National: Iraqi Referendum a "Hopeful Day For Peace," Bush Says; President also says condemned Bulgarian nurses in Libya should be released - President Bush praised Iraq's October 15 constitutional referendum for its increased turnout, including Sunni participation, and the low level of violence accompanying the vote.

Speaking October 17 at the White House with Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, Bush said the vote was "a very hopeful day for peace," and was a sign that the Iraqi people "are strongly in favor of settling disputes in a peaceful way."

"The idea of deciding to go into a ballot box is a positive development. The idea that people are willing to try to work out their political differences through a process, a peaceful process, stands in stark contrast to the al-Qaida types and the terrorists," he said. - More...
Monday - October 17, 2005

National: Rice Says Iraqi Voters Took "Another Really Important Step Forward" - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Iraqi people have taken "another really important step forward" toward the goal of a stable and democratic Iraq through their participation in a constitutional referendum October 15.

"As a matter of political process for the Iraqi people, this is another really important step forward. They just keep moving inexorably toward permanent elections in December, when they'll have a permanent government," Rice said in a briefing for reporters in London October 16.

Rice said that early indications showed that about 63 or 64 percent of Iraqi voters went to the polls to cast ballots, with the most significant rise taking place among Iraqi Sunnis, many of whom boycotted the elections for a transitional government in January. - More...
Monday - October 17, 2005

Diversified Diving/Greg Harrison's start boat and swimmers at the start of the race. The swimmers were off when start boat's horn sounded at 12:10 PM. Photo by Lisa Thompson ©2005

Ketchikan: Pennock Island's Eight-mile Challenge, More Than An Adventure By NANCY COGGINS - And they all jumped in!

Into the 57° F. open waters of the Tongass Narrows dove 24 enthusiastic swimmers, who, on August 28, 2005, were accepting a challenge. They had chosen the demanding task of swimming in a pre-organized eight-mile race around Pennock Island for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) benefit. The circuit took those trained swimmers from 2 hours 36 minutes 2 seconds to 4 hours 16 minutes 4 seconds to complete the Pennock Island Challenge.

Sixteen of the 24 swimmers kicked off the event by eagerly plunging from Greg Harrison's 36' start boat. Lined up side-by-side in the water, these first 16 contestants -- 12 solos and four relay-team members -- were ready to start swimming south around Pennock Island counterclockwise from its northwest-corner reef marker. Greg gave the "Go" signal: "On your mark, get set" and the sound of his boat horn served to announce the start of the race at 12:10 PM. The swimmers immediately started stroking their way down the west channel of Tongass Narrows between Pennock and Gravina Islands. The race was on to get back to the Pennock reef marker! - More...
Monday aM - October 17, 2005

A beaming Glorianne "Glo" DeBoer accepted the Ambassador's Award 2005 presented to her by the Ambassador of Norway, Knut Vollebaek, at the US-Norway Forum in Washington, DC, in October. Photograph courtesy Norway.org

Petersburg: Peterburg Resident Recieves Special Award From Norwegian Ambassador By ANITA HALES, KFMJ News - Petersburg resident, Glorianne "Glo" DeBoer, received special recognition from the Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. last week in Washington, D.C. DeBoer received the "Ambassador's Award 2005" for her work as chairperson of the "Little Norway" festival held annually in Petersburg. DeBoer has been chairperson for the last eight years.

Glo DeBoer is the daughter of John and Lois DeBoer of Petersburg and grand-niece of Ketchikan resident James Sande, retired State Ferry Captain and Wes Sande, former Ellis Airline pilot. Her grandparents were Pete and Eileen DeBoer. Pete was manager of Standard Oil Company in Ketchikan for many years.

The Little Norway Festival has been held in Petersburg for about 50 years. It is a four day event taking place every 17th of May. It is a main attraction for Petersburg drawing out-of ­town visitors from all over the world to have a taste of Norway in Alaska. Traditional foods and games mark the event as well as a Norwegian folk fashion show. There is also a parade held on the 17th of May.

Norwegian Ambassador Vollebaek gave DeBoer the award at the U.S.-Norway forum citing DeBoer's "drive, determination, vision, volunteer spirit and willingness to the traditions and history of Norway in this country alive and strong." Vollebaek and his wife, Ellen were guests at the Little Norway event this May and were impressed by the people and celebration. Vollebaek said, "what they have done in their little festival has had vibrations far beyond their village in Southeast Alaska to all of Alaska and the United States." - More...
Monday AM - October 17, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters America's Rain Forests By Rhonda Erickson - Saturday PM Prince Rupert Project By Randy Williams - Saturday PM Schoenbar: We Need Action By Cindy Moody - Saturday PM When you get that urge to express yourself inappropriately... By Susan Bachant - Saturday PM Final Results of Katrina Fundraising By Rob Holston - Saturday PM Free Voice Communications By Jay Jones - Saturday PM Domestic Violence Awareness Month By Martha J. Gallagher - Saturday PM Freedom of Speech By Frances C. Natkong - Saturday PM Be Bold By Bill Thomas Sr. - Saturday PM Looking for information By Svenn Inge Ingebrigtsen - Saturday PM Tapping into the Prince Rupert Port Expansion Pipeline and What This Could Mean for S.E. Alaska By Michael Round - Friday AM Open Letter: To All Members of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly By James Guenther - Friday AM Response To Alaska Airlines Questions By Amanda Tobin - Friday AM More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists The What If Channel Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant Distributed exclusively to subscribers by Cagle Cartoons, Inc. Political Cartoonists E-mail a political cartoon Ketchikan Calendar, Meetings, Events Today's Forecast City Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements October 2005 Click on the date for stories and photos published on that day... S M T W T F S 25 26 27 28 29 30 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

Laine Welch: "SOS: U.S. Coast Guard Rescue" New Discovery Channel Series - Discovery Channel film crews braved crab fishing in the Bering sea with their huge hit series "Deadliest Catch." Now they are taking viewers along with rescue missions by the U.S. Coast Guard - including teams from Kodiak.

 A new series called "SOS: U.S. Coast Guard Rescue" has just begun which features members of the USCG at work "24/7" all across the country. "We have our crews embedded with the Coast Guard with cameras mounted on helmets, boats and helicopters ­ we use the sound systems onboard to make viewers fell like they are a part of the rescues taking place," said Discovery spokesperson Jill Bondurant.

The film crews captured all parts of the USCG's diverse missions, ranging from  rescues of swimmers and boaters in distress to boardings and border patrols. Bondurant said the ten episode SOS series begins with harrowing rescues following Hurricane Katrina, where victims were plucked from roof tops and windows. Later programs will feature USCG teams and rescue missions from Kodiak operating in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. "Every region has its own challenges, but the vastness of the area the Coast Guard is protecting based out of Kodiak left us in awe. There's a lot of water out there," Bondurant said. - More...
Monday AM - October 17, 2005

Dave Kiffer: "It's a Jungle Out There" - When I was a child, my mother insisted that I take as many trips off island as possible. And she didn't mean Gravina and Pennock.

Just about every year we went to Washington, Oregon or California. The main reason was to visit relatives, but the subtext was clearly "there's greater world outside the soggy biosphere between Settlers and Herring coves."

She was right to do that. I remember going on a band trip in high school to Washington and Oregon and being amazed that some of my classmates had never seen real cows and sheep before. Having a strong sense of place and love of your native land is one thing, but that level of never straying from your native turf is pretty incestuous.

As I get older though, it seems as though I often leave the rock simply to reconfirm the fact that it's really not so bad after all in our fair Salmon City. Recent family travels to Seattle, Portland and Albuquerque have just reinforced that.

Followers of this column have no doubt concluded that I am not the biggest fan of Alaska's "national" air carrier, "Elastic" Airlines. In general, I love the folks who work for the airline, but there are some corporate policies that I have issues with.

I have never understood how it could cost less to fly from Seattle to Denver (1,026 miles) , New York (2,413 miles) or Miami (2,713 miles) than it does to fly from Ketchikan to Seattle (667 miles). I also get irritated when month after month the only Ketchikan web special is to Yakutat! And don't get me started on how the once vaunted "Golden Samovar" service devolved into plastic peanuts and particle-board pretzels. - More...
Monday - October 17, 2005