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Wednesday
December 24, 2014
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Mountain Bluebird
The Mountain Bluebird is a rare bird for the Ketchikan area especially for this time of year. This Mountain Bluebird was photographed at the Bayview Cemetery feasting on what appeared to be grubs.
Front Page Photograph By JIM LEWIS ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Twelve Complete Maritime Multi-Skilled Worker Program - A completion ceremony was held for 12 students in the University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Maritime and Multi-Skilled Worker (MMSW) program on the last day of class, December 19th.
MMSW students (left to right); Ian Lendrum, Kyle Leavy, Tod Baseden, Dale Plate, Kaleb Booth, Christina McGilton, Keith Brown, Santana Atkinson, Michael Minnich, Darren McKeehan & Ron Mello. Not pictured student Max Miller. (Instructor Larry O’Loane is in back, partially obscured).
The classes included Basic Welding, Diesel Engines, Marine Electrical Systems, Hydraulics and Refrigeration. All 12 students passed the courses as well as the U.S. Coast Guard Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) Certification exam. QMED certification provides students with the opportunity to work aboard vessels, including the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. In addition, students qualified to sit for the nationally recognized EPA Section 608 (Refrigeration) Technician Certification exam.
UAS Ketchikan began offering this new program in fall 2013. The intensive program is offered each fall in 12 weeks with students attending class Monday through Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm. The courses provide an introduction to the various systems within a marine vessel. However, the skills and knowledge can be transferred to shore-based service industries including seafood processing, ship building and repair and heavy mechanics, among others. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 24, 2014
Alaska: Alaska Cruises Dethrones Las Vegas as Top U.S. "Destination" for 2015 in Travel Leaders Group's Latest Survey - Travel Leaders Group unveiled the 2015 results of its authoritative annual Travel Trends Survey. Based on the findings, there is a major shake-up among the most popular U.S. destinations heading into the New Year – the rugged and untamed beauty of Alaska, enjoyed via cruising, has dethroned Las Vegas and stands at #1 in an extremely tight contest that also includes Orlando, Maui, and New York City.
The single, hottest destination trend in travel last year – European river cruising – jumps up another spot in 2015 to #4 on the Top International Destinations list, just behind Caribbean cruising, Cancun (Mexico) and London, respectively. This year's survey results also reveal that 96.5% of travel agents surveyed state client spending will be the same or higher in the coming year and 85% of agents indicate that 2015 bookings are on par or greater than this time one year ago.
This survey, based on actual booking data, was conducted by Travel Leaders Group from November 11 - December 8, 2014, and includes responses from 1,226 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel agents from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with those affiliated with Travel Leaders Group's Cruise Holidays, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Nexion, Protravel International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell Travel Group and Vacation.com units.
"For the past a decade and a half, Las Vegas and Orlando have jockeyed for the top spot in our survey. So what we are seeing – even if mere tenths of a percentage point separate our top four destinations – is a seismic shift for American travelers in 2015. Alaska is vast, so cruising enables one to see so much more of this enormously and stunningly beautiful area – plus, this type of vacation, which can be perceived as slightly rustic, can be as luxurious as one desires," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 24, 2014 |
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Alaska: Lower 48 Avian Flu Discoveries Unlikely to Affect Alaska Waterfowl Hunters - Avian influenza has been confirmed recently in wild birds in northwestern Washington and southwestern Oregon, but risks are negligible to waterfowl and waterfowl hunters in Alaska where hunting seasons remain open in some regions.
“This is primarily a waterfowl issue in Washington and Oregon, but can be a threat to domestic poultry,” said Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen. “It’s unlikely to pose any threat to Alaska’s waterfowl populations and these strains have never been found to infect humans.”
Two strains of highly pathogenic H5 virus – H5N2 and H5N8 – were found earlier this month in Whatcom County, Washington. The H5N2 strain was confirmed in a northern pintail duck, while the H5N8 virus was verified in a captive gyrfalcon that had been fed hunter-killed wild birds. In Winston, Oregon, the H5N8 avian influenza was identified in a small backyard poultry flock that had open access to a pond and marsh that wild waterfowl commonly use.
“The term ‘highly pathogenic’ means it is highly pathogenic to domestic poultry and says nothing about its potential impacts on wild birds or pets or humans,” said Dr. Beckmen. Outbreaks of H5N8 have occurred in domestic fowl across Europe and Asia over the last year with no associated cases in humans.
Avian flu concerns have prompted increased surveillance of wild birds in Alaska in the past. Between 2006 and 2010, nearly 57,000 birds were tested for H5N1, and none tested positive for the virus. The Alaska Departments of Fish and Game, Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Geological Survey are performing surveillance testing for avian influenza. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 24, 2014
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Alaska: International search in the Bering Sea By PA2 DIANA HONINGS - The Bering Sea, a deep water basin that stretches between eastern Russia and the western coast of Alaska, is notorious for taking the lives of many mariners who dare to traverse this part of the world, and tragically, it has recently taken yet another crew.
The crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley and Republic of Korea vessel Sam-Bong conduct a search in the Bering Sea near Chukotka, Russia, Dec. 13, 2014.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dale Arnould.
The South Korean-flagged 326-foot fishing vessel 501 Oryong, consisting of 60 crewmembers from several countries including Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and Russia, had left South Korea on July 10 to catch pollock, a winter delicacy in South Korea, according to company officials.
“Earning a living on the ocean is a dangerous occupation,” said Capt. Charles Cashin III, chief of staff, Coast Guard 17th District. “Commercial fishing in the Bering is generally considered the most dangerous. While dramatic improvements in weather prediction, communications, safety and fishing regulations have all reduced the risk, the fact remains the Bering Sea is known for having winter weather among the most severe on the planet. Coupled with the largest remaining bio-mass on earth, the attraction can be overpowering.”
It was this attraction that led the 501 Oryong to the Bering Sea where on the evening of Nov. 30, 2014, off the coast of the Chukotka in northeast Russia, the crew was hauling its catch when, according to South Korean government officials and the ship’s owners, the vessel was hit with a wave that flooded the boat’s storage chambers with seawater sinking the vessel 109 miles from the nearest point of land.
Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders in Juneau, Alaska, were alerted by the 501 Oryong’s emergency locator beacon and immediately contacted the Russian Rescue Coordination Center in Vladivostok, since the vessel was in their search and rescue region. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 24, 2014
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Columns - Commentary
DANNY TYREE: Empty Seats At The Christmas Table - I'm writing one of my infrequent serious columns, because I realize there is more to Christmas than non-stop holly jolly mirth.
There will be many freshly vacant spots at Christmas/holiday gatherings this year, whether because of death, hospitalization, relocation, work schedules, military service, estrangement or incarceration.
(My nuclear family remains intact; but in the past year, death has claimed my brother's mother-in-law, the preacher's wife, a co-worker, several classmates' loved ones and an alarming number of customers at my day job.)
I can't fill your stocking with any game-changing advice for coping with loss or distance at this festive/stressful time of year, but I'll rehash what others have said. Share warm or funny memories of the departed. Make a charitable donation in their name. Invite a widow or bachelor who has NOTHING BUT empty seats to share the holiday with your family. Stop being a technophobe and avail yourself of the tools for communicating with those who must be far away.
Mostly, I'd like to offer advice to see that YOU don't become one of those being mourned or missed. "Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow," sang Judy Garland. But sometimes we go out of our way to tempt Fate.
More power to you if you can't meet an arbitrary December 25 deadline because you've traveled cross-country to improve yourself academically or professionally, if you're defending our great nation or if you're overseas performing humanitarian work. But a lot of reasons for being absent are less noble.
Put things in perspective before you let petty squabbles create a yuletide vacuum this year or in the future. Thinking about that babe in the manger should help us do away with some more of the frivolous reasons for being a "no-show" or barring the door. That babe grew up to ask forgiveness for those who sent him to his death. How can we refuse to associate with someone who voted for the wrong party?- More...
Wednesday PM - December 24, 2014
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POLITICAL CARTOON: CHRISTMAS WISH
By
Taylor Jones, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.
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Update in Progress. Thank you for your patience.
 RE: Eighty-sixed By Matthew Felling - Greetings, Alaskans – I’d like to set the record straight on a recent letter published in SitNews on behalf of Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 16, 2014
Parking - One More Thing By Chris Elliott - I ran into a young man at the grocery store parking lot the other day (not literally) after I had squiggeled around getting into a parking spot. He mentioned the web page. He was most upset because the postings were anonymous. If someone was anonymously posting nude pictures of his wife, I could see his point. He might want to have a talk with the person. But posting pictures of bad parking is a horse of a different color. In the common law, "res ipsa loquitur" (the thing itself speaks). - More...
Tuesday PM - December 16, 2014
Clear-cutting of the Tongass By Dominic Salvato - Why does the Sealaska Corporation mislead the public by inferring its shareholders are solely Alaska's native people? There are hundreds, if not thousands of Sealaska shareholders without one drop of native blood in their bodies. It's not wrong, it's a simple fact. - More...
Monday PM - December 15, 2014
Eighty-sixed By A. M. Johnson - I find that your fine online news outlet must be employed to transmit a message to our Alaska Congressional Senator, Senator Murkowski. As the subject line reflects, her office, if not herself, has terminated my access to her office via email. The following is my response and that termination notice. - More...
Monday PM - December 15, 2014
Share the road By Michael McColley- I've driven on every street in town. I have lived here all my life and traffic gets congested all the time. For those that pull half way out in traffic, try using the center lane. Don't challenge other cars to brake. Let people out. No one is going to lose sleep, we only have so much road. No one needs to have road rage. No one is going to get there any faster by driving fast or by being a discourteous driver. - More...
Monday PM - December 15, 2014
Hollowing Our Military By Donald A. Moskowitz - I have previously written about the disastrous impact of "sequestration" on our armed forces. Douglas Wissing delves into this topic in his article "RIF Tide" in the December 2014 issue of The American Legion Magazine, which I partially paraphrase in the next paragraph. - More...
Monday PM - December 15, 2014
States Are Waking Up -- They Can Stop Our Federal Government Overreach By Arthur Bedford - Executive amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, 3500 new business crushing regulations, the feds attempting to regulate our local police departments—all within the last two weeks! State governments are waking up to the fact that they have the power to stop this federal overreach, regain state sovereignty, and bring power back to the people through use of a tool our Constitutional Framers gave them for just this situation, an Article V Convention of States (COS). Recently, Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin, a vocal supporter of a Convention of states, addressed the annual conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an association of state lawmakers. He demanded that the hundreds of lawmakers in attendance “take your power back.” - More...
Monday PM - December 15, 2014
Timber Economics By Owen Graham - Let's talk about real timber economics. For years we have been listening to various environmental groups and others talk about Tongass timber sale subsidies. The reality is there are none; no matter how many times the falsehood is repeated. If the federal government provides billions in wind production tax credits; that's a subsidy. When corn farmers and ethanol producers receive billions in tax credits and have their products supported with an ethanol gas mandate; that's also a subsidy. However, if a local lumber yard or an appliance store spends more money selling lumber or appliances than it receives, that does not mean their customers are subsidized; it just means that the lumber yard or appliance store will soon go broke. Likewise, the timber industry is not subsidized when it purchases timber from the Forest Service. The industry is not responsible for, nor can it control how much a federal agency spends. - More...
Monday PM - December 08, 2014
The Missing Christmas Deer By Ted Cabot - Let me start by saying I am writing this letter for my wife. Every year she waits patiently for the Holidays, especially Christmas, her absolute favorite. In our house, she without question is in charge of decorating the outside of our home, she does the inside as well, but her real joy is doing the outside. We live on lower Fairy Chasm Rd. so I'm sure there are many of you who know which house it is. She enjoys many, many compliments from the good people of Ketchikan every year, so you can see what motivates her to decorate the way she does. And yes, the house looks great every Christmas. She does try to do different things each year. And always does a great job. - More...
Monday PM - December 08, 2014
Nut Cracker Performance By A. M. Johnson - The performance of the Nut-Cracker this year is one for the record books. The performance of the children and young adults in learning the parts, learning their marks, and presentation in tune with the music score was absolutely outstanding. There was not a glitch, nor a miss in the timing, The set design was superb reflecting long backstage hours in preparation. To see the continued depth of adult thespians in accompanying roles in this production reflects the continued outstanding level of talent viewed in First City Player productions. - More...
Monday PM - December 08, 2014
Joy to the World By Judith Green - This past week end the Ketchikan Community Chorus, under the direction of Stephen Kinney, shared their music and talents with "The Songs of the People-around the world" as the title "Joy to the World" would suggest: Israeli, Serbian, American, French, Ukraine, Africa. - More...
Monday PM - December 08, 2014
Parking Failures By Chris Elliott - Donita O'Dell's letter prompts this response. Lighten up! If someone is having a heart attack & you park outside the lines at PeaceHealth, I don't think your photo's going to show up. If you park your little tiny Prius in the cart return lane, you deserve a little attention. If you're a jerk and you park like a jerk then you're going to respond to this "shaming" like a jerk. If you're a normal person who, for one reason or another, misparked your car, you're going to take it like a normal person and chuckle at being "outed." - More...
Monday PM - December 08, 2014
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