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Ketchikan: Raven's Brew, A Ketchikan Success Story By MARIE L. MONYAK- On a hill north of town sits a nondescript blue building with no signage whatsoever.  From the instant I turned the doorknob to enter the Raven's Brew building, I was pleasantly engulfed in the aroma of fresh roasted coffee.  I was in a coffee drinker's paradise, transported to a coffee mecca.  Whatever it was, my olfactory senses were alive like never before.

I was greeted by Nate Root, the manager of the Raven's Brew roastery in Ketchikan.  Root asked what my favorite blend was and proceeded to grind and brew a hot steamy cup of my choice, Deadman's Reach.  While my coffee was brewing, Root shared the story of how he came to Ketchikan almost five years ago.  Following a girlfriend here from New Hampshire, Root began at Raven's Brew as a shipping clerk, moved up to production supervisor and finally, manager of the roastery, the position he still holds today.

After being allowed a few minutes to savor the delightful flavor of a truly fresh cup of java, our tour began. My search to discover the story behind the national success of this Ketchikan-based business started with the sacks of beans where my education about coffee would be both in-depth and enlightening. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

Alaska: Bush officials trying to win back GOP moderates on Arctic drilling By ZACHARY COILE - The Bush administration, fearing its best chance in decades of allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is fading away, is waging a last-minute campaign to change the minds of moderate House Republicans who oppose opening the oil-rich area to development.

But two dozen House GOP moderates who pledged last month to vote against any budget bill that approved drilling in the Alaskan refuge insist they won't bow to pressure from the White House or offers of money for pet projects.

"They have all said they won't change their minds," said Ron Talley, a spokesman for the Republican Main Street Partnership, the group of moderates who led the opposition to drilling in the refuge. "It's a matter of survival for our folks. They have to vote their constituency. If they go back to their districts next year and they are not re-elected, that means (House Speaker) Dennis Hastert comes back to Washington as a ranking member only." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

Alaska: Alaska governor's election chances difficult to judge By SEAN COCKERHAM - Gov. Frank Murkowski ought to send Ohio Gov. Bob Taft a Christmas card.

Taft is the only thing keeping Murkowski from being ranked last in approval among the nation's governors. Murkowski's rating has consistently been 49th out of the 50 governors in a monthly poll conducted by the national firm SurveyUSA. He's ranked just ahead of Taft, who broke his state's laws about reporting gifts.

Alaska's election for governor is less than a year away, and Murkowski hasn't ruled out running for re-election. Still, he doesn't sound worried about his dismal poll numbers. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

National: High hopes, risks as Iraqis prepare to vote By JAMES ROSEN - From the perspective of President Bush and his top aides, this week's parliamentary elections for a permanent Iraqi government mark another milestone in the country's inexorable march toward becoming a beacon of democracy and self-rule in the Middle East.

For many analysts, including some who support Bush's leadership of the war, the elections Thursday are significant but fraught with uncertainty over Iraq's direction and ultimate destination. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters A Dark and Stormy Night By Jerry Cegelske - Tuesday PM Alaska has to Define Eminent Domain by Rep. Lesil McGuire - Tuesday PM Bridges? By Kevin Mackey - Tuesday PM All or nothing? By Jos "GUS" Govaars VI - Monday PM "Bridge or nothing!" attitude ludicrous By Don Hoff, Jr. - Monday PM Winter Concert By Tom LeCompte - Monday PM Budget hypocrisy By Nancy Duff Campbell - Monday PM How about a vote? By Virginia Atkinson - Monday PM Fisherman looking for tips By Lawren Keeler - Saturday Ketchikan's Bridge? By Robert McRoberts - Saturday Attitude of bridge or nothing is dangerously arrogant By John Stewart - Thursday Plea to Governor is on behalf of middle school students By Jackie Williams - Thursday If We Were To Build A Bridge... By Lawrence "Snapper" Carson - Wednesday 64th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor By Jake Metcalfe - Wednesday Victory? By Phil Stark - Wednesday More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter Political Cartoonists Democratic war strategy Larry Wright, The Detroit News Distributed by Cagle Cartoons, Inc. Political Cartoons E-mail Cartoons Ketchikan Wednesday, December 14, 2005 6:00 pm - The Ketchikan School Board will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. Agenda Thursday, December 15, 2005 7:00 pm - The Ketchikan City Council will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. Agenda & Information Packets Thursday, December 22, 2005 Noon: The Assembly/School Board Liaison Committee scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 15, 2005, has been changed to Thursday, December 22, 2005 at noon in the City Council Chambers. December Calendar Ketchikan Arts This Week Today's Forecast Current AK Weather Map City Police Report 12/12/05 AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Classifieds & Announcements December 2005 Click on the date for stories and photos published on that day... S M T W T F S   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

National: Changes could bring some transparency to Patriot Act By MARGARET TALEV - Civil libertarians complain there is no clear picture of how casually or widely the U.S. government snoops into the lives of ordinary Americans since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

That could change this week, if the House and Senate give final approval to legislation extending key powers of the anti-terrorism USA Patriot Act set to expire at year's end.

Public librarians and free-speech activists, and to a lesser extent some business leaders, say the House-Senate compromise up for final consideration in both chambers beginning Wednesday still gives the government too much power to peek into people's lives. But if it prevails, the legislation will provide new requirements that the federal government begin regularly auditing and reporting to Congress on how and how often the Patriot Act is being used - a possible silver lining for critics. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

National: Liberal protesters target GOP budget By CAROLYN LOCHHEAD - The liberal alliance that hammered President Bush's Social Security plan has turned its sights on the Republican budget, running television commercials in the districts of seven Republican moderates and promising a pray-in at the Capitol on Wednesday.

The $500,000 ad buy, sponsored by the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, accuses the Republicans of voting to "slash health care for struggling families, cut college loans for middle-class kids and take food off the tables of poor children" to "give billions in tax breaks to millionaires." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

National: Study: Chronic disability in older Americans overestimated By LEE BOWMAN - The rate of chronic disability in older Americans may have been overestimated by as much as 40 percent in government surveys, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Yale University's School of Medicine used data from an eight-year study of more than 750 people aged 70 and older living in the greater New Haven, Conn., area. During the study, the seniors shared their experiences during home assessments and monthly telephone interviews, focusing on such essential activities of daily living as bathing, dressing and walking. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

Science: In the brains of mice grow the cells of man By CARL T. HALL - Researchers have designed mice containing fully functional human nerve cells as a novel way to study and potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The neurons were formed in the brains of mice that had been injected with human embryonic stem cells as 2-week-old embryos.

Studies at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences showed that the human cells migrated throughout the mouse brain and took on the traits of their mouse-cell neighbors. The results present direct evidence that primitive human stem cells can be cultured in the lab, be injected into an animal, and then develop into a particular type of desired cell. - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005

Tax Talk: No apparent rush to change the tax code By MARY DEIBEL - President Bush drew cheers when complaining that the tax code was a "complete mess" during the 2004 campaign, but there's been no rush to change it since his handpicked advisory panel came up with two ways to streamline the income tax.

Contrary to expectations that the administration would make reform the domestic focus of the president's new budget, such plans likely will be delayed until after the 2006 congressional elections - and maybe even after Bush leaves office.

Tax reform didn't make it onto the new White House "economic priorities" list. And Treasury Secretary John Snow, who has the task of sorting through advisory-panel ideas, now says: "We're not going to put a timetable on this thing: We're going to give the president well-considered proposals, and then he will decide where he wants to go." - More...
Tuesday PM - December 13, 2005