Photo of the Month Alaska: A white calf has been born to the Farewell Herd, one of four herds of plains bison in Alaska. Learn more and see pictures in the August issue of Alaska Fish and Wildlife News. Ketchikan: 2017 Cruise Ship Calendar (PDF) - Calendar Courtesy Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska Ketchikan: Public Meetings Ketchikan: Upcoming Events Historical Ketchikan June Allen Dave Kiffer Louise B. Harrington Ketchikan Weather Ketchikan's Forecast Weather History for August 2017 Ketchikan's Historic Weather Nat Weather Service KTN Ketchikan Tides & Currents Search the News Ketchikan Alaska Sitnews   RSS widget

Ketchikan: Filing Open for October Regular Election By MARY KAUFFMAN - Filing forms are now being accepted for the October 3, 2017 regular Election. The candidate filing period began August 1 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on August 25th. 

The Ketchikan Borough has elective seats open for the offices of Borough Assembly Members and School Board Members on the October 3, 2017 Borough ballot.  The following seats are available:

There will be three (3) seats open on the Borough Assembly for three-year terms. These seats are currently held by John Harrington, Mike Painter (termed out) and Glen Thompson (termed out).

There will be two (2) seats for three-year terms and one (1) seat for a one-year term open on the Ketchikan School Board. These seats are currently held by Glenn Brown and Diane Gubatayo, and the one year-term seat was held by Misty Browne who recently resigned.

As of this date, Diane Gubatayao has filed for a 3-year term seat on the Ketchikan School Board, and Amanda (AJ) Pierce and Alan Bailey have filed for three-year term seats on the Ketchikan Borough Assembly.

The City of Ketchikan has elective seats open for the offices of Ketchikan City Council on the October 3, 2017 ballot.  The following seats are available:

There will be three (3) Ketchikan City Council seats open. These seats are currently held by Councilmembers Dick Coose, Mark Flora, and David Kiffer. To date, Dick Coose has filed for reelection.

To qualify as a candidate for Ketchikan Borough Assembly Member, a citizen must have resided in the Borough for one year prior to the election date, and must be a Borough registered voter 30 days prior to the election.  To qualify as a candidate for School Board, a citizen must be a Borough registered voter 30 days prior to the election.

Qualified Ketchikan Borough Assembly candidates must submit the completed declaration of candidacy along with the signatures of at least ten (10) qualified Borough voters. All candidates must also complete and submit the 2017 APOC Public Official Financial Disclosure Statement. These forms must be submitted together to the Borough Clerk’s office no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2017. - More...
Thursday PM - August 03, 2017

Southeast Alaska: United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group Hires First Coordinator - The United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group (UTTMWG) announced the hiring of the non-profit’s first Coordinator -- Tis Peterman, a lifelong resident of Wrangell and of Tlingit descent. Tis is the great granddaughter of Chief Shakes VII and her parents were the late Marcus & Mae Dailey. Much of her career includes over twenty years of working with non-profits and Tribes in the region. “I am very excited about being hired for this position as I see the biggest threat to fishing and our way of life are the BC mines,” states Peterman. “This issue has been a passion of mine since I first began hearing about the disastrous results of the Mt. Polley tailings dam failure three years ago.”

“We are extremely excited to announce our first ever hired staff person,” said UTTMWG Chairman, Frederick Olsen, Jr. “With Tis Peterman, we made the right choice due to her extensive background in working with Southeast Alaska’s Tribes. She has been involved with our organization since the beginning in 2014.”

“Tis has served as an Alternate Representative to our group from Wrangell,” said UTTMWG Vice Chair Carrie James and Vice President of Ketchikan Indian Community, “It will be great to continue to have her voice involved in our issue,”.

The UTTMWG Coordinator will provide staff support with the goal of connecting the Tribes of Southeast Alaska with the First Nations of British Columbia to protect our traditional and customary ways of life. It is a significant step in the growth of the organization which has previously depended on volunteers.

“Tlingit & Haida Central Council is proud to be a partner with UTTMWG and we are enthusiastic about the positive movement in the hire of Ms. Peterman.” Richard Peterson, CCTHITA President. Added CCTHITA 1st Vice President Rob Sanderson, Jr., also UTTMWG Treasurer, “Tis will put our money to good use and her knowledge will allow her to hit the ground running, so to speak.”

The United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group is comprised of sixteen Tribes of Southeast Alaska whose mission is to create a unified voice for Indigenous peoples across the international border who are facing impacts from development and industrialization rapidly occurring in the region. - More...
Thursday PM - August 03, 2017

Mama's Three Little Bears
Front Page Feature Photo By SUSAN HOYT ©2017

Alaska: Paddlers pay tribute to historic Sheenjek expedition - By MEGHAN MURPHY - There was a lot of silence as the two friends floated 110 miles south on a remote river in northeastern Alaska in July. But the silence wasn’t between them — it was all around them.

“It was phenomenal,” Stan Havlick said of his trip with Mike Fallon on the Sheenjek River, which flows south from the Brooks Range. “It was way beyond our expectations. We experienced total silence and serenity.”

The two floated the Sheenjek in honor of a 1956 expedition in the river’s upper valley that was part of an effort to protect the lands that now comprise the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The original expedition included their friend, 95-year-old Bob Krear, who recorded the endeavor in motion pictures and photographs. Famed conservationist Margaret Murie helped organize the expedition.

Murie grew up in Fairbanks and in 1924 was the second student to graduate from the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, now the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The new UAF life sciences building was named in her honor in August 2013.

A new honor will grace the Murie Building’s walls in August 2017. Fallon and Havlick asked Krear’s friend, sculptor Susan Raymond, to create a bronze plaque that portrays the 1956 expedition’s five principal members.

The discovery "suggests this part of Alaska is particularly prone to tsunami generation," said seismologist Anne Bécel of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who led the study. "The possibility that such features are widespread is of global significance." In addition to Alaska, she said, waves could hit more southerly North American coasts, Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific. - More...
Thursday PM - August 03, 2017

MICHAEL SHANNON: Way Past Time to Let Congress Enjoy Obamacare - Every presidential administration reaches a pivot point. Many observers thought Trump's came when Anthony Scaramucci walked in the White House door. Others thought it came 10 days later when Scaramucci walked out the door.

For me the Scaramucci saga was just part of the excitement when the circus comes to town.

The pivot point I'm looking for is when President Trump finally learns he has only enemies and bystanders among the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill. 

Mitch McConnell, Curator of the Senate, is happy to keep polishing Senate rules, while aging whiz kid Speaker Paul Ryan is proud of slightly reducing the velocity of the socialism-bound train that is the House of Representatives.

Ryan and McConnell have no respect for Trump. He doesn't have their years of political experience or expertise in the arcane working of the legislative process. The fact the voters know this and elected Trump anyway escapes them.

Neither of these hacks is going to expend a dime of political capital to advance the Trump agenda. Their primary goal is protecting the GOP majority in both houses and maintaining their comfortable offices and the perks that come with leadership. They are both corporate incumbents, not conservatives, and their pitiful legislative records prove it.

Both of these swamp creatures expect to be in Washington, building their federal pensions, long after Trump has returned to Trump Tower for good.

There is no legislative outreach that can bridge the gap between the White House and Capitol Hill. Reince Priebus couldn't do it and new chief of staff Gen. John Kelly won't either. The only thing the invertebrates that make up the GOP will understand is negative consequences for their failure to support the Trump agenda.

Fortunately, Trump has just the weapon. - More...
Thursday PM - August 03, 2017