Ketchikan: 2005 Boat Parade - The 24th Annual Boat Parade was held Sunday in Ketchikan. Participating boats gathered for the start of the parade at Peninsula Point , north of Ketchikan, with the parade heading south on the Tongass Narrows. The boats decorated brightly for the Christmas parade, traveled past downtown Ketchikan Sunday afternoon on their parade route south to the Coast Guard base and Saxman. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

Ketchikan VFW Provides Many Services & Activities Ken Horn, Commander of Ketchikan's Veteran's of Foreign Wars, and Tod Willis Ketchikan's Veteran's of Foreign Wars Senior Vice Commander. Front Page Photo by Marie L. Monyak

Ketchikan: Ketchikan VFW Provides Many Services & Activities; Hosting First Annual Teen Dance on New Year's Eve By MARIE L. MONYAK- "We're more than just a bar, and we want people to know that," said Ken Horn, Commander of Ketchikan's Veteran's of Foreign Wars, Post 4352.  Horn, a Navy veteran who came to Ketchikan in 2000, is married, with five children.  Employed at our local Coast Guard base by the Department of Homeland Security, Horn first served as the Senior Vice Commander for the VFW from 2002 to 2003, eventually taking over the office of Post Commander which he holds today. 

The current Senior Vice Commander, Tod Willis reiterates what Horn said, and added, "We have made many improvements to the post in the past year.  In the downstairs alone, we purchased a big screen TV, installed new smoke eaters, new carpeting, new tables and chairs and added wireless internet service along with a computer for members to use free of charge."  - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

ANWR: Stevens Holds Senate in Session; Fight for Oil Drilling Keeps Colleagues From Holiday Break By Shailagh Murray Washington Post Staff Writer - It's an audacious power play, even for Sen. Ted Stevens. - Read this story... Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com - Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005 Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

National: Some unsurprised, some shocked, some supportive of eavesdropping By SAM STANTON AND JIM SANDERS - President Bush's secret decision to allow the government to spy on some Americans' phone calls and e-mails without court approval shocked many political leaders in Washington, D.C., but peace activists and civil libertarians said the revelation was hardly surprising.

"We know it's not legal, but it's just done," said George Main, spokesman for the Sacramento, Calif., chapter of Veterans for Peace, which has had its anti-war protests monitored by law enforcement.

"It doesn't surprise me because, when I was in the military in the Army security agency, we were the collection arm for the National Security Agency and it was one of the things we did. But not against peace people." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Domestic Spying Program Is Legal, Vital to Security, Rice Says By RALPH DANNHEISSER - President Bush has acted in accordance with the Constitution and U.S. law in ordering the National Security Agency to eavesdrop within the United States on people with suspected terrorist links, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

And, Rice said on two television interview programs December 18, the approach is vital at a time when any delay in gathering intelligence could make it possible for terrorists to mount another operation like the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"The president is determined that he will have the ability to make certain that the communications between people, a limited number of people, with al-Qaeda links here and conversations with terrorist activities outside will be understood so that we can detect and thereby prevent terrorist attacks," she said on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Long hours, not risk, causing soldiers to leave military By LISA HOFFMAN - For U.S. troops, it's the pace, not the peril of duty during war, that sours them on re-enlisting.

That's the conclusion of a study a RAND Corp. study unveiled Tuesday. It found that the biggest gripes of active-duty troops are long days and increased work load, not the personal danger they face in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In fact, deployment to those combat zones actually is considered a plus by many of these troops, according to the study, which examined focus-group interviews and surveys of scores of troops. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Bush's top fund-raisers see spoils of victory By JIM TANKERSLEY AND JOSHUA BOAK - President Bush's corporate champions see the spoils of his administration in coal. And timber. And credit-card payments, Afghan electric lines, Japanese bank transfers and fake crab.

America's business leaders supplied more than $75 million to return Bush to the White House last year - and he has paid dividends.

Bush administration policies, grand and obscure, have financially benefited companies or lobbying clients tied to at least 200 of the president's largest campaign fund-raisers, a Toledo Blade investigation has found. Dozens more stand to gain from Bush-backed initiatives that recently passed or await congressional approval.

The investigation included targeted tax breaks, regulatory changes, pro-business legislation, high-profile salaried appointments, and federal contracts.

Bush's policies often followed specific requests from his 548 "Pioneers" and "Rangers," who each raised at least $100,000 or $200,000 for his 2004 re-election. The help to business fund-raisers sometimes came at the expense of consumers or public health concerns. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Please Support the Homeless Shelter By Gary Boatwright - Tuesday PM Governor's Support For Knik and Gravina Bridges By Gregory Vickrey - Tuesday PM Slow Down By Chief David Hull - Tuesday PM Accidents By Aleisha Filyaw - Tuesday PM The Christmas Boat Parade By Ann Hupe - Tuesday PM Open Letter to Ketchikan Indian Community By Rob Sanderson Jr. - Tuesday PM RE: Town Tree By Dave Kiffer - Tuesday PM The Lazy People Continue To Dump Trash By Jerry Cegelske - Tuesday PM Patriot Act and Privacy By Virginia E. Atkinson - Tuesday PM Passports? By Neil Gray - Tuesday PM Answers, Part Two By Robert D. Warner - Tuesday PM "Happy Holidays" By Susan Bachant - Tuesday PM Alaskan bridge falling down By Virginia E. Atkinson - Tuesday PM Alaska Revenues By Glenn Bell - Tuesday PM Respect For Elders By Andrew Hamilton - Tuesday PM 2005 Ketchikan Boat Parade By Pat Long - Sunday PM Answers By Rick Grams - Sunday PM No lack of room for expansion in Ketchikan By Charlotte Tanner - Sunday PM Town Tree By Jacquie Meck - Sunday PM Bridges Supported by Whom? By Don Hoff Jr. - Sunday PM SitNews By Bobbie McCreary - Sunday PM How can a shrinking city expand? By Robert McRoberts - Sunday PM Indigenous By Kevin Mackey - Sunday PM Sneak Attacks By Sheridan "Pete" Peterson - Sunday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan Thursday, December 22, 2005 Noon: The Assembly/School Board Liaison Committee scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 15, 2005, has been changed to Thursday, December 22, 2005 at noon in the City Council Chambers. December Calendar Ketchikan Arts This Week Today's Forecast Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 12/12/05 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements December 2005 Click on the date for stories and photos published on that day... S M T W T F S   28 29 30 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 31 Front Page Archives

National: Feds to issue missing-children data By THOMAS HARGROVE - The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it will soon begin reporting how many children go missing each year in America, ending its 15-year violation of an act of Congress meant to improve how police report lost, kidnapped and runaway children.

The FBI, which is part of the department, in the past refused to issue such information to the press or general public because, officials said, the data in the National Crime Information Center computer database are confidential police files.

"The important thing isn't who gets any blame for this. The important thing is to correct this in the future," said FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko. "Anyway we can bring this terrible situation more to the forefront to assist law enforcement and parents to recover missing and exploited children has to be viewed as an asset." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Police changing policies on missing children By THOMAS HARGROVE - Police departments around the nation are rewriting their policies for runaway, lost and kidnapped children after learning that an often-overlooked law requires them to immediately report all missing youths to state and federal authorities.

The Justice Department this week said it also has violated the 15-year-old act of Congress and promised to begin publicly releasing an annual summary of missing-children cases. The number of cases reported to the FBI by police has increased significantly in recent months, at least partly as a result of the new police policies.

"We are now making more timely and accurate reporting," said Memphis, Tenn., Police Department spokesman Vince Higgins. "We started doing this in June. It's safer for the kids." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Girls drink more than moms think By ANN MCFEATTERS - Teenage girls are drinking as much alcohol as teenage boys, but their mothers don't realize it and often fail to discourage it, according to a new national survey by a distillers' group.

The survey found 16 percent of girls ages 13 to 15 said they drink with friends, but only 5 percent of their mothers think their daughters are drinking. Both figures double when the daughters are 16 to 18. By the time girls are 19 to 21, 51 percent drink, but only 32 percent of their mothers realize it. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

National: Dangerous game among kids a concern By STEPHANIE HOOPS - A choking game that used to be a social event and recently has become a solitary pursuit for young people has led to the deaths this year of four California teens, prompting Camarillo officials to take action.

"I have firsthand knowledge that it's happening in Camarillo," said Kara Partridge, chief information officer for the Camarillo Health Care District and a member of a newly formed committee that is dealing with the choking-game problem. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005

Alaska: Thaw could alter ecosystems across Canada, Alaska and Russia - Global warming may decimate the top 10 feet (3 meters) or more of permanently frozen soil across the Northern Hemisphere, altering ecosystems and damaging buildings and roads across Canada, Alaska and Russia, a study from the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) finds.

New NCAR simulations show that more than half the area covered by this topmost layer of permafrost could thaw by 2050 and as much as 90 percent by 2100. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, which is NCAR'S primary sponsor, and the Department of Energy.

According to a December 19 NCAR press release, scientists expect the thawing to increase runoff to the Arctic Ocean and release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 20, 2005