Ketchikan Listen to this KRBD story: A 50-year-old Ketchikan woman was murdered Wednesday afternoon at her Bostwick Road home. As KRBD's Deanna Garrison reports, her 60-year-old estranged husband had been released from jail earlier that morning and is currently a suspect of interest in his wife's murder. KRBD - Ketchikan Public Radio - www.krbd.org Thursday PM - December 01, 2005

Ketchikan: Visitor Industry Contributes $152 Million in Spending & 1,500 Ketchikan Jobs Study Says By M.C. KAUFFMAN - According to a recently released economic impact study conducted by the Juneau based McDowell Group, the visitor industry has been one of the few bright spots in Ketchikan's economy in the last few years. The seventeen page study, The Economic and Employment Impacts of the Visitor Industry in Ketchikan, 2004 was commissioned by the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau (KVB) to provide visitor industry specific information on tourism in Ketchikan.

Quoting the study, "Clearly, growth in the visitor industry has played a critical role in stabilizing Ketchikan's economy following the shut-down of the community's single largest private sector employer, the KPC pulp mill, in 1997." The McDowell Group reported that since the mid-1990s, Ketchikan's population has declined by 12 percent or 1,700 residents primarily as a result of declining timber industry activity. The study noted that although wage and salary employment was up slightly in the past two years, it was reported over 1,000 jobs below the mid-1990s levels. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Ketchikan: M/V Taku Delayed in Ketchikan With Dead Boiler - The Alaska Marine Highway System announced this afternoon that the MV /Taku/ is delayed in Ketchikan and unable to sail with a dead boiler. Workers at Alaska Ship and Drydock will remove the top of the boiler late this afternoon to assess the problem. The boiler provides heat and hot water throughout the vessel. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Alaska: Governor Encourages Alaskans to Recognize World AIDS Day - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski encourages all Alaskans to recognize today as World AIDS Day and to commemorate the day by dimming their lights tonight at 7 p.m. for five minutes.

"We have made great strides in the United States in the fight against AIDS," said the governor. "But more can be done. AIDS is a global disease, wreaking havoc on many third world countries and leaving broken families and orphaned children in its wake. I encourage all Alaskans to recognize this day by dimming their lights for five minutes tonight or by participating in other AIDS-awareness activities." - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Alaska: Governor Appoints Three Judges; Aarseth, McKay, Cummings to assume the bench - Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski on Wednesday announced the appointment of three judges to fill judicial vacancies in Anchorage and Bethel.

"I am pleased to name three fine individuals to serve as new judges in the State of Alaska," said the governor. "They will serve their communities, and their state, well."

Eric A. Aarseth and Patrick J. McKay were appointed to the Anchorage Superior Court to fill seats vacated by retiring judges Larry Card and Dan Hensley. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

National: Congress milks fees from visa workers By JAMES W. BROSNAN - Congress is gearing up to get tough on the border, but meanwhile, it's happy to rake in the cash from legal immigrants and their employers.

While the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up border security legislation in December and the Senate will do so in February, the Judiciary Committee in each chamber is meeting budget spending targets by raising more than $80 million from companies employing foreign workers. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

National: Cargo workers plead guilty to stealing from packages for troops By BOB EGELKO - Fifteen cargo handlers at San Francisco International Airport have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to steal laptop computers, DVD players and other valuables from packages addressed to U.S. troops in Okinawa. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Priscilla Barnett Photo by Gigi Pilcher Gretchen Klein

Ketchikan: ALaska Community Services and Big Brothers/Big Sisters Announce Staff Changes - Alaska Community Services and Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Ketchikan, recently said farewell to Priscilla Barnett and her daughter, Aisha, who relocated to Washington.

Barnett filled two positions while in Ketchikan coordinating the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs and providing match support services to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. On November 8th, a recognition luncheon was held for Barnett at the Crows Nest, where a special scrapbook was presented to Barnett, highlighting her contributions to the community of Ketchikan.

Gretchen Klein, a long-time Ketchikan resident with a history of support for Ketchikan's senior programs as well as a history of working with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program in Ketchikan, has accepted the positions previously held by Barnett. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Ketchikan: 2nd ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE HOPES TO RAISE 4 TONS FOR SALVATION ARMY, NEEDY FAMILIES - Ketchikan's second annual Food Drive is set for Saturday, December 10, 2005, between the hours of 10AM and 4PM, to benefit needy families through the Ketchikan Salvation Army.

This high-profile event will be held in the Plaza Mall parking lot. Many local individuals, businesses and service organizations have already committed time, materials and food to the effort. - More....
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Petersburg: Forest Service Issues Overlook Decision - The Tongass National Forest recently approved the Overlook small-scale timber project, involving the harvest of approximately 4 million board feet of timber from approximately 190 acres within the Petersburg Ranger District. The project area is located in the central portion of Mitkof Island, about 15 miles south of Petersburg.

"This small timber project is part of our ongoing effort to actively and properly manage the Tongass National Forest and help family-run businesses in the area keep operating and create some local jobs," said Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters HELP! By Jerry Cegelske - Thursday Readers: Does anyone remember? By June Allen - Thursday Tolerance is Foreign to 'Christophobes' By Bob Lynn - Thursday Hard Choices Await 2006 Legislature By John Harris - Thursday A suggestion By Michael Nelson - Wednesday Bridge to Somewhere By Virginia Atkinson - Wednesday Excellent Questions! By Robert D. Warner - Tuesday Permanent Fund Trustees Poised To Change 'No Secrets' Policy By Gregg Erickson - Tuesday The Bridge and Ethanol By Charles Moon- Tuesday U.S. Debt Over $7 Trillion By Jay Jones- Tuesday Discussing differences about public issues By Robert McRoberts- Tuesday ANWR By Morgan Doubleday- Tuesday Alaska Bridges By Don Hoff Jr. - Tuesday Hedge funds and the Permanent Fund By James R. Dahl - Monday Gas pipeline By Ted A. Wright - Monday Open Letter: To the Alaska Legislature By James R. Dahl & Mary Lynne Dahl - Monday ANWR by Glenn Bell - Monday Questions By Peg Travis - Monday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan Thursday, December 01, 2005 7:00 pm - The Ketchikan City Council will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. Agenda & Information Packets Monday, December 05, 2005 5:30 pm - The Ketchikan Borough Assembly will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. Agenda & Information Packets Thursday , December 08, 2005 - The Ketchikan Legislative Liaison will meet at noon in the City Council Chambers to discuss community projects and a fly-in to Juneau. The meeting is open to the public. November Calendar Today's Forecast Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 11/26/05 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements November 2005 Click on the date for stories and photos published on that day... S M T W T F S     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

Consumer: Online shoppers beware By CLINT SWETT - It used to be that holiday shopping concerns primarily focused on things like finding a parking spot at the mall.

These days, a good portion of consumers worry about cyber security. With U.S. shoppers expected to spend about $26 billion online this holiday season, concerns about the Internet safety of their financial and personal information are on the rise, experts say. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Consumer: What online shoppers need to know By CLINT SWETT - With the online buying season in full swing, experts at Electronic Data Systems Corp. have recommended security guidelines for Internet shoppers. Among them: - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Hotzone: Through the looking glass in Iraq By KEVIN SITES - It's dusk. People are strolling through the gardens, lounging on the grass, reading, eating snacks and chatting near the refreshment stand.

Zirar Abdullah poses his young son and daughter on the playground spinner, then snaps their picture in the perfectly diffused golden light.

"I come here with my family every Friday," Abdullah says. "I feel very secure. I feel free to do what I like." - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Entertainment: A miniseries about the Bermuda Triangle ... other shows By TERRY MORROW - When a billionaire loses his cargo in the seas off Bermuda, he sends a team to investigate the mysteries of "The Triangle" (9 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 5, Sci Fi Channel).

He recruits an ocean-research engineer, a scientist and, of course, a psychic and a tabloid reporter. Well, duh. The last two are a given when you're serious about probing a centuries-old mystery. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Entertainment: Publishers Weekly Bestseller List - Bestsellers compiled from data from large-city bookstores, bookstore chains and local best-seller lists across the United States. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Ann McFeatters: Get ready for a messy, inconclusive debate on immigration - We are about to have a huge national debate on immigration. And it's going to be a dreadful experience.

It will be divisive and mean-spirited and, finally, indecisive.

It will continue through next year's mid-term elections, when the entire House and a third of the Senate are up for re-election. It's going to be wrenching. It will pit Republicans against Republicans and Democrats against Democrats. Families at the dinner table will shout at each other over this. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Clifford May: We have ways to make you talk - Abu Ghraib was a travesty and a tragedy. It tarnished America's reputation and credibility. It gave ammunition to America's enemies and critics. It set back progress in Iraq.

What took place at Abu Ghraib was illegal - and those responsible have been rightly prosecuted and punished.

So what is the point of Sen. John McCain's amendment to ban "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment of any prisoner by any agent of the United States? - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Dan Thomasson: Defining victory down - What exactly are we trying to do in Iraq? What does the "victory" President Bush is constantly extolling really mean? Does it mean just crushing violent dissent and bringing Western-style democracy to a nation and region where dictatorial rule, often theocratic, has been the norm for 2,000 years?

Does it mean stabilizing the political and military situation just enough to permit the withdrawal of U.S. troops, crossing one's fingers that the warring factions of the same basic religion can live in harmony without a new strongman emerging or a civil war erupting? - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005

Dale McFeatters: Bush has a plan, but still faces dilemma - The address President Bush gave at the U.S. Naval Academy defending his conduct of the Iraq war and outlining a strategy for victory (details at www.whitehouse.gov) was one he should have given a year, even two years, ago.

The Bush White House, always loath to justify itself, now finds it must as critics of the war multiply and support for its war policies becomes dangerously thin. And while White House image makers would disagree, it is not exactly confidence-building that Bush chose to speak before a safe audience - the midshipmen are guaranteed to be polite and enthusiastic; surrounded by hokey campaign trappings reminiscent of a quiz-show set; and with his congressional adversaries dispersed for Thanksgiving recess. - More...
Thursday - December 01, 2005