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Tuesday
September 17, 2013
Mourning Cloak Butterfly
The lovely mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) was designated by Montana as its official state butterfly in 2001. Alaska doesn't have an official state butterfly, but does has an official state insect, the Four-Spot Skimmer Dragonfly. This photograph was taken at the Ketchikan International Airport perimeter roadway recently.
Front Page Photograph by DOUG BURKMAN ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Strengthening families, strengthens communities - As anyone who’s ever hosted a meeting or gathering in Southeast Alaska can attest, if you want people to attend - not to mention participate - you’ve got to provide food.
But for Ketchikan’s Women in Safe Homes (WISH) Family Services division, food’s importance cuts even deeper. Simply put: food heals families.
“When people nourish themselves better, they feel healthier, think better, problem solve better and react to stress better,” says Beth Bogarde, WISH Family Services Manager. “These things make a family cope with each other better.”
Obviously, there’s no closer relationship than family - in the communities that dot the Panhandle, the definition of “family” often extends to the broader kinship of an entire town or village (an idea United Way terms “Living United”). And food plays an integral part in defining family roles, rules and traditions. More than that, though, a steadily increasing number of the families served by WISH Family Services - 20 to 30 per quarter in Ketchikan and Metlakatla - survive on minimal sustenance.
“Honestly, the snacks we bring into the homes may be the only snacks the children get; the meals we provide may be the only ‘solid’ meal many of the adults will eat all day,” says Bogarde.
But make no mistake. While the nutrition component plays a part in all its services, WISH Family Services is not a food program, per se. WISH, itself, is a crisis intervention organization, providing shelter, support, advocacy and education for people impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault/abuse.
Several years ago, WISH Family Services division evolved out of a similar but far smaller program housed within the shelter. Today, WISH Family Services has branched out into two programs: Family Preservation Services and Time-Limited Reunification. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
Alaska: Reduced halibut bycatch limits proposed for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries - NOAA Fisheries is seeking public input on a plan that would tighten limits on the amount of halibut bycatch that could be caught in the commercial groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska.
The proposed fishery management plan amendment, “Amendment 95,” would minimize halibut bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries to the extent practicable while preserving the potential for the full harvest of groundfish in the GOA.
Halibut bycatch refers to halibut that is caught by vessels targeting groundfish. Groundfish includes species such as pollock, Pacific cod, rockfish, and various flatfish species. NOAA Fisheries annually sets limits to minimize halibut bycatch in Federal groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska, and those limits are divided annually and seasonally among different groundfish sectors. If a sector reaches its halibut bycatch limit before it catches the amount of groundfish available for it to harvest, vessels participating in the sector must stop fishing for groundfish.
There are two broad sectors that harvest groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska that will be directly affected by the amendment--vessels using hook-and-line gear and vessels using trawl gear. The hook-and-line gear sector is further divided into catcher vessels and catcher/processor vessels. Under the proposed amendment, the bycatch limit reductions for each sector would be: - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
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Ketchikan: Hit & run of six mailboxes leads to arrest By MARY KAUFFMAN - A white pickup truck that was reported for allegedly running over a series of six mailboxes in the area of 3.3 mile South Tongass Highway resulted in the arrest of a 55-year-old Ketchikan man for Driving Under the Influence and four counts of Reckless Endangerment of children under ten years of age.
Alaska State Troopers in Ketchikan were notified of the incident just before 7:00 pm Sunday. The truck was reported heading northbound toward Ketchikan. State Troopers notified the Ketchikan Police Department to be on the lookout for a white pickup truck with possible damage to the front bumper.
Ketchikan Police Officers conducted a traffic stop on a truck matching the description as it turned onto Deermount Street from South Tongass Highway. Further investigation revealed that driver was intoxicated.
Ketchikan Police Officers arrested Michael W. Gates, age 55 of Ketchikan, for Driving Under the Influence and four counts of Reckless Endangerment. According to the Ketchikan Police, two of the passengers were under the age of ten. Gates' breath alcohol concentration was reported by police to be over twice the legal limit. Gates was transported by Ketchikan Police to the Ketchikan Correctional Center and held on $1,500.00 bail. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
Ketchikan: Traffic stop leads to drug arrest - During a traffic stop conducted by Ketchikan Police last Friday night in the 3200 block of Baranof Avenue, a Ketchikan man was found to be in possession two oxycodone pills, a small amount of suspected marijuana, six baggies of suspected methamphetamine packaged for sale weighing less than quarter ounce, a digital scale and other drug related items. He also had $985.00 in cash on his person. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
Alaska: Top 25 Alaska health concerns released - Healthy Alaskans 2020, a joint effort between the state of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, has released its 25 Leading Health Indicators — a list of critical health priorities for Alaska. The indicators provide a science-based framework for identifying public health priorities and are designed to guide efforts in Alaska over the next decade to improve health and ensure health equity for all Alaskans.
The selection process was a collaborative effort among a wide spectrum of partners statewide and was both data- and community-driven. A team of experts spent 10 months reviewing Alaska-specific quantitative data related to a broad range of health factors, gathered information from subject matter experts, and considered input from two public surveys in establishing the 25 indicators. The surveys were conducted in the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013 to ascertain Alaskans’ top health concerns and received over 3,000 responses from individuals across the state.
The 25 leading health indicators include reducing the rates of cancer, suicide, and interpersonal violence and sexual assault. Alaskans also wanted to see alcohol, tobacco and drug use curtailed, and an increase in disease prevention through vaccines, improved access to in-home water and wastewater services, and lowering Alaska’s obesity rate. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
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Blue Lake
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.)
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Alaska: New Alaska Initiative Announced to Prevent Teenage Accidents and Deaths on the Road - The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently announced the launch of an innovative new program sponsored by Ford Motor Company that is designed to prevent one of the major causes of death and injury for teens on the road. Every year teens account for approximately 20% of the fatalities and major injuries that occur on Alaska's roads and highways, according to the Alaska Highway Safety Office. Utilizing the sponsorship funds committed by Ford, The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program printed curriculum will provide parents and guardians with an advanced research, sophisticated and free tool to optimize the 50 hours of parental supervised driving now required for the 8,000 Alaskan teens seeking learner’s permits each year.
“Simply put, we are instituting a program that we believe is going to save lives,” stated Governor Sean Parnell.
Adding to the Governor’s statement, Steve Kenner, Global Director of Ford’s Automotive Safety Office stated, “The skills outlined in this guide are meant to help teens learn to be better drivers. It is one of the ways Ford works to help teens.” Kenner continued, “In addition to this program, Ford also offers Driving Skills for Life, which gives teens advanced real world training. Ford also offers MyKey technology, which gives parents options to help encourage safe driving behaviors even when the parents aren’t in the car.” - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013
Health: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the rise - Antibiotics are powerful tools for fighting illness and disease, but overuse of antibiotics has helped create bacteria that are outliving the drugs used to treat them.
Every year, more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result, according to a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013, presents the first snapshot of the burden and threats posed by antibiotic-resistant germs having the most impact on human health. The threats are ranked in categories: urgent, serious, and concerning.
Threats were assessed according to seven factors associated with resistant infections: health impact, economic impact, how common the infection is, a 10-year projection of how common it could become, how easily it spreads, availability of effective antibiotics, and barriers to prevention. Infections classified as urgent threats include carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), drug-resistant gonorrhea, and Clostridium difficile, a serious diarrheal infection usually associated with antibiotic use. C. difficile causes about 250,000 hospitalizations and at least 14,000 deaths every year in the United States.
“Antibiotic resistance is rising for many different pathogens that are threats to health,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “If we don’t act now, our medicine cabinet will be empty and we won’t have the antibiotics we need to save lives.” - More...
Tuesday PM - September 17, 2013 |
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 Protect & Serve? By Kathy Evans - About a month ago I wrote an opinon and it was posted on Sitnews. Thank you. I heard many positive reponses from it. It was titled "Soliers of the Cross Ammor Up!" Thank you. I also want to thank all those who came to Jesse's Celebration of Life. The sun shone brightly that day and I am confident he was with us. Those people continue to support our family through the hardest time in our lives. We miss Jesse so much words cannot begin to say. I am only comforted to know that he is with his Lord, finally safe and at peace. He will always be with us in our hearts. He was a kind and gentle soul. He was 38 when he died. - More...
Wednesday - September 18, 2013
Subject of defunding ObamaCare By A. M. Johnson -
Never doubt the power of the press!! After not hearing within a reasonable amount of time to a requested response from Representative Don Young on the subject of defunding ObamaCare, a letter dated 9/16/03 was sent to Representative Young in the format of an email with a copy of same submitted to your fine publication for public consumption reflecting the frustration of being ignored. The following letter was received via email within hours on 9/16/13. I submit that having the subject presented to your publication was the emphasis to Representative Young's response. Please draw your own indidvual conclusion to the content. - More...
Wednesday - September 18, 2013
Can we really afford to spend this much money on a hospital? By Ed Plute -
Don't want Obama care? What about Ketchicare? This, is how we can avoid that forced healthcare. We the taxpayers have been supporting a non-profit hospital for years. Each and everyone of us have been taxed to support that hospital. - More...
Wednesday - September 18, 2013
Middle East Equilibrium By Donald A. Moskowitz - To foster world stability, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to promote equilibrium in the Middle East. - More...
Wednesday - September 18, 2013
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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