Ketchikan: 3.87 Quake centered 54 miles west southwest of Ketchikan - An earthquake was reported by the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC) 54 miles west southwest of Ketchikan on Sunday, November 8th, at 11:54 a.m.

The magnitude of the quake was 3.87 ML and the depth was 6 miles. The center was 16 miles south of Hydaburg, Alaska. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Ketchikan: KETCHIKAN MAN SENTENCED TO 63 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SALE OF METHAMPHETAMINE - United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today, November 9, 2009, that Eulogio Seludo, a resident of Ketchikan, Alaska, was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to 63 months for his convictions of trafficking methamphetamine in Ketchikan.

Chief United States District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline imposed the sentence on Seludo, age
54.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Aunnie Steward, who prosecuted the case, Seludo conspired with Rudy Lastimosa to sell methamphetamine in Ketchikan. Seludo was convicted at trial of conspiring with Lastimosa and selling methamphetamine on seven occasions, spanning from December 2007, through March 2008.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Beistline stated that Seludo was willing to poison the community of Ketchikan for his own personal needs, and that the evidence against Seludo at trial was "overwhelming." - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Hydaburg: HYDABURG MAN INDICTED BY FEDERAL GRAND JURY FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY - United States Attorney Karen Loeffler announced Thursday, that Robert Armour Sanderson, Sr., of Hydaburg, Alaska, was arraigned in federal court and pled not guilty to the charges contained in an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

The two-indictment named Sanderson, age 81, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Sanderson is alleged to have ordered two sexually explicit videos containing images of prepubescent children engaging in sexual acts.

Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, to maximum sentence of twenty years, in prison for receiving child pornography and a maximum sentence of 10 years for possession of child pornography, as well as fines totaling up to $250,000 on each count and up to five of supervised release following service of a prison sentence. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Sitka: Coast Guard attempts rescue of Sitka man - The Coast Guard attempted to resuscitate the 72-year-old owner of the 40-foot fishing vessel Illahee after he reportedly collapsed while aboard the vessel's skiff 15 miles south of Sitka in the Dorothy Narrows around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Ralph Guthrie, a Sitka resident, and his wife were reportedly seal hunting and were transferring a seal to the Illahee when he reportedly collapsed for unknown reasons aboard the skiff. The wife was able to call for help over the vessel's VHF marine radio.

The Coast Guard received the mayday call and immediately launched an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka. The rescue helicopter crew and an accompanying Coast Guard flight surgeon arrived at the Illahee at 12:25 p.m. where the rescue swimmer and flight surgeon were lowered from the helicopter to help Guthrie. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Fish Factor: Good news for crabbers By LAINE WELCH - Kodiak and Alaska Peninsula crabbers got some good news last week - bigger catch quotas for bairdi Tanner crab, a mid-January fishery that is important to local economies. Bairdi are the larger cousins of the better known opilio Tanners, or snow crab.

The bairdi boost stems from a big pulse of new crab recruits that biologists have been tracking for years.

"That is what's fueling the increase in the harvest this year. We're just getting the very beginning of that year class," said Nick Sagalkin, regional manager at ADF&G in Kodiak.

It takes five to six years for crabs to mature to market size, and only male crabs are taken. Sagalkin said the Tanner resurgence is looking even better than expected, around Kodiak and southward.

"It's actually slightly ahead of where I thought it would be," he said.

The fact that the 2010 fishery will yield mostly new recruits that have just molted into the fishery is good news for buyers. With crab, it is the appearance of the shells that sells.

"Most of these crab should be new shell, very nice, clean looking crab," Sagalkin predicted.

"That's really positive news," said market expert John Sackton. "The key to the traditional bairdi market in Japan is that when it is clean and large and bright colored, it's a wonderful premium crab product and people are very excited to get it."

Sackton cautioned that the lack of volume could dampen sales interest in Japan, but said more niche markets are eager to buy bairdi Tanner crab. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

DAVE KIFFER: Live, From The Egosphere! - I have been on Facebook for a few weeks now.

I kinda felt trapped into it because I had several friends in far away (read: sunny and dry) places who basically said "get on Facebook or we will never communicate with you again."

I don't usually respond to threats, but I do like to stay in touch so I figured I could make one concession to the "social networking" world.

Still, the whole idea that we should have this great big group of "friends" out there who would be satisfied with occasional random blips about what we were making for dinner or whether we really, really liked some You Tube video seemed (and still seems) a little odd to me.

I mean, do other people, really care that much about the minutia that is rattling around in our brains at any given posting moment.?

Naturally, my brain - which deals in a higher quality of minutia than most people, if I do say so myself - replied "of course they do, because you are good enough, you are smart enough and doggone it, people like you.!"

Kinda scary that the guy thought that up is a United States Senator. But, as usual, I digress.

Anyway, to my surprise, through Facebook, I have heard from a whole bunch of folks who I never thought I'd ever hear from again. I have been brought back up to speed and back in - after a fashion - to their lives.

This is a good thing, because I do like to keep up with all the details in other folks lives.

Growing up in Ketchikan, I have always trafficked in the use of social information.

It has always been helpful to know who is (or was) married to whom, who is related to whom, and who has a grudge with whom. If only because it helps me avoid saying the wrong thing to either "who" or "whom" at a social occasion. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Public Meetings & Info Ketchikan Borough Assembly Agenda and Information Packets Ketchikan Planning Commission Agenda and Information Packets Ketchikan City Council Agenda & Information Packets Ketchikan School Board Agenda & Information Packets Gravina Access Project SEIS Alternatives Development Gravina Access Website Ketchikan Ship Calendar 2009 pdf Jobs Ketchikan Police Reports AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Today's Forecast Satellite Today's Weather Images Marine Forecasts Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map CLASSIFIEDS Publish Publish Your Ad Click Here CLASSIFIEDS' CATEGORIES Announcements and       Help Wanted For Sale / Free Stuff Garage Sales Homes / Apts/ Property Pets Wanted Lost & Found Publish Your Ad Commercial Ads Front Page Archives Sept. - Oct. 2009 S M T W T F S   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 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 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 More Front Page Archives

Second lesson on Liberal vs. Conservative By Al Johnson - Normally I would space my contributions longer, however the reaction to lesson one on the subject is too good to hold back! The first lesson brought another!! - More...
Monday PM - Nvember 09, 2009

Continued saga at Ward Cove By Don Borders - I watched the local telecast of the presentation where the development plan to build a Plasma plant at Ward Cove was presented. I have many concerns as to how the Borough might act on the slick mono-view of the "possibility" of the fringe technologies for Ward Cove. It was impressive to the scope which various people were taken by the smooth delivery without really answering any hard questions. The end results are breath taking, however, what about any concern if the thing will just not work due to local environmental conditions such as 80 to 99 percent humidity, lack of actual product to "burn," will they import materials to "feed" the Beast? What if the possibility the whole thing ends back up in the laps of the borough assembly with added additional problematic clean-up of Ward Cove all over again? Will it be additional pages and chapters in the ongoing saga of government mismanagement? - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Name Calling By Robert D. Warner - I too consider myself to be somewhat of an independent conservative, but I do not think that a recent letter in SITNEWS calling President Obama a Marxist and incompentent idiot is especially useful. This type of name calling is both stupid and childish. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Irvin Thompson By Margery DeMan Welker - I personally have a huge problem with the cousin in Calif being Irvin Thompson's closest relative . . . they even mention that Irvin was related to the Schlais family, which he was, yet they didn't contact any of the people by that name in Ketchkan, e.g., Evard, Faye, Alex. It might've been nice to bury him near his mother and father, if they had done a little research, as I know Aunt Margie was devestated when he was killed. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Thinking about the 4th By Jose Garcia - When I sent an email letter to the Ketchikan City Mayor Williams III regarding my ideas about the July 4th celebration, his office referred me to the Chamber of Commerce, annotating that they are in charge of such celebration. I did, but their office is manned with an answering machine. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Heating & Ward Cove By Don Borders - I would like to address several recent letters, or opinions to the editor of Sitnews, submissions making their greenest concern or their environmental point of view. - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

RE: Personal losses By F. David J. Jacob - Mr. Borders, I would first like to express my heartfelt sentiments over your losses. I cannot imagine what losing three friends in the space of a month would be like. I hope you are spending plenty of time reflecting on the good times and the lessons you learned from your friends. In memory they will live on! - More...
Monday PM - November 09, 2009

Ward Cove Comprehensive Plan By Mary Lynne Dahl - As an observer of what has been happening at Ward Dove this past 12 years, I agree wholeheartedly that before we sell Ward Cove piecemeal, we should develop a comprehensive, long term plan for that property. My 25 years as a financial planner have proven to me that planning produces much better results than shooting from the hip. The PIEER authors have some very good ideas for creating the kind of plan needed before any concrete actions are taken and their suggestions should be taken seriously. - More...
Wednesday - November 04, 2009

Heating and power generation By A.M.Johnson - Samuel Bergeron has it right, however I am not so sure that Petersburg and Wrangell, ahead of Ketchikan in this suggested heat form, has already been doing this to a high degree. It may be that the surplus power or the anticipated share of the Tyee power for Ketchikan is reduced up by these two town's recent and ongoing conversion activity to electrical heat. - More...
Wednesday - November 04, 2009

Democrats crushed By Tom Ferry - Obama was like an anchor around Corzines' neck. Now finally it is the beginning of the end of the Marxist Obama administrations complete gutting of America. with crushing defeats in key states the folks seem to finally be coming out of their trance. - More...
Wednesday - November 04, 2009

Loggerville By Rob Holston - On November 9, 2009 the KGB Assembly will be discussing Ward Cove, Loggerville and any other proposals that may be presented. - More...
Wednesday - November 04, 2009

Haloacetic Acid in the drinking water By Peggy Ayers - I am writing to let Dayle Amundson (and any other persons concerned with Haloacetic Acid in the water exceeding acceptable limits) know that according to the Minnesota Department of Health Haloacetic Acid can be removed from the drinking water using a Carbon Activated Filter. They can be installed as a whole house system or an under the sink system for use in drinking and cooking water. I do not know where these units can be purchased but I'm sure they can be found. - More...
Wednesday - November 04, 2009

Electric Heat By Samuel Bergeron - With the Swan-Tyee electrical intertie coming on line, it would be in all of our best interest as rate payers and owners of KPU and the Intertie, that we use it to its fullest extent. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Health Care is in the Toilet! By Marie-Jeanne Cadle - I am still trying to get over the absurd implication by Mr. Peter Jensen a few months ago that un/underinsured people will somehow dirty his private toilet as he refers to his current health care. Mr. Jensen is also worried that access to health care by these apparently dirty individuals like myself, will somehow limit his access. I can assure Mr. Jensen that people such as myself; un/underinsured, will never have the opportunity to soil his precious private health care because 1) Mr. Jensen is Native American and has health care provided at tax payer expense that will never be available to the un/underinsured non-natives and 2) Mr. Jensen is military and has health care proved at tax payer expense that will never be available to un/underinsured non-military. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Ward Cove by Rob Holston - I appreciate the information provided by the Ward Cove PIEER Group. Your idea of "..designting sections for appropriate uses." is in agreement with the Ward Cove Focus Group meeting Oct. 13, that called for the KGB to subdivide and offer for sale in a way compatible with community needs & economic development. I will be presenting the Loggerville Small Boat Harbor Business Plan at the next PLEADAC meeting the evening of Nov. 4, 2009. Anyone wanting to view plan details prior to the meeting, please email me. Plan Summary to follow: - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Ward Cove By Don Borders - What's next in the on going saga of local government mismanagement? It's been eleven years ago that the Ward Cove Pulp Plant shut down and then average incomes for the area dropped extremely low. It's only been from outside help from the federal legislators and departments like Homeland Security that have influxed the local incomes to regenerate the revenue which fuels the two local governments through the taxation of the populous. (Walmart helped also, however it's the next to the smallest store they have.) Boys and Girls, it is time to quit playing games and get the property back on to the tax roles. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Re: Congressional leadership By Jim Dornblaser - Mr. Stallings' letter is rather harsh in inferring Congress' lacking of leadership. He seems to prefer "Oligarchy" rule in handing policy/law making over to an un-elected body. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Personal losses By Don Borders - I wish I had kept a list of all the Ketchikan Pulp Mill employees. In the past few months I knew three of the ex- pulp mills' employees who have died. The last one was Mike Diverty (see Coast Guard suspends search for Sitka Fisherman Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 ) Mike lost his home, his dignity and his family in losing his job due to the actions of the "Tree Huggers" forcing the closure of the Pulp Mill. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Mike Smith's Photos By Peter Bolling - There is little I have enjoyed more in the past month or so than logging on to SitNews and finding a new photo by Mike Smith. Poetic. Thanks Mike. - More...
Monday PM - November 02, 2009

Haloacetic acid By Dayle Amundson - I also worry about what haloacetic acid does to humans. I just read Peggy Ayers letter. It is interesting that the KGB mails Mt. Point consumers of the water papers saying it has too much haloacetic acid in the water (over federal guidelines). I now BUY my drinking water. - More...
Monday - November 02, 2009

Tolerance, Good Grief By Charles Schilli - Ms Abajian, have you attended college? Those who believe they know best for every one are, in my experience, far more likely to be young and overly sure of themselves, and "Liberals". (They are not actually liberals, but totalitarians.) - More...
Monday - November 02, 2009

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