Ketchikan: WRITING WORKSHOP AND POETRY DEDICATION AT TOTEM BIGHT STATE PARK SEPT. 8 - Signs bearing poems written by Alaskans will be installed and dedicated at Totem Bight State Historical Park at 3 p.m. on Sept. 8, as part of the Poems in Place project. The public is invited to attend the dedication as well as writing workshop that will be held at the park in conjunction with the dedication.

The two poems to be installed at Totem Bight State Historical Park are “This Forest, This Beach, You,” by Emily Wall and “The Spoken Forest,” by Ernestine Hayes. Wall and Hayes, both of Juneau, will lead a creative writing workshop titled “Writing on the Wind: A Celebration of Place” at Totem Bight State Historical Park on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The workshop is free and open to all.

Totem Bight State Historical Park is located approximately ten miles north of Ketchikan and is on the Ketchikan Borough Bus route with a bus stop at the park.

Alaska State Parks, the Alaska Center for the Book, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, and a steering committee of Alaskan writers and poets began the Poems in Place project in 2011 to celebrate the connection many Alaskans have with the natural beauty of Alaska’s state parks. Their first project was the 2011 installation of the poem “What Whales and Infants Know,” by the late Kim Cornwall, at Beluga Point in Chugach State Park.

In 2012, the Alaska Center for the Book launched a statewide contest for Alaskans to submit poems to install at Totem Bight State Historical Park and the Chena River State Recreation Area. “The Poems in Place steering committee selected four winning entries from a generous and diverse outpouring of poems received from Alaskans”, said Wendy Erd, the Poems in Place project coordinator. - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

Ketchikan: Man Medevaced from Sailing Vessel Near Ketchikan - A Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Ketchikan medevaced an ailing 78-year-old man Tuesday from the 50-foot sailing vessel A. Herodias near Ketchikan.

According to a news release, the Response Boat-Small crew rendezvoused with the A. Herodias in Naha Bay where the crew took the man aboard and transferred him to local emergency medical service personnel in Knudson Cove for evaluation and treatment. - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

Ketchikan: Changes Coming to GED Test in January of 2014 - The current version of the GED test, known as the “2002 Series GED,” will be replaced with the new “2014 GED” in January of 2014. If you have started, but not completed, the GED testing process by December 20, 2013 at the University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan, your scores will become null and void and you will be required to start all testing over again in 2014. In addition, difficulty levels will increase substantially, as will the cost of testing.

UAS Ketchikan encourages new GED test-takers to begin the testing process by September 9, 2013. GED test-takers who have begun, but not yet completed all 5 tests, are encouraged to resume the process no later than October 1, 2013. The last day to take the current version of the GED test at UAS Ketchikan is December 20, 2013. Please note that the earlier a student starts the process, the easier it will be to meet the deadline. - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

Alaska: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to Get Up-Close Look at King Cove Road and Land Exchange Issue - For months, King Cove residents have been eager to show U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell why a road corridor leading from remote King Cove to Cold Bay’s all-weather airport is the best option to solve their transportation access problem, especially during medical emergencies. This Friday, August 30th, they’ll get that opportunity. Jewell, accompanied by Senator Lisa Murkowski, will spend five hours on the ground talking with residents, schoolchildren and local officials. The Secretary has the final say in determining whether access to a small single-lane gravel road corridor (206 acres) through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge would be in the public interest. As part of the exchange, the federal government would get 56,000 acres of pristine land from the State of Alaska and the King Cove (Native) Corporation.

“We are so grateful that the U.S. Interior Secretary is coming to King Cove to get a real sense from residents of why this road corridor is the most reliable option and why it’s so crucial to this community. There are so many heart-wrenching stories from residents who have experienced difficult medevacs on small planes or boats during dangerous, stormy weather,” said Della Trumble, spokeswoman for the Agdaagux Tribal Council and the King Cove Corporation. “On August 30th, she’ll be able to meet these residents, both young and old. It’s important for her to look them in the eye and hear what they have to say before she makes her final decision.” - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

Alaska: Governor Praised for Taking Action on Regulations; New guidelines for state agencies will help alleviate costly burden of compliance - The representative group for Alaska’s small-business owners yesterday praised Gov. Sean Parnell for taking action aimed at alleviating one of the two biggest barriers to job creation: Regulations.

With a stroke of his pen Monday, the governor signed Administrative Order 266, establishing new guidelines for state agencies to follow that will eventually reduce regulatory burdens on small-business owners and free them to do what they – and not big business, big labor, or big government – do by far the most of: Create jobs.

“Alaskans are better served when state regulations are limited in scope, clearly and plainly written, and consistent with the statutes they implement,” the governor said in his news release. “These new guidelines will ensure laws are implemented in the most reasonable and cost-effective manner for Alaskans."

“We’re elated that Governor Parnell has made reducing, reforming, and refining regulations a priority and commend him for his decisive action,” said Al Tamagni, Alaska leadership council chairman for the National Federation of Independent Business and owner of Anchorage-based Pension Services International. “Along with taxes, excessive and duplicative regulations are the twin killers of job creation and economy expansion. Any elected official who makes reducing the burden of regulations is a true friend of Main Street entrepreneurs.” - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

Alaska: New Partnership for Alaska's Space Industry - Governor Sean Parnell today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell establishing a formal operating relationship between the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) and the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority (VCSFA).

“Alaska has been at the forefront of space launch for nearly 20 years,” Governor Parnell said. “With this agreement, we will be creating opportunities for the commercial space industry to secure cost-effective and reliable launch operations from both the east and west coasts. Both Alaska and Virginia will benefit with greater investment and job opportunities as leaders in the burgeoning commercial space industry.”

The MOU defines the intent of the State of Alaska and the Commonwealth of Virginia to initiate a collaborative and cooperative partnership for spaceport operations. Future launch customers will realize business advantages as the partnership will promote efficiency between the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) designed to create commonality between the two spaceports that decreases costs and improves performance. - More...
Thursday PM - August 29, 2013

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