Jessie. He was a very nice person and this whole situation is mind boggling. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Guns: Stand Your Ground By Mike Harpold - In September, Alaska will be blessed with a new law allowing me to use deadly force to stand my ground if I am in a place I have a right to be, like a public park, a street or a bar, and am threatened with serious bodily injury by a bully. Thanks Governor Parnell and state lawmakers, but I think I will pass on this. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Tansy ragwort By Victoria McDonald - Tansy ragwort continues to grow throughout our hot dry summer. A few of us have been busy picking on the south end, mainly in the Fawn Mountain area. One woman in Bear Valley called with information that she sprayed full strength white vinegar on plants in her driveway and the first year tansy plants died out, (along with surrounding plants so be careful). I've sprayed first year plants as I pick the tall second year growth and will see if vinegar is as powerful as she reported. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Open Letter: Congressional medical largess By A. M. Johnson - Senator Murkowski, in case you are not keeping up with the reactions to your recent largess allow me to expose it to you and your staff. Confirmation on reason not to trust my government. - More...
Thursday PM

Past time for citizens of the USA to politically revolt By Glen E Terrell - It's well past time for citizens of the USA to politically revolt against our elected governing elite, or EGE. The EGE has mal served our country for decades. Congressmen have served their own personal greed and members of both parties have worked to advance their own party's strength. Meanwhile the welfare of the country has been ignored. America is no longer respected around the world, agencies of our government are abusing and spying on us citizens, the national debt and deficit have America on the brink of financial collapse and now Congress has exempted its members and their staff members from Obama care. Enough is enough! - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Military Cuts Jeopardize National Security By Donald A. Moskowitz - Our national security could be in jeopardy if the $500 billion in sequestration defense cuts are implemented.  Our military had to absorb $80 billion in prior cuts and is now cutting $487 billion over 10 years to comply with the Budget Control Act. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

Murder in the street By Claire Natkong - Zimmerman got away with murder, which is usual these days. - More...
Thursday PM - August 15, 2013

911 Proposed Call Fees By Andy Rauwolf - Regarding the City of Ketchikan seeking to charge Borough residents a fee for 911 emergency calls outside the city limits. It’s time that the public be informed of the history and perspective on this subject. - More...
Sunday AM - August 11, 2013

On the Death of Our Beloved Son By Cody & Kathy Evans - There used to be a sign painted on the roof of an old barn between Eugene and Reedsport, Oregon.  It said “Soldiers of the Cross ARMOR UP.”

For years I drove past that barn and thought just being a good Christian meant being “ARMORED UP.”  Over the last few days I have come to realize it means much more, it means war.  On 08-03-13, our beloved son died after being tormented by a person he went to Ketchikan High with - used to be buddies with and probably even did some drugs with.  His friend has become a drug dealing monster with no soul.  He tormented our son, broke into his home and beat him while asleep in bed, but our son refused to press charges, saying “You don’t understand he used to be a friend of mine.  Maybe he has it out of his system now.” - More...
Sunday AM - August 11, 2013

KPU By Joey Garcia - I would like to get a clarification on the kind of billing the Ketchikan Public Utilities (KPU) has for the sake of enlightenment to what I need to know. When my wife forgot to pay a month after receiving a statement from the KPU Office last July 2012, she was appraised of a penalty for late payment of $50 for cable and $50 for internet. Having to note that these penalties chunked down so as to save our hard earned cash for budgeted expenses relevant to the "take it or leave it" Ketchikan style of revenue economy, when I inquired personally, a KPU personnel told me that this penalty can be applied to billings for one year from date of payments, e.i. I have to soften my kind of reasoning to my wife that at least, we can have a rest when July of 2013 comes around. - More...
Sunday AM - August 11, 2013

  No Bridge By Samuel E. Bergeron - I was a proponent of the bridge to Gravina back when the bridge made sense; today it’s laughable to consider putting $250-300 million, or more, into a project of that magnitude. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Highway Robbery? By Chris Elliott - My daughter, her husband and my two grandsons recently visited Ketchikan. After driving from Phoenix to Bellingham, they arrived on the M/V Columbia with a camper on their truck and a dog. The round trip cost on the AMHS? I was shocked and appalled. $3,831.00. Thank goodness the driver rides free. Individual fares were $239.00. The dog was $25.00. The camper was $994.00. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

FALSE PROFITS - In the nineteenth and the early twentieth century we brought the “chink” and the “wetback” to the factory via massive in-migration. In the early twenty-first century we have reversed the process and now via outsourcing bring the factory to the “wetback” and to the “chink.” The intent in both instances is, nonetheless, the same, to degrade labor to the point of a peonage as close to slave labor as is humanly possible. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia By Barbara Haney - Please contact the Governor's Office and your state legislators and ask the State to cancel the agreement with Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia (SBAC). While appearing to be a mere vendor for a test, the consortium is a governance structure that ends state sovereignty over educational issues. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Business deal By Dominic Salvato - Sealaska's land allotment isn't a Native rights issue. It is a business deal with the intent to make millions for the executives of the Sealaska Corporation. Tlingit,Haida and Tsimshian citizens of the United State already own the land. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Odds and Ends... By Joey Garcia - Quoting Mr. Kiffer re Ketchikan as a Fantasy Island is quite absorbing and educational. It doesn't matter who came and visited our Salmon Capital of the World or Gateway City, I already belonged to the group of this Fantasy Island...- More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Stand your ground By Duane Hill - The last letter I sent was on the subject of the murderous thug Trayvon Martin and only incidentally about Stand Your Ground. The editor changing the subject line from "Trayvon Martin" to "Stand your ground" really confused what I was talking about. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013

Dr. John McMichael Sloan By Janis Morritt Vodden - I am seeking information about Dr. John McMichael SLOAN who went to Nome, Alaska in the early days and was there for many years. He was the son of Andrew.W. & Agnes SLOAN. A.W. was an prominent apple grower in the Blyth, Huron Co., Ontario area of Canada. It is my understanding that he went to Nome, Alaska, probably around the 1890s and lived there for many years. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 07, 2013