Top Stories U.S. News U.S. Politics Alaska Ketchikan

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR: Dec. 7, 1941 By JUNE ALLEN - It was Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941. At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, Japanese Imperial forces launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Navy's fleet moored at Pearl Harbor and the nearby Army installation. Nineteen ships were sunk or damaged, crippling the U.S. fleet. And in a period of only a few hours, 2,300 Americans were left dead.

One of those was Navy Ensign Irvin Thompson, 24, of Ketchikan. He was lost in the sinking of the battleship Oklahoma, Alaska's first serviceman casualty of World War II. In his honor, flags would fly at half-mast throughout Alaska Dec. 21, by proclamation of Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening.

In spite of the fact that the United States had declared neutrality in Hitler's "European war" on Sept. 5, 1939, most citizens expected that eventually the country would be drawn into the conflict. What few expected was that any nation would dare to attack the United States! The attack on Pearl Harbor came as an outrage and war was immediately declared.

In Ketchikan, in shock like the rest of the nation, there were whispered rumors of Japanese cannery workers and bookkeepers having hidden short wave radios. In fact, a more specific rumor said that a spy at Waterfall Cannery had been evacuated by an enemy submarine under cover of night. There was a rumor of enemy submarines off Prince of Wales Island - a rumor that soon after earned some credibility when remote areas in British Columbia and the Oregon coast were lobbed with incendiary bombs launched from enemy subs. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

National: Bush tries to persude public that economy is strong By BILL STRAUB - The Bush administration has grown increasingly flummoxed over the public's sour view of the nation's steadily growing economy, but critics say that despite the rosy picture painted by the president, America's middle-class families are struggling.

Recent polls, including one released by Gallup in mid-November, show that most Americans don't share the administration's enthusiasm for the direction in which the economy is headed. That survey found only 37 percent assessing the nation's financial portrait as excellent or good while 63 percent rated it good or poor.

Results like that have compelled President Bush to spring into action, praising the economy for creating new jobs and providing opportunities for workers to buy their own home. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

National: Abramoff scandal's many tentacles reach far and wide By MARGARET TALEV - The plot is over the top and ever-expanding, and the cast of characters so convoluted you'll need a map, a calculator and a wall chart to keep up.

Lobbyists. Indian tribes. Casinos. Religious conservatives. Anti-tax crusaders. Tens of millions of dollars. Dubiously timed legislative actions. Speculation about widespread political corruption. Suspect charities and incriminating e-mails. Tentacles to the White House and the campaign coffers of more than 100 former and current members of Congress. Cameos in the Pacific, West Africa, Scotland and Israel. The mob and a gangland murder in South Florida. A congressional investigation led by a senator with an eye on the presidency. And teams of federal prosecutors going after the goods.

This is no best-selling novel or movie blockbuster - not yet. It is a real-life intrigue known as the Jack Abramoff affair, for the once-powerful lobbyist at its apparent center, and it hangs menacingly over the Republicans who run Washington and, to a smaller degree, some Democrats. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters If We Were To Build A Bridge... By Lawrence "Snapper" Carson 64th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor By Jake Metcalfe - Wednesday Victory? By Phil Stark - Wednesday Ketchikan and Small Town America By Robert D. Warner - Tuesday Find a better argument.... By Marcia Hilley - Monday A Third Proposal By Patrick Jirschele - Monday ANWR or Bust? By Virginia E, Atkinson - Monday How will a bridge benefit our lives and assist our travel? By Peg Travis - Monday BOLLING BRIDGE SUPPORT NECESSARY By Pete Ellis - Sunday A Proposal By Patrick Jirschele - Sunday A Second Proposal By Patrick Jirschele - Sunday RE: A Gift of Life (SitNews 12/2/2005) By David J. Undis - Sunday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Political Cartoons Ketchikan 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 12/06/05 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements Nov. - Dec. 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 01 02 05 Front Page Archives

National: Mantle of scandal worn by GOP was Dems' a decade ago By ZACHARY COILE - Republican leader Newt Gingrich helped the GOP recapture the House in 1994 by portraying Democrats as too corrupt to lead after a series of scandals that led to the resignation of some of the party's top leaders.

More than a decade later, the roles are reversed. As the party in power, Republicans now are under fire for ethical problems ranging from Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleading guilty last week to taking $2.4 million in bribes, to the mushrooming scandal involving GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's indictment on charges of violating campaign finance laws. And Democrats hope to take advantage when voters go to the polls for the midterm elections next year. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

National: General confirms al Qaeda data hunt By JAMES ROSEN - Retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, who was the military's top commander during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, confirmed that four years before the tragedy he authorized a secret computer data-mining initiative to track down Osama bin Laden and operatives in the fugitive terrorist's al Qaeda network.- More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

National: Justices push law schools to defend Pentagon recruiting ban By MICHAEL DOYLE - Law schools faced tough questioning Tuesday as the Supreme Court considered how much assistance the schools must provide military recruiters.

Justices showed sympathy for the Pentagon and pronounced skepticism over how the schools handle the military's alleged anti-gay bias. Several all but endorsed the law that cuts off federal funding if the military recruiters don't get equal campus access. "It doesn't insist that you do anything," Chief Justice John Roberts said of the congressional rule. "It says that if you want our money, you have to let our recruiters on campus." - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

National: Moussaoui's lawyers submit proposed jury questionnaire By GREG GORDON - Have you or a member of your family ever served as a firefighter, rescue worker or commercial pilot? Do you live near the Pentagon? Do you have an initial reaction when you learn that a person is of Muslim or Arab descent?

Should anybody who conspires to commit a terrorist act that would kill thousands of people get the death penalty? - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Alaska: Alaska firms use 'big guns' to catch fishing rights - Alaska fishing companies are mounting an intense lobbying battle in Washington to try to lock up Bering Sea commercial fishing rights worth millions of dollars.

The six companies, divided into two competing factions, have hired lobbyists with close ties to members of Alaska's congressional delegation. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Alaska: Alaska consumers to be reimbursed in two settlement cases - Alaska Division of Insurance Director Linda Hall today announced the terms of two settlements reached with Waddell & Reed, Inc., an investment and financial services firm, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., an insurance broker. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Southeast Alaska: SEARHC Earns Highest Level of Accreditation For Its Substance Abuse Treatment Programs - The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has been awarded a three-year accreditation for its substance abuse treatment programs by CARF, an international accrediting commission. In addition to the three-year accreditation, the highest level of accreditation, SEARHC also received five commendations for demonstrating "exemplary conformance to the standards." - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Southeast Alaska: LeConte Ordered to Ketchikan With Shaft Problem; St. Aquilina to Fill in on Rural Village Run - The Alaska Marine Highway System announced Tuesday that the M/V LeConte will sail today from Sitka to the Ketchikan shipyard to have its shaft problem diagnosed and repaired. No passengers will be allowed to travel on the voyage.- More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005

Alaska: Diversified Folds Alaska Fisherman's Journal into National Fisherman - Diversified Business Communications announced Tuesday that it will fold its regional commercial fishing magazine, Alaska Fisherman's Journal, into its flagship publication, National Fisherman.

Alaska Fisherman's Journal, which has served the Pacific Northwest and Alaska since 1977, has been the region's leading commercial fishing title. "We're proud of the coverage we've provided the Alaska industry, and we have nothing but admiration and respect for the readers and advertisers who have supported us," commented John van Amerongen, editor of Alaska Fisherman's Journal since 1984. - More...
Wednesday - December 07, 2005