At Rest
This young Sitka Black-tailed deer is resting in the grandiose silence of the snow on Prince of Wales Island.
Front Page Photo By JACY PIERSON

Ketchikan: TSA Installing Advanced Imaging Technology at Ketchikan International Airport - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced this week that Ketchikan International Airport and Juneau International Airport are among 16 airports nationwide set to receive recently purchased millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units. TSA plans to deploy the units to the airports in the coming weeks.

The machines will be deployed with new automated target recognition (ATR) software designed to enhance privacy by eliminating passenger-specific images. The generic is identical for all passengers. AIT is designed to enhance security by safely screening passengers for metallic and non-metallic threats - including weapons, explosives and other objects concealed under layers of clothing.

By eliminating the image of an actual passenger and replacing it with a generic outline of a person, passengers are able to view the same outline that the TSA officer sees. Further, a separate TSA officer is no longer required to view the image in a remotely located viewing room. By removing this step of the process, screening is more efficient and throughput capability of the technology is improved. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

Southeast Alaska: IFA General Manager Retires - Inter-Island Ferry Authority general manager Bruce Jones has given notice of his retirement effective January 31, 2012, announced board chair Dennis Watson. He will be available to assist in the transition to a new manager.

Jones joined the Inter-Island Ferry Authority in August, 2007 at a difficult time for the IFA, when the IFA was faced with having to discontinue service on the northern route between Coffman Cove, Wrangell and Petersburg, said Watson. After three summer seasons of service, traffic on that route did not come close to projections.

During the 4 ½ years Jones has been at the helm, the IFA has had to deal with large fuel cost increases and a declining Prince of Wales Island population. Apart from collecting a surcharge that fluctuates with the cost of fuel, IFA fares have not changed during the period that Jones has been on board, according to Watson. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

Ketchikan: Governor’s Budget Funds New State Ferry - Governor Sean Parnell announced today that his Fiscal Year 2013 budget includes $60 million for construction of the new Alaska Class Ferry. A total of $120 million is available to begin construction of the new ferry in the next fiscal year.

Earlier this year, the State of Alaska selected Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) in Ketchikan as the construction manager and general contractor for the new Alaska Class Ferry, and is working to finish the design of the new ferry. Once the design is complete, ASD will be given the first opportunity to submit a bid and negotiate a contract to build the ferry. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

Ketchikan: ‘Tis the Season for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count - From Ketchikan to Prudhoe Bay to Shemya Island, every year Alaskans bundle up and gather together to celebrate the holiday season…by braving the elements for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Groups of volunteers select a day between December 14, 2011 and January 5, 2012 to conduct a count. They have 24 hours to record as many birds as possible in a 15-mile diameter circle. Volunteers participate in counts in all 50 states, in all Canadian provinces, several Central and South American countries, and several Pacific and Caribbean islands. Last year there were 38 counts held across Alaska. Many counts end with a social gathering to tally lists and crow over the best birds. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

Alaska: Historic Eagle Cannonball Provides Excitement - It was Eastern Interior Field Office archeologist Robin Mills who received the memorable phone call. An Eagle, Alaska resident had an old cannonball at her residence, and she was concerned it might still be dangerous. Mills passed the information on to the Bureau of Land Management’s hazardous materials and safety specialists.

The 12-pound iron ball roughly five inches in diameter.
Photo courtesy BLM

A flurry of calls and emails ensued as the Alaska State Troopers, the National Park Service and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team from Eielson Air Force Base were brought on board. Soon the EOD team set off on a 357–mile drive to Eagle to examine the cannonball.

What the team found upon their arrival was a 12-pound iron ball roughly five inches in diameter. The cannonball was apparently found many years ago near Fort Egbert, a historic Army outpost established in 1899 to impose law and order in the Fortymile region during the Klondike Gold Rush -- Interior Alaska's first gold rush. The BLM now manages the fort, decommissioned in the 1920s, as part of the Eagle Historic District National Historic Landmark.

Unsure whether the cannonball contained explosives, the EOD team moved it to a safe place and subjected it to a series of controlled tests, during which it exploded with no injuries or property damage. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

Alaska: Troopers Preparing for Anti-DUI Campaign for Upcoming Holidays - According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the Alaska State Troopers will be out conducting extra traffic enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of Alaskans while they celebrate the upcoming holidays and ring in the new year. Local law enforcement agencies across the state will also participate in the enhanced enforcement efforts from Dec. 16 to Jan 2.

As revelers hit the roads, the ramped up enforcement conducted by the Alaska State Troopers will mostly be focused on DUI enforcement for both alcohol and drugs. - More...
Wednesday PM - December 14, 2011

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