Ketchikan: Difference between life and death can be just a click away By M.C. KAUFFMAN - A piece of fabric can make the difference between walking away from an accident, being transported to a hospital, or worse - being transported to a morgue. Do you hear that life-saving click of your seat belt before you crank up that magnificently powerful machine and head out to work, the grocery store, cruising with your pals, or perhaps a special event?

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Fortunately, the driver and occupants involved in the accident along the snowy North Tongass Highway Monday made a good choice and took the time to buckle up. Chief Dave Hull of the North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department said the occupants escaped uninjured because of using seat belts. The Jeep Cherokee, driven by Nicole Hill (21) of Ketchikan, lost control, entered the ditch, and collided with the embankment. Damage is estimated at $10,000. All people in the the vehicle were wearing their seat belts.

Also on Monday Troopers responded to a motor vehicle collision at North Tongass and D-1 Loop. The investigation revealed that a Suburu Legacy, driven by Kristen Flora (42) of Ketchikan, slid off of the road and collided with a stump in the ditch. Damage was estimated at $4000. All parties in the vehicle were not injured and were wearing their seat belts. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

National: Bush defends use of wiretaps By JAMES ROSEN - President Bush and top aides stoutly defended his wiretapping directive Monday, launching a three-day offensive to regain control of public debate on the controversy in advance of congressional hearings.

Democrats fired back with a barrage of pointed criticisms about the electronic eavesdropping program Bush authorized shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

During a broader address on Iraq and terrorism at Kansas State University, Bush described the surveillance initiative - which set off a political firestorm when it was revealed last month - as legal, limited in scope and necessary to protect Americans. "I made the decision to do the following things because there's an enemy that still wants to harm the American people," Bush said. "What I'm talking about is the intercept of certain communications emanating between somebody inside the United States and outside the United States, and one of the numbers would be reasonably suspected to be an al Qaeda link or affiliate. In other words, we have ways to determine whether or not someone can be an al Qaeda affiliate or al Qaeda. And if they're making a phone call in the United States, it seems like to me we want to know why."

Bush said he acted legally.

"If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?" Bush said. "Federal courts have consistently ruled that a president has authority under the Constitution to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance against our enemies. Predecessors of mine have used that same constitutional authority." - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

National: Bush feels conservative heat over domestic surveillance By JAMES ROSEN - When Al Gore accused President Bush of breaking the law by authorizing domestic wiretapping, Bush's defenders had a ready response.

"Al Gore's hypocrisy knows no bounds," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "If he is going to be the voice of the Democratic Party on national security matters, we welcome it."

Bush's aides, though, might have more difficulty countering the rising tide of criticism from some senior Republicans and influential conservative leaders who are also troubled by the electronic eavesdropping he authorized soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, branded the wiretapping "clearly and categorically wrong" and set a Feb. 6 hearing on "wartime executive power." - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

Reid Building, Ketchikan Gateway Borough File Photo by Dick Kauffman

Ketchikan: Adjustments to property assessed values announced - A review and analysis of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough's real estate market has mandated adjustments to assessed values, Borough Manger Roy Eckert announced Monday. State Statutes and Borough Code require that assessments be at full and true value as of the January 01, 2006 assessment date.

Residential property from north Ketchikan city limits to Schoenbar bypass was reappraised for 2006. According to the announcement, the 2006 assessed value will typically be greater than the 2005 assessed value.

Most other Ketchikan residential properties will have upward value adjustments ranging from 10% to 15% overall. Many Commercial/Industrial properties will have overall adjustments of 15%. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

Southeast Alaska: COURT TV® EXTRA To Offer Live Coverage of Alaska V. Waterman Trial - Court TV announced today that Court TV Extra, their online service that brings subscribers multiple live video feeds from courtrooms across the country, will stream the first degree murder trial of Rachelle Waterman, 16, live from the Diamond Courthouse in Juneau, AK.

Waterman from Craig, Alaska is alleged to have conspired in the murder of her mother Lauri, 48. According to the announcement, the trial is scheduled to begin tomorrow on the network's web-based service and can be accessed on Court TV's website. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Budget Discipline Vital by Rep. Vic Kohring - Tuesday AM Emerald Bay Appeal By Jacquelyne and Robert Hunley - Tuesday AM Steelers fan By David M. Korkowski- Tuesday AM GO STEELERS!!! By April van Berkum Thank You To The KIC Membershi By Rob Sanderson, Jr.- Tuesday AM Thank You By Gigi Pilcher- Tuesday AM Are we losing control? By Robert McRoberts - Tuesday AM Loss of Alaska Guardsmen By Richard Heller - Monday AM No justification By Dave Kiffer- Monday AM NOT ABOUT BLAME, BUT ABOUT BUILDING TRUST AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE By Bobbe McCreary- Monday AM Forgiving By Charlotte Tanner- Monday AM STEELER FANS UNITE By Pat Long- Monday AM Sometimes you can't 'Latch On to the Affirmative'. By June Allen - Saturday PM Bridge to "somewhere" By Rick Grams - Saturday PM Alaska State Senate to Examine University by Robert D. Warner - Saturday PM VISTA Volunteer By MJ Turek - Saturday PM Bridges to the future... By Don Hoff Jr. - Saturday PM Ketchikan's priorities? By Don Hoff Jr. - Saturday PM Apology? By Tom LeCompte - Saturday PM Treatment of guests is reprehensible By John Stewart - Saturday PM Disgraceful Behavior By Charlotte L. Glover - Saturday PM Lack of signage greatest problem By Charlotte Tanner - Saturday PM Newtown Plans By Betty Lee Lien Marl McLendon - Saturday PM Thank You By Tonia (Lahmeyer) Nebl - Saturday PM Uncompassionate By Tommy Bergeron - Saturday PM STIP & Bridges to the Future By Mike Barton - Friday PM We need to work together By Bobbie McCreary - Friday PM Chamber guests deserve a public apology By Joann Flora  - Friday PM Emerald Bay timber sale By Tom and Jackie Timm - Friday PM The being "uncompassionate" issue By Theresa Cullen - Friday PM Antifreeze, batteries, shot gun shells... By Jerry Cegelske - Friday AM Intoxicated driver = Possible tragedy By John Maki - Friday AM Re: "Uncompassionate towards suffering" By Mark Neckameyer - Friday AM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan Tuesday, January 24, 2006, from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Zoning for the Newtown Area Commercial & Residential meeting is scheduled - 640 Park Avenue (across from the American Legion). More meeting information January Calendar Today's Forecast Current AK Weather Map City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements January 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 31         Front Page Archives

National: EPA to allow pesticide testing on children, pregnant women By MICHAEL DOYLE - The Bush administration would allow some limited pesticide testing on children and pregnant women under controversial rules set to be made final as early as this week.

After fielding some 50,000 public comments on its earlier human-testing proposals, the Environmental Protection Agency is setting out final rules that officials call tough and fair. But Democrats and environmentalists are raising an outcry, and courts could remain busy sorting it all out.

"The fact that EPA allows pesticide testing of any kind on the most vulnerable, including abused and neglected children, is simply astonishing," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., declared Monday.

The new rules would prohibit regulators from using so-called "intentional exposure" research that involved children or pregnant women. But under what regulators described as "narrowly defined circumstances," such research could still be used - if the researcher hadn't originally intended to submit the results to the EPA.

The new rules require researchers to document their compliance with ethical guidelines, but exempt certain overseas tests. Testing on adults could proceed, following review by a new Human Studies Review Board that could "comment on" but not stop a proposed experiment. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

Alaska: State Claims Diebold Data is Proprietary - The Alaska State Division of Elections has denied access to public records that are needed to verify the accuracy of the 2004 General Election vote results, the Alaska Democratic Party (ADP) said Monday.
 
The Division of Elections claims that its electronic computer file that contains all the final vote tallies for the 2004 General Election is proprietary information belonging to its contractor, Diebold Election Systems.
 
"It is wrong that the State of Alaska is letting Diebold take possession of our votes and our public data by claiming that these are their proprietary information. This is not acceptable or legally supportable," said state Democratic Party chair Jake Metcalfe. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

Science: Think women are more sarcastic? Yeah, whatever By ANNE MCILROY - You go into work, grab a coffee and sit down with the newspaper. A co-worker walks by and says, "Don't work too hard." Is the sarcastic colleague more likely to be a man, or a woman?

Scientists would say a man. Men make sarcastic comments twice as often as women do, says University of Western Ontario psychologist Albert Katz, an expert in sarcasm and other forms of non-literal language.

Some of the experiments he and his colleagues have done suggest that both sexes use sarcasm as an indirect form of verbal aggression that gets a message across in ways people will remember. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006

The Arts This Week: This week in Ketchikan, Kevin Locke will preform on Thursday, January 26th at 6:30pm in the Kayhi Auditorium. The performance is free and a dessert reception with Kevin Locke will follow. Kevin Locke is a National Endowment for the Arts award recipient. His performance will include songs, storytelling, flute playing and hoop dancing. Sponsored by the Ketchikan Indian Community, the Arts Council, the Ketchikan School District and Cape Fox Heritage. Call 617-1852 for more information.

How the Ink Feels is on display through Wednesday. This exhibit features a collection of letterpress broadsides illuminating poetry and prose by distinguished American writers, on display through January 25th. Featured at the Mainstay Gallery at 716 Totem Way. The Mainstay Gallery is sponsored by the Arts Council. For more information on this traveling exhibit, stop by or call 225-2211.

Friday Night Insight Programs at the SE Alaska Discovery Center: Every Friday night, 7 - 8pm. This Friday, January 27: "Observations from Liberia's Rainforest" presented by Ken Pearson, Law Enforcement Officer with the US Forest Service. The Book store will be open each night.

7th Annual Roberts Burns' Night is here again! This year's celebration will be held on Friday, January 27th at 6pm, doors open at 5:30pm, at Steamers on the Dock. Special features for this year's event include poetry readings, Highland dancing and the attendance of a direct descendant of Robert Burns himself, Leela McLarrin. Tickets $30 at Steamers and the Arts Council, for info and tickets call 225-2211. - More...
Tuesday AM - January 24, 2006