Ketchikan: Annual Expo Event Offered Something For Everyone By MARIE L. MONYAK - At a time of year when most local residents were about to go stark raving mad from months of dark, dreary, rain soaked days it finally arrived - at long last the light at the end of the tunnel - the First City Expo! Hosted by The Local Paper and KFMJ Radio, the Expo was held this past weekend at Ketchikan High School to the delight of many.

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The Expo is the first sign of spring, right up there with skunk cabbage and daffodils. It's the first big, city-wide event that allows residents to get out of their homes, get re-acquainted with neighbors, renew friendships with those they haven't seen for months and schmooze with fellow Ketchikanites.

More importantly, the Expo is an opportunity for our local businesses and organizations to come together under one roof and display their merchandise or services. Some businesses were competing with one another. Service organizations were enticing new members. Newer businesses were getting the word out about who they are and what they offer. In the midst of all this the food vendors were keeping everyone fed and quenched.

And everywhere you looked were reminders that it's spring! WalMart's booth reminded everyone they have bar-b-ques and charcoal stacked to the rafters, while the display by Duckworth and Duckworth Construction made one consider that long put-off remodel or addition. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

National: Senate begins tweaking immigration bill By MICHAEL DOYLE - Political traps, hidden costs and unforeseen consequences loom over the big immigration bill that the Senate continued amending Monday.

So far, lawmakers are still nibbling at the edges. Early Monday evening, senators agreed to add $50 million a year to assist law enforcement agencies within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"This is not a responsibility that should just be dumped on local law enforcement," said Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, author of the amendment adopted by an 84-6 margin. "It really should be the responsibility of the federal government." - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

National: Jury finds Moussaoui eligible for death penalty By GREG GORDON - A federal jury Monday found al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui eligible for the death penalty, agreeing that his lies to federal agents in Minnesota in August 2001 prevented investigators from limiting the nation's worst terror attack.

Now the jurors must weigh more emotional evidence during a lengthy second phase that begins on Thursday, when they will be asked to decide whether the 37-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan descent actually should be put to death.

Before Moussaoui entered the courtroom Monday, he could be heard shouting several times at U.S. marshals behind a closed door. Moments later, as the elected forewoman, a high school mathematics teacher, handed the verdict to a bailiff and U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema read it aloud, Moussaoui seemed to be reciting a prayer or chant to himself.

After the 10-minute hearing adjourned, the bearded would-be terrorist shouted "You'll never get my blood! God curse you all!" as he left the courtroom. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

National: Critics urge IRS to tighten privacy rules By MARY DEIBEL - Law-enforcement officials, warning against identity theft, are urging the IRS to tighten a proposal to let tax-preparation companies sell taxpayers' private information or send it overseas for processing.

The proposal to update IRS privacy rules in place since 1974 would require tax preparers to spell out specific warnings requiring taxpayers' written consent:

- If personal and financial data from their tax return is shared with or sold to commercial firms, including affiliates and independent companies. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

UAS Ketchikan Honor Society Inducts New Members Jordan Skan, Roxie Duckworth, Tara Connolly, Kayleigh Hoyt, Erin Traudt, PTK Recording Secretary Marie Zellmer; PTK President Sarah Strickling, Vanessa McGhee, Kali Bowers, Trina Sullivan, and Ella Fish. Photo courtesy University of AK Southeast Ketchikan

Ketchikan: UAS Ketchikan Honor Society Inducts New Members - The Alpha Rho Beta University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society held its Spring 2006 induction ceremony on Saturday, March 25. Phi Theta Kappa serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students. Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1.3 million members and 1,200 chapters. Students must achieve a 3.5 grade point average in order to be invited to join the honor society.

New members, Jordan Skan, Roxie Duckworth, Tara Connolly, Kayleigh Hoyt, Erin Traudt, Ella Fish, Trina Sullivan, Kali Bowers, and Vanessa McGhee, were inducted into PTK Honor Society during the ceremony at the UAS Ketchikan Campus Library. The guest speaker was UAS Ketchikan Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Dr. Priscilla Schulte. PTK promotes academic achievement and community service through projects held each year. Ketchikan's PTK chapter held a garage sale on Saturday, April 1 that raised over $350 to support the First City Council on Cancer. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

National: As home crossed road, 'I love you' By TOM CHARLIER - West Tennessee's deadliest tornado onslaught in more than a half-century was only beginning when a roaring funnel cloud - visible to neighbors as a wedge-shaped silhouette against the dusky April sky - bore down on Jerry and Patsy Seratt's wood-frame home.

As the Seratts clung to each other in a closet, the tornado's estimated 200-mph winds lifted the home off its cinder-block foundation and tossed it onto the middle of a road perhaps 50 feet away. There they emerged - scratched but not badly hurt - atop the heap that had been their house. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

National: Only reminders left of Tennessee family of 4 By ZACK MCMILLIN - The saddest hillside in Gibson County was clogged with the remnants of a young family's life, blown away by Sunday night's deadly storm.

A mounted deer wedged under a fallen tree. A stuffed bear, still able to chirp, "Time for the bear, cha cha cha." A purse, glittery and multi-colored. Diaper bags. Children's sneakers.

"Hey, Mama," Ashley Austin yelled out from near a huge tree that had been peeled and filleted into some monstrous sculpture, "I found a video camera. You think it's got anything in it?" - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Why the draft would be insulting By Rick Grams - Tuesday PM Sex Offender Bill By A.M. Johnson - Tuesday PM Vote no By Patti Fay Hickox - Tuesday PM Big Oil... By Marty West - Tuesday PM Thank You By Dawn Hockett - Tuesday PM A DISCUSSION OF SIMPLE By David G. Hanger - Tuesday PM Expiration notices By Chris Elliott - Tuesday PM Child Abuse Laws By Terri Haught-Sirbaugh - Tuesday PM "Taxes are bad" ads by Big Oil By Samuel Bergeron - Monday PM Sex Offender Bill Reflects Alaska's Values by Senator Con Bunde & Senator Gretchen Guess - Monday PM Benefit Dinner For Jessie Chapman By Pat Chapman - Monday PM North Tongass Community Club By Tony Yeisley - Monday PM Dead lefties? By George Miller - Monday PM Thank you Ketchikan By GAYLOR SMITH-HORTON - Monday PM Vehicle registration By Jerry Cegelske - Monday PM Was war with Iraq our nation's only course?  By Sam Osborne - Monday PM Service to our country; It's now your generation's challenge By Mike Harpold- Sunday Move the Capital or save a life? By David Hull - Sunday Support bond with YES vote on April 11 By Mike Dooley- Sunday Ketchikan, an adventure of a lifetime By Vicki O'Brien - Sunday Re: Time for a draft By Ken Lewis - Sunday DEAD LEFTIES By David G. Hanger - Sunday Troubled Youth By Ericka Heard-Rabon - Sunday Alternate energy source needed By Karl Themann - Sunday Support bond with YES vote on April 11 By Zig Ziegler - Saturday AM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan April 6, 2006, 7:00 pm - City Council Meeting - City Council Chambers Agenda & Information Packet April 7, 2006 @ 2:00pm - Teleconference meeting Friday, at the Legislative Information Office, 50 Front Street, Suite 203. The Senate Finance Committee will meet to discuss HB365 - "An Act making appropriations for the operating and loan program expenses of state government, for certain programs, and to capitalize funds; making appropriations for state aid to public schools, centralized correspondence study, and transportation of pupils; and providing for an effective date." April 11, 2006 Special Election Port of Ketchikan Improvements Project - Detailed Project Description; Ask A Question, Get an Answer; Special Election Information; and much more... April 13, 2006 at 5:30 - Democratic caucus for those interested in developing a local platform and organizing the local democratic party - IBEW building on Stedman, contact Micheal Hyre 617-0238 for information. March Calendar Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 04/04/06 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements April 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S 26 27 28 29 30 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            Front Page Archives

Bill Steigerwald: Daniel Pipes and the war in Iraq - It's no surprise Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes has made so many political friends and enemies. A conservative columnist, counter-terrorism analyst and author or co-author of 18 books, he's a staunch supporter of Israel and a harsh critic of radical Islam. Praised as an "authoritative commentator on the Middle East" by his allies at the Wall Street Journal, he's been branded "an anti-Islamist extremist" by some Arab-American groups. He's also the founder of the Middle East Forum (www.meforum.org), a think tank that includes a Web site called Campus Watch that monitors how Middle East studies are taught at U.S. colleges. I talked to Pipes by phone Tuesday from Sydney, Australia.

Q: Were you in favor of going to war in Iraq, and how do you think it's progressing or regressing? - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Jay Ambrose: Time to World: Run! - Whatever you do, don't tell the editors at Time magazine there's this giant volcano sitting under Yellowstone National Park and that, one of these days, it could erupt, causing massive destruction to the North American continent.

True, some scientists say nothing indicates trouble in the next several hundred years or so, but some highly persuasive scientific analysis also says global warming is likely no large or immediate danger. That fact did not keep Time from warning readers on its cover to "BE WORRIED. BE VERY WORRIED," and any reassurances about Yellowstone likely would not keep them from a headline saying: "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, AMERICANS. YELLOWSTONE IS GOING TO BLOW!"

It's not the best possible journalism when a (decreasingly) influential national magazine hyperventilates on a topic that really could do with some calm, cool reflection. There are some scientists shouting warnings about warming, yes. There are also sensible criticisms of what they say. Time's writers really should have eliminated the yakety yak about consensus of science, understanding that the most extreme predictions are highly speculative and far from being unanimous and that consensus is not the stuff of decent science, anyway. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Dale McFeatters: Everybody else is rude but not we 8 percent - Hello. Hello. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Good. I'm in an elevator and you keep breaking up. If it happens again I'll just shout - I SAID I'LL JUST ... Oh, OK.

The reason I called is this Pew survey about cell phones ... CELL PHONES! The elevator? I'd say pretty full.

Anyway, you know how Americans are into self-this, self-that and self-the-other-thing? Self-esteem, self-actualization, self-improvement, self-empowerment. The one thing they're not is self-aware. SELF-AWARE! No, they don't mind. Why would they? This is important. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Will Durst: Welcome! Kneel! - Like a Doberman with a chew toy, the Republican Party loves to wave their bloody, new divisive social issues in front of the electorate to accomplish the dual mission of energizing their base and placing Democrats on the defensive.

They got themselves a doozy this time. An issue guaranteed to drive a stake deeper into the American consciousness than a six-state-wide red, white and green backhoe. The only problem is this particular division is so effective it's starting to get stuck in the hearts of fellow Republicans as well.

It's called immigration. Witness the wailing and the flailing; it has reached a state of crisis. A situation building since 1492. "Can't let those damn immigrants in, they'll ruin everything." A popular modern refrain taken from the original Iroquois. And as it turns out, the Iroquois were right. - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Betsy Hart: Conspiracy theories flourish regarding 9/11 - There are times when a girl is a little, um, surprised at the overwhelming response she gets.

So it was when I went on the Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes" show last week to talk about actor Charlie Sheen's comments implicating our government in the "plot" to carry out the destruction of 3,000 lives along with the Twin Towers and Pentagon on 9/11.

It's probably no surprise that all of us discussing the issue from different perspectives still believed the attacks had, in fact, been carried about by determined Islamic terrorists, not our government.

Ahh, but later ... I started getting inundated with e-mails. They implored - or demanded - that I consider Sheen's "evidence" of a government conspiracy. Many were along the lines of this one: You are "obviously a Neo-con slave unable to think for yourself and it was made blatantly clear with your appearance on FOX ... " - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006

Dick Morris: Menace In Mexico And The U.S. Immigration Debate - In its debate over how to change the U.S. immigration system, Washington neglected the impact in Mexico - which faces a crossroads election this summer.

And Mexico's choice could not be more important to the United States.

On July 2, the Mexican people will decide whether to elect ultra-leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO) as their next president.

Rumors have abounded for months that Lopez Obrador's campaign is getting major funding from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. And last month Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz)., a moderate Republican, told several Mexican legislators that he had intelligence reports detailing revealing support from Hugo Chavez to AMLO's Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). - More...
Tuesday - April 04, 2006