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Washington Calling: What will happen in 2006? Our annual predictions By LANCE GAY - Congress stays in Republican control ... the politics of scandals escalates ... China-Japan tensions worsen ... the economy chugs along. Those are some of the things our crystal ball sees ahead for 2006.

Here are our annual predictions:

Scandals rock Washington, as the federal investigation into the lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff and his associates will force the resignations of well-known politicians. But GOP efforts to revitalize the House Ethics Committee to clean up the mess in Congress will be stymied by partisan finger-pointing. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

Science: Take an extra second to reflect on 2005 By LEE BOWMAN - If 2005 is disappearing too fast for you, just hold on for a second, because this year you have an extra second to pause and reflect on the year before the ball drops and the calendar flips New Year's Eve.

Yep, it's a leap second moment, one of those rare occasions when clocks around the world take a stutter step in order to conform with the Earth's wobbly, gradually slowing spin.

But don't count on having many extra moments in the future, because there's a movement in the telecommunications field to do away with leap seconds as early as 2007.

In a 24/7 world, leap seconds that adjust the timekeeping of atomic clocks to the time based on the rising and setting of the sun are viewed by many technocrats as a nuisance, perhaps even a danger. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

International: 2005: Year of farewells to world icons By MARY DEIBEL - It was a year of farewells to world icons. Pope John Paul II and Rosa Parks died. So did the chief justice of the United States and the world's chief Nazi hunter. Other lost legends ranged from entertainers Johnny Carson and Richard Pryor to Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern management, and Hunter S. Thompson, the father of gonzo journalism.

2005 U.S. DEATHS OF NOTE

Hans Bethe, German-turned-U.S. nuclear physicist who headed the theoretical division at the secret Los Alamos lab developing atomic weapons during World War II, March 6 at 98.

Shirley Chisholm, first black woman in Congress, Jan. 1 at 80.

Kenneth Clark, educational psychologist whose studies of black children were key in the 1954 Supreme Court ruling ending public school segregation, May 1 at 90.

Johnnie Cochran, law firm founder and O.J. defense attorney, March 29 at 67. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

International: 2005: The year in sports - The Chicago White Sox shook off a post-season curse to win their first World Series in 88 years while Rafael Palmeiro shook his finger on Capitol Hill and rued the day he did.

Lance Armstrong prevailed again, Notre Dame football celebrated a rebirth and the world said farewell to a boxing legend (Max Schmeling), half of a fabled football backfield (Glenn Davis) and an NFL pioneer (Wellington Mara).

Those were among the highlights - and lowlights - that marked 2005 for sports fans.

A look at the year in sports. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

Ketchikan's Spectacular Lights Pictured: The home of Diane Guzman. Lights Gallery 1  Lights Gallery 2  Lights Gallery 3 NEW  Lights Gallery 4 NEW 2005 Boat Parade

Science: Christmas trees to provide key Tamiflu ingredient By LEONARD ZEHR - Your used Christmas tree might save you from a bird flu pandemic.

As governments around the world scramble to stockpile the antiviral Tamiflu, generic drug maker Biolyse Pharma Corp. plans to begin next month making shikimic acid, the main ingredient in the manufacture of oseltamivir, commonly known as Tamiflu, from the needles of discarded Christmas trees. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

National: A third of Americans say they'll return gifts this year By THOMAS HARGROVE - Nearly a third of all Americans expect they'll stand in long lines on the day after Christmas to return those polka-dot ties and just-slightly-too-small sweaters.

But the good news is that few Americans say they often feel cheated by Santa Claus, not getting that great gift they were secretly hoping for, according to a Scripps Howard/Ohio University survey of 1,005 adults. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Vote for Rob, He's the man for the job!! By Kevin Kristovich - Monday PM Unanswered Questions By Jay Jones - Monday PM Remember the men and women in uniform By David M. Korkowski - Monday PM Letter To Santa By Jerry Cegelske - Friday PM Holiday Blues & Networking By George Miller - Friday PM Town Tree is Beautiful By Al Johnson - Friday PM Holiday Wishes By Karen & Charlie Jones - Friday PM Heartfelt Thanks for Those who Supported the Toy Drive! By Tyla Williams - Friday PM Thanks to KTGW/KTKN - Gateway 106.7 By Samantha Kuzakin - Friday PM 2005 By Joseph Branco - Friday PM Ketchikan Youth Court By Karen Lybrand - Friday PM Guard Rails & Free Speech By Penny Eubanks - Friday PM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan 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

Alaska: Market for used video games is hot and growing hotter By SARANA SCHELL - Brandon Mommsen, 10, looked all over Anchorage for a Gold version Pokemon game for his Gameboy. He called stores and pawn shops. He even looked on eBay. If it were a new game, he could wait for later shipments. But the Gold version is a used game, and there's no telling where, or when, he might find one.

He heard a friend was willing to sell a copy. Before Mommsen could close the deal, another friend snagged it for $10.

"I didn't have a chance to offer more," Mommsen complained good-naturedly, playing in the snow Monday with his game-snagging friend. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

National: Many baby boomers choose to stay on the job By ROSEMARY WINTERS - The new year marks the 60th birthday for the first of the baby boomers, heralding a dramatic transformation of the labor market. With more than a third of the work force age 45 and older, many employers are bracing themselves to lose 25 percent to 45 percent of their workers in the next decade.

New research suggests that companies can slow the talent drain. The often work-centric baby boomers might be willing to work past typical retirement age - if it is on their terms. Many older workers will work longer if offered greater job autonomy, control over work hours and opportunities for learning, according to a study released last week by the Families and Work Institute and the Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

International: Chinese Internet vs. free speech By CARRIE KIRBY - U.S. tech giants are helping the Chinese express themselves online - as long as they don't write about democracy, Tibet, sex, Tiananmen Square, Falun Gong, government corruption or any other taboo subject.

Microsoft bans "democracy" and "Dalai Lama" from the Chinese version of its blog site. Yahoo recently turned over information that helped the Chinese government track down and imprison a journalist for the crime of forwarding an e-mail. Google omits banned publications from its Chinese news service. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005

Technology: How Google woos the best and the brightest By VERNE KOPYTOFF - Free cafeteria food, annual ski trips to the Sierras and free laundry are just some of the fringe benefits of working at Google. Getting hired is the trick.

Every month, aspiring workers deluge the popular Mountain View search engine with up to 150,000 resumes - equivalent to a stack of paper at least 50 feet high. And the firm claims to read each and every one.

As one of Silicon Valley's hottest companies, Google has become a beacon for job seekers. In just a few short years, the interest has helped the company amass an arsenal of what is arguably among the world's top technology minds. - More...
Monday PM - December 26, 2005