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Alaska: Governor Welcomes ICC to Barrow; Inuit Circumpolar Conference Begins - Governor Frank H. Murkowski today welcomed attendees to the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in Barrow with an overview of the proposed natural gas pipeline and a look at some common Alaska Arctic issues.

The five-day general assembly featuring Inuit leaders and some of the circumpolar world's leading minds is christened "Inuit Unity Within Diversity" and includes debates and lectures on topics ranging from global warming and pollution to whaling and protecting the Arctic Ocean.

"There is one major concern that unifies all the people of the Arctic," Murkowski said. "The cold. Yet that is not the only concern. We also know the Arctic is rich in energy resources, which we use to heat homes and fuel boats and snow machines for subsistence. But the price and demand for fuels are rising faster than we can put oil in the pipeline."

The governor highlighted the state's role in making sure rural Alaskans have the same training and education opportunities as urban Alaskans when the gas pipeline project moves forward. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Alaska: Golden retriever runs for high office in Alaska By KYLE HOPKINS - Brinkley is 2 years old. His interests include sniffing people, poop and going for "walkies." He'd appreciate your vote.

At least that's the impression you'd get from the "Brinkley for Governor" campaign signs that popped up seemingly overnight in Anchorage this week.

Brinkley is a golden retriever who belongs to Ruth Sisk, a dog-lover who started a write-in campaign for the pooch to raise money for the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other dog-friendly nonprofits.

She's already sold $4,000 worth of T-shirts made popular by the campaign, and she plans trips to Fairbanks and Juneau to sell Brinkley merchandise, Sisk said.

There's even talk of a campaign commercial. "The slogan is 'Get off your tail, hit the campaign trail, vote,' " Sisk says. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Fish Factor: Alaska's Wild Seafood Star Attraction of NY Media Road Show By LAINE WELCH - Alaska's wild seafood will be a star attraction when more than 50 travel/tourism businesses make local pitches at the fast paced Media Road Show in New York City.

The novel event, hosted by the Alaska Travel Industry Association (AlaskaTIA), matches Alaska businesses with big name media in a musical chairs-like format. The Anchorage-based group is the marketing arm of the state tourism department, and represents nearly 1000 travel-related businesses and organizations.

The Media Road Show, now in its fifth year, "is like one on one speed dating," said AlaskaTIA spokesperson Jennifer Thompson. "There is a day of appointments wherein the media reps travel from table to table in 20 minute increments to meet with about 50 Alaska tourism partners. One of our staff actually rings a bell and we move them along. Whether they're talking about a zip line in Ketchikan or seafood from Kodiak, they're getting their story out there to the media. It's a great opportunity," Thompson said. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

National: Law enforcement officials lurking all over the Web By TORSTEN OVE - A 53-year-old press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security uses the Internet to arrange a tryst with a young girl, but worries she's a cop.

"Law enforcement is very good at this," he writes to "Ashlynne." "I have soooo much to lose."

He did. "Ashlynne" was a Florida sheriff's deputy.

A 44-year-old Georgia school superintendent uses a computer at work to arrange sex with 15-year-old "Holly" but worries about "loosing (sic) everything."

He did. "Holly" was a local police officer. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

National: How to unravel a teen's Web of intrigue By TENILLE BONOGUORE - As the summer break begins, Internet security experts are urging parents to learn the lingo of the Web and delve into their children's on-line realm so they can become the first line of defense against predators and inappropriate Net surfing.

Children and teenagers use acronyms, jargon and other computer shorthand to make sure their conversations in chat rooms and when using instant messaging are indecipherable to the uninitiated. new language at netlingo.com.

She said teenagers are no different than other computer users in creating their own language, but this lingo is designed to create a communication gap between children and parents.

Kids can have entire conversations on an openly viewed computer without parents knowing what is going on, she said. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Southeast Alaska: Ferry Taku assists crew of grounded fishing vessel - Early Saturday morning the North Pacific Search and Rescue Coordination Center in Juneau was notified the fishing vessel Stella had run aground on Gull Island in Lynn Canal and was taking on water. The three crewmembers were donning survival suits at the time of the call. 

The command center immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, and launched a rescue boat and crew from Coast Guard Station Juneau. Meanwhile, the crew of the Stella entered their lifeboat after the water filled the engine room, causing the vessel to list to port.

The Taku also received a "mayday" call from the fishing tender Stella at about 3:57 a.m. stating the ship was taking on water and the crew was preparing to abandon ship. The Taku was approximately 25 minutes away and responded to the U.S. Coast Guard call for assistance along with the tug Western Mariner. - More....
Monday - July 10, 2006

The Fish Pirate's Daughter Review By BILL HUPE Photograph courtesy Susan Batho & Bill Hupe  Ketchikan Arts & Entertainment: The Fish Pirate's Daughter; Ketchikan's First City Players Review by BILL HUPE - The opening night of the 40th Anniversary of the Fish Pirate's Daughter began with a flourish as State Representative, Jim Elkins, read a commendation for the First City Players on being named the number two ranked community theatre group in the United States. No mean feat for a theatre group 'from Nowhere'. The admission fee included all-you-can-eat fresh crab, corn bread, and coleslaw, and quite honestly, the best crab I've ever eaten. Whilst we dined, Svenson came through seeking his daughter, and the Creek Street Ladies of the Line tempted us with their 'wares'. - More... Monday - July 10, 2006

Ketchikan: First City Players 2nd most Active Community Theater in America; Ketchikan First City Players Receives Legislative Citiation - Before the performance of the Fish Pirate's Daughter Friday evening at the Ted Ferry Civic Center, Representative Jim Elkins of Ketchikan read a Legislative citation honoring the contributions and accomplishments of the Ketchikan First City Players. The Legislative citation was signed by the Speaker of the House John Harris, President of the Senate Ben Stevens and Representative Jim Elkins, the Prime Sponsor.

Founded over forty years ago, the Ketchikan First City Players have been recognized by the American Association of Community Theater as the second most active Community Theater in America. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Ketchikan: Ketchikan Fire Departments Honored; Departments Receive Legislative Citiation - The Ketchikan Fire Departments were honored Monday morning at City Hall with the presentation of a Legislative citation by Representative Jim Elkins of Ketchikan. The citation presented to the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, the North Tongass Fire Volunteer Department and the Ketchikan Fire Department commended the dedication of all the firefighters, and EMS workers. Also commended were Ketchikan doctors, Dr. Earnest Meloche and Dr. William Anthes. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters State, Especially Rural Areas, Can't Afford to Wait on Oil Tax by Senator John Cowdery - Monday Offended by the anti-war propaganda By Gerry Kay Olmstead - Monday 'Go to the gross' for oil tax solution By Rep. Ethan Berkowitz - Monday THE NOB HILL SNOB JOB (And We Thought Gateway Forest Products Was Bad) By David G. Hanger - Saturday The governor, the jet and right or wrong By Sen. Kim Elton - Saturday Consolidation By Robert McRoberts - Saturday Re: Offended by anti-war Bug! By Charlotte Tanner - Friday Raw Data and Concerned Scientists By Jay Jones - Friday Thank You All By Cindy Inouye - Friday Consolidation / Round Two by Rodney Dial - Thursday Dirty Bug By Dawna Vigil - Thursday Legal machinations obscure our rights By Gregg Erickson - Thursday Pipeline deal should benefit Alaskans for generations By Rep. Les Gara - Thursday Freedom of Speech By Alan R. McGillvray - Thursday An open letter to Sealaska and Sealaska's original shareholders By Michael Nelson - Thursday - Thursday Offended by anti-war Bug! By Cindy Inouye - Thursday Global Warming By Robert McRoberts - Thursday Deterioration of South Tongass Highway By Walt & Carol Hoefer - Wednesday The Rumors Are True By Rhonda Bolling - Tuesday So Cindy Sheehan is going on a "hunger strike for peace"? By Mark Neckameyer - Tuesday The Global Warming theory and what-ifs! By Marvin Seibert - Tuesday Perspectives on Global Warming By Anne Mareck - Tuesday Consolidation By Richard L. Burton - Monday Putting Global Climate Change in Perspective By Jessica Price - Monday Climate Hype By Jay Jones - Monday Ready to get out of Iraq By Max Michels - Monday The rumors are true By Rebecca Brown - Saturday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Ketchikan Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements July 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            Front Page Archives

Dave Kiffer: Red Neck leaves me feeling Blue - Ouch.

Okay, let's try again.

Ouch.

Sorry, it's not so easy to type when your neck and arms are the color and consistency of a boiled lobster.

Yes, like quite a few of my fellow Ketchikander "wet heads" I got a gorgeous burn on the Fourth of the July.

Sure, I know better. We all know better. Waiting for the parade leads to serious burnage unless one slathers on the sunscreen or wears a full body tarp. But we forget. We are just so happy to feel something non liquid on our skins that we don't think about the consequences.

Besides we are too busy greeting and being greeted by those folks we only "see on the Fourth" that we throw caution to wind and end up soaking in a bathtub full of green aloe gel for the next week or so.

Usually we are fooled by the clouds. It seems like every fourth starts out a little overcast and we can smell a hint of rain in the air (last year, of course, there was way more than a hint, but I digress). - More....
Monday - July 10, 2006

Bill Steigerwald: A Convenient Campaign Film - The intense media hype for "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's documentary about the coming global warming apocalypse and his tireless crusade to warn humanity about it, cooled down several weeks ago.

But Gore's movie -- a slide-show gone Hollywood, actually -- is still pulling in about 200,000 customers a week and has grossed $13.3 million since late May.

That's no "Superman Returns." But as of July 4, roughly 1.8 million Americans had voluntarily paid about $8 to subject themselves to Gore's 100-minute multimedia sermon on the geophysical perils and moral failings of our reckless, carbon-spewing modern lifestyle.

At the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill, where the manager said "An Inconvenient Truth" has been one of the art theater's most successful movies since 1994, 14 senior citizens and I attended Wednesday's 5 p.m. show. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Dan K. Thomasson: A historic showdown brewing with Congress - Once again, George W. Bush appears to have thumbed his nose at legislation he doesn't like without having to resort to a veto. His extensive use of memorandums to thwart provisions of bills he regards as unconstitutional, a threat to national security or impair foreign relations has a mixed bag of congressional leaders up in arms, particularly in the Senate, where his action is seen as an extension of White House efforts to increase the power of the presidency at the expense of Congress.

At least that's the way even some members of his own party regard his unprecedented reliance on a device that has allowed him to ignore or change an estimated 750 bills. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006

Dale McFeatters: The car is Smart but are the buyers? - Given the heavy premiums on gas prices and parking places, automakers are offering both small cars and really small cars. GM, Toyota, Honda and Nissan all have really small models, and then there's the aptly named Mini Cooper.

But are we ready for a really, really small car, of the kind often referred to as a "microcar"? DaimlerChrysler is betting that we are.

In early 2008, it will begin selling its Smart car Fortwo, already for sale in Europe, in the United States. The Smart car looks like two armchairs on wheels covered by a bubble. Viewers of "The Da Vinci Code" will recall it careening down a Paris sidewalk. - More...
Monday - July 10, 2006