Ketchikan: South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department Recognized as Southeast Alaska's EMS Service of the Year - The South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department (STVFD) was recently recognized at the Southeast Region Emergency Medical Services (SEREMS) 25th Anniversary as Southeast Alaska's EMS Service of the year for 2009. Three members from STVFD were present to accept the award on behalf of the organization.

The EMS Service of the Year states: "This award recognizes exceptional acts by Fire, EMS and Rescue organizations while providing emergency pre-hospital care or EMS system support above and beyond their normal responsibilities. These acts will have contributed directly to the improvement of care rendered during a specific incident or to the overall level of care delivered in a community."

The nominations received stated a high level of "Neighbor Helping Neighbor", SEREMS motto. In the nominations, South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department was recognized for cutting firewood for a resident of the area, shoveling snow from driveways of the elderly, the "Home for the Holidays" program, helping the elderly with assorted tasks and errands, the STVFD's scholarship program for graduating seniors in Ketchikan, St. Jude's, and the department's support of the various sporting organizations in and around Ketchikan. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

Ketchikan: University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Students to Graduate - The 2009 Commencement ceremony for eligible University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan students will be held Saturday, May 2 at 3:00 PM at the Ted Ferry Civic Center. The public is invited to attend.

Nineteen UAS Ketchikan students are receiving degrees this spring. University of Alaska students living in Ketchikan and receiving degrees from other campuses are invited to participate in the local ceremony. This year's commencement keynote speaker is Rasmuson Foundation President Diane Kaplan. University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh, University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Campus Director Cathy LeCompte, along with University of Alaska Board of Regents members Fuller Cowell of Anchorage and Bob Martin of Juneau, will bestow honors and degrees at the ceremony. Other dignitaries in attendance include University of Alaska Southeast Vice Chancellor Bruce Gifford and University of Alaska Southeast Interim Provost James Everett.

Jennifer McCarthy will receive the Master of Public Administration.

Andrea DiLenge, Terilyn Hamilton, and Shona Hosley will receive the Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration. Charles Currit will receive the Associate of Applied Science in Fisheries Technology. Alicia Laflan will receive the Associate of Applied Science in Radiological Technology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

Ketchikan: 2009-10 SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS - Even though it's not quite summer, it's not too early to prepare for next school year. In addition to the usual new notebooks and pencils, some elementary school students in Alaska will need immunizations before school starts this fall or by July 1 if they are attending child care. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade will need to show proof that they have received two varicella (chickenpox) vaccinations or that they already have had the disease. Children in pre-school and Head Start or those attending child care who are not yet in elementary school will continue to need only one varicella vaccination.

Varicella is a contagious disease that usually occurs in childhood. Although many people think that it is not a serious illness, varicella can lead to severe skin infections, scars, pneumonia, brain damage and death. Serious disease complications are much more likely to occur in infants less than one year of age (too young to be vaccinated) and in unvaccinated children and adults who are older than twelve. It is not possible to predict who will develop serious or even deadly complications from varicella infection. Persons who previously were completely healthy have been known to die as a result of this disease.

A single varicella vaccination is estimated to be effective for only 80 percent-85 percent of children. This means that some persons who have received only one vaccination may remain unprotected. Approximately one-third of these vaccinated-but-unprotected children will experience moderate disease if they get chickenpox. A second varicella vaccination greatly reduces the risk of disease among these unprotected children and has been shown to be 100 percent effective against development of severe disease. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

Health and Fitness: A smorgasbord of fat studies looks at why we eat By LEE BOWMAN - What makes us get fat?

We all know, deep down, that obesity comes when we consume more calories than we burn on a regular basis.

But this simplistic formula misses some of the dietary and metabolic nuances.

Some of us overeat and never seem to gain a pound; others count every calorie and still battle the bulge. Some folks are done in by a sweet tooth, some favor carbs and some happily subsist on the salad bar.

So, scientists are constantly on the lookout for explanations of why our omnivorous species eats so differently from person to person.

Here's a buffet sampling of some recent findings on why we eat as we do:

-- Blame what Mom ate. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York City reported on a rat study last fall that found when a mother eats a high-fat diet during pregnancy, it produces brain changes in her offspring that stimulate the appetite -- and lead to overeating and obesity early in life.

-- Tonsils keep us thin. Dutch researchers reported last month that children who have their tonsils surgically removed, with or without their adenoids, are at increased risk for becoming overweight or obese by the time they're 8. The doctors suspect that kids with frequent tonsil infections have somewhat stunted growth and that once the tonsils are removed, they experience "catch-up" growth that can get out of control. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

DAVE KIFFER: Some Clouded Thinking On The Weather - I was driving an out of town guest along the Third Avenue Bypass recently and he made an interesting observation.

"Why are they all saluting you?" he asked.

It took me a few seconds to realize what he was talking about.

The drivers of the cars passing in the opposite direction (southbound) all had their right hands above their eyes in proper "West Point" salutes.

That was not an easy position to be in since they also all had their left hands clasped to their ears in proper "AT&T" salutes leaving only their knees free to steer. But I digress.

Anyway, I wanted to point out that I didn't see anything wrong with other people saluting me, but I knew that the truth was a little more pedestrian.

It was a rare sunny day and the late morning sun was blaring directly into their eyes and they were desperately trying to visually distinguish the roadway from the windshield glare. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

PRESTON MACDOUGALL: Chemical Eye on Carbonated Air: From "Oh, Oh!" to "O-la-lah!" - What goes up, must come down. Or so we thought until the power of scientific thinking both explained the force of gravity and produced equal (or greater) and opposite forces that could be sustained long enough to overcome it.

We've not just been inspired by the heavens, but been headed that way ever since.

Eventually we won't have any choice. Astrophysicists have used the same laws of gravity, in conjunction with our new Promethean knowledge of the nuclear processes that make the stars shine, to predict that when our Sun starts to run out of hydrogen it will turn into a red giant - hundreds of times its current size.

It's difficult to predict the fate of the Earth, but none of the likely scenarios are rosy. They range from being consumed by the Sun's plasma, to being flung into the outer solar system - after being incinerated. The good news is that the Sun has enough hydrogen to keep humming along for several billion years. That gives us plenty of time to solve the crisis of faltering science and math education in many of our public school systems, and a few private ones as well, where using the b-word in the Earth's age could result in a red giant welt on your b-hind. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

Earth Day, Wednesday By Aislin, The Montreal Gazette Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

BILL STEIGERWALD: Talking Climate Change With Anthony Watts - Anyone who regularly tunes into WattsUpWithThat.com, the popular climate-science blog operated by Anthony Watts, will never make fun of TV weathermen again. Watts ­ who was a TV meteorologist for 25 years ­ provides a steady diet of smart, always interesting and sometimes deeply complex scientific information and opinion about global climate change. Watts is also the founder of surfacestations.org, a project that for nearly two years has been quality-checking each of the 1,200-plus weather stations of the U. S. Historical Climate Network (USHCN) to see if they are set up and maintained properly. So far, Watts and his volunteers have checked about 820 of the weather stations, which have been in place for about 100 years and are the source for the country's official average annual temperature. Watts has found that temperature data from nearly 70 percent of the stations is of questionable accuracy because the stations do not adhere to the USHCN's own quality-control guidelines. I talked to Watts April 16 by phone from his office in Chico, Calif. - More...
Wednesday - April 22, 2009

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Removal of Parking on Deermount St. By Jackie Keizer - I am writing in regard to the notice that appeared in the Weekend Edition stating that "the City of Ketchikan Joint Safety Committee is soliciting input from the public regarding removal of on-street parking for all the north side of Deermount Street." - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

The High Cost of UAS Administration By Robert D. Warner - Rapidly rising costs for higher education are a major worry to college students and their parents who struggle to find funds to cover these increases. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

Man Caused Disasters By A.M.Johnson - U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has demonstrated yet another shallow or corrupt example of the "Kenyan's" cabinet talent, by claiming that the "War on Terror" is really a "Overseas Contingency Operations" and then this. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

Re: Drivers By Alan R. McGillvray - Well by now, we should all know that there are two ways to drive on the roads and streets, around and about Ketchikan; either WAY TOO FAST, or WAY TOO SLOW. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

Contempt for "tea baggers" By Richard Easbey - Well, well, well. In David Hanger's screed published 04/21/09, he manages to parrot just about every DNC talking point/leftist ad hominem I've seen since last Wednesday's Tea Party. And he starts off magnificently with the elitism and snobbery which only a leftist is capable of, with his remark about Republicans not reading. Yep, that's right, Dave. Those of us who don't agree with statists like yourself are just a bunch of dummies. Thanks for clearing that up. Oh, and by the way: calling us "tea baggers" is so last week. What is it with the left's obsession with this particular sex act? What are you, 12? (If you don't know what "tea-bagging" is, ask a middle schooler.)  - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

RE: THE FIZZLE IN THE DRIZZLE By William H. Davis - Mr. Hanger, you have an opinion. Great. Americans can voice that opinion in anyway that they want to, be it in a letter to the editor or standing on a soapbox...on a street corner. Either way is perfectly acceptable under the law. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

RE: Timber Industry Retooling By Dave Abeyta  - I'm in agreement with Keith Stump's comments & information. I've spent half my working life (15 years) in the northwest logging industry & one thing is for sure forest management is an imperfect science in the works. The Forest Service sends out well intentioned, college educated people to tell loggers what's best for the forest. In spite of what the preservationists think we loggers care about what is best for the trees so they will be there for us & our children. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

Reply to High Rental Costs By Mark Steiner - Buy a house, end of story. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

High Rental Costs By Katherine Wood - I too think rental costs in Ketchikan are extreme. I have two children and I am renting on my own for the first time. It is such a struggle, not fun at all. I am a hard working person who has a fairly good job and I can never get ahead. It makes me sick when I talk to my mom in Oregon who rents a 3 bedroom 2 bath brand new house with a 2 car garage, a grassy front yard with a fenced grassy back yard and a dog and she only pays $750 a month. I pay $1007 a month not including utilities and that's in a 2 bedroom 1 bath APARTMENT in a four-plex. - More...
Thursday - April 23, 2009

High Rental Costs By Zak Young - I read the letter about the high cost of rentals in Ketchikan, and myself am in the mad dash search for an apt due to circumstances beyond my control, and am having the same issues. The writer hit the nail on the head! I usually am a person who tells it how I see it...so this is what I see!! - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Unbelievable Renters By Susan Hoyt - I read the letter "Unbelievable Rental Costs". I am not defending high rents but I must add that I have had my share of great renters and I thought I might share just a couple stories. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

THE FIZZLE IN THE DRIZZLE By David G. Hanger - This "tea bagging" nonsense is a classic example of that old adage, the difference between Democrats and Republicans is Democrats believe what they read; Republicans just don't read. Believing what one reads has always exemplified stupidity; one must follow the footnote trail to determine the writer's ideology, method, and motivation, none of which has anything to do with belief. Not reading epitomizes and enhances ignorance, and ignorance is certainly the primary message broadcast by the "tea baggers." - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Regarding Tax Day Tea Party By Connie Emmert, Laura Antonsen, and Dick Coose - Thanks to all of you who came out to the sign waving Tax Day Tea Party!  It was a great turn out, and you were true patriots for standing out there in the cold and wind.  We and our fellow tea party patriots across the country made history and surely we have begun to make an impact in congress. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Tax Tea Party By Eileen Small - Ms. Gay, there is a petition circulating in support of the tea party's concepts. I have one copy in my office if you'd like to drop by and sign. Also, there will be a "like event" on July 4 and you are definitely welcome to come. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

"Tea Party" By Lou Ann Richardson - Ketchikan's "tea party" made one of the New York Times Op-Ed articles, (Gail Collins, 4/18)....along with Texas. We're famous yet again. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Open Letter: Refund anticipation loans By David G. Hanger - On behalf of the consumers and the taxpaying citizens of the state of Alaska, first and foremost, but in this instance contributing to the enhanced well-being of the citizens of all of the states, I respectfully request the immediate outlawing of refund anticipation loans, an abomination that has brought loan sharks and incompetents into the fields of accounting and of tax preparation, thereby degrading the standards of this profession to an embarrassing degree, while bilking the consuming public for high fees and high rates of interest, constituting as much as 20% to 30% of a taxpayer's refund, for a loan that lasts no more than five to ten days. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Re: Drivers By Doug Johnson - I share some of Mr. Harper's frustrations. I see just as many over cautious drivers driving well under the speed limit for no apparent reason. Maybe they lack the driving skill necessary to manipulate the corners at speed, maybe they have no place to go and don't care how long it takes them to get there. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

ALASKA AIRLINES TICKETS By Chas Edwardson - If it cost me let's say 300 dollars to get from here to Seattle, I would probably go there at least 4 to 5 times a year just to dry off. Ironic? total= 1200 to 1500 bucks. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Tickets By Heather Wills - Exactly, we don't have that option here, we don't have any options here and they know it. Alaska airlines has a Monopoly in Southeast Alaska and they know it, it's not just Ketchikan that gets the shaft either, tried flying out of Juneau lately? - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

Re: Drivers By Floyd Crocker - A classic case of road rage, Give yourself a few more minutes and enjoy the trip. - More...
Tuesday - April 21, 2009

KFD Dispatchers By Dave Hull - I want to start off by saying that the Ketchikan Police Department and Alaska State Troopers dispatchers deserve all the accolades given them for the performance of their duties. In fact, they can't be given enough. I have been involved with emergency response for the last 34 years and have taken great comfort many times in the calm, warm voice coming out of my handheld radio speaker. Just knowing someone is there when I key the microphone is of great reassurance. I must object, however, that one group has been left out of the honors recently bestowed by the Borough Assembly. The group I am referring to is the dispatchers with the Ketchikan Fire Department. They are still there filling in when needed and doing an excellent job but were referred to as 'others' in the proclamation. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Unbelievable Rental Costs - Letter removed by request.
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Help save the Dungeness! By Lloyd Gossman - Everyone needs to help stop the Ketchikan area summer commercial Dungeness crab fishery. It hasn't taken place for 20 years because it was a bad idea back in the day and it's a bad idea now. As of now, this fishery is scheduled to start on June 15th, right when most of the Dungeness are soft shelled and reproducing. Millions of pounds of Dungeness will be wasted because of the high mortality rate of the soft-shelled crab. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

RE: Timber Industry Retooling By Keith Stump - I read, with some dismay and perhaps even some amusement, Mr. Hjerpe's attempt to pan Sen. Murkowski's Southeast Alaska Timber Industry Retooling and Restructuring Act. Amused by yet another OIE ("Outside Instant Expert") postulating and perpetuating ad nauseam something somebody told them was true (but really isn't), and dismayed that others with equal ignorance will possibly believe it and extend the vicious cycle of propaganda. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Hydaburg School By Frances C. Natkong - On April 9, 2009, the Board of Education of Hydaburg City School District met in a regular school board meeting and voted unanimously to retain the present CEO of Hydaburg school. There was one board member absent that night so was not counted in the vote. Their logic in retaining the CEO is "he's saving the district money and it's not feasible to hire a superintendent at this time." I've done some computing and both the CEO and his significant other's salaries combined are outrageous! The school board hired SERRC to do a superintendent search and that was not brought up at the meeting, the president skipped right over that on the agenda (more money going out without just cause). It makes me wonder how much was spent on the superintendent search and why weren't any of the candidates for the position even considered? - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Three if by mandate By Ken Lewis - And then there was dark! Can one of the smarter people on this Island explain in real terms what House Bill 19 will do for evening outdoor activity in South East Alaska? My fear is the Snooze Alarm Junkies are trying to steal another hour of our evening outdoor activity time, for the sake of fewer hours separating Anchorage and a Hash Bar in Socialized Europe. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Close Encounter of the Squirrel Kind By Joseph Miller - Just wanted to say, we had a squirrel encounter last night. Two of our flying squirrel friends found their way into my home. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Truth Scenario! By Arilee Bird - Chas Edwardson, I raise you high for your succinct portrayal of what's gone on for years. I used to spit my coffee like you, and then have morning 'incredulous blowouts', and finally started wondering: "Where the heck do I get in line for these outrageous handouts?" Lie like a rug, devise a devious hell-bent-for-failure plan, sell the council and Ta-Dah! Make big lying 'doo-doo', and come out of it with big bucks, and smelling somewhat like a rose, but leaving a stench. Apparently if one is not part of the "inner circle" that keeps it going. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Drivers By David C Harper - May or may not be a stupid pet-pieve of mine, but why do 99.99% of drivers either drive too fast, or waaayyyyy too slow? It seems most are confused as to which driving habits they should use during each season. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Tea Party By Gay D. Peters - I did not know the Tea Party was going to happen here or I would have been there. I do not check this web sight all the time. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

ALASKA AIRLINES TICKETS By Julie Steiner - I wanted to respond to Kim Morton's letter from April 6 - I agree with her 100%. We live in a town that the only way out is by ferry or plane. I have a big family, and trying to buy airplane tickets costs a ton of money. Oregon - Washington - why are they getting these deals on Alaska Airlines when they have a whole lot more choices on which airline to choose - we sure don't have that option here. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Landless settlement due years ago By Anita Edenshaw - I am a landless share holder, most of my family didn't live long enough to see the long awaited settlement, and it's about time people quit playing games and settle. Get the landless people who are willing to put the time and effort in fighting for our land or money. It's long over due. Have them inform the shareholders on the progress if any at all times. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

Combat Somali Pirates By Donald A. Moskowitz - The Somali pirates continue to wreak havoc on commercial shipping off the coast of Africa. There are about 20 ships with over 300 hundred hostages currently being held by the pirates for ransom. - More...
Thursday - April 16, 2009

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