Ketchikan: Proposed Ketchikan Berth IV Deal Released; Public Will Have Opportunity to Review & Comment By DICK KAUFFMAN - A proposed agreement between the City of Ketchikan and Survey Point Holdings, Inc./Ketchikan Dock Company has been reached for the construction of Berth IV and for its thirty-year lease to the City of Ketchikan.

Ketchikan: Naturally Aware; Environmentalists try to lighten mood in Tongass debate by baring all for fundraisng calendar By ELIZABETH BLUEMINK JUNEAU EMPIRE - Katrina Lieben was naked and a little nervous under her wool poncho. - Read this Juneau Empire story... www.juneauempire.com Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

Ketchikan City Mayor Bob Weinstein said, "Speaking for the City I think that we're very please to be at this point. We think that this is not only good for the port and the City itself, but for the fact that we are bringing potentially large private investment both to the dock side and other developments north of the tunnel leading to redevelopment of that entire section."

The public will have an opportunity to learn more about the proposed Berth IV lease agreement at a special City Council meeting scheduled for Monday at the Sunny Point Conference Center at The Landing. The Sunny Point Conference was chosen because the Local Boundary Commission is in Ketchikan and will be utilizing the City Council Chambers. Monday's public meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm. A special City Council meeting is also scheduled for Wednesday in the City Council Chambers at 7:00 pm at which time the City Council will consider approving the lease agreement. Both meetings will allow public comment.

Under the proposed lease agreement with the City, Berth IV will be constructed on property owned by Survey Point Holdings, Inc. at 1007 Water Street . This property is often referred to as the "Taquan Property". According to Bob Berto, a representative of Survey Point Holdings, a new corporation called Ketchikan Dock Company will build Berth IV. Survey Point Holdings, the parent company of Southeast Stevedoring, will be the majority owner of Ketchikan Dock Company.

Berto said, "We own the property, we'll build the dock and we'll be soliciting investment from partners in the cruise lines so they can come in and invest in the facility." He indicated his company plans to offer the investment option to each of the cruise lines that currently come to Alaska.

In December 2000, Southeast Stevedoring Corporation purchased the "Taquan Property" for the sole purpose of constructing a deep-water cruise ship dock and marine facility to service the cruise ship industry. Southeast Stevedoring Corporation transferred ownership of the "Taquan Property" to its parent company Survey Point Holdings, Inc. who continued with the design and development of a deep-water dock and marine facility. Over the last three years, Survey Point Holdings, Inc. and the City of Ketchikan have had periodic discussions regarding the possibility of a cooperative private-public arrangement to construct and manage a dock from the "Taquan Property", referred to as the Berth IV Project.

The City of Ketchikan and Survey Point Holdings, Inc. earlier this year executed a Memorandum of Agreement, providing for the company to construct the fourth berth and ground transportation area and for the City to lease the facilities for a period of thirty years. This Memorandum of Agreement was approved by the Ketchikan City Council on January 17, 2006.

It was announced during a press conference Friday afternoon that as of June 22, 2006, the principle points of the Berth IV lease have been agreed to with the term of the Berth IV lease to be thirty years with two ten-year renewal options. The principle points of the tentative agreement were briefly explained Friday. - More...
Sunday - June 25, 2006

Fish Factor: Key to buying fish is deciphering seafood lingo By MAGGIE WALL - When you buy fish at the market-and I do hope you buy lots of Alaska fish products-you may notice unfamiliar words and numbers on the package. Deciphering those fish hieroglyphics is the key to getting the best buy and the best product for your particular use.

Seafood is often identified and sold by weight. For instance a package of shrimp may say something like 36 to 45. That means there 36-45 pieces of shrimp per pound in that package-pretty small ones, actually. Or maybe the package says 11 to15 which means about a dozen per pound and quite a bit larger than the previous package.

Another thing to keep in mind with shrimp is peeling and deveining-also called P-and-D. Peeling and deveining removes about half the weight. So a package of jumbo 11-15 P&D shrimp contains bigger shrimp than a package of 11-15 unpeeled.

A good rule of thumb for shrimp is use the smaller for soups and salads. The larger ones are better for eating individually and in kabobs.

Now, on to scallops. Scallops are also measured and sold on a per pound method. Scallops might carry a U-10 label which means there are 10 Units per pound. Units being the part that you eat, which really is a muscle that holds the two scallop shells together. Sometimes people call these muscles "buttons".

And here's something we really should clear up about scallops. Scallops are sold by the weight of the shucked meat. No shells. They have lovely shells, but you're not likely to find any meat for sale in a shell because scallops are shucked right on deck long before the tasty buttons find their way to shore.

Next time you buy scallops, remember those industrious crewmembers popping open those shells and shucking out those buttons. Talk about a lot of work. Talk about sore hands!!

Crab sales are based on a poundage formula with a bit of a twist. For instance King Crab legs are sold by the number of legs per 10 pound box. King Crab legs weigh close to a pound each, so a 9 to 12 designation means you're getting 9 to 12 legs per 10 pound box.

Snow Crab, on the other hand, are sold based on the number of clusters in a 20 pound box. A cluster being the leg and the part of the body where the leg connects. Oh, and sometimes Snow Crab are sold in 30 pound boxes, and sometimes they are sold whole. However you buy them, they sure taste good.

Sometimes the fish you buy will be labeled IQF-not to be confused with IFQs-IQF stands for Individually Quick Frozen. Pollock is often sold in shatter packs with each fillet individually frozen and packed with other pollock fillets to make up a certain poundage. These are great for individual dinner servings as most pollock fillets are 2 to 4 ounces in size. It's also a good way to buy in bulk since a10 or 15 pound shatter pack gets you scads of individually frozen fillets that you can pull out of the freezer as you need them. - More....
Sunday - June 25, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters Fed up with break-ins By Beckie Allen - Monday Consolidation: What they don't want you to know By Rodney Dial - Monday Global Warming By Keith Page - Monday As depraved as the so called "Terrorists" By Dave Gurley - Sunday Global Warming By Anne Mareck - Sunday 4th of July fireworks By Steve Corporon - Saturday Fed up with break-ins! By Mike Brownstead - Saturday Coming to grips with our broken borders By Mike Harpold - Saturday FIVE MINUTES TO SAVE A LIFETIME By Dennis Archambault - Saturday Fireworks on the 3rd By Jackie Williams - Friday 1931 Ford roadster By Lynn Claughton - Friday Major newspaper sharing state "secrets" By Mark Neckameyer - Friday Global Warming Jihadists were out yesterday in full force. By Marvin Seibert - Friday Flags Across America By LeiLani Lake - Thursday Marines and sailor charged with murder an outrage By Ash Gee'd - Thursday Big Fan By Carl Thompson - Thursday Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants By Tom Proebsting - Thursday Political Stew By Walt Bolling - Wednesday Strange Things are Done as Summer Fun! By Jerry Cegelske - Wednesday Every ecosystem IS a petri dish By Dr. Ann Hupe - Wednesday Free Electronics Recycling this Friday and Saturday By Gregory Vickery - Wednesday National Education Assn: Annual Convention By A. M. Johnson - Wednesday Grandma Hjorteset By June Allen - Tuesday Fireworks on the night of July 3rd? By Tom LeCompte - Monday Structure Fire and Firefighter Training Exercise By Chief Scott R. Davis - Monday Cut fuel use and curb population By John Seager - Monday The flip side of the gas contract; Are we looking at both sides now?  By Sen. Kim Elton - Monday Ketchikan Baseball By Neil Gray - Monday Ketchikan becomes a large Petri dish in the summer.... By Robert Glenn - Monday "Sometimes nothing is really something" By Wayne "Buzz" Allen - Monday 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

Dave Kiffer: Forsooth! - We live in a small town, sometimes - amid all the summer hustle-bustle and thousands of visitors milling around in the middle of the street - I forget that.

The other day I was standing in line at the downtown post office sub station listening to the summer folk grumble about the cost of sending stuff back to the "real world." Behind me in line was a passing acquaintance, a man who I know well enough to nod to on the sidewalk, but have never really had a conversation with.

"Hey, Dave," he said. "How you doing?"

"Just peachy," I replied. "Not peachy keen, but definitely peachy."

He nodded.

"How's that political stuff going" he continued. "You doing okay on the Assembly?"

"Yes," I replied. "Some weeks are better than others but it's still going pretty well."

He paused for a few seconds.

"That's good to hear," he said. "I thought it was starting to get to you."

"Really," I replied back. "How come?"

He paused a little bit longer.

"Well," he said. "Lately, I've been seeing you talking to yourself as you walk around town."

I was shocked. Had I become one of those "charming" local characters who wanders the streets engaged in furtive monologues? Without even realizing it?

Then it suddenly dawned on me what he was talking about. - More...
Sunday - June 25, 2006

Ben Grabow: Our new affliction: 'Intermittent Explosive Stupidity Disorder' - I do not have a rage disorder.

A new study suggests that when I beat my head on the steering wheel and tear chunks of upholstery from the passenger seat to throw at an idiotic motorist, it is due to "Intermittent Explosive Disorder." The disorder is characterized by multiple angry outbursts that are out of scope with the situation, and it's estimated that 16 million Americans are afflicted.

Road rage is considered one such outburst. And I will not pretend that I do not occasionally express rage on the road.

If you cut me off in traffic, I will make elaborate offensive gestures at your car that sometimes require both hands or even a foot. Through my open window, I may loudly question the nature of your relationship with a maternal figure or specific barnyard animal. I might even remove my headrest and bang it against the dashboard while foaming at the mouth.

But this is not a rage disorder. This is, if anything, a healthy rage. And this is America, so the real disorder must belong to someone else. - More...
Sunday - June 25, 2006

Steve Brewer: No way we men could ever catch up to moms - As my family unit munched its way through a matinee of "Mission Impossible XVI" recently, we were agog as a swoopy aircraft fired missiles, blowing up a whole smoking causeway full of vehicles, trying to hit tiny Tom Cruise.

(They're cruise missiles! Get it? Huh? Here, America, let us hit you over the head with our collective wit.)

One of those strange hiccups of silence breached the Dolby SurroundSound just as an older lady behind us wearily said: "Right, and who's going to clean up that mess?"

Spoken like a veteran mom. One who's mopped up too many spills for one lifetime. One who's scolded so many sloppy teenagers, she's tired of the sound of her own voice. A frazzled woman just happy to sit still for a change in an air-conditioned theater on a hot summer afternoon.

She couldn't quite relax into the moment. Actions still have consequences. Somebody's still got to clean up every mess. And, like many of us, she's worn out by the real world. One telecast disaster after another, all the bombings and tsunamis and hurricanes. And you just know, her tone said, that our tax dollars will be wasted, rebuilding the causeway that Tom Cruise blew up.

Which brings us to the cost of things. - More...
Sunday - June 25, 2006