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Friday
April 04, 2014
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Fire on the Mountain
A halo around the setting sun Tuesday. This is an optical phenomena due to the interaction of light from the sun with the atmosphere, clouds, water, dust, and other particulates.
Front Page Feature Photo By SUSAN HOYT ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: $50,000 bail set for Ketchikan man charged with possession & intent to distribute meth By MARY KAUFFMAN - Officers of the Ketchikan Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service completed an investigation Wednesday into the importation and distribution of Methamphetamine into Ketchikan. Multiple search warrants were executed in the case and approximately 23 grams of Methamphetamine were seized from a shipment to a North Tongass Highway residence.
Christopher J. Kitsmille, 38 years-of-age of Ketchikan, was arrested and charged with Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree for the possession of Methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. - More....
Friday PM - April 04, 2014
Southeast Alaska: Southeast Alaska Pacific herring ESA listing not warranted - - NOAA Fisheries has concluded that listing of the Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment of Pacific herring under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time.
According to a NOAA news release, this listing determination decision comes after an extensive status review based on the best scientific and commercial information available.
In 2007, the Juneau Group of the Sierra Club petitioned NOAA Fisheries to list Pacific herring in Lynn Canal under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA completed a status review and published a finding in 2008 that listing the Lynn Canal Pacific herring as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was not warranted because the population does not constitute a species, subspecies, or Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the ESA.
The 2008 status review found that Lynn Canal Pacific herring are part of a larger Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Pacific herring, which should be considered a candidate species under the ESA. NOAA Fisheries then began a status review of the Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Pacific herring.
Following the new status review of the larger Southeast Alaska population, NOAA Fisheries has found that listing the Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment under the ESA is not warranted at this time. Herring in Southeast Alaska have shown a positive trend in abundance between 1980 and 2011, and are exhibiting positive trends in growth rate and productivity. Although local spawning aggregations may periodically exhibit low levels of abundance, these aggregations appear to rebuild in time, possibly due to immigration from other areas. While there are some threats from habitat loss in urban areas, NOAA Fisheries concluded that Pacific herring in Southeast Alaska are not likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.
The Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Pacific herring extends from Dixon Entrance in the south, where it is genetically distinguished from the British Columbia stock; to Cape Fairweather and Ice Point in the north, where the stock is limited by physical and ecological barriers. - More...
Friday PM - April 04, 2014
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Alaska: 'NO JEOPARDY' TO STELLER SEA LIONS FROM PROPOSED FISHERY MANAGEMENT CHANGES IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS - Proposed changes to fishing restrictions in the Aleutian Islands are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the endangered western population of Steller sea lions or adversely modify Steller sea lion critical habitat, according to a biological opinion issued Wednesday by NOAA Fisheries under the Endangered Species Act.
Researchers observing Steller sea lions.
Photo: Russ Andrews, Alaska SeaLife Center and UAF
The agency estimates that the proposed fishery management changes would relieve roughly two-thirds of the economic burden imposed on Aleutian Islands' fishermen by sea lion protection measures that took effect in 2011. Fishermen could see new regulations in place by January 2015.
"Finding a way to protect endangered sea lions while minimizing costs to the fishing industry is a real challenge," said Jim Balsiger, NOAA Fisheries Alaska regional administrator. "I applaud the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and stakeholders for recommending a new suite of measures that effectively balances those two objectives."
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) responded to the news by saying, “It is critical that policies that do concrete and immediate economic harm to Alaskans be based on science and rigorous analysis, and I would like to thank NOAA for listening to the Center of Independent Experts in issuing the new biological opinion. This means increased fishing opportunities in the Aleutian Islands in 2015 and the end of restrictions that resulted in tens of millions of dollars per year in economic harm to fisherman and Alaska’s coastal communities.” - More...
Friday PM - April 04, 2014 |
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Alaska Science: A springtime journey on the arctic coastal plain By NED ROZELL - Cold water the color of iced tea wets the boots of Chris Arp as he yanks a power auger from the hole he just drilled in this quiet lake, a few miles from his office at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
From left, Chris Arp and Ben Gaglioti drill a hole in a small lake near Fairbanks.
Photo by Ned Rozell
A whiff of sulfur -- a sign there's not much oxygen in this pond born when ancient frozen ground thawed -- wafts upward as Ben Gaglioti clears slush from the hole with a shovel. Gaglioti, a graduate student and USGS student intern, and Arp, an ecologist with the university's Water and Environmental Research Center, are on the snow-covered ice here to teach me how to gather water samples.
Starting the week of April 7, bottling lake water will be my duty as I join a caravan of snowmachining scientists on the white plains and foothills north of the Brooks Range. The water samples will end up as far away as Worcester, Mass. at Clark University, in the labs of scientists who want to learn more about arctic lakes, which take up as much space as land in northern Alaska.
I'll pull water samples from lakes so the scientists on the trip -- Arp, Guido Grosse of the Alfred Wegener Institute of Potsdam, Germany and UAF's Geophysical Institute and Ben Jones of the USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage -- can poke corers into frozen soil, measure methane levels under ice and check the thickness of lake ice, among other duties.
Jones invited me on his annual spring journey to 60 lakes that are among the thousands that pock the map of northern Alaska, making it resemble a slice of Swiss cheese. For the third straight year, Jones and three partners will drive snowmachines over the trackless country from Toolik Lake to Teshekpuk Lake and back, covering the distance from New York to Chicago in three weeks. - More...
Friday PM - April 04, 2014 |
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Columns - Commentary
 WILL DURST: Sawbucked to Death
- These days, the only thing harder than making money is hanging onto it. It's easier to protect dandelion fuzz in a tornado. Everywhere you go, everyone wants a taste. Their only job is to get a grip on your money. And some of these folks are pretty darn good at their jobs.
Solicitations. Donations. Hand- outs. Charges. Taxes. Commissions. Percentages. Invoices. Expenses. Billings. Licenses. Permits. Compensatory Remunerations. Honorariums. Balance due. Ante ups. Shipping fees. Handling fees. Entrance fees. Exit fees. The way we're getting nickel and dimed from every angle is like being nibbled to death by ducks.
You know that phrase: "The best things in life are free." Popularized by rich people to keep the rest of us from getting too curious. Besides, nothing's free anymore. Fast food condiments cost extra. Bags at stores are no longer gratis. Gas stations charge for air and water, setting an ominous precedent.
Banks used to reward people for handling their money, not anymore. Now customers pay for everything. There's a charge for using a teller. There's a charge for not using a teller. There's a charge for telling the teller where to stick the charge.
Airlines have figured out how to make money off of food, blankets, legroom, checked bags, aisle seats, in- flight entertainment and it's only a matter of time before the bathrooms, seat belts and oxygen masks require prepaid activation codes. "Oxygenated air or non- oxygenated air?" - More...
Friday PM - April 04, 2014
 JEFF LUND: A quote to live by - I was putting together a list of quotes for a graduate school class and ended up tying my brain in a massive ball of wisdom from John Wooden to Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers.
I started to wonder if there was a quote or two that I live by. Not that I’d like to think I live by, but actually do live by - there is a difference. You can really like quotes, but that doesn’t mean they really encompass your existence.
“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.” (Jack London).
We like to see ourselves a certain way - that we stand for good, that we are adventurous, that we are understanding, that it’s their fault for not seeing the good in us rather than us not realizing we aren’t good for them.
“People get stuck, thinking they are one kind of person, but they aren’t.” (Donald Miller).
So I guess there are times when a quote alters our immediate course, but it is difficult with everything else going on to stay true to the words that moved us. - More...
Friday PM - April 04, 2014 |
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Update in Progress.
 Education By A. M. Johnson - Couple of items related to Ketchikan education and then Alaska directly. As to Ketchikan and the issue of funding education, having been a Borough Assemblyman, and a school board member the current and annual issue of the funding process is not a mystery. The school board acts on Feelings the assembly acts on Reality . While there are frustrations, as well there should be, one can't ignore the basis of why the assembly is the money belt. Were the school board to act as its own taxing body as it was at one point in the history of Alaska, all the frustrations would disappear would they not? Looking at the scope of expenditures required and wish list of what could be it would be short order till the district would be taxing at a run away level would be my opinion. That is said as past listening to hours of pleading for this or that, and it is always for the children. Yet, in excess of 85% of every dollar acquired currently is directed to the cost of people. Pressure that against the desire to have the latest in educational fad or Best Practice or Current Research and you can see there would be no bottom or limits to funding efforts. - More...
Thursday PM - March 27, 2014
Protecting the unborn By Dave Jensen - I was moved by Marie Zelmer's letter to stand with those that are trying to protect the life of those innocent unborn babies. - More...
Thursday PM - March 27, 2014
RE: The idiocracy of Anti-Realists By Heather Morris -
It is safe to say that Marie Zellmer's letter was her own personal opinion. Correct? An opinion which some may share with her and some do not. Again, an opinion non the less which she is entitled to have. However, calling people idiots for having a different opinion is just down right mean. - More...
Thursday PM - March 27, 2014
The idiocracy of Anti-Realists By Marie Zellmer -
Again I find myself inundated by the idiocy of some people. I would ignore it, but they now stand on the street corner annoying all with their stupidity. First of all you can't even get an abortion in Ketchikan, you have to go 400 miles away. Second, it is LAW, and even the Bible says to accept and obey the laws of your kingdom. Third, and most important, not every woman was created to bear children equally. Having a safe abortion procedure available saves lives, of those who are unable to. Lastly, having a procedure does not mean the woman hates children, it is an act of love. Yes, Love! - More....
Tuesday PM - March 25, 2014
Herring Cove By Ken Arriola -
I feel compelled to reiterate my argument on the behalf of the residents/ private property owners of Herring Cove. I guess I'm befuddled as to why the Ketchikan Borough deems itself the purveyor of tourism activities in a predominantly residential neighborhood. - More...
Saturday - March 22, 2014
SB 182 By Dan Ortiz - I read with interest and concern the recent article in the Ketchikan Daily News, concerning the potential passage of S.B. 182. and the subsequent demonstration by the IBU, (Inlandboatmen’s Union), the Masters, Mates and Pilots Union. The IBEW joined the protest. As a longtime resident of southern Southeast Alaska and as candidate for the AK State House District 36, I stand with the workers and their families on this issue. - More...
Saturday - March 22, 2014
THE SUBCHAPTER'S CORPORATION SOCIAL SECURITY TAX AVOIDANCE SCAM By David G. Hanger -
A local half-wit or two has once again concluded that the licensed practitioners of Ketchikan, despite their collective 250 to 300 years of field experience, and the untold thousands of politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers, regulators, and accountants who have contributed to making these laws are, nonetheless, all dunces, particularly in light of your extreme brilliance in seeing what none of the rest of us have ever seen, that you can form a Subchapter S corporation and never pay social security taxes again. - More...
Saturday - March 22, 2014
Real Reality Cruise Ship Woes By Rob Holston -
Welcome aboard the USS Concep’tione 40 week world voyage. You have been assigned a state-room where ALL of your needs are automatically taken care of: meals served 24/7 with ALL the nutrition perfectly blended and balanced for your individual physical and mental growth and development; climate controlled comfort; every detail taken care of. The name on your state-woom might be Montana, California, Georgia ..... only problem is, it was assigned to you along with a womb-keeper. Google WOMB. She alone has the soul power to toss you overboard at any time during the first 13 weeks of your cruise for ANY reason, her discretion. Your little heart beats frantically as you sense a stranger at your door. You see the womb-keeper will be assisted by one person who has been trained to drag you from your room, kicking and screaming, you will be pulled from your room one piece at a time; arms & legs & then the rest, an early end to “once in a lifetime cruise”. - More...
Saturday - March 22, 2014
B.C. Transboundary Mine Development By Rob Sanderson, Jr. -
My grandmother who raised me taught me an important lesson — take care of the land and water, and it will take care of our present and future generations. I try to live by that principle every day. That’s why I’m speaking out about industrial developments happening near my home in Southeast Alaska. These developments are occurring across the border in Canada, but they have the potential to pollute Southeast Alaska rivers and harm our wild salmon. - More...
Tuesday PM - March 18, 2014
Another Pre-election Gasline Study By Bill Walker -
Here we go again. With another gubernatorial election we get another gas line study (SB 138) designed to fool voters into thinking there's progress on gas line development. - More...
Tuesday PM - March 18, 2014
TERRIBLE TODDLERS By Rob Holston -
Elective Abortion is legal in all 50 states. That’s the law. So why don’t the most liberal states allow elective killing of toddlers i.e. the TERRIBLE TWOS? - More...
Tuesday PM - March 18, 2014
Meter Choice By Amanda Mitchell - On March 5th, Ketchikan Public Utilities came to our house to install a digital ‘smart’ meter on our home. We have been very vocal about not wanting one and you can even reference my online Sitnews letter Technology. The gentleman stated his name was Mark Johnson and we didn’t get the name of the other KPU employee. I do have to give them credit that they have not installed a meter or they switched it back when we caught them in the act, but Mr. Johnson threatened us saying they would disconnect our power in the future if we did not switch over. - More...
Tuesday PM - March 18, 2014
Please don't poison me!! By Sally Balch -
I have lived in Ketchikan most of my life. I live here because we don't live in polluted surroundings and for the most part we have a very clean pristine environment. I'm not a Greenpeace or anything like that, but I am very worried about putting ammonia in our water system. I have several allergies and one of them is ammonia. I can't breath it touch it or have it at all in my home. - More...
Tuesday PM - March 18, 2014
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