 Contact 
Call 617-9696
Webmail
Letters
News Tips
Copyright Info
Archives
Quick News
Search
Alaska
Ketchikan
SE Alaska
Alaska News Links
Columns
- Articles
Dave Kiffer
Fish
Factor
Money Matters
Historical
Ketchikan
June Allen
Dave
Kiffer
Louise
B. Harrington
Ketchikan
Arts & Events
Ketchikan
Arts
Ketchikan
Museums
KTN Public
Library
Sports
Ketchikan Links
Public Records
FAA Accident Reports
NTSB
Accident Reports
Court Calendar
Court Records Search
Wanted:
Absconders
Sex Offender Reg.
Public Notices
Weather,
Webcams
Today's
Forecast
KTN
Weather Data
AK
Weather Map
AK Weathercams
AK Earthquakes
TV Guide
Ketchikan
Ketchikan
Phone Book
Yellow
Pages
White
Pages
Government
Links
Local Government
State & National
|
|
Monday
December 09, 2013
Scenic View
The IFA ferry to POW is just coming into view as the sun is setting Saturday at Scenic View Point north of Ketchikan.
Front Page Photograph By ROD SHORT ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: New Mail-Sorting Process Causing Unnecessary Delays in Ketchikan By MARY KAUFFMAN - Without apparently any public process, the United States Postal Service (USPS ) made a decision recently to change its longstanding practice for processing mail in Ketchikan and is now flying the mail to Juneau for processing, then back to Ketchikan.
In a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) said the decision to change how Ketchikan mail is sorted was made several months ago with apparently no public notice. At that time the USPS decided to transport all mail deposited at the Ketchikan post over over 200 miles by air to Juneau where it would be sorted. The Ketchikan-destined mail is then returned by air to Ketchikan. A plan which Begich says is inefficient and does not take Southeast Alaska weather delays into account.
“It is my understanding that in theory the USPS planned to have Ketchikan mail sent to Juneau in the evening, sorted, and then returned the next morning for delivery,” said Sen. Begich.
“Unfortunately, it does not appear that those responsible for the decision had an adequate understanding of the weather in Southeast Alaska, which can cause flight delays and cancellations during much of the year, nor did they take into account the possibility of mechanical breakdowns of aircraft used by the USPS contractor. The result is that my office has received numerous complaints from local governments and businesses concerned about timely delivery of bills and receipt of payments for taxes, utilities, goods, and services.”
“I would urge you to review the decision to fly Ketchikan-bound mail hundreds of miles from Ketchikan to Juneau and back to Ketchikan, balancing the potential cost savings, if any, with common sense and the needs of Ketchikan residents, businesses, and local governments to have reliable and timely mail delivery, and the adverse economic impacts which the decision has already had on them,” said Sen. Begich. “I believe that the result of such a review will be a decision to retain Ketchikan-bound mail for processing in Ketchikan.” - More....
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Southeast Alaska: NOAA to implement halibut catch sharing plan in 2014 - A halibut catch sharing plan for the commercial and charter halibut fisheries in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) and the Central Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A) is to be implemented by NOAA.
Quoting a NOAA news release, prior to the catch sharing plan, the charter sector was managed under a guideline harvest level - a management program that was not optimal in preventing fishing overages when harvest of halibut by recreational anglers on charter vessels increased in areas 2C and 3A beginning in the late 1990s.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the catch sharing plan to replace the guideline harvest level with a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors in areas 2C and 3A. The Council urged NOAA Fisheries to implement the halibut catch sharing plan in time for the 2014 fishing season.
“This catch sharing plan was developed through the collaborative effort and hard work of many people over several years and, despite some challenges, we are pleased to be able to meet the Council’s request for implementation in 2014,” said Dr. Jim Balsiger, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region and a member of the Council. “This plan will give managers greater precision in setting catch limits and provide more flexibility and stability in the charter harvest.”
Under the catch sharing plan, commercial and charter halibut operations will have a combined catch limit determined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission each year prior to the fishing season.
The plan is designed to provide halibut fishery managers with greater precision in setting halibut catch limits and management measures that are responsive to changes in halibut exploitable biomass and fishing effort. Allocations to the charter and commercial sectors will vary with changes in halibut abundance. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
|
|
Ketchikan: The 11th Annual Sam Pitcher Memorial Scholarship Concert: An Evening of Jazz, Rock & Blues - The 11th Annual Sam Pitcher Memorial Scholarship Concert will take place on Tuesday, December 17th in the Ketchikan High School Auditorium at 7:00 P.M.
Sam Pitcher
This scholarship was established to honor the memory of Seming “Sam” Pitcher, a gifted young man who was active in the various music programs available in Ketchikan. Sam, a Ketchikan High School student, died from an inflammation of his heart in April 2003. He loved all types of music, and especially enjoyed playing and listening to music with his friends. Sam played the trumpet, bugle horn and electric guitar with the McPherson Jazz Bands, the rock group “The Rubber Band,” and the KHS Wind Ensemble and Jazz Bands. He had the opportunity to attend both the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and Interlochen Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. The experiences gained while participating in these camps were very significant for Sam. The goal of the Sam Pitcher Music Scholarship is to help give other young musicians the opportunity to expand their music horizons by attending similar summer music programs.
The Soundwaves Jazz Ensemble will open the December 17th concert with "Blues Walk" and "Crystal Cove". Lead trombonist and bassist for the group, Amber Junker will be featured on the beautiful ballad "The Way We Were", which won "Best Original Song" in the 1973 film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford."The Flik Machine" from the 1998 computer-animated comedy adventure film "A Bug's Life", is composed by Randy Newman. Written in the fall of 1953, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is considered Tony Bennett's signature song. This arrangement is penned by the famous composer/arranger Quincy Jones. Wrapping up the Soundwaves portion of the concert is the Steely Dan favorite, "Black Cow" from the "Aja" album.- More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013 |
|
Columns - Commentary
 DAVE KIFFER: HAPPY (Bleeping) Holidays! - A friend recently wrote on Facebook that she knows the holidays have arrived when she hears her mother swearing in the kitchen.
Most of us can relate!
Okay, maybe we don’t hear Mom dropping the F-bomb every time she spills the pie filling on her shoes, but there is no question that that “holiday time of the year” doesn’t always bring out the best in us.
After all what could possibly go wrong when you combine the pressure to celebrate family with the pressure to also host and entertain said family?
Just about everything.
When you combine that with the fact that in our modern, busy worlds, it often seems like the only time we spend time with our extended families is during those holidays, it is probably inevitable that everything turns out “more perfectly than a Hallmark Channel movie.”
As always, your results may vary.
Hmmm, I started to write “nuclear families” in the last paragraph, but then it occurred to me that our family went “nuclear” a long time ago. So it’s probably safer from a lingering radiation standpoint that the family is now “extended.”
But I digress.
Anyhoo, I don’t think my Mom ever dropped an audible real curse word during a holiday celebration. For her the word “drat” always carried more weight than most 10 megaton F-bombs.
If you heard the word “drat” in the kitchen, you knew it was time to head for the basement or the attic and make yourself scarce. Things were not going well and if you didn’t quickly scram, you would become collateral damage.
One Christmas morning, I heard “drat, drat, drat” from the kitchen like a rapid burst of an anti-aircraft gun.
My Dad waved at me and we both sprinted downstairs into the basement and out in the snowy yard. I stood there freezing my holly jollies off.
Dad kept hoofing it down the street to the Derby Room. Eventually I went back inside. I never did figure out what caused the outburst. Our family invented “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
- More...
December 09, 2013 |
|
Viewpoints
Commentary
Opinions/Letters
Basic
Rules &
Freedom of Speech
Questions, please contact
the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696
Sitnews reserves the right to edit.
 Open Letter to Ketchikan City Council By George "Skip" Thompson - My Grandfather came to Ketchikan via The Yukon in 1919, and the family has been in boat work here ever since. My wife and I have been life members of The Tongass Historical Society since Mrs. McGillvray's tenure. To say l have been disappointed lately with the Museum operation would be an understatement. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Please remember WISH By Vivian Benson - During the holiday season of giving please remember Women In Safe Homes (WISH). WISH provides safe shelter and support services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and works to increase community safety and awareness on topics of violence against women and children. The good news is that each of us can make a difference! We can educate ourselves and learn to listen and respond helpfully to someone in an unsafe situation. We can donate time or money to support our community members during times of trauma and need. We can join WISH to make sure essential services remain available in Ketchikan and Southern Southeast Alaska. The statistics from the recent UAA Victimization survey emphasize the necessity of retaining these services in our community. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Sun on a Rain guage By Al Johnson - Visiting square one is not a bad thing at times to do. With the vote to cease the proposed rain gauge project for the reasons given places the question of a rain gauge replacement back to that square. This is a wonderful opportunity for the community of Ketchikan to demonstrate the ability to disagree and then come to a mutual solution reflecting a successful conclusion to the issue. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Giving away the farm By Rick Gustin -
House Bill 77 is a pretty disturbing piece of work. Is it a bill to streamline resource development permitting; or a stripping of Alaskan citizens of their state constitutional right of access to fish and wildlife and water resources along with public notification and comment on resource extraction? - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
RE: One-sided Report On Timber Transition By Karen Bradley -
Thanks to Eric Muench for his factual rebuttal to the farcical article published in October by the "Geos Institute" and Mater, Inc. We need to hear more of the "solid" science of the carbon sequestration regarding old growth forests, of which he writes. There is so much environmentally-skewed pseudo-science published, out to confuse the public who has no understanding of the metrics of carbon sequestration. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Accountability By Ed Plute -
This is one of the hundreds of things that are so wrong with the 2013/2014 budget. In a town this small, why are we even paying taxes?! With so much income from tourism, we are being dumped on! Now a loss of public trust, and a complete waste of tax payer's money. It's one thing to SAY something, it's another to DO something about it! Do you recognize truth when it's staring you in the face? You need to see it, instead of those who are hiding it. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
SE Alaskan Father & Son... By Lois Morgan -
I am likely not the first person to write in support of the Wilcox families grand and laudable plans, but I doubt anyone else is more heartened than I by their wonderful goal. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
SitNews By David Williams - Finally after all these years of reading SitNews I realized what kept me coming back and that is the magnificent photos your photographers have been shooting. The opening of SitNews is always with outstanding shots of the SouthEast that makes one wish to come to see it up close and real. That is NOT to disparage the content for that too is excellent. - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Rain Bong By Duane Hill - "Art does not have to be esthetically pleasing" does not mean "Only something revolting can be art". - More...
Monday PM - December 09, 2013
Webmail your letter or
Email Your Letter To: editor@sitnews.us
|
Articles &
photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright
and may not be reprinted or redistributed without written permission
from and payment of required fees to the proper sources.
|
|
Paid for by Bill Walker for Governor - 731 N Street - Anchorage, AK 99501
|
Weekly Specials |
|
|
|
