A north Pacific right whale surfaces in the Bering Sea on August 10. Photo credit John Durban, NMML Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Much to discuss by Sen. Gene Therriault - 09/14/04 More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter September 2004 Click on the date to read the stories & to view photos published on that day... S M T W T F S    30 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     Today's Front Page Front Page Archives

Alaska: Scientists Tag North Pacific Right Whales - Two North Pacific right whales were recently tagged in the Bering Sea by NOAA Fisheries' scientists and their colleagues. Scientists are now tracking the extremely rare and endangered whales by satellite, a more efficient method than visual and auditory observations. Researchers hope to discover where the whales winter.

"We were lucky with weather, whales, and everything else," said Dr. Paul Wade, a NOAA scientist from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. "It was our third day in the right whale box, and we had beautiful, flat calm weather."

The scientists were working on the charter vessel Alaska Enterprise in August when they discovered the whales. The 'box' is an area in the eastern Bering Sea where North Pacific right whales are known to gather in the summer.

Acoustics researchers Allan Sauter and Lisa Munger (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) deployed a sonobuoy (underwater listening device) at noon on the day of discovery, and heard far-away right whale calls. The calls gave the scientists a bearing that enabled them to find two right whales. According to Wade, the whales were fairly large. The larger of the two was likely an adult, and the second whale was slightly smaller, and likely a small adult or sub-adult. Scientists placed tags on the whales.

The North Pacific right whale tagging project is co-directed by Wade and by Dr. Mads Peter Heide-Joergensen of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Copenhagen, Denmark, who leads a team that has considerable experience tagging bowhead, humpback and other whale species. Anders Villum Jensen, who works with Heide-Jorgensen, actually put the tags on the whales. - More...
Tuesday - September 14, 2004

Zoila Bonilla and her son George Photo courtesy KGH

Ketchikan: From Peru to LA, more than 50 years in nursing - In Ketchikan and at Ketchikan General Hospital (KGH) it is a normal occurrence to receive visitors who've lived fascinating lives from all over the world. One recent visitor was a patient with a remarkable history as a nurse.

Zoila Bonilla, who came to KGH recently when she suffered a cardiac crisis aboard a cruise ship, was extremely thankful for the care she received in Ketchikan. "Dr. Rice saved my life," she said. Both she and her son George expressed enormous gratitude for the ER staff, the care received on the Med/Surg Unit, and the loving attention from Sister Betty Kane. In turn, she and her son, who flew in from California to join her and travel home with her, shared a glimpse of her more than 50 years as a nurse. - More...
Tuesday - September 14, 2004

Sister Betty Kane Photo courtesy KGH

Ketchikan: Kane Named KGH Employee of the Month - Sister Betty Kane, Director of Pastoral Care at Ketchikan General Hospital (KGH), has been named Employee of the Month by a committee of her peers.

Sister Betty Kane was born in Dublin, Ireland. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in Newry, County Down, Ireland.  Later she came as a Sister to Bellingham, Washington and went on to a teaching career, which took her to areas along the coast of Washington and into Nelson, British Columbia. - More...
Tuesday - September 14, 2004

Howard Dean: An Expiration Date on Safety - On Monday, Sept.13, the law banning the manufacture of semiautomatic assault weapons for private sale in the United States expired.

Before you read further I should tell you that my father was an avid hunter. I grew up with guns in the house, and although I do not hunt, I own an over-and-under shotgun. While running for office in Vermont, I won eight straight elections with the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. As Governor, I conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat by partnering with the NRA to fight off the right-wing property rights advocates who opposed government land acquisition. I believed Vermont's outdoors should be the way it has been for generations, and now it will be. - More...
Tuesday - September 14, 2004