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Saturday
September 14, 2013
Downtown Ketchikan
Three of four cruise ships at dock in downtown Ketchikan on Sept. 9th are pictured in this photograph taken from Deer Mountain.
Front Page Photograph by JIM LEWIS ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Assembly Work Session Will Address Herring Cove Draft Study & Recommendations By Mary Kauffman - Among items on the agenda for the Ketchikan Assembly meeting scheduled for Monday is a work session to discuss the recently completed Herring Cove Draft Study which addresses the growing impact that thousands of visitors have on the Herring Cove neighborhood.
The goal of the study was to identify possible solutions to the problems identified through the public involvement process and to develop recommendations to the Ketchikan Borough Assembly for further direction. Three major recommendations are outlined within the draft report. The first addresses the primary public safety issues, pedestrians in the right-of-way on South Tongass Highway; the second, the lack of infrastructure for vehicles; and the third is sanitation.
Three public meetings were held by Borough planning staff in the development of the draft report. The first public meeting held on May 7, 2013, was for property owners within the Herring Cove area. Approximately thirty people were in attendance, including two Planning Commissioners. That meeting focused on the identification of issues related to visitor impacts. The second public meeting on May 9, 2013, was for the tour operators and cab companies. Approximately sixteen people were in attendance, including a Planning Commissioner and a representative from ADOT&PF. That meeting focused on tourist impacts to the area and safety concerns related to tourists within public rights-of-way.
The majority of Herring Cove residents present at the May 7th meeting opposed additional rezones of residential property to non-residential or changes in the zoning code to allow conditional use permits for seasonal retail.
A third public meeting, held on July 16, 2013, in the Assembly Chambers, provided the opportunity for citizen input into the first draft of the study report. Approximately thirty people were in attendance. The comments received were utilized to further refine the report and recommendations.
Some to the issues identified during these public meetings include: - More...
Saturday PM - September 14, 2013
Ketchikan: Ketchikan Medical Center Receives Alaska Hospital Quality Award -
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center has been honored with a Commitment to Quality Award for “dedication to ensuring patients receive high quality care in the areas of heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infection prevention” from Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, an agency that promotes excellence in healthcare and provides medical review services in Montana, Wyoming, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Awards are based on three criteria: a review of performance data submitted to the QIO Clinical Warehouse, which stores hospital-reported data for both quality measurements and public reporting for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; a presence on Hospital Compare, a federal program that evaluates hospital performance based on patient surveys; and participation in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.
“We share a common commitment with Mountain Pacific to insuring the best quality health care is provided to every patient, every time,” said Ken Tonjes, CAO of PeaceHealth Ketchikan. “Our caregivers practice this philosophy every day. We appreciate this recognition from an agency charged with monitoring quality care.” - More...
Saturday PM - September 14, 2013
Ketchikan: Two Arrested for Selling Meth - Ketchikan Police Detectives received information around noon on Friday the 13th of persons selling narcotics out of a hotel room in Ketchikan. Lapairs A. Shaw, age 21, and Rebecca L. A. Heisler, age 32, both of Ketchikan were developed as suspects.
A search warrant was executed and approximately a quarter ounce of suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale, syringes and plastic baggies were seized along with approximately $1,100.00 cash. - More...
Saturday PM - September 14, 2013
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Fish Factor: Permit brokers hopping By LAINE WELCH - Alaska’s record salmon season has permit brokers hopping as buyers seek to break into or expand their fishing opportunities in many fisheries.
Notably, brokers say there is “a lot of great buzz” at Bristol Bay, despite a lackluster sockeye fishery that saw the bulk of the red run come and go eight days early.
“Prior to the season the drift permits went for under $100,000, but we just sold one for $125, 000,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. Most of the bump is due to optimism about the sockeye base price of $1.50/lb, a $.50 increase from last year.
Data from the state Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission show that Bristol Bay driftnet permit values have remained near or well over $100,000 since 2010, and increased steadily each year after dropping below $20,000 in 2002.
This summer also was a great one for salmon seiners, which has driven up interest in those fishing permits.
“These folks had good seasons and made some money. They’re going to be looking to expand their operations, pick up another permit, another boat or upgrade,” Bowen said.
Salmon seine permits at Southeast Alaska have the distinction of being the highest priced at more than $300,000.
“There’s very little on the market and it’s hard to tell where that will shake out,” said Olivia Olsen of Alaskan Quota and Permits in Petersburg. “Most people think the permits are headed up because they have had such a fantastic year, but they had moved up so fast prior to the season, that might not happen.”
A Chignik seine permit recently sold for $225,000, Bowen said, and Prince William Sound seine permits just broke the $200,000 mark. At Cook Inlet, seine cards are stagnant after a disappointing season, but still valued around $70,000. That compares to a Cook Inlet permit value of about $54,000 last year and just $17,000 in 2010. Kodiak seine permits are still hovering around $40,000 and interest has picked up slightly; at the Alaska Peninsula, the seine value is holding steady in the high $60s.
“All of these permit prices are extremely volatile,” Bowen said. “A good fishing year or forecast can make permit prices double in a year depending on the fishery. Then if they have a lousy year or it looks like they are heading into a bad time, you can watch permit prices tumble by 50 percent. But we are seeing a trend of better salmon prices and that has sparked enthusiasm with the fleet and buyers.” - More...
Saturday PM - September 14, 2013
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Whitman Lake
The view from the backside of Deer Mountain from Achillies Mountain,
Whitman Lake is in between.
Front Page Photograph By KEN ARRIOLA ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
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Alaska Science: Billions of bodies on the move By NED ROZELL - “As this bird takes off, think about how they have to fly thousands and thousands of miles,” Tricia Blake said to 21 first-graders sitting on wooden benches surrounded by birch and balsam poplar trees.
A ruby-crowned kinglet.
Photograph By
Ned Rozell
The biologist and educator then placed a ruby-crowned kinglet in the flat palm of a six-year old boy. The thumb-size songbird was probably born in northern Alaska this spring. During the past hour of its brief life (which will last about 4 years), it had a tiny metal band clamped around its ankle.
The greenish bird with a subtle red Mohawk hesitated for a few magic seconds on the boy’s hand. Then it burst into flight.
The boy and 20 of his classmates watched the bird flutter upward and land on the branch of a nearby birch tree. After a few seconds of preening, the kinglet shot off in the direction of Mexico.
Blake, who in January started the Alaska Songbird Institute with April Harding Scurr, told the children one of their motivations for starting the non-profit after the recent demise of the Alaska Bird Observatory - they wanted to preserve a long-term study.
Since Tom Pogson in 1992 started capturing songbirds in feathery black “mist nets” each spring and fall, researchers and volunteers have caught and placed bands upon songbirds like kinglets, blackpoll warblers, and gray-cheeked thrushes at Creamer’s Field. More than 100,000 birds have worn bands installed in this forest refuge not far from the city limits of Fairbanks.
“This is a project that has been going on for more than 20 years,” Blake said to the children. “And it will be going on for at least another 20 years.” - More...
Saturday PM - September 14, 2013 |
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 In The Tongass, Every Job Counts By Governor Sean Parnell -
The story of America includes starting a business and passing that entrepreneurial spirit on to your children. Whether it was a farm, a hardware store, or something else, America was built by these kinds of family enterprises, and family businesses still power Alaskan opportunity. - More...
Thursday PM - September 12, 2013
Vote yes! on KMC By Sheri Boehlert -
As a school administrator, my days are spent planning and facilitating all that needs to happen to make sure our kids get the best education possible and how to best support our teachers in that goal. As a member of the Ketchikan Medical Center's Board of Governors, I've witnessed firsthand administrators and staff thoughtfully striving to meet another complex goal ensuring each person in our community has access to the widest array of high-quality health care possible, right here in Ketchikan. - More...
Thursday PM - September 12, 2013
Library Funding By Agnes Moran - At the September 5, 2013 Ketchikan City Council meeting, Matt Olsen made many assertions regarding Borough participation in the capital costs for the new library, that to use Mr. Olsen's own words "quite frankly were not true". - More...
Thursday PM - September 12, 2013
Re: The Myth Of Intact Watersheds By Duane Hill -
When I first lived in the Stockton, CA area, there were no salmon in the rivers. The rivers were dry in late summer. This was normal as the rivers were not year round waterways, 100 years ago they only had water when there was run off from the Sierras. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 12, 2013
The Myth Of Intact Watersheds By Eric Muench -
Heather Hardcastle's August 29 letter of advice to Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell was completely misleading on one important point. While the salmon resource is indeed a very important part of the Southeast economy, it definitely does not depend on "intact watersheds". - More...
Wednesday AM - September 11, 2013
Baffled by Parnell’s Recent Actions By Bill Walker -
Recent decisions by the Parnell Administration have left many Alaskans, including myself, scratching our heads wondering if anyone is at the helm. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 11, 2013
Observation from the road & home By A.M. Johnson - Having returned to K-town from a vacation drive through British Columbia, observations are in order. We first departed Prince Rupert driving to Prince George. The first several miles, 20 or so, were through fields of "Tansy" road side coming and going. No concern by our contact with various Canadians asked about the drought of dead cows, moose, or other wild life as a result of this plant being allowed to run wild. Just the normal common shrug of the shoulders followed by the required heed to the bountiful industrial active that warrants the clapping of hands for "Job well Done". - More...
Wednesday AM - September 11, 2013
Ketchikan Performing Arts Center By Lallette Kistler - I addressed the Borough Assembly Tuesday night about the fact that the Legislative Lobbying committee ignored the Ketchikan Performing Arts Center project last week, and I thought the greater community might be interested in what I had to say. It didn't make sense that we were their #1 and the community's #4 last year, but this year we weren't even going to be numbered at all. - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
Agree With Kiffer, No Nightmare By Keith Stump -
Having been a passenger on the Millennium when it had to return to Ketchikan due to mechanical difficulties to one of its electric propulsion motors, it was interesting to hear and read about the trip cancellation and other passenger responses. My take is that much ado was made about not much by the news media. - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
Syria - Count The Cost By Glenn Mollette - The President and Congress will make the decisions when it comes to Syria. They and military leadership have far more information than I. However, we will not go into Syria, throw our rocks and run back home unscathed. The scathing may occur immediately or weeks or months later. - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
Obama's war in Syria By Marvin Seibert -
War on Syria, here we are going to use Guided Missiles, B52 and B1 bombers and up to 75,000 troops on the ground. Our Delusional Narcissistic President is trying to save face by putting our troops in harm's way. What arrogance, he now says he did not draw a red line -- video does not lie. What else do you need to know that our President is incapable of decisions and taking responsibility for anything! - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
RE: Let's prioritize wild Alaska salmon By Lois Morgan -
Hooray, Heather. Your phrase 'the countries preeminent salmon forest' totally rang my bell. I've never heard or seen it, and it is just so apt I hooted out loud. I've been needing this phrase. - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
WHAT IS YOUR POINT? By David G. Hanger -
Exactly what is your point, Laura Plenert? You refer to the murder of an Australian student athlete in Oklahoma, a case of which I am quite aware, as somehow racially motivated. All in fact you are doing when you do that is parrot the nonsensical and racist views of Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge, who are the only individuals stupid enough and corrupt enough to attempt to use this case as a racial counterpoint to the Trayvon Martin case. While you are doing a fine job of parroting the views of your lords and masters, the facts of the case are quite a bit more problematical in that regard. How exactly do you get racial motivations out of this crime when one of the suspects is black, one is half-black and half-white, and the third is all white? - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
Parrot whiner By Karl Shlaudeman -
Well Mr. Hanger you might want to make sure that you are bleeding and hurt before you ever take appropriate action or defend yourself against a criminal. I truly wish all of you would wake up and realize there is no perfect world; white, black or whatever. - More...
Saturday - September 07, 2013
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Ketchikan
Regular Election
October 01, 2013
Attention Candidates
For the 11th year, Sitnews will be providing a free web page to all local 2013 candidates in order to provide information about themselves to their future constituents.
• Local candidates are requested to provide basic background information, experience and qualifications for the public office for which they seek election. Candidates are requested to address what they would like to accomplish for the community and issues of concern. Photographs are also requested. Send to editor@sitnews.us by September 25, 2013
Candidates 2013
Borough Assembly
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