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Saturday
September 17, 2016
Sitka Black-Tailed Deer
Two deer found a peaceful place to graze at the home of the photographer.
Front Page Feature Photo By SUSAN HOYT ©2016
October 04, 2016
Ketchikan Borough Election
This is the 14th year, Sitnews has provided FREE web exposure to all local Ketchikan candidates to provide information for consideration by their constituents.
Responses will be published as received and not edited.
KTN Borough Mayor
3 Year Term
1 Seat Open |
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David Landis (Unopposed) |
- (August 29, 2016) Local candidates are invited to provide for their constituents' consideration basic background information, experience and qualifications for the public office for which they seek.
- Candidates are invited to address for their constituents what they would like to accomplish if elected and issues of concern.
- Send Photographs & include your web address for a link.
- Email to editor@sitnews.us by September 15, 2016 - Absentee voting begins at 8:00 a.m., Monday, September 19, 2016, and ends at 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 3, 2016.
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Alaska: Lawsuit Filed Friday over PFD cuts - In a letter addressed to all Alaskans, Senator Bill Wielechowski (D) announced Friday that he along with former Senators Clem Tillion, and Rick Halford filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the Permanent Fund Corporation to transfer the amount necessary to pay all Alaskans a full PFD.
Former State Senate President Rick Halford (R) is well-respected for his role as a political leader in Alaska. Clem Tillion was one of Gov. Jay Hammond's Republican legislative allies when the Alaska Permanent Fund was established in the 1970s.
Wielechowski wrote his letter was posted on his FaceBook page in order "to speak directly to you [Alaskans], without the filter of the media or hearsay."
"We don’t take the decision to file a lawsuit to protect the PFD lightly, but after weeks of serious consideration and feedback from Alaskans, I feel that we must," wrote Wielechowski.
"We’re filing this lawsuit [Friday] because Alaska needs an answer. We need to know who decides the amount of the Dividend, a governor or the legislature? At a time when we are once again being asked to give up our Dividends, I think it’s critical that we look to the courts for resolution to this question now," wrote Wielechowski.
Wielechowski wrote, "Hundreds of hours of research leads me to conclude that the Governor does not have the authority to cut Dividends in the way he proposes, and I’ll explain why. The resolution that created the Permanent Fund in 1976 was hotly debated in the legislature. Through many hours of research and listening to recordings of those conversations, it’s clear to me that the constitutional amendment that created the Permanent Fund was crafted to allow the legislature to determine how the income of the Permanent Fund was spent. The legislature enacted a law based on that constitutional directive which said that a transfer of money occurs to pay Dividends to the people of Alaska. Here’s the crux: the Governor cannot veto existing law. No governor can. His veto power extends only to appropriations and bills. The lawsuit we’re filing on behalf of the people of Alaska simply calls on the Permanent Fund Corporation to follow that existing law, and initiate the transfer."
Governor Bill Walker responded to the announcement in a prepared statement saying, “As most Alaskans realize, and as stated by the legislature’s own financial advisor, our state is in the midst of the gravest financial crisis in our history. We are in a $3.2 billion deficit now."
Walker said, "It is truly unfortunate that our legislature failed to pass a sustainable fiscal plan, like the one we submitted this past year, to protect and grow the permanent fund dividend program. Instead, this continued lack of action will result in the elimination of the PFD program in just a few years."
"This year’s PFD is close to the historical average paid to every eligible Alaskan since 1982. It was set at a level that could be sustained as part of a larger fiscal solution - to ensure a PFD program continues for generations to come. The amount that was vetoed remains in the Permanent Fund reserve/savings account for future distributions," said Walker. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
Alaska: New Program Screens 2016 Permanent Dividend Applications - The Alaska Department of Revenue announced Wednesday the implementation of a new pilot program designed to screen applicants who may not be eligible to receive a Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD).
The PFD Division launched this additional auditing process utilizing third-party eligibility analytics in early September and anticipates sending requests for additional information to selected applicants within the coming weeks. This program was funded by the legislature during the 2016 legislative session.
“The goal is to take action prior to the distribution of 2016 dividends on October 6, 2016,” said Commissioner Randall Hoffbeck. “Every individual 2016 PFD application is being analyzed utilizing services from the LexisNexis Company to identify applications requiring further review." - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
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Fish Factor: Reviving a long lost Tanner crab fishery; Giant skates & Climate pros/cons By LAINE WELCH - Cordovans are hoping to revive a long lost Tanner crab fishery in Prince William Sound as a step towards keeping the town’s waterfront working year round.
The crab fishery produced up to 14 million pounds in the early 1970s and had declined to about half a million pounds by the time it was closed after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. State managers believe the Tanner stock remains depleted and cannot provide for a commercial fishery, but locals believe it’s time to take a closer look.
“It’s largely the opinion of the people around here that the fishery could support an expanded harvest,” said John Whissel, director of natural resources for the Native Village of Eyak. “The goal here is to get away from the boom and bust cycle, where the town doubles in size in May and then shrinks when the salmon fisheries wind down.”
Over the past year the town has turned out to support expanding research for the crab fishery in meetings with state commissioners and local legislators.
“This is as much of a grassroots effort as I’ve ever seen in terms of getting some science done. Everyone understands the benefits of having canneries and boats working year round,” Whissel said.
State biologists have conducted periodic trawl surveys in Prince William Sound since 1991, but Cordovans believe that method does not accurately count densities of crab in other regions. The Department of Fish and Game acknowledged in a memo that the existing survey “does not reflect Tanner crab abundance outside the survey grounds” but they believe the trends “are reflective of Tanners throughout the Sound.”
Starting this fall, Cordovans plan to supplement the trawl data by doing something different: a mark recapture study.
“Marking and then recapturing crab is a pretty standard measurement of densities and age structures, and much more involved than a trawl survey,” Whissel said, adding that the Eyak tribe is now working out the study design and readying funding proposals for federal matching grants to jumpstart the Tanner project this winter.
State crab biologists said they will provide the Board of Fisheries with information next March “that could lead to a development of a harvest strategy and allow additional harvest,” according to ADF&G Commissioner Sam Cotten.
Meanwhile, Cordovans will begin their study with Tanners pulled up in their subsistence pots this fall. Whissel is hopeful the project will serve as a model to evaluate other potential fisheries in the region.
“There’s other opportunities around here and it would be good for our town and for our state,” he said. “With oil prices being what they are and the tax rate being what it is, commercial fishing could play a larger role in the state budget if we gave them more chances to do that.”
Whissel called the crab project collaboration by the state and tribal government “an exciting new way forward.”
“The state will find that it is able to do a lot by collaborating with tribes because we have access to different pools of federal dollars in times of tightening budgets,” he said. “Coming together on projects like this instead of being territorial is going to be the way we do things in the future.”
Got skates?
Giant skates is another fishery that could get underway in Prince William Sound and other regions after more is learned about their life style and habits.
A few skate fisheries have occurred on and off in the central Gulf over the past decade. More recently, managers have put on the brakes because of the fast pace in which they can be caught, and the fact that little is known about Alaskan skates. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016 |
Alaska: Soldier climbs Denali for suicide awareness, proposes to girlfriend - Blistering snowstorms, excruciating work hauling gear and possible death might not sound like an ideal summer vacation for most. If you are a mountaineer, then the experience is a paradise.
Capt. Stephen Austria, project engineer in the USACE-Alaska District's Foreign Military Sales Program, and fiancé and climbing partner, Rebecca Melesciuc, take a break from descending Denali, the tallest peak in North America, for a photo. Austria and Melesciuc climbed Denali this past summer to help raise Soldier suicide awareness.
Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
For Capt. Stephen Austria, project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District’s Foreign Military Sales Program, a mid-June, non-guided expedition climbing Mount Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, was a dream come true for him and girlfriend, Rebecca Melesciuc, and one Austria said he hopes brings awareness to Soldier suicide.
“Denali is the highest mountain in North America,” Austria said of the 20,310-feet peak. “Not many people want to do things like that. It is cool to say I have climbed it.”
While visibly humble, Austria explained his personal encounters with suicide. Both his best friend and a fellow Soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division committed suicide. He also knew several others in a previous unit who took their own lives. To honor those Soldiers, he carried an American flag on the majestic mountain – one that was with him on every mission while deployed to Iraq.
“It is a bigger issue than what some people make it out to be,” he said. “I climbed for veterans in general, too. It is a unique family that we are a part of.”
Austria and Melesciuc began planning their journey to Denali more than a year ago. The two winter camped in Hatcher’s Pass near Palmer to master their equipment, acclimate to the cold and practice cooking outside. Initially, the couple met as members of the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, which Austria now serves as a board member.
“I did a guided mountaineering course in the Alaska Range last May,” Melesciuc said. “I knew I wanted to climb Denali and thought I was going guided, originally. I took the course to learn the foundations, and joined the club to make contacts and reinforce what we learned.”
The duo also trained in avalanche and crevasse rescue, as well as ensured their knot-tying skills were sharp, Austria said. Preparation was key for the pair to have a successful climb. |
“Being out there and experiencing the mountain is the trip,” he said. “If you summit, then it is a plus, but it was not the main reason. Safety is number one. If you come back alive and uninjured, then it was a good climb.”
In fact, Austria’s Army training coupled nicely with his childhood experience as a Boy Scout – where he learned to backcountry backpack and mountaineer – to help prepare for the trip. The climbers packed about 280 pounds of gear and supplies for the 28-day trek, including 100 pounds of food.
“You want to eat stuff that you actually like and will not just carry up there,” Austria said. “If you have a happy stomach, then you can do anything.”
In addition to the food, other supplies included backpacks, avalanche beacons, climbing gear, cold weather clothing, probes, shovels, sleds and sleeping gear. As a testament to Melesciuc’s toughness, she carried more than her own weight of provisions up the mountain, he said.
Aside from the physicality of the climb itself, the greatest challenge was overcoming the psychological aspects of the excursion. Fighting boredom when the weather was bad and setting the right pace was difficult for the duo, Melesciuc said.
“It is mostly mental,” she explained. “I really wanted to sprint up that mountain, but it is about making the right call when the weather is bad and waiting it out. You need to take care of yourself.”
Although the couple did not reach the summit due to inclement weather, Austria accomplished a major milestone in life by proposing to Melesciuc on an overlook at 14,000 feet in elevation – the highest point the two reached. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
Ketchikan: City Council Member Resigns - The Ketchikan City Clerk’s office received a letter of resignation on September 16, 2016 from Council Member Kj Harris in which he cited health concerns as the reason for resigning. In his resignation letter, he expressed his appreciation to the voting public who gave him the opportunity to serve.
Kellyjohn (Kj) Harris was first elected to the City Council on October 4, 2005, and was subsequently re-elected in 2008, 2011 and 2014. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
Ketchikan: Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility Closed Thursday; Youth needing detention transferred to Juneau: 15 staff members laid off - The Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility cosed Thursday. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced in August it had made the decision to close the Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility, effective Sept. 15, 2016.
Due to the fiscal crisis, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services made the decision to shut down the facility last month.
Youth from the Ketchikan area who were determined to need secure detention services have been sent to Juneau and placed in the Johnson Youth Center.
Fifteen full-time state employees with the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) received lay-off notices. One facility position was reassigned to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation office in Ketchikan. Another position was transferred to the Johnson Youth Center. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
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Columns - Commentary
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DANNY TYREE: Are You Dying To Write A Goodbye Letter? - In my spare moments, I'm jotting down ideas for my raw-yet-funny memoirs ("like" my Facebook page"Tyree's Tyrades" for updates on that and other book projects), so I was intrigued when I saw a Washington Post article by VJ Periyakoil, M.D.
Dr. Periyakoil is the director of the Stanford Palliative Care Education & Training Project and founder of the Stanford Friends and Family Letter Project.
The project encourages people to write a last letter to their loved ones, offering a mixture of "I love you," apologies, treasured memories and gestures of forgiveness. They've even developed a letter template to make it easier. Certainly terminally ill people would derive peace of mind from this, but it's also a great opportunity for people who are still healthy.
(In addition to the "sick" template and "healthy" template," someone will inevitably add the "fair to middling'" template.)
It's good that we mortals have a deadline for saying all the things that need to be said. If we were still communicating from the Other Side, the missives would probably degenerate into something like those sickeningly upbeat Christmas letters. ("Getting a great tan here. George is sorry the rest of you can't be stabbed with a pitchfork through eternity...") - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
TOM PURCELL: Teaching the Young How to Vote - "Son, you're 18 now. As an American citizen that means you'll vote for the first time in the upcoming election."
"Gee, dad, I can't wait to do my civic duty. How do you suggest I prepare?"
"Well, son, a good place to start is to re-read the American Constitution to understand the basic principles upon which our country was founded."
"It's been a while since I read it in school, dad."
"Son, the Constitution is the highest law of the land. All new laws in our country originate from it or should. However, not all politicians buy into the Constitution. Some think it is old and outmoded."
"Outmoded, dad?"
"The Constitution establishes a framework for how our government functions. It establishes a system of checks and balances, so that none of our three branches of government ---- the legislative, executive and judicial ---- can become too powerful. Some politicians hate having such limitations placed upon them, however. They want to do as they please with the taxpayers' money or impose laws on citizens without following the constitutional process. So you'll want to know their position on the Constitution before you vote." - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016 |
Editorial Cartoon: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fires
By Dave Granlund ©2016, Politicalcartoons.com
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.
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Open Letter to Alaskans By Senator Bill Wielechowski - I’m writing this letter to speak directly to you, without the filter of the media or hearsay. Today [Friday], former Senators Clem Tillion, Rick Halford and I filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the Permanent Fund Corporation to transfer the amount necessary to pay all Alaskans a full PFD. We don’t take the decision to file a lawsuit to protect the PFD lightly, but after weeks of serious consideration and feedback from Alaskans, I feel that we must. I hope you take a few minutes to read this letter so you understand what led to my decision to file this lawsuit. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
2016 Pink Salmon Run By Rep. Dan Ortiz - I currently serve on the House Fisheries Committee. My colleague, the chair of that committee, Representative Louise Stutes of Kodiak, has requested the Walker-Mallott administration declare the 2016 pink salmon run a disaster, and has requested that Division of Investments temporarily suspend state boat loan payment requirements. I support these actions as well and am pleased to report that both measures will likely be taken. - More...
Saturday AM - September 17, 2016
Open Letter to Sen. Murkowski By Michael McNally - Dear Senator Murkowski, Do you remember 2010? As an independent Alaskan voter you can bet I do.
To refresh your memory, 2010 was the year that the far right wing of the Republican Party denied you the party nomination, preferring to run Joe Miller as their candidate. You were re-elected only with the support of Alaska's moderate centrist voters -- I was one -- and we hoped that when you returned to Washington you would remember that it was the people, not the party, who sent you back to represent our interests. - More..
Wednesday PM - September 14, 2016
Americans must get solidly behind Clinton By Justin Breese - Americans unquestionably cannot allow the scandal-ridden, divisive, Donald Trump to become leader of our beloved Country. - More...
Wednesday PM - September 14, 2016
Working Together By Evelyn Erbele, Susan Peters, Jerri Taylor-Elkins, Agnes Moran, Jay Hochberg, Tasha-Marie Olinger & Charlotte White - Comments were made from the podium at the City Council meeting of September 1, 2016 that implied that the various organizations that address hunger and homelessness in our community are siloed and do not interact with one another. In actuality, we believe these organizations do work well together. What to an outside observer may appear, as siloing is actually the groups being very conscientious of the limited resources available in our community. Consequently, these groups work hard to complement one another and to not duplicate services. - More...
Monday PM - September 12, 2016
2016 PFD: Exactly How Much Taken from Alaskans? By Andrée McLeod - Exactly how much has Bill Walker snatched from the pockets of every man, woman and child in Alaska this year? How much would the permanent fund dividend checks have been had the governor not vetoed the full amount already appropriated by our representative and senators in the legislature this past session? - More...
Monday PM - September 12, 2016
So Now You Know By David G. Hanger - So now you know, too, that “Oil Company” Walker is not merely a follower of this messianic insanity northerners call “The Beginnning,” he is a leader of this insipid lunacy. He suddenly has a constitutional mandate to build a liquid natural gas pipeline for the benefit of all Alaskans that will spew forth its joy sometime between 2025 and 2040. Indeed, a constitutional mandate to blow Alaska’s whole cash wad for the next several decades because what he wants you to support is your poverty and hardship while he monumentalizes himself with a project that costs somewhere between $50 billion and $100 billion before the first dollar is earned. Why does he not have a similar ‘constitutional mandate’ to collect reasonable royalties and taxes from the jerks who are stealing Alaska’s oil for nothing in return to the State or to its people? - More...
Monday PM - September 12,2015
CAVE People By A. M. Johnson - It is suggested that reality encourages the gathering of souls in a uproar for the purpose of Deer Mountain logging, in a positive step. Form a Committee. Forming a committee assures the participants the satisfaction of making the effort. The goal if success is not achieved, is to be viewed as having made that effort and feel good about it. A committee requires a proper title to clearly give the listening public guidance to the committee's intent. - More...
Thursday PM - September 08, 2016
Open Letter to Mental Health Trust By David G Hanger - Take your Mental Health Trust chairmanship, Board of Directors, et. al, and go to hell by the shortest route. The Trust has got to be the number one bad guy in all of Alaska. Deer Mountain is Ketchikan, Alaska, and you folks propose to destroy it so you can make a few bucks. Why don’t we put the Anchorage sewage processing plant in your front yard, a rendering plant in your back yard, and obstruct any view you might have with an 80 foot concrete wall. - More...
Thursday PM - September 08, 2016
An historic opportunity for Alaska’s future By Governor Bill Walker - In the final stages of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, many quit their jobs prior to the completion of TAPS because they wanted to be first in line to work on the gasline. Alaska expected construction to begin that quickly. But that was nearly 40 years ago. Efforts to monetize the billions of dollars of stranded North Slope gas, such as the projects advanced by the Yukon Pacific Corporation and the Alaska Gasline Port Authority did not materialize, primarily due to lack of access to gas. For the first time, Alaska now has assurances by the North Slope leaseholders that the gasline project will have access to North Slope gas. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Naay I’waans (The Great House) Re-dedication Ceremony By Rep. Dan Ortiz - On Saturday, September 3rd I, along with approximately 800 other visitors, had the privilege of attending the Naay I’waans (The Great House) Re-dedication Ceremony in Kasaan. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Deer Mountain By Norbert Chaudhary - It's a bit of a stretch to use the popularity of the Lumberjack Show as justification to continue outdated practices of the past and to log Deer Mountain - as was recently written in a letter supporting Mental Health's ultimatum. Using that same logic, Dolly's House is quite popular so why not bring back prostitution? After all, along with clear cut logging, Ketchikan's Red Light District provided jobs and was once a major contributor to our local economy. But of course we have moved on in our growth as a community and as a state. Or have we? - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
The Deer Mountain Threat By Michael Spence - In response to Mr Graham's letter defending the ultimatum of logging Deer Mountain by the Mental Health Land Trust if its demands are not met by Congress: To most people who live here, use of the term Trust is a little disingenuous as to who is the real beneficiary of this scheme. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
In Praise of Public Servants By Michael Spence - Since the 1980's there has been a gradual erosion of respect and appreciation for the true public servants of our country. Indeed some politicans have promoted an ideology that public service is somehow inferior to private enterprise. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Ketchikan City Council Elected to Serve the People By Shawn D. Kimberley - Like many other residents of Ketchikan, I have been watching closely as our elected City Council addresses the Marijuana bill passed by Alaska voters. What I, and many other have witnessed, is nothing short of a disorganized, squabbling, unproductive attempt at addressing the bill. Our city council was VOTED in to REPRESENT the people and to SERVE the community. However when it comes to this all important measure, they have performed very poorly as a group. - More... Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Open Letter to Sen. Sullivan: What I want By A. M. Johnson - I don't go to public meetings any longer particularly with politicians. Not meant as a slap, rather, same o, same o. In reading Senator Sullivan's comments being in Ketchikan, particular the Deer Mountain logging issue, one of the many reasons for the civil war was the South recognizing that the North with all of its industrial power and resources would one day by the shear force of numbers, eliminate 'State Rights' as it was recognized during the day. (Slave ownership being but one subject) - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Thoughts on Labor Day By Rep. Dan Ortiz - The history of America's economic success, and our high gross domestic product compared to the rest of the world has much to do with our country being blessed by an abundant and varied supply of natural resources. From our flowing rivers, to our vast farm lands, to our rich supply of energy resources, across the U.S., America has the the comparative advantage in terms of natural resources. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Being Prepared Is Not Just for Scouts By By Susan Johnson - No matter where you live, a natural disaster can strike at any time. Here in the Northwest, we’re told to expect the next big earthquake at any time. Many of our majestic mountains are dormant volcanos. The natural beauty of our forests can turn into horrible forest fires from a carelessly thrown cigarette butt. Extreme winter storms are a serious risk. Floods are common throughout our region and we also get the occasional tornado. While disasters are sometimes instantly fatal, survival often depends on whether you are prepared. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Dangerous Donald Trump By Donald Moskowitz - Dangerous Donald Trump might be a threat to our viability. He could try to assume dictatorial powers and abolish the Constitution, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Some of his supporters are far right extremists. His candidacy is reminiscent of the Fascists in Germany, Italy, and Japan during the 1930s and 1940s. - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
Logging Deer Mountain By Rosa Gaona - I am from Ketchikan and currently living in Juneau, Alaska and I feel very strongly that logging Deer Mountain is a quick fix but a very bad idea. Whoever is in charge of this idea for quick monies needs to consider the impacts involved! - More...
Tuesday PM - September 06, 2016
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