Alaska: Fukushima fallout may be causing illness in Alaska & West Coast Babies by MARY KAUFFMAN - A new study by the Radiation and Public Health Project suggests that babies born in the western United States and Pacific countries shortly after Japan's March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster may be at greater risk for congenital hypothyroidism.

According to the study, babies born in places including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii after the disaster were 28 percent more likely to suffer from the illness than children born in those regions one year earlier.

The illness, congenital hypothyroidism, if untreated can cause permanent handicaps in both the body and brain of a child. A potential environmental risk factor in congenital hypothyroidism is prenatal exposure to radioactive iodine isotopes, which seek out the susceptible fetal thyroid gland, according to the study.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, congenital hypothyroidism is a condition that affects infants from birth (congenital) and results from a partial or complete loss of thyroid function (hypothyroidism). The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped tissue in the lower neck. It makes iodine-containing hormones that play an important role in regulating growth, brain development, and the rate of chemical reactions in the body (metabolism).

The U.S. National Library of Medicine's website states, congenital hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland fails to develop or function properly. In 80 to 85 percent of cases, the thyroid gland is absent, abnormally located, or severely reduced in size (hypoplastic). In the remaining cases, a normal-sized or enlarged thyroid gland is present, but production of thyroid hormones is decreased or absent.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, "If untreated, congenital hypothyroidism can lead to intellectual disability and abnormal growth. In the United States and many other countries, all newborns are tested for congenital hypothyroidism. If treatment begins in the first month after birth, infants usually develop normally." - More...
Friday PM - April 05, 2013

Alaska: Alaska, Other States Identify Dual-State Voter Registrations - A cross-state match of Alaska voter rolls with 21 other states indicates 25,405 Alaska voters may be also registered outside Alaska, and that 14 may have voted in the 2012 General Election in two states.

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell said Alaska is working with the voters – and his counterpart secretaries of state – to eliminate the duplication and to investigate what law enforcement is necessary to respond to dual voting.

“In Alaska, we’re committed to ensuring our elections are free, fair, and secure. That means we make sure all Alaskans can vote easily – but only in one state,” Treadwell said.

Of the 25,405 Alaska records identified as possible duplicates, further comparison found that 11,472 records had a more current voter registration date outside of Alaska. These voters have been sent notices to confirm the match and request they cancel their registration in Alaska. . - More...
Thursday - April 04, 2013

Alaska: Federal Court Holds Interior Sec. Retains Authority To Make Trust Land Acquisitions For Alaska Natives - The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an important ruling in Akiachak Native Community, et al. v. Salazar, that affirms the ability of the U.S. Secretary of Interior to take land into trust on behalf of Alaska Tribes and also acknowledges the rights of Alaska Tribes to be treated the same as all other federally recognized Tribes.

Said to be a decision that is a victory for all Alaska Tribes, the March 31st ruling will allow Alaska Tribes to petition the Secretary to have non-ANCSA lands placed into trust and the opportunity to enhance their ability to regulate alcohol, respond to domestic violence, and generally protect the health, safety, and welfare of tribal members.

In 2006, four Tribes and one Native individual - the Akiachak Native Community, Chalkyitsik Village, Chilkoot Indian Association, Tuluksak Native Community (IRA), and Alice Kavairlook - brought suit to challenge the Secretary of the Interior’s decision to leave in place a regulation that treats Alaska Natives differently from other Native peoples. - More...
Thursday - April 04, 2013

Southeast Alaska: National Park Service Order to Reinstate Mary Miller As Superintendent at Sitka National Historical Park - The National Park Service (NPS) has been ordered by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board to reinstate Mary A. Miller to her position as superintendent at the Sitka National Historical Park. Miller appealed her removal and brought suit claiming her removal among other charges was “tainted by discrimination” based on her Alaska Native race, sex and physical disability.

The park commemorates the 1804 Tlingit battle as part of its park status designation. Miller’s termination from the NPS in August 2010 occurred amongst the park’s major events celebrating its 100-year anniversary. - More...
Thursday - April 04, 2013

Viewpoints
Commentary
Opinions/Letters
Basic Rules &
Freedom of Speech

All drugs are not safe for all people! By Teri J Wilson - Once again Ketchikan is experiencing "cookie cutter" doctoring.  The three favorite drugs, at his time, no matter what you have are:  Cymbalta, Gagapentin, and Lyrica.  Here are the facts:  Cymbalta is an anti-depressant, did you know that?  SOME patients experience a reduction in various pains, but then again, people taking  placebos also experience benefits.  The FDA has decided it's OK to label this drug as a pain reliever, but it's not.  Since it alters brain chemistry, should you be taking it for pain?!? - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

An American First By Alan R. McGillvray - I say this because of Obama's race war, that he is doing everything he can to separate us into various ethnic groups. e.g. Black Americans, Native Americans, White Americans, Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans... He is trying to promulgate this war by ethnicizing everyone in the country by calling out their ethnicity before calling them AMERICANS. - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

A New Regional Enviro Group By Joe Mehrkens - Every so often a team comes together that really clicks. Where agreed goals are readily reached, where differing opinions are sincerely heard and where a synergy fosters motivation. Hopefully this will be an enduring core of the new, volunteer-run, regional conservation group -- the Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community (GSACC), formed a year ago. Our primary focus will be on habitat protection for fisheries and wildlife but within the greater context of pressing issues such as climate change, ocean acidification, and carbon sequestration. - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

Throw out the current tax code By James R. Donnell - Time magazine reported this week that the estimated tax gap - the amount of money the IRS fails to collect due to misfiling or tax cheaters - is an estimated $600 billion dollars. The fact that this money goes uncollected ultimately increases the tax rates and the amount of money that you and I pay. - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

About that ammo hording By A. M. Johnson - Relating to retired U.S. Custom - Immigration officer, Mike Harpold's response (March 30) to my inquiry of Representative Young on the hording of ammo by various Federal agencies. Thank you Mike for your service. - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

FairTax By Glen E. Terrell - Have you completed your 2012 income tax form(s) yet? How long did you spend gathering all your receipts needed to prepare your income tax return? If you prepared your own tax return how much more time was required? If you engaged a professional tax preparer, how much did it cost you? Just complying with the income tax is a real burden. Doesn't this bother you just a little bit? - More...
Thursday PM - April 04, 2013

RE: Ammo hording By Jeremy Myers - Just a couple corrections. At least 4 times a year per agent, more than double the number of rounds he said each qualification day. - More...
Thurday PM - April 04, 2013

RE: Federal government ammo hording By Mike Harpold - Al, for once I agree with Don Young; given training requirements, 590 rounds per officer is pretty reasonable. As you know, I am retired after a 35-year federal law enforcement career, and my wife is still on the job with DHS's Office of Customs and Border Protection. She has to qualify with her firearm on a quarterly basis. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

Education Funding: Borough Reserves By Agnes Moran - A recurring theme during my terms on the Borough Assembly has been the misguided notion that the Borough's General Fund Reserves were built at the expense of school funding. The implication being that reserves are not necessary and that reserves grew by cutting local funding to our schools. Neither assertion is correct. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

School Funding By Amanda Mitchell - A ‘budget’ is a wish list without factual numbers. Plus, giving money to an administration for a general fund does not guarantee that a class which needs the funds will get it later. However, raising taxes and taking funds away from the citizens and businesses guarantees a decrease in quality of life in a community. This affects everyone including the students if not directly then indirectly. I am sure that many students don’t want to go to school so that they may one day have someone taking their earnings for ‘predictions’ and ‘wish lists.’ - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

STATE OF “ECONOMIC” EMERGENCY By David G. Hanger - The first adult step to civil war in this country has been taken by the most fascist state governor in the history of the United States, Rick Snyder of Michigan, a cretin who despises and is out to destroy representative democracy in this country.  It just isn’t efficient enough. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

A dissenting view on wars with false causes By Alfred Ray Waddell - Looking back on the ten year anniversary of the Iraq war, many of us can remember the silence in the media before this war started; this was a disservice to those Americans who were willing to stand up and say that they wanted their sons and daughters that are taught to fight to be put in the right fights and the right causes. These voices were smothered out by the neocons that believed the Bush administration was right to invade Iraq.  No real challenge came from the News media against going into Iraq before the attack. In fact, the neocons were given a free hand; and the faint voices that spoke out against the war were kept off the front pages and judged by many as unpatriotic. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

Media Has Loose Lips By Donald A. Moskowitz - On March 27, 2013 the ABC-TV Nightly News broadcast information concerning the new head of the CIA clandestine unit. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

Taxation By Anthony Gasbarro - It is not a Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative type issue.  Federal taxation is an issue that all Americans deal with daily.   There is a bill in Congress, HR25, the FairTax bill that eliminates taxes on income and replaces it with a tax on consumption of new goods and services. - More...
Saturday AM - March 30, 2013

Mind Control II by Ken Bylund - Another concerned American here, not shocked; puzzled, certainly. About the motive of that small minority of smart people using Schopenhauer's - Art of Controversy, to Interrupt, Break, Divert attention away from American's instinct to continue as the longest surviving nation of productive, imaginative, and well mannered people in history? Look to the reason why we are respected by them who would like us 'heads on stakes' dead. Could it be because we have a standing army of a hundred million armed citizens, who are not criminals, respecting legitimate law, and have the means to defend themselves? The main complaint by wanna-be aristocracy, at home or abroad, seems to be that we the people are not willing to embrace the European model of ever increasing dependency on and acceptance of Government Control. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 27, 2013

Open Letter: Federal government ammo hording By A.M. Johnson - The following response is made to Representative Don Young to a response he made to me requiring the vastly large ammo purchases by various Federal agencies. As reported by various news outlets, the amounts of weapons and ammunition purchased by our leading Federal agencies other than military, have been viewed as exceeding normal requirements. In one report several Iraq wars ammo consumption would be required to consume the amounts purchased and on order in 2012-13 alone. This is a disconcerting development heightened by the decreasing trust of our Federal Government and its actions promoted by the current administration. To that degree, I submitted a letter of this concern to Representative Don Young. Excerpts from his response begged for the return response to his attention. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 27, 2013

“Createmonth” By Bob Pickrell - This is a notice to my family, friends, and the rest of the world.  This year I will celebrate my “Createmonth” in December.  My September birth days are gone forever! - More...
Monday PM - March 25, 2013

Kayhi Needs a Tlingit Class By Peter Stanton - I would like to make a serious, concrete suggestion for Ketchikan High School: Get a Tlingit class. It could be just one period, but Kayhi needs a class teaching the Tlingit language. - More...
Monday PM - March 25, 2013

Webmail your letter or
Email Your Letter To: editor@sitnews.us

E-mail your news tips, news
releases & photos to:
editor@sitnews.us

SitNews
Stories in the News
©1997 - 2012
Ketchikan, Alaska