Wild Blue Lupine Front Page Photo By Jodi Muzzana

Ketchikan: Computer & Electronics Recycling Event Planned For Ketchikan - The Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC), Tongass Conservation Society (TCS), Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL), and the City of Ketchikan Landfill have joined forces to help local residents and businesses recycle old computer and electronic equipment through a two-day special collection event to be held on June 23-24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ketchikan City Landfill located on Nordstrom Drive (Deer Mountain). A wide variety of working and non-working electronic equipment will be accepted free of charge including: PCs and laptops, computer monitors, printers and other peripherals, televisions, telephones and fax machines, and consumer electronics such as radios, stereos, VCRs, and cell phones.

Kara Lunde of SAIL and its ORCA program said, "This collaboration between the groups highlights the opportunities we have to work together for the sake of the entire community."

Gregory Vickrey of the Tongass Conservation Society added, "This electronics collection is step one, and I think we can look forward to a number of other dynamic projects in the near future."

The term "e-waste" refers to the wide range of electronic waste from more traditional consumer electronics (such as TV's, VCR's and stereos) to computers and computer peripherals (including printers, keyboards, scanners, etc.) and to newer technology products such as cellular phones, digital cameras, and personal digital assistants. Currently, it is estimated that about 50% of US households own a computer and that 315 million computers have become obsolete in the United States by 2006. This is a result of rapid advancements in technology and greater consumer use of computer products. Some e-waste also contains hazardous materials that may harm the environment if disposed of improperly. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

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

Alaska: Governor Again Asks Legislature to Consider Potential Negative Impacts if PPT is Higher Than 20 Percent - Tuesday night the Alaska House voted to impose a 23.5 percent tax on the net profits of oil companies' producing oil and gas in the state, but the Senate quickly rejected the proposal. Following a lengthy closed-door meeting of the Republican majority, the Senate, which met later Tuesday night rejected the House's bill 8-to-12.

The House and Senate did appoint a conference committee to come up with a compromise bill before the special session adjourns at midnight Thursday.

As the Legislature nears the conclusion of the special session considering raising oil taxes, Governor Frank H. Murkowski warned in a letter written to Senate President Ben Stevens (R-Anchorage) and House Speaker John Harris (R-Valdez) of the potential impact of setting a tax rate that is too high, and which Murkowski says would therefore discourage industry investment in Alaska. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

National: Alaska senators quietly back marriage amendment By LIZ RUSKIN - A constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage inspired long and sometimes lofty argument Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, but Alaska's senators stayed on the sidelines.

Sen. Ted Stevens had little to say when a reporter asked him about the amendment in the hallway outside the Senate chamber.

"I'm for the marriage amendment," said Stevens, R-Alaska. "I've just voted that way in the past and I haven't changed."

The federal marriage amendment is similar to an amendment Alaska voters approved to the state constitution in 1998. Both define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The bill the Senate debated Tuesday, all sides agree, has very little chance of getting the 67 votes it needs to clear the Senate. Its sponsors say that shouldn't preclude a full airing. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

National: Sex offender arrested in Clemson student's killing By J.J. STAMBAUGH - A registered sex offender wanted in the death of a Clemson University student who was strangled with her bikini top was captured late Tuesday in Tennessee.

Jerry "Buck" Inman, who was wanted on arrest warrants for murder, rape and kidnapping, was taken into custody without resistance during a traffic stop about a mile from his parents' home in Dandridge, Sheriff David Davenport said.

Inman's DNA matched samples taken from Tiffany Marie Souers' apartment, South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart said Tuesday night. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

National: Suspect confesses to student killing, authorities say By MEGAN NICHOLS - A registered sex offender, calling himself "a sick animal," confessed to the strangling death of Clemson University student Tiffany Marie Souers and two other rapes involving young blonde women in Alabama and Tennessee just days before, authorities said Wednesday.

In all three cases, Jerry Buck Inman was driving around and just happened to see these women, said Jefferson County Sheriff Department Chief Deputy G.W. "Bud" McCoig, who arrested Inman near his parents home in Dandridge late Tuesday and who interrogated him overnight. - More....
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

SSG(P) Zachary West Our Troops: SSG(P) Zachary West is currently serving his country in the United States Army. He is the son of Chris and Julie Dowling of Ketchikan and a Graduate of 1995 from Ketchikan High School. West is pictured while he was serviing in Iraq in March of 2005 as he reenlisted for another 6 years. He is currently stationed at Fort Carson Colorado but will soon be changing stations to Germany. - More Our Troops... Wednesday - June 07, 2006

National: Tax details delay talks on immigration bill By MICHAEL DOYLE and MARGARET TALEV - While President Bush is promoting immigration reform this week, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have found a new impediment to resolving their differences.

Negotiations between the House and Senate have not begun this week - as some hoped they could - because of a seemingly arcane but politically potent tax wrinkle in the Senate's immigration bill.

Conservatives insist there is a serious constitutional flaw with the Senate legislation passed May 25, but the fight now bursting into the open reveals broader personal and institutional tensions that will complicate the coming weeks.

"They think there's a problem because they want a problem," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday. "They don't want to go to conference."

In Congress, legislation dealing with tax revenue must originate in the House. The House's border security bill does not deal with taxes. The Senate's version of immigration reform, however, includes a provision collecting back taxes for illegal immigrants seeking permanent residence. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

Winslow to paddle Yukon River Quest race as fundraiser Bill Winslow takes a break after paddling to Goddard Hot Springs Bay during a recent round-trip training session from Sitka for the upcoming Yukon River Quest race from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, in late June 2006. Winslow is using the race to raise funds for the Sitka Youth First Responders team. Photo by Kathryn Winslow

Sitka - POW: Winslow to paddle Yukon River Quest race as fundraiser - Bill Winslow will combine adventure with fundraising when he competes in the Yukon River Quest to raise money for the Sitka Youth First Responders (SYFR), the youth rescue team he coordinates for the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC).

Winslow will compete in the solo kayak division in the 460-mile, 750-kilometer river race June 28 to July 2 from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon Territory. He said a couple of members of the Sitka Fire Department persuaded him to enter the race with them, then they backed out. So Winslow decided to turn his race into a fundraiser for the SYFR team. The team is co-sponsored by SEARHC and by the 4-H program run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. Winslow and the two SYFR co-sponsors are in the process of starting a similar youth rescue team for Prince of Wales Island. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

Ketchikan: UAS Ketchikan Students Make Chancellor & Dean List - University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan announced the names of the campus students who have made the UAS Chancellor and Dean's list for the Spring 2006 Semester.

Catherine Geer, Diane Hack, Jessie Hook, Kayleigh Hoyt, Elizabeth Johannsen and Christina Lukenbach were named to the Chancellor's List for the Spring 2006 semester.

To be eligible for the Chancellor's List, a student must earn a 4.00 grade point average, be admitted to a program and complete at least 12 credit hours during the semester. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

Ketchikan: Big Brothers of Big Sisters Announces Regional High Fundraiser Prizes - Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southeast Alaska announced the results of its high fundraiser contest today from this year's Bowl For Kids' Sake, held in Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Hoonah, Haines, and Skagway. The prizes are based on the amount of pledges collected by May 31.

"We're delighted to award these high fundraiser prizes," said BBBS Executive Director, Marc Wheeler. "We're also grateful to the businesses who donate these prizes for those folks who made the extra effort raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters."

Winning the top prize this year is former Little Brother, now UAS IT Department employee, Cody Bennett. Cody raised more than $3,200 for Juneau's Bowl For Kids' Sake. In second place is 11-year old Morgan Enright from Ketchikan, raising $1,626. Emily Clark, Big Brothers Big Sisters School Program Coordinator, won the third place prize with $1,150 collected. Bing Carillo, AEL&P employee, came in fourth with $1,100 raised. In fifth place Ketchikan Big Sister Nancy Coggins raised $1,075. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

Alaska: New Alaska health data statistics web site goes live - Today a new web site designed to provide easier, quicker access to comprehensive data and statistics about the health status of Alaskans was activated, hosted by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health.

"Timely and relevant health information has always been an important product of public health," said the state's Public Health Director, Dr. Richard Mandsager. "We hope this site is a helpful navigational tool for everyone interested in the health status of Alaskans - researchers, policymakers, community leaders, health professionals, students, members of the media and others."

The web site is a compilation of information on births, deaths, newly diagnosed cases of cancer, injuries, occupational conditions and illnesses, health behaviors and other topics. Much of this information has been available electronically for years, but this is the first time it has been linked to a single web site. - More...
Wednesday - June 07, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Demotion of Principal By Susan Doherty - Thursday am Thank you Ketchikan By Doyle Cowart - Thursday am Admit mistakes, apologize and move on By Sharyl Whitesides - Thursday am Open letter to Officer Maki By Patti Fay Hickox - Wednesday Baseball By Ken Lewis - Wednesday Softball team fundraiser By Mykayla Martin - Wednesday Follow the rules... everyone By Sharyl Whitesides - Wednesday Guardian Flight By Marie L Monyak - Wednesday WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? By John Goucher - Tuesday An Open Letter to the Citizens of Ketchikan By John Maki - Tuesday Queen of the Fleet By Captain William M. Hopkins - Tuesday PLEASE DO NOT PASS ANY LEGISLATION THAT DOESN'T SERVE ALASKANS' BEST INTEREST By Kay Rollison - Tuesday RE: Battle Field By Susan Marks - Tuesday Landslide for the Democrats this November By Tom Proebsting - Tuesday RE: Battle Field By Neil Gray - Monday Open Letter to the Mayor & City Council By Joan "Trixie" Hurliman - Monday Meeting Not Adequately Advertised By Gerry K. Olmstead - Monday Why Christians should be Involved in Politics By Mark Beatty - Monday Seeking Your Vote By Franklin H. James, Sr. - Monday Construction Mess By Laurie Price - Sunday Shoreline Robbery By Eric Moyer - Sunday Battle Field By Sharyl Whitesides - Saturday KIC annual meeting By David Jensen - Friday Big Oil Companies By David Blasczyk - Friday A call for action By Mike Isaac - Friday Evacuation Plan? By Laurie Price - Friday MV Carmelita By Dave Kiffer - Thursday Adah Sparhawk Young: Woman Pioneer By Peggy Hendricks Mackey - Thursday Minutemen and their mission By Timothy Droke - Thursday 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 June 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S 28 29 30 31 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   Front Page Archives

Preston MacDougall: Chemical Eye on June Bustin' Out - In like a lion, out like a lamb. That's March for you, weather-wise. Botanically speaking, April showers bring May flowers. What about June?

The aphorisms describing March, April and May seem more applicable to Western Europe and the Northeastern United States than California or Australia, but thanks to Rodgers and Hammerstein, June is bustin' out all over!

This most rousing of Broadway musical numbers has caused global excitement through the widespread popularity of the 1956 movie version of Carousel. Amazingly, the more sentimental song - "You'll never walk alone" - has even become a standard anthem sung by the notoriously rowdy supporters of the Liverpool Football Club (which would be called a soccer team over here). - More...
Wednesday pm - June 07, 2006

Dale McFeatters: If Iran gets the bomb - Iran is being far too casual about acquiring nuclear weapons. Its mullahs and nutty president don't seem to have really thought about what it means to have a nuclear arsenal in an environment where those weapons could conceivably be used.

Tehran acts as if the principal benefit of a nuclear weapon is to annoy the United States. Long term, the U.S. is not the problem; Iran's neighbors are.

If Iran gets the bomb, everybody else in the region is going to want one - Egypt, Turkey, Syria, maybe Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf states, and, after we leave, even Iraq. That's in addition to its two already nuclear-armed immediate neighbors, Russia and Pakistan. And not so far away is nuclear-armed Israel, whom Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already threatened. - More...
Wednesday pm - June 07, 2006

Clifford May: What did Canadians do to deserve this? - Are you surprised that terrorists appear to have set their sights on such unlikely targets as the Parliament building in Ottawa and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in Toronto? Astonished that anyone would even consider sawing off the head of a Canadian prime minister? Are you thinking: What could anyone have against free, democratic, liberal, multicultural, diverse and tolerant Canada?

The question answers itself. Freedom, democracy, liberalism, multiculturalism, diversity and tolerance - these are precisely the attributes that militant Islamists find most offensive.

This reality is difficult for some people to fathom. It shouldn't be. Nazis disdained liberal societies as decadent. Communists rejected democratic values as bourgeois. Now militant Islamists regard Western nations as blasphemous. This is old totalitarian wine in new bottles. - More...
Wednesday pm - June 07, 2006

John Crisp: The War on Terror: Are we destroying what we're fighting for? - I like to keep old books around the house, even though many of them sit on shelves unopened for decades. Occasionally, though, they provide remarkable insights into the past and perspectives on the present.

For example, recently I pulled from a shelf a heavy bound volume of The Educational Record for 1950, a quarterly publication of The American Council on Education. A year's subscription was $3, and each issue contained serious scholarly articles like "Higher Education in Postwar Austria." The theme of the July 1950 issue was "The World Crisis," referring to the incipient standoff between the two powers that emerged from World War II, the United States and the U.S.S.R. The articles are by historians and university presidents, and they consider the ways various scholarly disciplines might respond to what would soon become the Cold War.

One of the articles, however, is by Edward R. Murrow, who is described as a news analyst and a war correspondent from 1939 to 1945. "The World Crisis - Our Way Out," is the text of an address Murrow made before the annual meeting of the American Council on Education on May 6, 1950, several years before the events depicted in the recent film, "Good Night, and Good Luck." - More...
Wednesday pm - June 07, 2006