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Ketchikan: Group works to secure long-term public access to Coast Guard and South Point Higgins Beaches - Carrie Dolwick coordinator of the Ketchikan Beaches Assocation in a recent letter to SitNews said the grant to complete the trail from Point Higgins School to the Coast Guard Base, is no longer pending. "The news that the grant is held up is a huge disappointment for the Borough, who invested financially to complete and submit the grant, and to many community members who have invested time, energy and resources into the trail and the important public recreation opportunities it gives to community members," wrote Dolwick.

Dolwick said in November 2006, the Ketchikan Borough Assembly unanimously passed resolution 2012 that authorized the submittal of a grant application and 2013 that authorized the Borough manager to request an update and extension of a Revocable License for Land Use between the Mental Health Land Trust and the KGB to allow the trail on the Alaska Mental Health Land Trust land. The second half of the trail traverses MHLT property."

"The Alaska State Parks grant was stalled when the Alaska Mental Health Land Trust would [not] allow the pursuit of necessary permits necessary for the grant award and placed stipulations on the Revocable License," wrote Dolwick. "During the process to update the license, the MHLT stated in the final grant application the that the extension of the land use license authorized in Resolution 2013, would Authorize use of the trail by the general public and will not authorize trail construction, reconstruction or maintenance until such time as rezone and subdivision of Trust land, USS 3762, also local known as Coast Guard Beach, is complete and a permanent trail location has been determined," said Dolwick. - More...
Read the Updated Story - Friday PM - January 05, 2007

Alaska: Remembering Alaska's Military Casualties of 2006 - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today expressed sorrow for the loss of Alaskans, and soldiers based in Alaska, in the war on terror during 2006. According to the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, 11 Alaskans and 35 active duty service members stationed in Alaska died in operations related to the war on terror during 2006.

"Every life is precious and each death tragic," said Governor Palin. "This past year, many of our brave troops made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. Words cannot express the grief and gratitude I feel for the men and women of our military who have died. They will forever be remembered for their sense of duty and honor."

The Alaska National Guard has more than 700 soldiers and airmen deployed overseas in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Alaska has more than 540 soldiers in Kuwait and 140 soldiers and 60 airmen in Afghanistan. - More...
Friday PM - January 05, 2007

National: Anxiety may rise as you fill out college loan forms By JEAN COWDEN MOORE - As college costs rise, so does parents' anxiety over how they're going to pay for it.

In the past year, the cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public university rose by 6 percent. And if your kid wants to attend a private school, you're looking at roughly $35,085 a year - enough to buy a sporty BMW.

For some parents - those whose kids are seniors this year - anxiety will increase this month as they start to fill out the long, sometimes mind-numbing financial aid applications required at most universities.

These days, even affluent families often need help paying for college because they haven't saved enough to cover the full cost. For lower-income families, the cost of a university education can be truly daunting.

Even so, parents should not give up on the idea of college just because they think they can't afford it, college financial aid directors say. Help is available in the form of grants, scholarships and loans that, for the neediest students, can cover the entire cost of a college education.

Even wealthier families can take out loans guaranteed by the federal government.

"You have to be realistic," said Janet Lockhart, director of financial assistance at Pepperdine University. "Realize you're going to have to borrow and your child is going to have to borrow. You have to be willing to help yourself in this situation." - More...
Friday PM - January 05, 2007

International: Possible developments in Pacific Rim this year By DAVID ARMSTRONG - Extrapolating from trends in the year just past, here are some possible scenarios in the Pacific Rim for the year ahead:

- China's explosive growth and its impact. China's gross domestic product grew 10.5 percent in 2006, after GDP growth of 10.2 percent in 2005, according to Chinese government statistics. China's efforts to cool its economy are falling short, in part because provincial officials simply ignore go-slow edicts from Beijing.

With breakneck growth likely to continue, China's voracious demand for oil, cement, steel and other goods - not to mention foreign direct investment, banking, lawyering and other professional services - is likely to keep exercising gravitational pull on the planet's providers.

Only a few years ago, China was a land of backyard kilns and neighborhood bicycle factories; now it boasts the world's fourth-largest economy. With this dramatic growth come breathtaking business opportunities - and heart-stopping devastation of China's air and water, with the inevitable toxic spillover for its East Asian neighbors. This shows no signs of abating soon, either.

- The trade deficit and other dilemmas. China racked up a trade surplus of $202 billion with the United States in 2005, and the number for 2006 is expected to be even bigger. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and many others say the deficit is driven at least in part by China's currency, the yuan, which Washington considers undervalued by 25 percent to 40 percent. - More...
Friday PM - January 05, 2007

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Basic Rules Richard Jackson for President of KIC & Bergeron For Tribal Council By Samuel Bergeron - Wednesday PM NORTH TONGASS EMS - FIRE FEE INCREASE By Ken Bylund - Wednesday PM The thrill of victory By Chris Elliott - Wednesday PM Tax increase for NTVFD By Jennifer Brewer - Wednesday PM Airport Shuttle CLose Down By Neil Gray - Wednesday PM Airporter Service By Ken Leland and Bob Kern - Tuesday PM Will you get more service with doubled fees? By Ed Fry - Tuesday PM Beware This Credit Card Scam By Sen. Con Bunde - Tuesday PM First we must have honesty By Frances C. Natkong - Tuesday PM Shiites Blew It With Saddam Execution By Mark Neckameyer - Tuesday PM Welcome back By Bill Thomas Sr.- Tuesday PM Truth and Consequences By Glen Thompson - Sunday PM Airporter and Related Needs By Shirley McDonald - Sunday PM Loss of Airporter Bus By Ken Levy - Sunday PM Taxes By Robert McRoberts - Sunday PM Airporter Replacement Suggestion By Shelley Stallings - Saturday AM Airporter service By Bill Thomas Sr. - Saturday AM Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Elections- January 15, 2007 By Robert A. Sanderson, Jr. - Friday Don't push the taxpayers By Rodney Dial - Friday Thank You Airporter For Your Years of Service By Shannon Nelson - Friday Revised Fuel Price Study By Ken Lewis - Friday Fuel prices By Mary Henrikson - Friday Wood Removal By John Beck - Friday 600 Children By Peter Bolling - Friday Political Sportsmanship By Robert Freedland - Friday First we must have honesty By Carol Christoffel - Friday Community Christmas Sing-Out By Judith Green - Friday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter 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 January 2007 S M T W T F S 31 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       More Front Page Archives

The week in review By THOMAS HARGROVE - Democrats retake Capitol Hill

Ending a dozen years in the political wilderness, Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress this week. San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the nation's first female House speaker Thursday, the most powerful political post ever held by a woman in the United States. "We have made history, now let us make progress for the American people," she said. Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid became Senate majority leader. "The voters want change. Together, we must deliver that change," Reid told his colleagues. Democrats in both houses promised improved bipartisanship with Republicans.

Bush reshuffles national security leadership

President Bush, who is considering an escalation in the numbers of U.S. troops in Iraq, Friday began reshuffling his national security team. He nominated former National Security Agency Director Mike McConnell to be national intelligence director, replacing John Negroponte, who was nominated to be deputy secretary of state. The president is also expected soon to announce replacements for Gen. George Casey, top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command, according to published reports.

First Muslim sworn into Congress

Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison was sworn in Thursday as the first Muslim member of the House of Representatives, taking the oath of office with his hand on a copy of the Quran once owned by President Thomas Jefferson. Officials at the Library of Congress agreed to Ellison's request that he briefly borrow the two-volume set for the ceremony. Some conservatives expressed outrage that the oath was not taken using a Christian Bible. Ellison said he wants to put the controversy behind him. "It was good, we did it, it's over. Now it's time to get down to business," he said.

Gerald Ford buried with full honors

Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, was buried in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday after receiving a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral Tuesday. "In President Ford, the world saw the best of America and America found a man whose character and leadership would bring calm and healing to one of the most divisive moments in our nation's history," President Bush said in his eulogy. Thousands braved cold temperatures to attend visitations in Washington and Grand Rapids before the interment on a picturesque hillside. Ford died at age 93 on Dec. 26.

Iraq reports 12,000 civilian deaths last year

Iraqi officials issued a grim report Tuesday that more than 12,000 civilians were killed in sectarian violence last year, three years since the U.S.-led occupation. There was a dramatic increase in the killings during the last three months when 5,000 died. A total of 1,539 Iraqi security forces were killed, nearly double the 823 U.S. troops who died last year. The number of civilian deaths in Iraq is under dispute. An estimate by the United Nations has a much higher toll, but has been discounted by Iraqi officials. - More...
Friday PM - January 05, 2007

Washington Calling: Another uniformed intell chief?... Saddam carded ... More By LISA HOFFMAN - he naming of retired Navy Adm. John McConnell to the nation's top spy post is not sitting well with those who already see too many uniforms at the helms of U.S. intelligence agencies.

President Bush picked McConnell on Friday to be the next director of national intelligence, a relatively new position that rides herd on the 16 large and small intelligence agencies in official American spookdom. He would succeed John Negroponte.

McConnell would join Gen. Michael Hayden, who took over the CIA last spring, and retired Vice Adm. John Redd, who heads the National Counterterrorism Center. The National Security Agency is led by Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, while the Defense Intelligence Agency is run by Lt. Gen. Michael Maples.

Critics - including Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., former chairman of the House intelligence committee - say the military men might tilt too much toward the operational bent of intelligence gathering, focusing more on information geared at military missions as opposed to the more general and global perspective a civilian director might favor.

Look for this issue to be raised at McConnell's upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.

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A little-noticed detail from the hanging of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein:

During his murderous reign, Saddam decreed that those he doomed to die be handed red cards bearing the official order for execution. These were a sardonic, if grisly, play on the use of red cards in soccer games to oust players or coaches from a match for penalties.

In a gesture both symbolic and decidedly ironic, Saddam himself was given such a red card as he stood on the gallows waiting to die.

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March 17 looks likely to be particularly notable this year, and not just for St. Patrick's Day.

The anti-war group ANSWER is gearing up for a major demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, which began in late March 2003.

Act Now to Stop War and End Racism - which is closely affiliated with Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. attorney general and more recently one of Saddam Hussein's attorneys - says the march on the Pentagon will also pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of that seminal anti-war march on the seat of military might, a 1967 event that actually occurred in October. - More...
Friday PM - January 05, 2007