POW: POW Holds 4th Annual Deer Celebration - Over 480 children of all ages attended Prince of Wales' 4th Annual Black-tailed Deer Celebration. According to Bonnie Carle, there were 12 booths offering various learning opportunities pertaining to the Black-tailed deer.The evening celebration included a potluck which featured various deer recipes. Traditional dancing capped the event. Also attending the celebration were 80 local residents. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

President George W. Bush lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during Veteran's Day ceremonies Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt

National: Bush honors veterans at Arlington National Cemetery By CHISTOPHER MOODY - President Bush exalted the men and women in the armed forces for their bravery and fortitude Saturday, calling them "America's finest citizens," and said that troops around the world have helped to make the country safer.

"They confront grave danger to defend the safety of the American people. They brought down tyrants. They've liberated two nations. They have helped bring freedom to more than 50 million people. Through their sacrifice, they're making this nation safer and more secure, and they are earning the proud title of veteran," Bush said in a speech, delivered at Arlington National Cemetery in observance of Veterans Day.

Bush did not explicitly mention America's involvement in the war in Iraq, but he did say, "From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to Kandahar, from Berlin to Baghdad, our veterans have borne the costs of America's wars - and they have stood watch over America's peace. The American people are grateful to the veterans and all who have fought for our freedom."

Moments before the speech, Bush laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, a memorial gravesite commemorating all unknown American soldiers who died under the call of duty. As a military bugler played "Taps," Bush placed his hand over his heart and stood before the memorial wreath.

After the wreath was placed, Bush bowed his head and closed his eyes in a moment of silence. Upon the arrival of Bush's motorcade, canons fired a 21-gun salute as soldiers from all branches of the armed forces stood at attention. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

Carlos Sepulveda was hoisted 60 feet into the air in a man lift, and given a cell phone and bull horn to encourage donations. Photo courtesy Blake Messer

Ketchikan: Ketchikan Food Drive Exceeds Salvation Army Goal! - Individuals, businesses, service groups and organizations came together to help stock the shelves of the Ketchikan Salvation Army Food Pantry. On Saturday November 11th, hundreds turned out to the Tatsuda's IGA parking lot braving rain, snow, hail and wind to contribute 10,974 pounds to the 3rd Annual Salvation Army Food Drive.

The event began at 10:00 am when Carlos Sepulveda was hoisted 60 feet into the air in a man lift, and given a cell phone and bull horn to encourage donations. The event was broadcast on GCI Cable 15, on Gateway County and on AM 930 KTKN.

Jim Hill of the Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Department was the official Scale Master for the event and oversaw the scale donated for use by Norquest. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard in Ketchikan helped lift and stack the food into the AML freight container. Conner Jepson tallied the total for the 6 hour event. Representatives from the Lion's Club rang the Salvation Army donation Bell and Kettle outside of Tatsuda's.

Other dignitaries ascending the heights in the man lift to raise awareness for the Salvation Army included Paul Denton, Richa Owen, and Mike Gates. Jamie Beldo, Joel Gallie, and Mary Biggerstaff Emceed the event. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

National: Prescription drug benefit sign-up kicks in this week By JOE FAHEY - Get ready for Part D, round two - but be ready to act fast.

Beginning Wednesday, many Medicare recipients will again have the opportunity to enroll in the government's prescription drug program.

But unlike last year, when Medicare beneficiaries had until May 15 to join a private plan offering Part D benefits, this year's recipients will have only until Dec. 31 to sign up for Part D coverage.

There are some exceptions to the year-end deadline, but most recipients can't drop or add Part D coverage after that date. Some beneficiaries have greater flexibility to change their coverage, including Medicare recipients who also receive Medicaid. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Basic Rules It is time for Alaskans to invest in Alaska's future. By Patrick Jirschele - Monday Let's make a Deal By Rodney Dial - Monday Deviousness, deception and consolidation By Bill Thomas Sr. - Monday It's about money and control. By Myrna Gardner - Monday All-volunteer 'Greatest Generation' By Sen. Ted Stevens - Monday Re: This Can Not Be Happening By Robin Anderson - Monday Here's a New Idea By Marie Monyak - Monday Open Letter to the President By Mike Jones - Monday RE: Ketchikan's High Gas Prices By Floyd Crocker - Monday RE: The value of Sealaska stock is not monetary By Don Hoff Jr. - Monday We need a Governor for the people. Not a governor for the party! by Edward Brown - Monday Waiting an Hour in Traffic By Charlotte Tanner - Monday Veterans Day By Jerry Cegelske - Friday AM Consolidation By Al Johnson - Thursday PM This Cannot Be Happening! By Valerie Cooper - Thursday PM Ketchikan's High Gas Prices By Kelly Needham - Thursday PM Re: Consolidation Voter Fraud By Dave Kiffer - Wednesday PM RE: COMMON SENSE OR STUPIDITY By Cathy Geer - Wednesday PM Re: Upsetting Halloween Experience By Suzan Thompson - Wednesday PM A Sea Of Blue Across America By Ken Levy - Wednesday PM Civilized? Hate; Greed: And Fear By Steven McLaren - Wednesday PM Hate, Greed and Bush invades Canada By Ken Lewis - Wednesday PM The Piers to Nowhere By Samuel Bergeron - Tuesday AM Consolidation: We All Owe Thanks To Rodney Dial By Dave Person - Tuesday AM Upsetting Halloween Experience By Amy Schmitt - Tuesday AM Voting for the best candidate: Tony Knowles By Michael Spence - Tuesday AM Consolidation Ballot Due By Nov. 21st By Cheryl Henley - Tuesday AM Knowles for Governor By Marty West - Tuesday AM Majority Whip; Does it Really Matter? By Virginia E. Atkinson - Tuesday AM COMMON SENSE OR STUPIDITY By Marie L. Monyak - Tuesday AM Desecration Bridge By Don Hoff Jr. - Tuesday AM Why John Kerry Still Matters! By Robert Freedland - Tuesday AM Pro Knowles By Dave Kiffer - Tuesday AM Heeeere's Tony! By Chris Elliott - Tuesday AM Admiration & Support for US Armed Forces -- from a Veteran By Ronald Lee Lamb - Tuesday AM Time to vote again By Robert McRoberts - Tuesday AM RE: The Real Problem with Families By Janelle Hamilton - Tuesday AM RE: John Kerry By Ben Rosenfeld - Tuesday AM Something fishy in Palin mailer By Kate Sangster - Tuesday AM Power corrupts but this is rediculous! By Mark Neckameyer - Tuesday AM Reponse to Hate, Greed and Fear By Alan Miller - Tuesday AM Revilla Road Trashed By William C Thomas - Tuesday AM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan Ketchikan Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Today's Forecast Satellite Today's Weather Images Marine Forecasts Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map CLASSIFIEDS Auto-post your ad in the proper category, or email your ad & photos to ads@sitnews.us  CLASSIFIEDS' CATEGORIES Announcements For Sale / Free Stuff Garage Sales Homes / Apts/ Property Pets Wanted Lost & Found Local Services SitNews Archives November 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S       01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30     More Front Page Archives

National: Conspiracy theories propel radio show into Top 10 By DELFIN VIGIL - There was a time when "Coast to Coast AM," the late-night syndicated talk radio show dedicated to paranormal activities and political conspiracies, didn't get much respect.

"At one point it was, 'Oh, that strange show about weird paranormal things?' " said George Noory, who has hosted the program on weeknights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. PST full time since 2003.

That all changed when millions from the mainstream met up with the after-midnight fringe folks to make "Coast to Coast AM" a top-rated radio show.

The show that gives self-described vampires a place to vent on its Friday night Wild Card line is the same one that was taking calls about Sept. 11 conspiracy theories just two weeks after the terrorist attacks. And "Coast to Coast AM," is the same show that can now reach upward of 3 million listeners through 500 stations each week, according to Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates the show.

"There's absolutely a growing conspiracy climate," said Noory, explaining the phenomenon of numbers typically unheard of for that time slot. "People are tired of being misled and confused from taking information directly from a government official. After a while, it becomes almost like a pressure cooker that needs to let off steam." - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

Jay Ambrose: Good decision on Rumsfeld - In my school days, it was often the best teachers my classmates most disliked, the ones who required you to learn no matter how much work it took, quickly caught on to your tricks and put up with no nonsense.

The less demanding teachers - those most inclined to let your mind go mushy on their watch - were frequently the ones more celebrated.

My suspicion is that some similar desire for comfort over excellence is a reason many in the Pentagon didn't much care for Donald Rumsfeld, a secretary of defense with a noted intolerance for generals who came calling with nothing important to say and for bureaucratically espoused military strategies that made increasingly less sense in our rapidly changing world.

Even if that is so - and even if Rumsfeld became a scapegoat for mistakes that were not his doing and the sort of setbacks that were his responsibility but are also encountered in virtually every war ever fought - President Bush was right to announce his replacement, and to do it when he did it, the day after it became known Democrats were to regain control of Congress. During their campaigns, Democrats told the voters that the war in Iraq was an ungodly mess, and on Election Day, the voters told the Democrats, "We agree." - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

Michael Reagan: Republicans Lost Because They Lost Their Way - We are hearing all sorts of reasons why the GOP got, in George Bush's word, "thumped." We're told it was Iraq, or that it was the incompetence and corruption of some of its members. Some cited the unpopularity of the president, implying that it rubbed off on the House members who went down to defeat last Tuesday.

While there is some validity to all these complaints, they miss the mark by ignoring the real cause of the Nov. 7 electoral disaster ­ the fact that Republicans had stopped acting the way Republicans are meant to act, and began acting as clones of big-government, big-spending Democrats.

In September of last year I wrote that unless congressional Republicans put the break on spending "you can bet that the Republican Party is going to lose control of Congress next year, and with Democrats in power government spending will go through the roof."

In 1994 the Republicans took control of Capitol Hill, mostly on the strength of the Contract with America. Over time that contract with America turned into the contract on America. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

Dale McFeatters: Democrats: OK, let's see you do it - Groping for some solace out of last week's voter slap down, some Republicans are saying that this defeat may be in the long-term best interests of their party. They reason that after two years of Democratic control of Congress a chastened electorate will come sobbing back to the Republicans.

They reason that the Democrats won't be able to control their party's special interests, unruly ideologues and rabid anti-Bush partisans. And there may be something to that; at least some Democrats think so too.

That's perhaps why Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi so forcefully spiked the boneheaded notion of some of her followers that President Bush ought to be censured and even impeached. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006

John Crisp: Hanging Saddam is an ironic step backwards - Saddam is sentenced to hang, and few are more deserving of that fate. The case is problematic, though. During the course of the trial, three of Saddam's lawyers were assassinated, the judge had to be replaced, and tiresome polemical tirades of various kinds were permitted.

Furthermore, while the trial proceeded, Iraq was coming apart at the seams. The authority of the judiciary was undermined in the minds of many Iraqis by the questionable legitimacy of the government. In the background was the Bush administration, which has forcefully and publicly contended that Saddam is guilty. It had an obvious stake in the outcome of his trial, which happened to conclude just a few days before our election.

Ultimately, the verdict was correct and just, but the trial was a mess. And real justice should always have the appearance of careful deliberation and impartiality. This one just doesn't pass the smell test. - More...
Monday - November 13, 2006