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Friday
June 27, 2014
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Mahoney Mt: Nanny Goat & Kid
Mountain Goats have short black horns, long shaggy fur, and a high tolerance for wet coastal habitat. The pure black horns are about eight to twelve inches long, rather thin, and present in both sexes. The horns of males curve back greater than the female. This species of the “rock goat” family inhabits remote, steep, and rugged terrain in the wet, coastal areas of Southeast Alaska. They are well-adapted for climbing, with hooves that have hard edges and a soft pad for traction and grip on wet rocks.
Front Page Photo By KEN ARRIOLA ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Alaska: Alaska’s Seafood is Safe from Fukushima Radiation - The Alaska departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health and Social Services (DHSS) have received results from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on radiation testing of Alaska seafood. The results confirm information from federal, State and international agencies that seafood in the North Pacific and Alaska waters poses no radiation related health concerns to those who consume it.
The FDA is the lead U.S. agency in food safety. The agency has been monitoring radiation in both domestic and imported foods and determined that there have been no levels of Fukushima radiation in those foods that would pose a public health concern. However, Alaskans have insisted on Alaska-specific sampling and data. DEC and DHSS developed a sampling plan and coordinated with the FDA for them to analyze several Alaska fish species that are known to migrate from the western Pacific Ocean and that are harvested by commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers.
“We heard concerns from our neighbors, friends and other citizens throughout Alaska about the possible contamination of Alaska fish with the radiation releases from the Fukushima disaster,” DEC Environmental Health director Elaine Busse Floyd said. “We did not expect to find any problems with Alaska seafood based on federal monitoring of domestic and imported foods. However, we felt that it was important to assist the FDA by developing a sampling plan and obtaining Alaska fish to be tested. The data reassures us and other Alaskans for whom seafood is such a critical part of life in Alaska.”
The testing found no detections of the Fukushima-related radioisotopes Iodine-131, Cesium-134, or Cesium-137. There was some detection of background or naturally-occurring radiation. The results indicate no appreciable risk from any tested radionuclide in these fish. DEC and DHSS have posted the findings on their websites. - More..
Friday PM - June 27, 2014
Ketchikan: Three locals complete medical assistant apprentice program at Creekside Clinic - Three local candidates have completed a Medical Assistant Training program sponsored by the Ketchikan-based Creekside Family Health Clinic, in partnership with The State of Alaska Employment Security Division, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.
Jane Bolima, NCMA; Kim Rodriguez, NCMA; and Shalie Hageman, NCMA, have each completed the academic, clinical training, and examination requirements to receive certification as Nationally Certified Medical Assistants (NCMA) through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.
The federally registered apprenticeship program included 4000 clinical practice hours and a year-long distance education program through Penn Foster University. “We are very proud of all they have accomplished” says, Lani Hill, Family Nurse Practitioner and clinic owner. “I think it has been a real challenge for them to complete the program and balance it with all their other commitments. Of course the best part is that they’ll hopefully stay with us as highly valued employees.”
Although the scope of practice for Medical Assistants varies state-by-state, they provide an important role supporting a variety of clinical and administrative tasks delegated and supervised by licensed medical professionals such as nurses and doctors. For example, they are qualified to take vital signs and check-in patients, assist with procedures, draw and process laboratory blood specimens, coordinate referrals, administer limited medications, and maintain medical records among other supervised tasks. “They have really become an important part of the clinic team” says John Hill, Clinic Manager. “It’s been very satisfying watching them grow as people and as professionals. In Ketchikan, recruiting and attracting folks with these qualifications can be pretty challenging. So we do what Ketchikan does best: grow our own”. - More...
Thursday - June 26, 2014
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Alaska: Young Must Repay Almost $60,000 for Ethics Violations By MARY KAUFFMAN - Alaska Congressman Don Young (R) was issued a formal letter of rebuke last Friday by the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Ethics ordering him to repay nearly $60,000 for misconduct in using campaign funds for personal use and for accepting other unethical gifts.
On June 18th, the House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to release publicly their subcommittee's investigative report expressing sharp disapproval of Alaska's 81-year-old Congressman for: 1) Young's use of campaign funds to pay for expenses related to his travel to hunting lodges and ranches for events that were not campaign related; 2) Young's improper acceptance of certain gifts from donors - including gifts of travel, lodging, and meals - that were not permissible under applicable House Rules; 3) Young's failure to report certain gifts on his Financial Disclosure Statement.
Specifically the House Ethic's Investigative Subcommittee found that between 2001 and 2013, Rep. Young accepted gifts and expenses related to 15 of 25 hunting trips reviewed by the subcommittee that were not permissible under the House Gift Rule at the time, as well as non-trip gifts. For 2 of these 15 trips, only some of the expenses were improper, with the remaining expenses for those trips covered by one exception to the House Gift Rule or another. For the remaining 8 trips, all expenses associated with the travel were either improper gifts or improper personal use of campaign funds. Additionally, Rep. Young had not reported any of the proper or improper gifts or trips that should have been reported on his Financial Disclosure Statements for the relevant period.
Among the list of gifts that Young was to repay were several flights on private aircraft, golf outings, hunting activities, lodgings, meals and $434.00 for a pair of Le Chamcau boots he received as a gift.
The Committee noted that given the length of the investigation and the corrosion of evidence over time, that they could not recommend a finding that Rep. Young had purposefully or corruptly accepted any gifts.
The Investigative Subcommittee (ISC) recommended that Young repay the full amount of the improper gfits and the improperly used campaign funds. This amount totaled $59,063.74. This amount included the repayment of $30,936.33 to his principal campaign committee, Alaskans for Don Young, and repayment of $28,127.41 to ten private individuals or companies.
Young must repay the money with personal funds to his campaign and to those that gave him the hunting trips and other gifts. - More...
Thursday - June 26, 2014 |
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Ketchikan: Light Pole Damaged, Troopers Request Info - Alaska State Troopers responded today to a report that someone had damaged a light pole at the North Point Higgins School after losing control of their vehicle.
Investigation at the scene showed a vehicle had lost control and struck the light pole while been spinning broadies in the dirt parking lot. The light fixture at the top was destroyed when it separated from the pole during the impact and fell to the ground. - More...
Thursday - June 26, 2014
Southeast Alaska: Men Sentenced for Leading Large Scale Juneau Oxycodone Distribution & Money Laundering Conspiracy - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced yesterday that three defendants in a multi-year, multi-agency investigation have been sentenced for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy operating between California and Juneau, Alaska.
In sentencing Milan Caprice Thomas, Deandre Tyron Dantzler, and Richard Melvin Corum, United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess repeatedly emphasized the seriousness of the offense due to the human wreckage caused by the defendants’ distribution of a highly addictive narcotic, and noted the need to protect the public and to deter the defendants and others from committing these types of crimes in the future.
“This multimillion dollar enterprise submerged Juneau in a sea of addiction,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Matthew G. Barnes. “The nationwide prescription drug and heroin epidemic is fueled by organizations just like this. The success of this investigation is attributed to the ongoing partnership between DEA and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”
“Large-scale narcotic trafficking operations infect our communities with crime and destroy the lives of people caught up in using the poison they peddle,” said Kenneth J. Hines, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, in Seattle. “Drug crimes leave a paper trail and I am pleased that the IRS partners with the interdiction efforts of the DEA and local law enforcement to dismantle these organizations.” - More...
Thursday PM - June 26, 2014 |
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Alaska Science: User-friendly technology will help companies operate unmanned aircraft in Alaska By DIANA CAMPBELL - Bruce Crevensten pointed to an unmanned aircraft control touchscreen, littered with boxes and buttons, and asked a simple question.
“Where’s the fly button?” Crevensten said during a University of Alaska Fairbanks Inventors’ Forum in May that highlighted his new company, ArcticFire Development Corp.
There were at least a half-dozen choices. None said “launch” or “fly.”
“Trust me. If you touch this button, the drone is going to fall out of the sky,” Crevensten said, pointing to a nondescript spot on the screen.
His example illustrated the need for user-friendly controls to help people who want operate unmanned aircraft systems but don’t yet know how to do so. ArcticFire plans to fill that business niche. The company will sell ground-control stations that will work with any web-based device — laptop, cellphone, tablet or desktop computer — to fly unmanned aircraft.
Crevensten, a senior software engineer with UAF’s Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning, and partner Rayjan Wilson formed ArcticFire with the help of the UAF’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization. Wilson is the senior systems engineer with UAF’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. The two have more than 800 hours of flight time.
Arctic Planning, and partner Rayjan Wilson formed ArcticFire with the help of the UAF’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization. Wilson is the senior systems engineer with UAF’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. The two have more than 800 hours of flight time.
Most unmanned aircraft users fall into two categories: those such as military personnel, who have expensive, cumbersome machine systems, and hobbyists, who fly for fun. Technology companies have yet to build easy-to-use systems for companies that want use unmanned aircraft to inspect such things as infrastructure, agricultural growth or hazardous situations.
Crevensten and Wilson are looking to fill that gap with user-friendly hardware and software. - More...
Thursday PM - June 26, 2014 |
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 Behind the scenes of City Government By Rodney Dial - I thought I would write a letter to inform the public of the latest machinations of the Ketchikan City Government and what is going on behind the scenes that you should be aware of. As you may remember, late last year City Manager Karl Amylon continued with his three year crusade to increase sales and property taxes, water and sewer rates. Amylon…pulling a page from the Obama world to end if Sequester is passed play book… told the City Council that without another tax increase, on top of two years of property tax increases; Ketchikan as we know it would end. Amylon claimed that nearly a dozen city employees would be laid off, there would be drastic cuts in city services, police officers would be demoted…and on, and on. It was mentioned repeatedly by Amylon that the previous years of tax increases were needed just to cover the City’s rising debt from the new Library and Fire station bonds. This was in December of 2013. - More...
Tuesday - June 24, 2014
Sealaska Board Desperation By Clarice Johnson - Sealaska shareholders have seen unprecedented financial losses and record level spending by Sealaska on a campaign to re-elect legacy board members. - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
Vote YES on Ballot Measure 1 By Lisa Weissler - On August 19, Alaskans have the opportunity to make a difference in our state. By voting yes on Ballot Measure 1, voters have the power to repeal the oil production tax enacted in 2013. Senate Bill 21 changed how the state taxes the production of publicly owned oil, establishing a system that is not in Alaska’s best interest. - More...
Monday _ June 23, 2014
Questions remain unanswered. By Barbara McDaniel - Questions remain as to why Gov. Parnell waited almost four years to open an official investigation into 2010 Alaska National Guard (ANG) chaplains’ reports to him of sexual assaults of particular servicewomen in the ANG. - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
Leveraging lessons from missile defense By Congressman Don Young - It's been said that failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. This sage perspective is particularly apt as we work to perfect the United States’ missile defense. - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
$2 Billion Giveaway Sound Bite is a Dangerous Distraction By Senator Bert Stedman - Over the years I’ve read many of the reports written for the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). In May, ISER published the report funded by Northrim Bank and written by Dr. Scott Goldsmith entitled, “Alaska’s Oil Production Tax: Comparing the Old and the New” which has been placed in the center of the debate to repeal the new oil tax enacted by the passage of Senate Bill 21. His analysis is thoughtful, but the title is misleading and should be retitled, “Debunking the $2 Billion Giveaway Myth.” That’s what the report is being used for in the public relations arena and I believe that it’s also the reason behind the report’s creation. - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
Significant weaknesses Goldsmith's report By Dr. Mark Myers - Following years of billion-dollar budget surpluses - the result of increased oil prices, price volatility, and an oil production tax system called ACES, Governor Parnell pushed through a new tax regime, called SB21. In the year following its passage, state surpluses have turned into forecasts of multibillion-dollar deficits, while ConocoPhillips reports that its profits in Alaska have risen substantially despite lower production. - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
Disband the IRS By Beverly A. Martin - Americans, are you slaves? Do you realize you consent to politicians using the IRS as their weapon to silence you, control your spending, while legally taking your wealth? - More...
Monday - June 23, 2014
The Word Parnell Refuses to Say…"Deficit" By Bill Walker - Alaskans take pride knowing we are the largest state with the most lakes, tallest mountains and longest summer days. But there are other extreme facts we aren’t boasting about, nor is our governor willingly discussing. Under Parnell, we have blown through 35 percent of our savings and are saddled with the largest budget deficit in state history. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Census recently announced that Alaska is one of only two states with declining revenues in 2013. - More...
Saturday PM - June 14, 2014
Fate of the TLMP revision By Gretchen Goldstein - Doomed from the start. That’s the fate of the TLMP revision recently announced by the USDA. The revision faces controversy and legal challenges because, of the 15 revisers appointed to the Tongass Advisory Committee, not one represents subsistence. Yet California, Washington, and Oregon each have a voting representative; the timber industry, Native corporations and the government all have multiple representation. - More...
Saturday PM - June 14, 2014
UNITED AS ONE By Diane Gubatayao - Last November, outstanding Kayhi students Eimy Anzueto, Roselyn Cachero, Benz Guillermo, Mikala McKim and Omar Mendoza, attended the statewide LEAD ON! conference in Anchorage. They met students from all over Alaska and learned about issues facing young people. Each community chose a goal, and our Kayhi youth decided to sponsor an event to celebrate the wonderful diversity of Ketchikan. These wise young people recognize that many groups lead parallel lives in Ketchikan and rarely do their paths cross or come together. - More...
Saturday PM - June 14, 2014
The Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution By Rex Barber - The Declaration of Independence is America's creed. The absolute belief that the only legitimate form of Government is Government by consent of the people.(Republican form of Government) That they (We the people) are endowed with certain unalienable rights. Rights that are sown in the very nature of man. Rights that exist in the wine dark deep recesses of our DNA. - More...
Saturday PM - June 14, 2014
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