'Spring Tulips' Front Page Photo by Mary L. Dahl        Ketchikan Charter Commission Information - Forum Survey Results Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Herring are shared by many by Lawrence "Snapper" Carson - Ketchikan - 05/04/04 RE: Public Smoking Discussion by Nancy Brown - Ketchikan - 05/04/04 Read More Viewpoints Publish A Letter May 2004 Click on the date to read the stories & to view photos published on that day... S M T W T F S 25  26  27 28   29  30 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            Today's Front Page Front Page Archives                Alaska: Legislature Must Identify Funds for New Education Spending Says Governor - Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski said Friday the Legislature must identify an acceptable source of funds if it wishes to increase spending on education in the FY2005 budget by nearly $90 million. "Because this is not a one-time appropriation, responsibility dictates that we have a source of funding identified if we are going to add $90 million to the K-12 and university budgets," Murkowski said. "Because the funds will be rolled into the education foundation formula and on-going university budget, the cost will be added not only to the FY2005 budget, but to each and every year's budget that follows. "With projected deficits of $570 million and $875 million for FY2006 and FY2007, it is only reasonable to ask, where does the additional $90 million come from? At present, it is an unfunded mandate. It is simply irresponsible of the Legislature to authorize the spending without identifying how to keep paying for it. It is also irresponsible to simply look to our savings account - the depleting constitutional budget reserve - to continue to bail us out," said Murkowski. "I would encourage the Legislature to devote more energy toward a long-term solution. I am working on that with the Legislature and interested Alaskans, so we can have sustained funding for education and other public services, and not got through this charade each and every year. Alaska's educators and others in the education establishment should work with their legislators over the next 10 days to enact a solution this session," said the Governor. - Read more... Tuesday - May 04, 2004

'Revilla Getaway' The M/V Taku was photographed Monday afternoon as it returned to Ketchikan from its "Around Revilla" getaway cruise... photo by Jim Dahl ©2004 Ketchikan: Revilla Getaway - The Alaska Marine Highway System offered a One-Day Getaway - a trip around Revillagegedo Island Monday which lasted approximately 12 hours. The M/V Taku departed Ketchikan Monday morning taking its passengers around Revilla Island through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Inside Passage - including the famed Misty Fjord National Monument. - Read More... Tuesday - May 04, 2004 Ketchikan: Alaska Travel Industry Association Offers $28,500 in Scholarships; Fourteen Scholarships to be Awarded in May 2004 - To promote the Alaska tourism industry's goal of resident hire and help provide tourism businesses with a professional, qualified work force, the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is offering $28,500 in scholarships for Alaskans pursuing tourism-related education. - Read more... Tuesday - May 04, 2004

Alaska's Top Volunteers First Lady Nancy Murkowski poses with Alaska's top volunteer award winners... Photo courtesy Office of the Governor Alaska: Governor Names Matiashowski Commissioner of Administration - Governor Frank Murkowski has appointed Ray Matiashowski to serve as his new Commissioner of Administration. Matiashowski, who has served as deputy commissioner since February 2003, replaces Mike Miller, who resigned April 1. - Read more... Tuesday - May 04, 2004 Alaska: First Lady's Volunteer Awards Presented To Alaska's Top Volunteers - The First Lady's Volunteer of the Year Awards recognize those who demonstrate extraordinary personal commitment to long-time volunteer service. Alaska's First Lady Nancy Murkowski recognized Alaska's top volunteers during the Alaska Conference on Volunteerism held in Anchorage April 15th-16th. The 2004 Volunteer of the Year Awards were presented on April 15th. - Read more... Tuesday - May 04, 2004

The June Allen Column is made possible in part by these sponsors. Cick on each name to visit each web site. June Allen Column Ketchikan's Cruise Ship Industry; A light-hearted look at its origins - Tourists are nothing new to Ketchikan. These seasonal visitors have been spilling out onto the downtown docks for more than a century now. They share certain traits: They're thrilled to find themselves in distant, exotic Alaska; they find Ketchikan quaint and charming; and, they are wide-eyed and excited as they board charter fishing boats, or climb into sightseeing coaches to rumble off over the city's trestle streets. The basic awe most people feel when seeing our little town remains constant, even after a century. The things that have changed over the years are the much larger numbers of ships and visitors visiting each summer and the numbers of attractions available to them. At the turn of the 20th century, brand new Ketchikan was even then being visited by tourists and journalists. In The Ladies World Magazine of March 1905, travel writer Myra Drake Moore described the Ketchikan she visited the summer of 1904: "[Ketchikan] is the port of entry into Alaska it and its sister towns of Juneau and Skagway are all very much alike in architecture, and seem to be 'happen-so's'. Ketchikan," she archly wrote, "has accumulated itself." - Read the rest of this story by June Allen... Saturday - April 17, 2004 Ketchikan's First City Players; Did you hear that applause? A biography of Alaska's herring: A little fish of huge importance... Read more stories by June Allen...

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