Ketchikan: Safety Record Earns Taquan Air Four Stars; Only carrier in Southeast Alaska to achieve four stars - Taquan Air has received recognition for implementing safety standards that exceed Federal Aviation Administration regulatory requirements and was recently honored with the non-profit Medallion Foundation's safety culture award.

Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

The industry driven Medallion program is a step-by-step approach to aviation practices that includes process guidelines and specific training and courses for participating airlines. "The Medallion program confirms the company's commitment to safety, the credibility of our employees and especially the trust of our customers," said Brien Salazar, president and CEO of Taquan.

Forty seven air carriers in Alaska are working towards earning the five stars required to qualify for a Medallion Shield. Alaska Airlines, Era Aviation and PenAir have each reached the five star level. Taquan Air is the only carrier in Southeast Alaska to have achieved four stars. "I attribute advances in the Medallion program to our dedicated employees," stated Salazar. The carrier has also installed Capstone avionics in its fleet of Beaver floatplanes, providing electronic terrain mapping and instant weather information for pilots.

In discussing the four year old Medallion program, U.S. Senator Ted Stevens said, "If the airline is not in the Medallion program, don't get on their aircraft." - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Alaska: Freezing of taxes may kill Alaska gas deal By WESLEY LOY - A key component of Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed natural gas pipeline contract - freezing oil and gas tax rates for 30 years or more - has become a lightning rod for lawmakers.

It's an issue so touchy that it might prove make-or-break for the contract.

Here's how Murkowski and executives for Exxon Mobil, Conoco Phillips and BP see the world: How can the oil companies be expected to bet billions of dollars on a risky gas pipeline when lawmakers later could zap them with billions in unexpected tax increases? - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Alaska: Gas line pipe dream a risky one for Alaska By WESLEY LOY - A pipeline to carry North Slope natural gas to the Midwest would be one of the largest construction projects ever attempted, experts agree.

Gov. Frank Murkowski wants the state to buy a 20 percent stake in the project. At a cost of more than $4 billion, it would be the largest purchase in state history.

And surely one of the most risky.

Cost overruns, plunging gas prices, earthquakes - all kinds of demons could turn the pipe dream into a nightmare. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Alaska: Restoration Plan Seeks $92 Million for Lingering Oil - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski today directed the state to join with the federal government to seek $92 million from ExxonMobil under the 1991 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill consent decree "reopener" clause to remediate lingering oil on some of the beaches in Prince William Sound.

"The health of Prince William Sound and the habitat it provides for numerous species is vitally important to Alaskans and all Americans," Murkowski said. "The lingering oil, which most of us believed would have been weathered and neutralized by now, appears to be as fresh and toxic as the day it was spilled. It is crucial for the ecology of the beaches to remediate that oil where it is still found. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Island Princess Front Page Photo By Elizabeth E. Harrison

Ketchikan: Minor injuries when tour boat collides with shore - Allen Marine Tours' M/V Kalinin Express was on a routine tour with passengers from the cruise ship Statendam when the 64-foot Kalinin Express collided with the shore just north of California Head in George Inlet at approximately 4:48 pm Wednesday.

According to Allen Marine Tours' Vice President John Dunlap, forty-eight passengers and four crew were aboard at the time of the incident. The tour was returning from the George Inlet Cannery when the water-jet powered vessel due to an apparent mechanical malfunction nosed into a rock wall in George Inlet .

The Captain of the Kalinin contacted Allen Marine's Ketchikan office on the business band radio and reported the accident. According to information provided by Dunlap, the Captain reported he had instructed his engineer to conduct an immediate inspection of the vessel and advised the other two crew members to attend to the passengers' needs. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Ketchikan: Fishing vessel's voyage terminated for safety violations - The Coast Guard cutter Liberty terminated the voyage of the fishing vessel Isbjorn Wednesday following an at-sea safety boarding.

The Liberty's boarding team found that the two crewmen on board did not have immersion suits. Additionally some of the vessel's required documentation was expired.

The team terminated the voyage of the vessel and escorted it to Ketchikan. Inspectors from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Ketchikan will inspect the vessel at the dock in Ketchikan today. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Ketchikan - Statewide: More than 1,000 Seafood Processors Needed Immediately - Salmon processing companies are recruiting Alaskans to fillet, can, freeze and prepare Alaskan wild salmon for worldwide markets. As of May 25, there are 1,010 seafood processing job openings across the state that companies need to fill quickly.

"Seasonal jobs are in strong supply right now," said Greg O'Claray, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development. "Young people are especially encouraged to apply, as these jobs offer an opportunity to earn money quickly while building a work history, as well as travel and see Alaska." - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

National: U.S. shifts policy about talks with Iran By JAMES ROSEN - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice unveiled a significant shift Wednesday in the United States' stance on Iran, saying Washington would join its European allies in direct talks with Tehran if Iran suspends its efforts to build nuclear arms.

President Bush said he made the decision to try to jump-start progress on a diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear dilemma after talks in recent days with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, whose fitful negotiations with Tehran since 2003 have failed to produce an accord. "I believe it's very important that we solve this issue diplomatically, and my decision today says that the United States is going to take a leadership position in solving this issue," Bush told reporters, visiting Rwandan President Paul Kagame by his side in the Oval Office.

In a separate session with journalists, Rice repeatedly denied that the U.S. turnabout in tactics is a concession to Tehran, or that it indicates a willingness to discuss broader issues such as Iraq or Iran's alleged sponsorship of terrorism in Lebanon and elsewhere. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

International: The flaming of Afghan resentment By HAMIDA GHAFOUR - Soldiers cautiously patrol the streets of Kabul, and a nighttime curfew helps keep tempers in check. The worst of the fighting between U.S. soldiers and angry Afghans seems to be over after an American military convoy crashed into a crowd, killing several civilians on Monday.

But a feeling persists that the widespread riots represent a worrying new development, and a possible turning point in efforts to bring stability to this war-ravaged country. If the people of Kabul, who have provided the strongest support for the presence of international soldiers, are chanting "Death to America," how can the rest of the country be stabilized?

"We are worried how quickly the protests will spread to other areas," admitted a retired British colonel in London familiar with mission. Kabul was supposed to be different. It is the first time a curfew has been imposed since the last of the Taliban were chased away on their motorcycles. Anti-American riots are extremely rare. The international community has successfully managed to capitalize on the goodwill of the capital's war-weary residents, who welcomed soldiers and aid workers. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

National: Cheap imports outweigh 'Made in USA' By JON ORTIZ - Ailing U.S. manufacturers have a problem: "Made in the USA" doesn't have the patriotic marketing punch with consumers that it once did.

There are several reasons: Price is king, even with many shoppers who associate American goods with quality. Young adults and educated households in the global economic age have become more comfortable with imports and aren't inclined to search for U.S. products first. And the Internet has demystified foreign goods by making information about them more accessible. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters What to do with our unresponsive elected officials is the question! By Byron "Chilly" Whitesides - Tuesday Pinched NERVE By Virginia E. Atkinson - Tuesday RE: Balancing Patriots and Privacy By Glen Thompson - Tuesday Contractors in Iraq By William B. Boyce - Tuesday The Military-Industrial Complex By Tom Proebsting - Tuesday HOT SHOTS PAINTBALL FIELD OPEN-NO PLAY WITHOUT NET UP By Roberta "Bobbie" McCreary Minutemen being compared to Gunsmoke, or Bonanza By Kay Gettle Lopez - Monday What do we do with illegal immigrants? By Mike Harpold - Sunday Memorial Day By Sen. Ted Stevens - Sunday Paintball Field is NOT a Target Shooting Range By Bobbie McCreary - Sunday RE: Minutemen/Border Patrol By Walt Bolling - Sunday Balancing Patriots and Privacy By Mark Beatty - Sunday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan May Calendar Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements May - June 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S   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 01     Front Page Archives

Dave Kiffer: Who IS Cinco de Mayo? - I was skulking about downtown the other day when I noticed two Amish couples walking down the sidewalk. They were most definitely "plainly dressed" and the men had remarkable facial hair.

They were even engaged in that time honored tradition of trying to read jewelry store brochures and determine whether or not their "lucky" state room number would get them a 10 percent discount.

Actually they were probably Mennonites because Old Older Amish would not likely "get thee to a cruise ship," but it still made me do a double take.

Ketchikan has all manner of usual headwear but black hats and white lace head coverings do stand out. All worlds come to Ketchikan in the summer.

And with them comes all sorts of world views. Especially those views that seem to come from people who don't seem to be of this world. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Ann McFeatters: An ominous decision for whistleblowers and the nation - If government had its way, much of what our public servants do would never be known by the public.

We wouldn't know that Marines are suspected of killing innocent civilians in Iraq. We wouldn't know that the Department of Veterans Affairs let confidential files on 26 million veterans get stolen.

We wouldn't know that President Bush signed 750 orders saying he was secretly reserving the right not to abide by congressional legislation he publicly signed. We wouldn't know that the National Security Agency engages in domestic surveillance.

We wouldn't know that the true cost of the administration's Medicare drug plan is hundreds of billions more than it was supposed to cost.

We wouldn't know how environmental regulations are shaped by the industries affected or the shenanigans behind which prescription drugs get approved. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006

Michael Reagan: Replaying Vietnam - If you pay close attention to the media firestorm over the incident in Haditha, you'll discover constant references to the war in Vietnam in general and My Lai in particular.

That's no accident. The crazed American left in and out of the media is trying to accomplish in Iraq what they accomplished in Vietnam ­ a shameful American defeat wrested from the jaws of victory.

Make no mistake about it, these traitorous anti-war zealots are salivating over the possibility that they can exploit whatever happened in Haditha last November just as they exploited the My Lai massacre and thousands of G.I. deaths in Vietnam.

Without any real knowledge of the Nov. 19 deaths of 24 civilians and the role if any played in the killings by United States Marines, the despicable Democrat Rep. John Murtha is charging that members of the Marine Corps killed those civilians in cold blood.

The media is whooping and hollering over Murtha's accusations, showcasing him on radio and TV broadcasts and egging him on, something scarcely needed since he's been all too anxious to clutter up the air waves with his egomaniacal blatherings. - More...
Thursday - June 01, 2006