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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Thursday
May 12, 2011

Front Page Photo By SUSAN HOYT

BE BEAR AWARE
Due to rapidly increasing bear activity this spring, Forest Service officials are advising visitors to the Tongass to use extra caution in recreation areas. Hikers should make ample noise to avoid surprising bears and keep pets under control at all times. In addition, always be aware of your surroundings and never wear headphones when visiting bear country. For information on bear safety click here.
This mother bear and her cubs were photographed in a back yard south of Ketchikan Thursday morning.
Front Page Photo By SUSAN HOYT

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Alaska: Another Tragic Fire Death Related to Alcohol Abuse - Thursday evening May 5, 2011 another Alaskan lost his life in a devastating home fire. A female at the residence reported that she was napping and awoke to smoke in the structure. She reported that the kitchen cabinets were on fire and the male victim was asleep at the kitchen table. She alerted the male and they tried to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The female exited the home with burns to her feet but the male was unable to escape. Firefighters from the Central Mat-Su Fire Department and the Palmer Fire Department extinguished the fire and found the male victim in the kitchen area of the home. The female reported that the male victim was intoxicated at the time of the fire.

All evidence points to the fact that people who abuse alcohol and other drugs are unable to think clearly and are unable to react rationally in an emergency situation. Many times they try to cook food and pass out, leaving their cooking unattended. The cause for this tragic fire is still under investigation, but alcohol abuse was clearly a contributing factor to the victim’s inability to escape. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2011

Southeast Alaska: Parties Agree to Proposed Judgment in Roadless Rule Lawsuit; Clarifies Rule Doesn’t Stop Hydro Development - Wednesday, a proposed judgment in the Tongass Roadless Rule court case was submitted to the federal district court, clarifying that the rule does not stop the development of hydroelectric projects, mines, and other non-timber projects proposed on the Tongass National Forest.  The settlement includes a list of projects that can proceed under existing laws and are not in conflict with the Roadless Rule, including the Whitman Lake and Blue Lake hydro projects, the Kake-Petersburg Intertie, and Greens Creek exploratory drilling, among other projects. 

The proposed judgment is the result of an agreement between the United States Forest Service and the plaintiffs in the case, including the Organized Village of Kake and The Boat Company as well as Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and other environmental organizations.  The judgment goes to Judge Sedwick for approval. 

“These are important projects for our communities.  We’re dedicated to seeing salmon-safe hydro and intertie projects happen,” said Lindsey Ketchel, Executive Director Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC).  “This proposed judgment outlines a path forward for these community projects, and shows that the Forest Service and the plaintiff groups can work together toward policies are responsive to community needs.” - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2011


Southeast Alaska: Klawock Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Federal Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography – United States Attorney Karen Loeffler announced that a Klawock man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to 40 months in prison and fined $2,000 for his conviction of possession of child pornography.

On May 10, 2011, William Benson Woods, Jr., 48, of Klawock, Alaska, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Sedwick. The Court also ordered that Woods will serve seven years of supervised release, upon the completion of his prison sentence.

According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, Woods possessed 57 images and four videos of child pornography on his computer and other electronic media. The evidence further showed Woods had possessed images and videos of child pornography since November 2005. Woods had opened a Hotmail E-mail account for the exclusive use receiving and possessing child pornography and had given the password to his E-mail account to others, including an individual located in the Netherlands, who also used the account to possess and receive child pornography.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Sedwick noted the seriousness of the offense, importance of deterring Woods and other potential defendants from the possession of child pornography in the future, as well as to promote respect for the law. - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2011

Alaska: Alaska, Washington, British Columbia Collaborate on Transboundary Oil Spill Response Planning - The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation announced the completion of a report that focuses on transboundary oil spills in the Alaska/British Columbia and British Columbia/Washington border areas.

Titled “Review of Planning and Response Capabilities for a Marine Oil Spill on the U.S.-Canadian Transboundary Areas of the Pacific Coast,” the report covers response command, planning, operations, logistics and financial issues pertaining to a transboundary spill. The collaboration is important because laws and regulations that guide how government agencies and private response entities prepare for and respond to transboundary marine oil spills are not always uniform.

In crafting the report, 90 natural resource trustees and stakeholders from Alaska, Washington and British Columbia worked with the Pacific States-British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force to evaluate response planning and readiness for U.S./Canadian transboundary oil spills. The report makes 111 different recommendations to federal, state, provincial and local government agencies, response organizations, industry, tribes and U.S. and Canadian coordinating groups.

“This report is the culmination of the most advanced, detailed oil spill response planning between two countries, and will serve as a model for future international oil spill planning,” said Gary Folley, DEC Program Manager. “It will also go a long way to response planning for future offshore development in the Arctic.” - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2011


Alaska: State warns about shellfish poisoning; The only safe shellfish are the ones you buy in the store - The Department of Health and Social Services is reminding residents and visitors that paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is an ever-present possibility in Alaska. PSP is a serious illness caused by eating shellfish contaminated with a toxic algae.

All locally harvested shellfish - including clams, mussels, oysters, geoducks and scallops - can contain paralytic shellfish poison. Crabmeat is not known to contain the PSP toxin, but the guts can contain unsafe levels and should be discarded. PSP cannot be cooked or cleaned out of shellfish. Commercially grown shellfish is tested and considered safe.

Early symptoms often include tingling of the lips and tongue, and may begin within minutes of eating poisonous shellfish, or may take an hour or two to develop. Symptoms may progress to tingling of fingers and toes and then loss of control of arms and legs, followed by difficulty in breathing. Death can result in as little as two hours. - More....
Thursday - May 12, 2011

Southeast Alaska: POW Health Network Receives Federal Funding to Facilitate Continued Collaboration - The POW Health Network was recently awarded a Rural Health Network Development Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) for $180,000 per year over 3 years, totaling $540,000.

The purpose of the Rural Health Network Development Grant Program is to expand access to, coordinate and improve the quality of essential health care services, and enhance the delivery of health care in rural areas. These grants support rural providers who work in formal networks, alliances, coalitions or partnerships to integrate administrative, clinical, technological, and financial functions.  The ultimate goal is to strengthen the rural health care delivery system by 1) improving the viability of the individual providers in the network, and/or 2) improving the delivery of care to people served by the network.  Funds provided through this program are not used for direct delivery of services.

Networks must consist of at least three separately owned entities, and each must sign a memorandum of agreement or similar document. Current members of the POW Health Network are PeaceHealth, SEARHC, State of Alaska Craig Public Health Center, and Alaska Island Community Services.  - More...
Thursday - May 12, 2011

      

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Questions, please contact the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696

letter Education funding By Agnes Moran - I find it fascinating the controversy I've generated by simply asking the school district for detailed budget information in a consistent and comprehensive format. FY2011 funding for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District totaled $40,472,050 for 2,100 students. Everyone in this community has a right to question how their education dollars are being utilized and the school district has a legal responsibility to provide the information in a timely manner. - More...
Thursday - May 10, 2011

letter The rest of the story By Alan Bailey - I read with dismay a paraphrased sentence in the Ketchikan Daily News concerning my opposition to a line item 6045 in the Ketchikan Gateway budget which allocated $5750.00 for junk food, prepared food, soft drinks, hors d'erves,party goods, condiments, and a Christmas party for Borough employees with tax payer monies. It was reported by Mr. Miller that I was opposed to $2,000 food served to firefighters at meetings. That was not the whole story. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

letter Re: Inequities in the current system of funding our K-12 schools By Ed Brown - Love that these young people of Ketchikan are paying attention to the politics in our state. Giving away other people's money is a nation and world wide sport. On the backs of the blue collar folks these gold collared folks spend your tax money for you. This is only one of many reasons to throw these bums out of office from time to time. After awhile these smart folks think they are entitled to spend all your tax money on others needs. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

letter Concerned By Marcie Pungowiyi - I am writing because I am concerned that a Ketchikan trailer park may be possibly operating under questionable/ shady business practices. Earlier this year I was interested in purchasing a mobile home. I talked with several mobile home owners, who were selling. Both owners warned me that I would not get approved for parking space, that no one gets approved. I was concerned by the comments, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. With a good record, credit, & long term employment, I did not feel I had anything to worry about. I went to this local office 3-4 times during their office hours and there was no one there each time. When I did finally catch up to the manager, I filled out a credit check application & turned it in to the manager. I was informed that I had to fill out a separate credit check for each adult. These run $20 bucks each, which I did, but this bothered me because all of the information was on the application I had already filled out. The application asked for applicant & co-applicant. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

letter Inequities in the current system of funding our K-12 schools By Gary Wilken - I am writing to express my appreciation for the outstanding effort of a group of Ketchikan High students in producing a YouTube video describing the inequities in the current system of funding our K-12 schools.  Led by Mr. Sean Powell, teacher, these students ably tackled a complicated provision of our Foundation Formula.  This provision penalizes Alaskans living in "Organized Alaska" (i.e. boroughs) by requiring a local contribution to their schools while those in "Unorganized Alaska" are required to pay none, regardless of ability to pay.  In the video, which I encourage all taxpayers across the state to watch the students scratch their collective heads and ask "Why?" - More...
Friday PM - May 06, 2011

letter Where is the death certificate, Mr. President? By By Jimmie L. Foster - Osama bin Laden is dead. Of that, I have no doubt. To question this statement one would have to question the skill and bravery of the Navy SEALS and believe that the master terrorist who occasionally appeared in propaganda videos and audio recordings was capable of perpetually eluding all human and technological intelligence. - More...
Friday PM - May 06, 2011

letter The Great Alaska Cluster of 2011 By Tara Jollie - A budget showdown in the last days of this special session defines what Alaskans mean when we use the term cluster. I appreciate the power struggle the Senate is grappling with, but having checks and balances is a good thing. Having one or two people in the Administration making critical decisions that impact us all is not a good thing. This is a fight worth fighting. - More..
Friday - May 06, 2011

letter An Observation By Rod Landis - You know those provocative moments when you see or hear something that suddenly makes crystal-clear some previously elusive truth? I had one Tuesday morning. - More...
Thursday AM - May 05, 2011

letter Kralis concert By Wayne Kinunen - I was very fortunate to be in attendance at the 1st annual OrcaFool Don and Lois Kralis Memorial Concert Monday night at the Kayhi Auditorium. The Kayhi Jazz Band, Vocal Jazz Choir, Paddy's Leather Breeches, folkies Sean Powell and Mary Larsen, and the headbangers Buck Up Little Kamper put on a wonderful and emotional performance in honor of two fine people who left us in a tragic accident 11 months ago in British Columbia. - More...
Thursday AM - May 05, 2011

letter The Second Annual Ketchikan Clean Up By Jerry Cegelske - The Second Annual Ketchikan Clean Up began the morning of April 20, 2011 with Ketchikan being scoured by 550 students from Ketchikan and Revilla High schools.  To say the least, the results were remarkable!  Ketchikan looks much cleaner today- I hope it stays that way with the effort the students put into the clean up. - More...
Thursday AM - May 05, 2011

letter Japanese Connection - Koto Concert By Judith Green - There is something beautiful and calming about the Koto instrument - the fashion in which it is played by women in their cultural dress playing with such delicate, soft strokes. - More...
Thursday AM - May 05, 2011

letter SOME APPRECIATIVE SNOWMACHINERS By Jerry Cegelske - On March 31, I drove out on Revilla Road and found an electric range someone had dumped at 6.5 Mile. I noted it and was wondering how to get it removed. - More...
Thursday AM - May 05, 2011

letter CONTINUING A COAST GUARD TRADITION IN KETCHIKAN By Jerry Cegelske - The U. S. Coast Guard Electronics Support Detachment, Ketchikan, has established a tradition which everyone in Ketchikan should know about. - More...
Thursday - May 05, 2011

letter KCCB Spring Concert By Judith Green - Once again, for just $10 and students free, the audience was treated to live performance that was outstanding. I chose to live in Ketchikan. I was raised in a community of great renown for world wide recognition of an orchestra - graduated from a college close to NYC and performed with the chorus in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center - having access to any number of world known conductors with orchestras and bands and chorus. Yet ... I am absolutely thrilled each time I attend a live performance here in Ketchikan, this small island community that has a wealth of people who give their time and talent to learn and then to share - choral, band, dance, theater, painting, sculpting, writing and the list goes on. - More...
Wednesday PM - May 04, 2011

letter Need Comprehensive Energy Strategy By Donald A. Moskowitz - The increase in gasoline prices reflects the instability in the Middle East and attendant speculation in the oil markets.  We need to address the huge runup in oil prices with comprehensive policies designed to provide solutions to our energy consumption problems.  Unfortunately, past administrations have failed us. - More...
Wednesday PM - May 04, 2011

letter Request for help with research on Unangan at Ward Lake in WWII By Rachel Mason - I am writing to request information and suggestions from knowledgeable Ketchikan residents. Lost Villages of the Aleutians is a National Park Service project documenting the history of four villages that disappeared during World War II. In 1942, the residents of three tiny Aleutian villages, Makushin, Kashega, and Biorka, were among those who were brought by boat to stay near Ketchikan at the Ward Lake CCC camp. Some of them died and were buried in the Ketchikan cemetery. After the war, their numbers further diminished by illness and attrition, the residents of those villages were not permitted to return to their homes. Instead, they were resettled in other Unangan (Aleut) communities. - More...
Monday - May 02, 2011

letter Jerry Galley Memorial Scholarship Concert By Judith Green - Ketchikan music members did it again! Another evening of great talent giving to the community so much energy - so much wonderful music. - More...
Monday - May 02, 2011

letter The Proposed Library By Ken Leland - My God! I can't believe the proposed new Library design. It looks more to me like a place to store Airliners, not books. With those high ceilings it will take a massive heating system to keep that place warm enough for anyone's comfort. Just the cost of fuel oil or electrical power would be enough to heat the entire Plaza. - More...
Monday - May 02, 2011

letter Coast Guard Waste By Trygve Westergard - Surplus stuff is supposed to be put on GSA to be sold off. But many people don't want to deal with the trouble of doing it. - More...
Monday - May 02, 2011

letter Sealaska to take over Redoubt Falls? By Florian Sever - Sealaska Corporation is due to receive yet another allotment of land, separate and apart from the land that Sealaska is trying to get through the Sealaska Lands Bill. Sealaska has asked the BLM for 11 acres of land surrounding the falls where Lake Redoubt drains into Redoubt Bay, near Sitka.  The falls are a popular site for subsistence fishing for sockeye salmon.  Many people in Sitka rely on this fishery for a part of their livelihood.  I question what Sealaska shareholders have to gain from the proposed conveyance of 11 acres of Forest Service land at Redoubt Falls into private Sealaska Corporation hands. - More...
Thursday - April 28, 2011

letter Coast Guard Waste: Blame GSA By Scott Willis - In response to Linda Heiser's post: I could not agree more. The reason the USCG and other Federal Agencies can not donate stuff to local charities is very complicated and to explain "why" would require volumes and volumes of books on the matter. - More...
Thursday - April 28, 2011

letter Government Waste By Joe Grady - I agree with prior letters concerning government waste. When I was in the U.S. Army I was astounded by the waste that would go one. - More...
Thursday - April 28, 2011

letterCoast Guard waste By Walt Hoefer - The Coast Guard has been doing this for many years. When we lived in Metlakatla (teachers) back in 1959, we observed the Coast Guard burning boxes of meat and other grocery products at the dump. When we questioned this they said a new shipment had come in and there was no room to store it. We asked why not give it to the Tsimshean indian community. "Against the law" they said. - More...
Thursday - April 28, 2011

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