Ketchikan: Buddy Rowell Wins Gateway Country Colgate Country Showdown - The 25th Colgate Country Showdown local competition concluded on Saturday, September 23, 2006, naming Buddy Rowell as the winner. America's largest country music talent search and radio promotion was held at the VFW in Ketchikan. This win marks completion of the first step in the prestigious national contest.

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Buddy Rowell's combination of musical talent, stage presence, charisma, musicianship and originality caught the attention of judges including, Tom Bachant from More Than Carpets, Linda Blair from South Tongass Service, Richa Owen from Skinner Sales and Service, Donna LaForce from The Narrows Inn, Kj Harris from Kj's Raven's Roost and Miguel Torres from GCI.

On Friday, October 13, 2006 in Covington, Tennessee, Buddy Rowell will represent Alaska in the state final of the Colgate Country Showdown vying for $1,000 and the opportunity to perform at one of five regional competitions in the fall. Regional winners receive an all-expense paid trip to the National Final, exuding talent and energy in their performances and winning the $100,000 Grand Prize and the National Title.

Buddy Rowell is a 23 year old from Stanwood, Washington. He relocated to Ketchikan three years ago with the U.S. Coast Guard. Rowell has a wife, Stevie, and two children, Dallon and Savannah. He won on Saturday night by performing his original song, "Welcome to Spokane."

The Colgate Country Showdown also featured Kirsten Atteberry and Charles Anderson, Danielle Beaudry, Leo Baldwin, Tahir Kemp-McGrew, Jerilyn Lester, Lyden Byron, Amanda Wilsie, Ken Horn, Brenda Hurley, The Allen Sisters, John Gabriel, Joel Manalo, Abigail London, Bob Cole, Sarah Cobb, James Vincent, Tiffany Hargraves, Forrest McGillis and Corey LaDuke, Patricia Hawk, The Hall Brothers, Carlos Weimer and Cheryl Skaflestad. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Ketchikan: Ketchikan Business Receives Prestigious Alaska State Chamber Award - Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce Member Angela Salazar of Diversified Investment received the Alaska State Chamber "Bill Biven" Small Business of the Year Award during the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce 47th Annual Conference and Business Trade show held at the Anchorage Sheraton Hotel Wednesday September 27, 2006.

Salazar was nominated for this award by the Greater Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce Membership Services Committee as well as by her own employees. The Bill Biven Small Business of the Year Award was first established in 1993. Since its inception, this is the first time that this prestigious award been awarded to a Ketchikan Business. Diversified Investment was established by Angela Salazar in 2000 and is located at 4033 Tongass Ave.

In addition to receiving the Alaska State Chamber Bill Biven Small Business of the Year Award, Angela Salazar and local resident Andrew Spokely of Power Systems Supplies of Alaska both received the distinction of being named to the "ALASKA'S TOP FORTY UNDER 40" list. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

National: Key Democrats blast GOP for budget failures By JAMES ROSEN - Sen. Kent Conrad, senior Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Wednesday that some of the tax cuts enacted under President Bush might get "trimmed" if his party regains control of Congress.

Conrad and Rep. John Spratt, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, sharply criticized Republicans for failing to adopt a budget or to pass any of the 12 annual appropriations bills.

"We face red ink as far as the eye can see, with the nation's debt continuing to grow out of control," Conrad told reporters at the Capitol. "The debt is skyrocketing, and there's been a failure among the Republicans themselves to arrive at a budget."

Conrad responded cautiously when asked whether Democrats would extend the tax cuts that Congress passed in 2001 and 2003 if they gain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate in the Nov. 7 elections. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

National: Rep. Foley resigns after e-mails to pages By AMIE PARNES - Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. - chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children - resigned Friday amid reports that he sent sexually explicit Internet messages to teenage Capitol Hill pages.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert ordered an investigation "to make sure our pages are safe."

In a statement, Foley said, "I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent."

Foley, 52, a six-term congressman and deputy House whip, said his resignation was effective immediately. In his statement, only three sentences, he did not explain why he was quitting.

But ABC News reported that Foley resigned after the network's reporters questioned him about sexually explicit Internet messages with current and former congressional pages under the age of 18. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

National: A scramble for Republicans in wake of Foley resignation By MARA LEE - The resignation Friday of GOP Congressman Mark Foley in a sex scandal adds to the woes of Republicans already fearing that voters might knock them out of power in the House in elections less than six weeks away.

Democrats need to win 15 seats to take over, and Foley's Florida seat was considered safe for Republicans - until Friday, when the six-term lawmaker quit amid reports that he sent sexually explicit Internet messages to teens who worked as congressional pages.

Nathan Gonzales, a political analyst with the Rothenberg Political Report, said that, around the country, "Republicans are already on the defensive. This just adds to their list of headaches."

The Rothenberg Political Report was predicting a Democratic gain of 15 to 20 seats before the resignation. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

On the Ropes Tuesday. 34 Ketchikan 7th graders from North Pont Higgens visited Southeast Exposure and enjoyed a day on the ropes! The students used the ziplines, ropes course, and climbing tower. Happy voices could be heard all around the Knudson Cove area. Despite the rain, spirits remained high. Teachers Chad Fry, Soren Wuerth and Paul Potter accompanied the students. Front Page Photo courtesy Betsey Burdett

Alaska: Mercy killing fells blind brown bear By MEGAN HOLLAND - A Kodiak brown bear that likely fell off a cliff and hit her head was killed by wildlife officials after she was found blind, wandering in circles and bumping into trees outside the city of Kodiak, Alaska.

Four ATV riders along Salonie Creek, about five miles from downtown Kodiak, spotted the slow-moving bear roaming in dizzying circles this week, Alaska State Troopers said.

"He had no snapping jaws. Nothing. He was incoherent of anything going on around him," said trooper Aaron Frenzel, who responded to a call by the ATV riders.

Frenzel walked up to the bear and stood still, he said. "Then it walked right up to me, and nudged right into me," he said. The bear then retreated, crashing into brush and debris along the creek bank. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Alaska: Why are sea otters dying in Alaska? By MELISSA DeVAUGHN - Thin and listless, the sea otter washed ashore the morning of Sept. 19 at Homer, Alaska. Struggling to breathe, it appeared partially paralyzed.

By 9:47 a.m., a phone call came in to Homer resident Cy St-Amand, who with his wife L.A. Holmes volunteers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and pick up stranded marine mammals.

As he has done countless times before, St-Amand arrived on the scene, observed the animal's behavior, scooped the otter up and began the 173-mile drive to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward for treatment. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Floating Fish Trap In 1926 Morrissey published a special "Fisheries Edition" that touted salmon canneries, packing companies and fish traps. Photo:Brailing Salmon From A Floating Fish Trap: Ca. 1938 Southeast Alaska -- Historic Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife - Fisheries Collection - Photographer: Archival photograph by Mr. Sean Linehan, NOS, NGS

Pioneers of Alaska: Edward G. Morrissey By LOUISE BRINCK HARRINGTON - Edward Morrissey, an experienced newsman who'd worked on the Fairbanks News-Miner and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, came to Ketchikan in 1919 and started the Ketchikan Alaska Chronicle. From the beginning Morrissey took a strong stand on issues, stirred up controversy and created enemies.

And from the beginning I should admit my "bias" in the situation. One of Morrissey's enemies was my grandfather, Louis Hanson who owned the Bon Marche, a mercantile store in downtown Ketchikan. In the basement of his store, Hanson housed and supported a rival newspaper called the Ketchikan Daily News (no relation to today's paper)

My grandfather could not stand Morrissey or the Chronicle or the paper's chief supporter, J. R. Heckman & Company-which was Grandpa Hanson's biggest competitor in the mercantile business.

But back to Ed Morrissey; this story is about him. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters White Cliff Yes By Vernon Keller - Saturday White Cliff By Walt Bolling - Saturday REAL ESTATE -101 By Terry Wanzer - Saturday No to Sales Tax Increase to Fund the White Cliff Renovation By Samuel Bergeron - Saturday Yes for White Cliff Center By Anna Annicelli- Saturday School board candidate "funding" By Penny Marksheffel - Saturday White Cliff Remodel - A poor choice! By Rick Watson - Saturday Elections By Douglas Thompson- Saturday Options By Penny Eubanks- Saturday Is it Still America? By Paul Hovik- Saturday Where is Sarah Today? By Meagan Foster- Saturday Fog on Ward Lake By Karen Hanson Pitcher- Saturday Where is Phase I White Cliff Report? By John Beck- Saturday Vote NO White Cliff By Jackie Williams- Saturday Consolidation & White Cliff: Both are bad for the Ketchikan Taxpayers! By Dan McQueen- Saturday Lost Souls By Don Hoff Jr.- Saturday Own Opinion? By Harris F. Skillie. Jr. - Saturday Superintendent's Contract By Russell Thomas - Tuesday NO ON WHITE CLIFF AND THEN YES By Pete Ellis - Tuesday Yes on Ballot Proposition 1 and 2 By Susan Doherty - Tuesday Dangers of Investing Permanent Fund in Hedge Funds By Jim & Mary Lynne Dahl - Tuesday White Cliff By Ken Lewis - Tuesday Get ready to vote. By Robert Mcroberts Yes on White Cliff By Thomas Ferry - Tuesday Consolidation: The Case Against By Rodney Dial - Tuesday Yes to White Cliff Center By Jessica Clark - Tuesday White Cliff: Are you kidding? By Charles Edwardson - Tuesday Support White Cliff By Shirley McDonald- Tuesday White Cliff-Just Say No! By Dan McQueen- Tuesday Landless By Randy Williams - Monday Represent who? By Janelle Hamilton - Monday School Board & Contract Item By Terri Robbins - Monday Superintendent contract motion By Bill Thomas Sr.- Monday Correction: 2008 By Karen Hanson Pitcher - Monday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Arts This Week Today's Forecast Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map Classifieds Auto-post your ad in the proper category, or email your ad & photos to ads@sitnews.us  Classifieds: Categories Announcements /Services For Sale Garage Sales Homes / Apartments Pets Wanted Calendar E-mail editor@sitnews.us 09/29/06 - Friday - 5-7:30 pm - White Cliff Project Information Session - Ted Ferry Civic Center. SitNews Archives September 2006 Click on the date to read the stories published on that day. S M T W T F S 27 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

Dan K. Thomasson: It's the gas prices, stupid - Amidst all the election season Sturm und Drang about who is responsible for the failure to eliminate Osama bin Laden and the continuing sectarian violence in Iraq, one salient fact is emerging: Americans are more likely to consider gas prices when they enter the polling booth this November.

And the fact those prices have been falling from record highs seems to have produced a ray of sunshine in the rather dismal Republican outlook for retaining control of Congress.

A sage observer of national political trends once explained that when all is said and done, U.S. elections always turn on the economy. Whatever else may seem important beforehand, he said, Americans vote their pocketbooks. If that climate is good, the candidate in office always has a leg up unless he is incredibly inept. Two examples of that exception: Al Gore in 2000 and the current campaign of Republican Sen. George Allen in Virginia, who has gone from a sure bet to even odds because of a major public faux pas or two. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Bonnie Erbe: America's quiet acceptance - To date, 65 women soldiers have died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan - a small percentage of the U.S. total of almost 3,000 war dead as of this writing, but a significant number nonetheless.

Why aren't Americans upset about this? Or should they be?

A New York Times article commemorating these women's contributions to the war effort posited that there once was a time when Americans would have found it morally unacceptable to witness women soldiers coming home in body bags.

Has that time come and gone? Or has something else changed? - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Preston MacDougall: Chemical Eye on Match Play in the Course of Science - Sending a son or daughter off to college is never easy. You are hopeful for their success, but at the same time you expect the intellectual challenges to be daunting - just like the cost. Sending a son or daughter off to college is also never cheap.

My recent trip to St. Andrews, Scotland, had just such a purpose, and no shortage of daunting. I've been through this before, but at another prestigious university. Still, during the university principal's welcoming address for parents, I was ready for a feeling of déjà vu. I was expecting to be told of its envied reputation and storied history, and was. Rather than news, these were the reasons I was there.

One thing did surprise me though. After suggesting that parents look carefully around the room, Principal Lang, who is a social anthropologist by training, cited a recent poll showing that, among all British universities, St. Andrews' alumni were the most likely to have met their future spouse during their course of study. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Clifford D. May: With fear and favor - An essential American institution is in crisis, but the mainstream media is not covering the story. That's because the institution in crisis is the mainstream media, which appears incapable of self-examination, much less self-criticism.

When I trained as a journalist some 30 years ago, there were high walls separating news (what happened), analysis (how experts interpret what happened) and opinion (what someone thinks should be done in response to what happened). Those walls no longer stand.

Today, major media outlets routinely use news and analysis to score ideological and partisan points. The most recent example is the front page New York Times story on a National Intelligence Estimate that no one at the Times had read. The reporters and editors were satisfied they knew what was in it based on what they were told by "several officials in Washington involved in preparing the assessment or who have read the final document." - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Dick Morris: The Real Clinton Emerges - From behind the benign façade and the tranquilizing smile, the real Bill Clinton emerged Sunday during Chris Wallace's interview on Fox News Channel. There he was on live television, the man those who have worked for him have come to know ­ the angry, sarcastic, snarling, self-righteous, bombastic bully, roused to a fever pitch. The truer the accusation, the greater the feigned indignation. Clinton jabbed his finger in Wallace's face, poking his knee, and invading the commentator's space.

But beyond noting the ex-president's non-presidential style, it is important to answer his distortions and misrepresentations. His self-justifications constitute a mangling of the truth which only someone who once quibbled about what the "definition of 'is' is" could perform.

Clinton told Wallace, "There is not a living soul in the world who thought that Osama bin Laden had anything to do with Black Hawk Down." Nobody said there was. The point of citing Somalia in the run up to 9-11 is that bin Laden told Fortune Magazine in a 1999 interview that the precipitous American pullout after Black Hawk Down convinced him that Americans would not stand up to armed resistance. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

Jay Ambrose: The Clinton example - Bill Clinton was far guiltier as president of a lax, timid response to the al Qaeda threat than he let on in his interview on Fox TV, but his fiery, wipe-that-smirk-off-your-face answer to a question from the show's surprised host provides a lesson the Bush administration should heed.

Clinton hit back with everything he had, misstating the truth some, as usual, while also conveying that here was an honest man who had been done a major wrong and wasn't going to take it anymore. Contrast that with the way the Bush administration so often hides out from direct confrontation, defending itself more with a little mumbling here and there than slam-bam rebuttal of the kind it ought now to be making to the critics saying an official report proves once and for all that the war in Iraq was a huge mistake. - More...
Friday - September 29, 2006

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Six Vie for 3 School Board Seats

Six Candidates Face-off for Two Ketchikan Assembly Seats