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Wednesday
October 09, 2013
F/V Sabrina
Front Page Photograph By CARL THOMPSON ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Troopers Investigating Diver's Death By MARY KAUFFMAN - The F/V Ostrich sent out a Mayday call Tuesday morning reporting an injured diver in need of assistance. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the Mountain Point area and assisted with transporting the diver to the Ketchikan Medical Center.
USCG Station Ketchikan responds to Tuesday morning's Mayday call from the F/V Ostrich anchored in the Mountain Point area.
Photograph by Carl Thompson ©2013
According to information provided by the Alaska State Troopers, they learned after arriving at Ketchikan Medical Center that 32-year-old Levi Adams of Leawood, Kansas, had been declared deceased.
After three dive incidences for three days in a row near Ketchikan, the Coast Guard is reminding all mariners in Southeast Alaska to take all necessary safety precautions. - More...
Wednesday PM - October 09, 2013
Ketchikan: Federal employment brings in over $19 million in wages to Ketchikan By MARY KAUFFMAN - For the first time, the Alaska Department of Labor has been able to produce estimates of federal workers and their impact on Alaska’s economy finding that federal civil service jobs in Alaska provide more that $1 billion annually in wages, or about 7.2 percent of the state's total wages.
Federal departments in Alaska aren't’t required to report their employees’ occupational data, which limits the state’s ability to look at the jobs and demographics of federal workers. However, combining several data sources allowed the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to produce estimates for federal workers and their characteristics for the first time, according to Paul Martz, a Department of Labor economist in Juneau.
Every Alaska borough and census area has federal positions, but some rely more on the U.S. government than others. Not surprisingly, Anchorage had the largest number of federal jobs - 9,117 in 2012 - but the federal government has a bigger financial impact on many smaller areas and can often be a larger percentage of a rural area’s economy.
In Ketchikan, the federal footprint on the community amounts to over $19 million in federal wages. There are 257 federal workers employed in Ketchikan representing 3.5% of local jobs and 6.0% of local wages.
The federal wage footprint on Prince of Wales-Hyder, a close neighbor of Ketchikan, is over $6 million with 95 federal workers accounting for 4.9% of the area's local jobs and 8.7% of the area's wages.
Martz found that federal salaries tend to be high with a majority, 51 percent, of federal workers paid between $40,000 and $79,999 annually. The average of $71,775, is substantially higher than the 2012 statewide wage average of $55,272. - More...
Wednesday PM - October 09, 2013
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Alaska: New Report Lists Alaska As One of the Most Affected States By Government Shutdown - The personal finance social network WalletHub just released a new report examining which states stand to be hit the hardest by the government's funding debacle. According to the new report, Alaska was listed as one of the most affected states based on the number of federal workers per capita. Alaska was also listed among the states disproportionately affected by the shutdown’s immediate impact.
With a ranking of 1 being the most affected, Alaska was ranked 2 in the overall most affected states by the government shutdown, or what is also being called "slimdown".
The new report took into account not only which states have the highest concentration of federal employees and the most significant federal contracts, but also the areas in which there are large populations of people who have lost or are at risk of losing key funding from federal entities, such as students, small business owners, senior citizens, and veterans.
Ironically enough, WalletHub concluded that states won by the Republican Party in the 2012 presidential election could be hit disproportionately harder by a prolonged government shutdown, as 15 such Red States ranked in the top 25 in the study’s overall “at-risk” rankings.
According to WalletHub, it is interesting to note that even this study was affected by the government shutdown, as key federal data sources – including the Census Bureau and the Small Business Administration – have been disrupted due to a lack of manpower. WalletHub was nevertheless able to garner enough information from other public data sources to analyze each state and the District of Columbia in terms of the following seven metrics: - More...
Wednesday PM - October 09, 2013
Ketchikan: AIDEA To Evaluate Southeast Alaska Mining Project - The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Niblack Project LLC, a subsidiary of Heatherdale Resources Ltd., for evaluation of a potential mineral processing plant and associated facilities at the Gravina Island Industrial Complex in the Ketchikan area.
If developed, the Ketchikan site would handle mineralized materials from the Niblack Project, a copper-gold-zinc-silver prospect in an advanced exploration phase of development, located southwest of Ketchikan on Prince of Wales Island. Based on operations at similar-sized deposits, a mine at Niblack on Prince of Wales would generate approximately 150 full-time jobs, and the processing facility near Ketchikan would provide an additional 80 full-time positions.
“The Niblack Project has tremendous potential economic benefit to Southeast Alaska communities, residents and business,” said AIDEA Executive Director Ted Leonard. “This is a unique opportunity to generate employment and economic activity on Prince of Wales Island and in the greater Ketchikan area. We are pleased to work with Heatherdale in evaluating the responsible development of this project.” - More...
Wednesday PM - October 09, 2013 |
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Columns - Commentary
 TOM PURCELL: Incomprehensible Sums - I remember when a billion used to be a number so big nobody could comprehend it, though it is still a massive number.
According to Snopes.com 1 billion seconds equals 31.7 years. A billion seconds have elapsed since 1981.
One billion minutes is equal to 1,901 years — which would take us back, almost, to the time Jesus Christ roamed the Earth.
One billion hours is equal to 114,000 years — which would take us back to the Stone Age.
In more recent times, our inability to comprehend the sheer magnitude of 1 billion has been eclipsed by our inability to comprehend 1 trillion.
One trillion is equal to one thousand billion.
Our federal deficit has been averaging nearly $1 trillion since the collapse of 2008 — causing us to rack up more than $5 trillion in new debt.
In order to cover our nearly $4 trillion annual budget, the U.S. Treasury spends about $1 billion every two hours — accumulating $1 billion in new debt about every eight hours.
ABC's Jake Tapper tried to simplify these incomprehensible numbers. He compared America's finances to a typical American's finances. By removing eight zeros from America's $3.8 trillion budget, he came up with a sum of $38,000.
Now if you are a retiree, you are probably getting by OK if you are able to spend $38,000 a year — unless your finances are as messed up as America's.
Though you are spending $38,000 annually, your income is only $29,000 — you are growing your debt by $9,000 every year. - More...
Wednesday PM - October 09, 2013
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 BC mine proposal on Unuk headwaters By Victoria McDonald -
Since 2008, Seabridge Inc of Toronto, Canada has been compiling studies and engineering plans, into a 42 volume, 3,100 page document concerning the KSM mining proposal on the headwaters of the Unuk River. Seabridge was in Juneau in late August to talk to State and federal officials and met with a few tribal officials to give an hour and a half power point presentation. Water quality issues that will result from this massive project were described as one-of-a-kind technology that will be used to treat huge amounts of storm water, ground water and millions of gallons of water expected from three huge pits, all expected to produce acid mine drainage. The EA describes the seismic threat as moderate, but did not address how a seismic event could affect the drainage tunnel s power supply or the power plant necessary to protect downstream water quality. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Don Young Asked to Sign Clean Continuing Resolution By Matt Moore -
The Federal Government dominates the news because no budget exists. No short term budget measure or clean continuing resolution has been put on the floor. Our Congressman could end the shutdown if he and others got to work and ended the shutdown. Don Young’s office says he will sign, but his Facebook page says otherwise. Don Young’s office has made no public comment as to whether he will sign a Clean Continuing Resolution. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
We deserve better than the shutdown By Thomas Schultz - We deserve better than the government shutdown we are currently enjoying. Ted Cruz has every right not to support the Affordable Care Act but he and a minority group of Tea Partiers are way out of line when they shut down the government over a law they don’t like; a law by the way, that passed both houses of congress, was signed by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court and apparently approved by the voters who gave the president who pushed it through a second term. The only reason they are shutting down the government is that they don’t have the votes to play by the rules. Apparently they thought they could derail the Affordable Care Act, but early signups proceed, shutdown not-with-standing. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
The Humpty Dumpty Government Shutdown By J. Leo Baldwin -
All the president's horses and all the president's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again. -- What need have we of bi-partisan systems if this is what it produces? Let's look at party motives: fear and greed or love, caring and compassion? - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Nonessential -Yep! By A.M. Johnson - You can not improve on this newspaper headline: "Across the country the first signs of a shutdown began to appear, with National Park Service property being shuttered and hundreds of thousands of nonessential federal employees staying home." - More..
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Why is library closed on Sunday? By Mimi Eddy - I am wondering why the Ketchikan library is closed on Sundays. It would seem to me that school aged kids would be using it to do research and the weekends would be the perfect time for them to do so. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Protect and serve By Duane Hill -
To specifically address who the police "protect and serve", the answer is "no individual". Their duty is to the community as a whole, as they interpret their instructions. Get online and search; you will find that the courts have ruled, repeatedly, that police are not required to assist any individual. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
RE: 9-11 By Marshall Massengale - Thank you Arick for asking about 9/11. It is indeed a pleasure to read your comments and to answer your questions. -- In 2001, I was fifty years old. Harry S. Truman was President of the United States the year I was born. On 9/11/2001, I was working a temporary job--between stints of regular employment but glad to be working just the same. Being on the east coast of the US in the same time zone as New York and Washington, I arrived at work in time to hear the news as it happened. Sensing how America would react to the unbelievable events that were unfolding before our very eyes and ears, our management sent everyone home for the day. I was at work when I heard the first news reports and when the second plane hit the tower. I reached home in time to turn on the television and watch live as the first tower fell . . . and then the second. Over the next several days, as more news and pictures came in, the truth began to sink in. We, as a nation, were at war. The horror of it all was incomprehensible. There were the images of people in sheer desperation plunging from the sides of the buildings, the sound bites of bodies hitting the side walks, endless replays of video of the planes plunging into the sides of the twin towers, glass and debris showering down. You couldn't help wondering what you would have done in the very same situation that people at the scene found themselves in that day. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Replace The IRS With A National Sales Tax By Glen E Terrell - Every American citizen; male, female and transgender; religious and not; gay and straight; democrat, republican, libertarian and independent; every skin color; should be telephoning, emailing, snail-mailing and sitting in the office of their congressional representatives and senators' offices demanding they support the FairTax. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
Consumption tax By David Shipp -
With regard to Mark Curran and his opinion of the FAirTax: Let's keep this simple for Mark Curran's sake. Mark does not seem to understand that the FairTax, H.R.25 is a replacement for the income tax. As such, Federal , State, City, and any other employer, are already paying tax. They pay the required tax for the privilege of having employees. the matching of social security, FICA, the cost of keeping track of all the wages they pay, sometimes needing an entire wing of employees just to accomplish this, and the tax they pay called corporate taxes. All of these taxes and a few others are eliminated by the FairTax. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
FairTax: HR 25 By Fred Walker -
I have to disagree with the fine print statement of MR. Currans' letter. There is no fine print in HR:25. The sections you seem to be referring too mostly fall under sections 701 704 around page 89 of HR:25. You are somewhat correct in your statements about Governments being subject to taxation under HR:25. However this is a good thing! Talk to anyone who has to compete in business with a Government that is exempt from the taxes imposed on private business and you will understand. This is a very unfair advantage and has lead to much of the hi-cost of Government. - More...
Monday PM - October 07, 2013
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