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Friday
September 28, 2018

Scientists found the bryozoan Bugula neritina in Alaska for the first time in the town of Ketchikan, as part of the citizen science project Plate Watch.

New invasive bryozoan arrives in Alaskan waters
Scientists found the bryozoan Bugula neritina in Alaska for the first time in the town of Ketchikan, as part of the citizen science project Plate Watch.
Photo By Melissa Frey, Royal BC Museum, Canada

Regular Election
October 02, 2018

Absentee in-person voting began on Sept. 17, 2018.

Ketchikan City Council Candidates
3-Year Term,
2 Seats to Fill

	Janalee L. Gage Filed 08/01/18 Candidate's Statement 09/03/18
	Sam Bergeron Filed 08/23/18 Candidate's Statement 09/13/18
	Dragon London Filed 08/24/18 Candidate's Statement 09/20/18
	Spencer Strassburg Filed 08/27/18 Candidate's Statement 09/23/18

Ketchikan City Mayor
3-Year Term, 1 Seat to Fill
Unchallenged

Robert (Bob) Sivertsen
Filed 08/01/18

Ketchikan Assembly Candidates
3-Year Term,
2 Seats to Fill
Watch the Chamber's Borough Assembly Forum 09/05/18
YouTube Courtesy KPU TV

	Dan Bockhorst Filed 08/01/18 Candidate's Statement 09/11/18
	Austin Otos Filed 08/02/18 Candidate's Statement 09/09/18
	Danielle "Dani" Pratt Filed 08/22/18 Candidate's Statement 09/19/18
	Sven Westergard Filed 08/24/18
	James Montgomery Filed 08/24/18 Candidate's Statement 09/23/18
	Felix Wong Filed 08/27/18 Candidate's Statement 09/17/18

Ketchikan School Board
3-Year Term,
3 Seats to Fill

	Matt Eisenhower Filed 08/10/18 Candidate's Statement 09/13/18
	Sonya Skan Filed 08/13/18 Candidate's Statement 09/11/18
	Rachel Breithaupt Filed 08/17/18 Candidate's Statement 09/07/18
	Bridget Mattson Filed 08/20/18 Candidate's Statement 09/20/18
	Lana Boler Filed 08/21/18 Candidate's Statement 09/21/18

Ketchikan: New invasive bryozoan arrives in Alaskan waters; Local citizen scientists help biologists detect and track Alaska's marine invaders - Alaska has a near-pristine marine ecosystem--it has fewer invasive species in its waters than almost any other state in the U.S. But that could be changing. With help from local volunteers, biologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and Temple University have reported a new invasive species in the Ketchikan region, the invertebrate filter-feeder Bugula neritina, and documented the continuing spread of three other non-native species.

Ketchikan, a town of about 8,000 people on the southern tip of Alaska, is a gateway to more remote Alaskan waters in the north. It sits fewer than 100 nautical miles from British Columbia, so invasive species travelling from southern ports are likely to appear in Ketchikan first. But detecting marine invasive species is a constant challenge, even in a single harbor. By collaborating with citizen scientists from Ketchikan, Smithsonian researchers were able to document these new invasive species hopefully as soon as they arrived.

"It's really important to know when new non-native species show up. They may be tiny invertebrates, but they can create big problems," said lead author Laura Jurgens, who was a SERC postdoc at the time of the study. "Early detection means you have a better chance of controlling them before the populations get established. In other places, like California, Oregon and Washington, these organisms have displaced local marine animals or had economic impacts by fouling boats, fishing or aquaculture gear."

The research focused on invasive "fouling organisms," animals that live their lives glued to hard surfaces, filtering food from the water. To find the species, the scientists hung hard plastic squares from local docks and waited to see what grew on them. Between visits from the researchers, citizen scientists tended the squares, corresponding with SERC scientists to identify the animals growing there.

The new invader, B. neritina, is what is called a branching bryozoan. Like coral, bryozoans are colonies of tiny animals that together resemble undersea lichen, and are sometimes referred to as moss animals or sea lace. B. neritina had been observed all across California, but never as far north as Alaska.

"It's a really obvious bryozoan species," said Jurgens. "It's the only purple thing in a forest of brown. So when you see it, you kind of gasp."

The other species found in the study are tunicates, leathery invertebrates that are prolific in southern waters. Two of these tunicate species, the golden star and chain tunicates, seem to be spreading in Ketchikan.

The discoveries, published Sept. 27 in BioInvasions Records, are the culmination of years of observation by scientists from the Smithsonian, Temple University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, as well as local citizen scientists. The project was hosted locally by the University of Southeast Alaska. In 2003, a group of scientists from SERC conducted an initial survey of Ketchikan, and noticed the chain tunicate, native to the western Pacific. In 2007, SERC established a citizen-science monitoring program called Plate Watch. Local citizen scientists--including a teacher and students from a nearby high school--have documented the chain tunicate's spread ever since.

One of these citizen scientists was the first to notice the arrival of the golden star tunicate in Ketchikan waters in 2010. When scientists returned to Alaska in 2016, they found that the golden star and chain tunicates had become much more abundant than a decade earlier. They also noted the arrival of Bugula neritina, and the appearance of another tunicate, the solitary sea squirt Ciona savignyi, not seen in Alaska since 1903.

"One of the great things about this was that citizen scientists originally found the star tunicate," said Jurgens. "We were then able to complement their work with intensive surveys for rare species."

If these species become established in Ketchikan, scientists worry they could rapidly spread to other Alaskan waters. Since they spread largely by boat traffic, Ketchikan harbor, a hub for ships travelling north, could be a launching site for more invasions. Ketchikan is the first stop in Alaska for many cruise lines. Invasive species in its harbors will likely hitch rides further north, disturbing remote ecosystems.

"There are four or five cruise ships here every day in the summer," said Gary Freitag, a coauthor of the study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "It doubles the town's population." - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Fish Factor: State Board of Fisheries will consider proposals by hatchery critics By LAINE WELCH - Salmon that begin their lives in Alaska hatcheries often save the day for thousands of fishermen when returns of wild stocks are a bust. This year was a prime example, when pinks and chums that originated in hatcheries made up for record shortfalls for fishing towns in the Gulf of Alaska.

“This year Kodiak hatchery fish added up to more than $6 million for fishermen, and also for sport fish, subsistence and personal use fisheries,” Tina Fairbanks, director of the Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association, said in testimony to the Kodiak Island Borough after one of the Island’s poorest salmon seasons.

But Alaska’s hatchery program, which has operated since the early 1970s, is under assault by critics who claim the fish are jeopardizing survival of wild stocks.

A Kenai sportfishing group said in statements to the state Board of Fisheries that “massive releases of pinks from Prince William Sound hatcheries threaten wild sockeye and Chinook salmon” bound for their region. An individual from Fairbanks is calling for a decreased cap on how many pink salmon some hatcheries are allowed to release to the ocean each year.

Photo of the Month

Ketchikan: Cruise Ship Schedule 2018(pdf)
Courtesy Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska - claalaska.com

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August: Precip Stats:
Actual Month Total: 2.16 in
Average Month Total: 9.91 in
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Alaska

Currently, 29 salmon hatcheries operate in Alaska, producing primarily chums and pinks. Twenty five are operated by private nonprofit corporations funded by the sale of a portion of the salmon returns. Two sport fish hatcheries are operated by the state at Fairbanks and Anchorage, one research hatchery is run by NOAA Fisheries, and one is operated by the Metlakatla Indian Community.

Alaska hatcheries don’t grow fish to adulthood, like fish farms. They can be likened more to salmon maternity wards, where fertilized eggs from local stocks are incubated until they become big enough to be let out into the world.

Pink and chum salmon can be released from fresh to salt water soon after hatching. Chinook, sockeye and coho salmon fry usually spend a year or more in fresh water before they can tolerate a transition to the sea. The fish imprint on their release sites and return as adults.

Prince William Sound produces most of the state’s hatchery fish, followed by Southeast, Kodiak and Cook Inlet. Combined, they released a total of roughly 1.6 billion juvenile salmon in 2017.

In terms of catch, a hatchery harvest last year of 47 million fish accounted for 21 percent of the statewide salmon harvest, the lowest percentage since 1995, and due largely to the third largest wild salmon catch in Alaska history.

The state Board of Fisheries will consider proposals by hatchery critics at a meeting on October 15-16 in Anchorage. An open public meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 16.

United Fishermen of Alaska is offering an easy hatchery comment form that can be submitted to the Board of Fisheries by the October 3 deadline. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Alaska: Appointments to the Alaska Roadless Rule Citizen Advisory Committee Announced - Governor Bill Walker has announced the members of the Alaska Roadless Rule Citizen Advisory Committee, created by Administrative Order 299. Voting members of the Committee include State Forester Chris Maisch and 12 appointments to Public Seats. The Alaska Roadless Rule Citizen Advisory Committee is an opportunity for Southeast Alaskans to advise the State of Alaska on the future management of inventoried roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest.

“It is critical for Alaskans to be part of this important decision-making process that, in the end, will impact many lives,” Governor Walker said. “These twelve diverse Alaskans are passionate about one of our state’s greatest resources: our land. I thank them for their service, and look forward to their good work.”

The Alaska Roadless Rule Citizen Advisory Committee will provide recommendations that the State of Alaska will consider in the development of information it provides to the Forest Service for incorporation into the EIS and public rulemaking process. The intent is to develop a state-specific roadless rule that establishes a land classification system designed to conserve roadless area characteristics in the Tongass National Forest, while accommodating timber harvesting and road construction/reconstruction activities that are determined by the State to be necessary for forest management. Other accommodations include opportunities for economic development, recreation and tourism, and the exercise of valid existing rights or other non-discretionary legal authorities. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Alaska: Alaska takes steps towards developing comprehensive response to climate change - Alaska’s Climate Action Leadership Team (CALT) delivered recommendations this week for Governor Bill Walker and his Administration to review as Alaska works to develop a comprehensive response to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Leadership Team was established by Administrative Order 289 last October, drew on expertise in environmental science, industry, entrepreneurship, energy, natural resource management and development, tribal leadership, health, conservation, communication, policy, and more. Over the last ten months, they convened more than 20 times, considered over 300 pages of public comments, hosted eight listening sessions, formed two technical advisory panels, and hosted 25 young Alaskans for a Young Leaders’ Dialogue on Climate Change. Today, the team presented the Governor with two documents that focus on recommendations for solution-oriented approaches for Alaska, uniquely positioned as a resource development state on the front lines of climate changes:

CALT Climate Change Policy Recommendations: A broad outline of six policy areas in which the Leadership Team recommends Alaska support to strengthen climate change resilience, including communities and partnerships, human and ecosystem health, economic opportunity, clean energy, outreach and education, and investment.

CALT Action Plan Recommendations: A menu of more than 60 concrete potential actions for the State of Alaska to review, research, and take action as resources allow.

“Alaska is ground zero for climate change. While that poses serious challenges, it also makes us uniquely positioned to understand climate issues, develop innovative responses, and share them with others,” Governor Walker said. “Working toward increased energy affordability and healthy, resilient communities that can prosper as our environment changes is a critical responsibility of any Alaskan government.”

“The Leadership Team’s work is grounded in a vision for a healthy and sustainable Alaska for current and future generations,” Lt. Governor Byron Mallott, chair of the Leadership Team, said. “The Team’s recommendations are a step along a journey that will continue to evolve. Our goals – the same goals of any good government – are to support resilience communities, healthy ecosystems, and continued economic opportunity in Alaska.”

After receiving the Leadership Team’s recommendations for review, Governor Walker announced a series of early actions that the State will take immediately to confront climate change. The early actions were developed by Walker’s Climate Cabinet, an internal working group of state agencies who were asked to evaluate their current work on climate and identify early actions the State could take, while providing information and support to the Climate Action Leadership Team’s work. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Science: Study: PCB pollution can lead to disappearance of half the world's killer whales; In Alaska prospects not so gloomy - More than forty years after the first initiatives were taken to ban the use of PCBs, the chemical pollutants remain a deadly threat to animals at the top of the food chain. A new study, just published in the journal Science, shows that the current concentrations of PCBs can lead to the disappearance of half of the world's populations of killer whales from the most heavily contaminated areas within a period of just 30-50 years.

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) form the last link in a long food chain and are among the mammals with the highest level of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in their tissue. Researchers have measured values as high as 1300 milligrams per kilo in the fatty tissue (blubber) of killer whales. For comparison, a large number of studies show that animals with PCB levels as low as 50 milligrams per kilo of tissue may show signs of infertility and severe impacts on the immune system.

Together with colleagues from a wide range of international universities and research institutions, researchers from Aarhus University have documented that the number of killer whales is rapidly declining in 10 out of the 19 killer whale populations investigated and that the species may disappear entirely from several areas within a few decades.

Killer whales are particularly threatened in heavily contaminated areas like the waters near Brazil, the Strait of Gibraltar and around the UK. Around the British Isles, the researchers estimate that the remaining population counts less than 10 killer whales. Also along the east coast of Greenland, killer whales are effected due to the high consumption of sea mammals like seals.

PCBs accumulate in the food chain

The killer whale is one of the most widespread mammals on Earth and is found in all of the world's oceans from pole to pole. But today, only the populations living in the least polluted areas possess a large number of individuals.

Overfishing and man-made noise may also affect the health of the animals, but PCBs particularly can have a dramatic effect on the reproduction and immune system of the killer whales.

Killer whales whose diet includes, among other items, seals and large fish such as tuna and sharks critical accumulate PCBs and other pollutants stored at successive levels of the food chain. It is these populations of killer whales that have the highest PCB concentrations and it is these populations that are at the highest risk of population collapse. Killer whales that primarily feed on small-sized fish such as herring and mackerel have a significantly lower content of PCBs and are thus at lower risk of effects.

PCBs have been used around the world since the 1930s. More than one million tonnes of PCBs were produced and used in, among other things, electrical components and plastics. Together with DDT and other organic pesticides - PCBs have spread around the global oceans.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, PCBs were banned in several countries and in 2004, through the Stockholm Convention, more than 90 countries have committed themselves to phase out and dispose of the large stocks of PCBs. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

COLUMNS/COMMENTARY

MICHAEL REAGAN: Assaulting Kavanaugh - It was a long, embarrassing day of drama, tears and ugly partisan bickering.

But by the end of Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I came to the conclusion that both Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford had told the truth.

I believed Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh never sexually assaulted Ford in 1982, when they were both teenagers.

And I also believed Ford really was sexually assaulted at age 15 - but not by Kavanaugh.

Some of my fellow Republicans have made the mistake of holding up Ford's fuzzy or selective memory in her testimony as proof that she was not telling the truth about being sexually assaulted.

They shouldn't.

When you are sexually assaulted, as I was repeatedly as a boy by a camp counselor in 1954, it can permanently mess up your memory.

The last time it happened to me, when I was 8 or 9, it occurred in the apartment of the man who abused me.

I don't remember how I got home that night.I can't tell you where his apartment was.

But I can tell you in detail what it was like being in his dark room where he developed the photos he took of me.

It does a giant disservice to Dr. Ford and the rest of us who've been sexually assaulted to distrust our imperfect memories of such a traumatic event.

But the greatest disservice to Dr. Ford - and Judge Kavanaugh - has been done by the Senate Democrats who sat on her allegation for weeks and then leaked it to the national media at the last minute. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

jpg Political Cartoon: Ford and Kavanaugh

Political Cartoon: Ford and Kavanaugh
By Adam Zyglis ©2018, The Buffalo News, NY
Distributed to paid subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

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Dan Bockhorst for Borough Assembly By Michael Carney - Dan Bockhorst is the ultimate professional in regards to government issues in Alaska and has been since he was the Haines Manager at the start of his professional life. Some people in the community have been intimidated by Dan and that is understandable because those who have chose to write letters in opposition to Dan understand that they could not hold a candle to him in regards to his work ethic or his attention to detail. The Airport would not be where it is today with out Dan Bockhorst leadership and the Borough General Fund would not be either. - More...
Saturday PM - September 29, 2018

Response to 'Anything but...' By Hannah Ramiskey - I usually do not get involved in the tit for tat conversations, but Michele O’Brien’s letter concerns me.

I find it interesting that you bash “old negative men” in the community while welcoming the young, fresh, and inexperienced. Huh, wonder how the 20% senior population in Ketchikan feels about your dismissal of their contributions to building Ketchikan through decades of difficult times? Sometimes being old and experienced means you remember what worked and what didn’t. - More...
Saturday PM - September 29, 2018

Response to 'Anything but Dan' By Dan Bockhorst - Michelle O’Brien’s letter to the editor (“Anything but Dan”) doesn’t hold up to objective scrutiny. I stand on my record as the longest serving Borough Manager in Ketchikan’s history. During the nearly 10 years that I was Borough Manager, the areawide property tax rate was reduced by more than 25%, taxes on personal property were eliminated, and the Borough’s General Fund was restored to health.

I was nominated for Borough Assembly by a number of young professionals, business leaders, and local elected officials with well more than a century of service to our community. I have the support of many current Borough employees. - More...
Saturday PM - September 29, 2018

Tracking the Outside Money in Alaska Politics By Larry Barsukoff - Since its inception, the Alaska Policy Forum has been guided by a vision of continuously growing prosperity in Alaska. Our work is to support policy and leadership that maximizes individual opportunity and empowers Alaskans to pursue that opportunity freely and with confidence.

We believe in our state and its people. We are optimistic and believe a bright future lies ahead. To ensure that bright future, Alaska’s voters and policymakers need to be able to make informed decisions based on a solid foundation of knowledge, transparency, and clarity regarding issues that will shape our path forward. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Dan Bockhorst for Assembly By Hannah Ramiskey - I first met Dan Bockhorst when he arrived in Ketchikan as the new Borough manager. I was impressed with his commitment to the taxpayers of Ketchikan as he was not only having a new house built, but was shopping locally for the fixtures, appliances, and materials for his new home.

Sometime later I contacted Mr. Bockhorst about the senior citizen tax exemption issue - what were the legal guidelines for the ordinance and were seniors informed as to what was within the scope of the privilege? (It is sometimes a battle with customers when explaining to them that they could not use their exemption for rental property, nor for gifts). I was again impressed. Within a week Dan and his staff provided new brochures and store posters explaining to those over 65 what was and what was not allowed. I later realized that no matter what the issue, Mr. Bockhorst was always able to provide research on both sides for almost any concern in Ketchikan, or in the State of Alaska. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Anything but Dan By Michelle O'Brien - Something is happening in Ketchikan right now, there is a wind of change. We have a good number of candidates running for office, almost all of whom are passionate about serving our community. That’s great!

Also, there’s a sense of renewal coming which could take away the breath of what I would term as “the old boy’s club.” And, in my opinion, there’s one candidate who exemplifies everything negative about that club... Dan Bockhorst. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Ketchikan’s taxes compared to others . . . By Dan Bockhorst - Bill Rotecki recently urged that, “When someone implies that Ketchikan has the highest taxes in Southeast Alaska, please examine the details.” I have made comparisons of Ketchikan’s taxes to other communities. If Mr. Rotecki is referring to my comparisons, I urge him to take his own advice - examine the details.

First, contrary to Mr. Rotecki’s statement, I did not claim that Ketchikan’s taxes were higher than all communities in Southeast Alaska - just those in Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Juneau. Skagway has higher taxes than the other communities. - More...
Friday PM - September 27, 2018

KETCHIKAN'S TAXES By Bill Rotecki - there have recently been comparisons of Ketchikan taxes to others. To do this properly one must start by recognizing that Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg and Juneau, all have combined city and boroughs. Ketchikan does not. To make a comparison one must do the calculation in the same way for each community. Otherwise the data can easily be misconstrued or misinterpreted.

In order to compare apples to apples, we must first combine our City and Borough taxes, and then divide that number by the population of the borough. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Rachel Mitchell failed to cross examine properly. By Rob Holston - Dr Ford gave credible testimony in her allegations against Judge Kavanaugh and was seemingly made more credible by an almost non-existent cross examination by Rachel Mitchell. Mitchell had many failures but I’ll just mention a couple. Dr. Ford testified that her life was so disrupted after the alleged “attack” on her that she had a very difficult time with her first two years of college. Here is where Mitchell dropped the ball. She had no idea of where the ball was, how to pick it up or which direction to run with it.

Her immediate line of question should have been: What grades did you earn in math, science, english, history during your freshman year in high school. What was your freshman GPA. Could you please tell me the same answers for your sophomore year? Your junior year? Your senior year? If the attack happened as you allege, wouldn’t your GPA in high school take a drop during your junior and senior year? - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Trump Afraid of Mueller Investigation By Donald Moskowitz - Why is President Trump afraid of the Mueller investigation? Is Trump guilty of obstruction of justice, or collusion with the Russians in the Presidential election, or guilty of some other crime that Mueller is investigating?

President Trump continues to bash Mueller's investigation via twitter and Trump continues to refer to the investigation as a "witch hunt" or "hoax". Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said of Mueller's investigation---- "In this case, the investigation was much worse than the no crime". Giuliani keeps trying to discredit the investigation. - More...
Friday PM - September 28, 2018

Freight rates becoming an economy killer for Ketchikan By Chris Herby - I want to thank Mike Painter for his letter regarding our freight situation in Ketchikan. I also have wanted to get this discussion going for quite some time now. I think there must be an enormous amount of penned up frustration about this around the community. There is no doubt that we were all totally sold out by the State of Alaska and the Attorney General when they allowed one barge line to get a monopoly on our freight and hold us all hostage. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Vote Skan, Breithaupt, and Wong By Peter Stanton - I am writing to express my wholehearted support for three of the candidates in the upcoming local elections: Sonya Skan and Rachel Breithaupt, both running for the School Board, and Felix Wong, running for reelection to the Borough Assembly. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Matt Eisenhower for School Board By Austin Otos - In a time of crisis, strong leadership brings stability. With sexual misconduct, unfinished teacher contracts, and recalled public officials looming over Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, I believe Matt Eisenhower brings stable leadership to the school board. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh By David G Hanger - Flash: By his own confession Brett Kavanaugh has totally disqualified himself from consideration as either a serious individual (in any sense of the term) or as a nominee to the Supreme Court. By his own admission he is a sexually repressed Victorian prude whose lack of experience combined with his incredible sexual inexperience completely disqualifies him from making any evaluation or decision about the sexual behavior of any other human being. And this cherry boy is what the Federalist Society and the extreme right wing wants to decide how every woman in this country must behave. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Thank you, Southeast Conference By Rep. Dan Ortiz - Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Southeast Conference Annual Meeting right here in Ketchikan. Ketchikan was an incredible host for hundreds of conference attendees; thank you to all the local volunteers. The conference even included a community reception and tours of the shipyard, the OceansAlaska hatchery, PeaceHealth, and the opening of the UAS-Ketchikan Maritime Center. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Open Letter: John Kerry and friends By A.M. Johnson - Senator Murkowski, is any of the following true? If so and you did nothing, you know now. If you knew and did nothing, which sort of says "Go along to get along", I would not be surprised. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 26, 2018

Roadless Rule: Phony Forest Service Process By Norbert Chaudhary - The decision was already made before the “Roadless Rule Process” even started. - More...
Friday AM - September 21, 2018

Political Challenge By Mike Painter - Now that I’ve dusted off my pencil & paper, I have an issue that I’ve long wanted to bring up for discussion. - More...
Friday AM - September 21, 2018

Austin Otos for Ketchikan Borough Assembly By Matt Eisenhower -Austin Otos is exactly the kind of person our community needs today for our Borough Assembly. He is thoughtful, careful, hardworking, and cares deeply for this community. Most importantly, Austin will represent young voices in our community. - More...
Friday AM - September 21, 2018

A vote for Austin Otos By Dan Ortiz - There are at least five quality candidates running for two Borough Assembly seats in the upcoming municipal elections. We owe each candidate a debt of gratitude for “putting themselves out there”. The lone incumbent, Felix Wong, has served the public well and done a great job in the role and deserves each voters careful consideration. - More...
Friday AM - September 21, 2018

Vote for Dan Bockhorst By Mike Painter - I served 4 terms (12 years) on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly and I was one of the Assembly Members that hired Dan Bockhorst as Borough Manager. I was on the Assembly the entire time that Bockhorst was Borough Manager. - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

Dan Bockhorst protects your family checkbook By Gary Wilken - I served in the Alaska Senate for twelve years (1997-2008). Whenever I needed help on a legislative matter involving local government, I turned to Dan Bockhorst. Dan played a pivotal role in my successful effort to reduce the State education tax on borough governments by one-third (Chapter 95, SLA 2001). To date, this tax reduction has saved Ketchikan Borough taxpayers $19.5 million without reducing vital funding to your Ketchikan schools. If the law remains in place, these savings will continue to grow. - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

Younger Representation in Government By Austin Otos - As our political class ages, I have seen government slowly start to move away from representing younger demographics. The majority of young people, like myself, are interested in politics and want to be part of the political conversation. Even though we may seem disconnected through our usage of technology, we nonetheless share a common concern with older generations when it comes to long-term employment, access to housing, and affordable healthcare services - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

Open Letter: Sen. Murkowski By Laura Plenert - Please remember Senator Murkowski that you are the Senator for ALL Alaskans, NOT JUST the Alaska Federation of Natives. - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

No to Kavanaugh By Hallie Engel - I want to ask your readers to call their senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and ask them to vote against Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

Navy In Dire Straits By Donald Moskowitz - As a former Navy enlisted and Naval officer who served on 13 ships, including destroyers, radar pickets, aircraft carriers and auxiliary ships, I am concerned with the lack of readiness of the Fleet. - More...
Monday PM - September 17, 2018

Vote Dunleavy for Governor; Shaw for House;
Bockhorst for Borough Assembly By Rodney Dial - Friends, I have been on the Borough Assembly for a few years now. I was convinced to run by citizens who believe our community is becoming too expensive, especially for our elderly and our young. I told you that if you elected me I would not vote to raise your property or sales taxes and would work to make government more efficient. I have kept my word. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 12, 2018

LiSA’S CHOICE By David G Hanger - Only two things of real consequence have emerged from the Brett Kavanaugh hearings: 1) First is the fact that Kavanaugh repeatedly lied to Congress about his criminal involvement in and use of stolen government documents during the Bush Jr. administration. These repeated lies to Congress are sufficient in and of themselves to impeach this extremist ideological cretin from his current judgeship, and definitely disqualifies him for consideration as a legitimate Supreme Court Justice; 2) There are no laws telling a man what he can do with his body, a simple fundamental fact. Yet Kavanaugh, despite his denials to the contrary (all lies) does not believe that Roe v Wade is the law of the land, and is in fact looking forward to the opportunity to overturn Roe v Wade at the earliest moment possible. - More...
Wednesday AM - September 12, 2018

RE: The Crisis at Waterfall By Dan Bockhorst - Regarding Austin Otos’ September 3 letter to the Editor, it’s best not to create false expectations. Mr. Otos indicates that the “Ketchikan Gateway Borough could allocate money from PILT (payment in lieu of taxes)” to construct a $1 million water tank to enable the North Tongass Fire Service Area to provide better fire protection past the Waterfall bridges. - More...
Friday PM - September 07, 2018

Salmon Hatcheries Support Alaskans, and Feed the World By Casey Campbell & Mike Wells - When the Good Friday earthquake shook Alaska in 1964, the damage wasn’t confined to buildings and homes. In some coastal areas, the land and ocean floor were uplifted dramatically impacting the productivity of aquatic habitat for decades. - More...
Friday PM - September 07, 2018

RE: Establishing Basic Protections for Salmon By Owen Graham - Earlier this week I read an Opinion piece in Sitnews about the need to increase habitat protections for Alaska’s salmon. The article alleged that cumulative impacts on salmon can be seen in the watersheds around Southeast and in the salmon returns and harvests. That is incorrect; although salmon populations fluctuate from year to year, both the salmon escapements and salmon harvests in Southeast are much higher now than in the 1950s when most logging and other development commenced in Southeast Alaska. - More...
Friday PM - September 07, 2018

Kavanaugh Bad for Alaska’s Tribes By Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson - On Tuesday, September 4th, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the United States Supreme Court. His confirmation is being painted as inevitable, and it will be unless our Alaska Senators take action to stop it. - More...
Friday PM - September 07, 2018

Dumping AT&T cell phone service - going with Consumer Cellular. By Rob Holston - For many years, as business owners, my wife and I used AT&T cell phone service for ourselves and a few key employees. We were very pleased until several months ago when I suddenly suspected that my iPhone had developed some sort of internal short! I was suffering from one dropped call after another....... come to find out my wife’s phone had the same problem and ANYONE I’ve talked to re AT&T cell service seems to have the same problem. “You can hear them and they can’t hear you” is the common theme. - More...
Friday PM - September 07, 2018

Establishing Basic Protections for Salmon By Joe Mehrkens - Wild salmon stocks are under attack from all sides: ocean warming, habitat loss, over exploitation and pollution. While Alaska has enjoyed the benefit of good fisheries management, the cumulative impacts are taking its toll. Both professionals and non-professionals can see it in the watersheds around Southeast and in the salmon returns and harvests. One gillnetter moored across from me said he had only netted 7 Taku sockeyes this season. Simply stated, the risks of kicking the salmon can down the road makes a Yes on Ballot Measure 1 both critical and timely. - More...
Monday PM - September 03, 2018

The Crisis at Waterfall By Austin Otos - The two waterfall bridges located on North Tongass Highway are a prime example of neglected local infrastructure that needs to be completely rebuilt in order to allow for basic access to the property owners that live beyond them. - More...
Monday PM - September 03, 2018

Statement of Withdrawal By Ghert Abbott - I decided to run on March 25th as a result of Representative Ortiz’s then failure to put forth a clear, comprehensive plan for both the protection and increase of the permanent fund dividend. On August 23rd, Representative Ortiz published a plan calling for a lower draw on the Earnings Reserve, a lower state share of said draw, a greater system of non-regressive revenue in order to support essential pubic services and a larger PFD, and a commitment to make increasing the PFD a top priority as the state’s fiscal situation improves. These proposals, if fully enacted, would mean a moving away from the horrifically unfair PFD tax imposed on us by Senate Bill 26. - More...
Monday PM - September 03, 2018

Tribute To CAPT John McCain, USN By Donald Moskowitz - John McCain was shot down over Vietnam in October 1967 after completing over 20 missions. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. While McCain fought in Vietnam our fearless President got four college draft deferments. After graduating in 1968 Trump visited a doctor who provided him with a letter stating he had bone spurs in a heel and this enabled him to get a medical deferment from the draft. He later said the bone spurs were "minor". - More...
Monday PM - September 03, 2018

Some things to think about By A. M. Johnson - Political activity of recent months surely has raised questions, caused consternations, given rise to conspiracy theory among other categories of politics mechanics. - More...
Monday PM - September 03, 2018

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