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Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Kayhi not meeting school standards By Chas Edwardson - When you read Ketchikan High School's explanation on why they missed the AYP (adequate yearly progress) for schools, all you need to do is eliminate economically disadvantaged youth and native kids and you're on easy street. But wait a second -- Metlakatla is full of native kids are they not??? All three of Metlakatla's schools made the cut. The Prince of Wales Island School District is the most economically distressed area of the state and seven of eight schools made the cut (Daily News August 7-8 weekend edition). Not all of the POW schools are exclusively either native or non native it's a general mix. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Library Vote Aug. 24 By Heidi Ekstrand - I spent quite a bit of time talking with people at the Blueberry Festival this year and was encouraged by the huge level of interest and support for a new library building in Ketchikan. We are far past the question of "do we need a new library?" and are poised on the brink of "let's get this thing built." - More....
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Public Library By Don Hoff Jr. - I've been reading the debates on the public library for some time now... here is what I know. The present library was designed to add additional floors for growth. It would be common sense to add an upper floor to the existing library and would be affordable to the taxpayer. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Joe Miller for U.S. Senator By Jim Rasmussen - After several months of reading, talking to who-ever would listen,letters,phone calls and e-mails to our elected representatives I have decided to vote for Joe Miller for U.S. Senator. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

I Choose Joe Miller for US Senate and Why; Choose to Be Informed By Sandra Rusin McCray - Southeast Alaska Timber Industry Retooling and Restructuring Act, introduced by current Senator Lisa Murkowski/Co-Sponsored by Mark Begich was introduced April 2, 2009. This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Time for a change By Alan Stein - I'm not one of those naïve people who believes Lisa Murkowski's millions on media is a reason to vote for her. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Ohhhh my aching Back! By James Schenk - For years, no all my life I have been very active as a Journeyman Electrician, Scuba Diver,Hard hat diver, fisherman, hunter, sportsman while in high school. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Chloramine By Susan Pickford - There is much more to be concerned about with chloramine than just the fish and dialysis patients. While those are certainly urgent concerns the acute and long term health ramifications for the general population are much more dire. I can tell you that the information below is the concensus of the scientific community, the subject of over 50 peer reviewed studies by the top water chemists in the country and not even wholely disputed by the EPA. - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

RE: It's A Matter Of Money By Robert S. Jones - Yes, it is a matter of money, but wasn't the Ketchikan Public Utility employee out of line for divulging information regarding Electrical Disconnects for nonpayment to a non Ketchikan Public Utility employee? - More...
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

GiggleFeet 2010 By Judith Green - What a great and grand way to start the Blueberry Arts Festival weekend - enjoying a Friday night full of Ketchikan talent along with some fun. - More....
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Information wanted By Doris Tobin Bordine - I'm Emery Tobin's daughter and am struggling (pleasantly) writing a book about my grandpa August Tobin's gold rush experiences plus a memoir of my folks' and my lives in Ketchikan. - More....
Monday PM - August 09, 2010

Friday - August 06, 2010

It's a Matter of Money By Sam Bergeron - Today in the mall I ran across a friend who works for Ketchikan Public Utilities. He told me today he was disconnecting 30 electric customers who could not afford to pay their electric bills. 30. That's 30 families with no electricity. I may be stepping out on a limb here but I think these families can't afford any more taxes, fees and expenses other than keeping themselves fed with a roof over their heads. - More...
Friday - August 06, 2010

The White Cliff Factor By Ed Fry - After reading Mr. Dial's posting I can see where we are spending much too much in a tax base that will not support White Cliff's uses, bottom line is it is really expensive per square foot; renting for 5 years to collect some data would have been a better option in today's economy. - More...
Friday - August 06, 2010

Out of the Box By A. M. Johnson - Having just returned from a out of town trip, an acquaintance, Snapper Carson, accosted me at the post office in support of candidate Walker for Governor. Snapper expounded on Mr. Walker's support for resource development and being out spoken on many subjects favored by Snapper and myself. He indicated that a "Great Debate" is to take place during the Blue Berry Festival and that the Chamber of Commerce is taking questions to be asked. I declined to accept his invitation to submit questions to the Chamber on the basis that (1) there is no Great Debate in political gatherings. (2)The Chamber while well intended,is charged with going along to get along so it would be doubtful that an "Out of the Box" question would see the light of the day. These political gatherings are "Position Poppycock" designed to not upset anybody and appear as middle of the road moderate. - More...
Friday - August 06, 2010

Chloramine in City Water By Kristine Bellanich - From what I understand, beginning this month, Ketchikan Public Utilities will begin working towards adding chloramine to the city water supply. As an FYI to those who do not know what chloramine is, it is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. - More...
Friday - August 06, 2010

The Library ... Again By Patrick Jirschele - I know, everyone is tired of hearing about the library, and I did take some cheap shots with my "Ten Best Reasons" letter. But there is still a lot of bad information being repeated by folks in decision making positions who should be more knowledgeable. - More...
Friday - August 06, 2010

Tuesday - August 03, 2010

USCIS Office in Ketchikan By Betty Constuble - I so agree with Mr. Jose Garcia's letter. We very much need a USCIS office in Ketchikan. - More...
Tuesday - August 03, 2010

RE: The Whitecliff Factor By Penny Eubanks - As the Plaza Manager at the time of the RFP (request for proposal) for the Borough offices, I noted right off the get go the apparent slants. I found it quite interesting to remember that in September of 2007, I believe it was, The Ketchikan Daily News reported on Dawson's purchase of Whitecliff building. In that article, Dawson himself noted that they were planning to remodel the building for Borough offices. Mind you, this was PRIOR to the January 2008 date that the Borough actually put the RFP out! Oh by the way - Dawson did not pay the $50K downpayment until the VERY day the RFP went out for public bid!!! Does something stink here? (Who is taking another bite out of whose apple?!) - More..
Tuesday - August 03, 2010

Detailing WITH Insurance By Nelson Hays - I have had several people ask me if the letter Terry Miles posted last week about a detail job gone wrong was AT my shop, and I want to clarify - IT WASN'T ME! The description of the business as a "detail" shop with a young owner made many people suspect me, but I assure you it was another company. - More...
Tuesday - August 03, 2010

Bike Safety By Marie- Jeanne Cadle - I would like to respectfully request that bike riders signal when coming up on walkers or more slow moving riders, perhaps even telling them on which side they will pass. I am excited to see more and more bike riders out and about, but riders need to remember they are almost silent and are usually moving much faster than those they are passing. - More...
Tuesday - August 03, 2010

Saturday - July 31, 2010

The Whitecliff factor By Rodney Dial - Mr. Thompson, I agree with your letter and share your frustration with the way the Whitecliff project has progressed. Here is my take on the issue as I see it over the last several years: - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Still want to know... Still no Answers. By Marilyn Blair - It's nice to see that a shareholder would take all that time to go to Cape Fox Corporation (CFC) and research years of archives to learn so much about my time with CFC and things that transpired during my time as a board member of Cape Fox. But, Eric, you give one board member way too much credit! You make it seem as if I brought all those proposals to the board when I didn't. LOL! Sorry, just couldn't help but find it all so humorous. Really, IF I was so powerful, believe me, all Cape Fox Shareholders would be rich right now! - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Service Ketchikan with USCIS Office By Jose S Garcia - It is lamentable to note that Legitimate Permanent Residents (LPRs) takes the cudgel in spending their own money to go to Juneau to avail of the applications for US Citizenship (N400). - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Amnesty won't work: Secure our borders By Clarence E. Hill - Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

RE: Drainage (and the purpose of government); and bear stuff too By Vanessa Nowland - I bet if SitNews had a "like" button similar to Facebook's there would be a lot of "thumbs up" for Mr. Hofeling's opinion letter. I recall getting the exact same response from the city when we lived on Ketchikan Lakes Road. It wasn't until my husband fell on the glacier that covered our road, injuring his ribs and the ambulance almost took out a utility pole trying to get to us that they started paying any attention. - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Thankful By Joey Tillson - A while ago, I posted a letter on SitNews stressing the importance of community and how this is my home. The many events over the course of a year have put many of us all in stressful, hurtful times. But I will tell you and stress it again, what I love about this town is the sense of community you will NOT find anywhere else. No matter what walk of life each of us has stumbled into, we are still community. - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Skate Park By Connie Williams - Is the Borough experiencing the same song and dance about a skate park as it did in 1997-1998? Lots of folks, talking to assembly members and parks and recreation staff about the importance of supporting the youth and giving them something to do. Government officials were hearing it in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. The problem I saw was you had many folks in favor of the project, but in reality, only a few, by comparison actually utilized the facility for what it was intended. - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

SitNews By Lou Ann Richardson - I just wanted to send out a couple thank you's. First to Sitnews editor Mary Kauffman for her dedication and committment to keeping Sitnews current and relevant. Thank you Mary, we know it's often challenging. Second, to the various photographers who take the time to find those special moments in this grand place and then share them with all of us here on Sitnews. I always look forward to seeing what the front page has in store from day to day. - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

RE: Bailey Bay Hot Springs By Linda Beaupre - In regards to Bailey Bay Hot Springs, my husband and I tried to hike up to the hot springs last summer. Unfortunately the trail we found was in a sorry state of disrepair. The rope crossing the creek was frayed and loose (and dangerous!) and a large landslide had taken out the entire trail right after the waterfall, ending our journey since we had no way of circumventing the landslide. Large parts of the trail was nothing more than mud pits. - More...
Saturday - July 31, 2010

Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Back to old tricks. By Glen Thompson - I haven't written Sitnews in a while but the issue is simply too important to let slip by. When I was elected to the Assembly, the Borough finances were in shambles. We had less than $1 million in General Fund reserves, we had a Schoenbar project that was in serious trouble and under water by several million dollars. Thank heaven we had a Land Trust Fund with a few million savings in it that we could borrow to fill the gap. Had the Legislature not come through and reimbursed us to the tune of $6 million, we would be in a fine pickle still! Our mill rate was approaching 7 and we were having trouble funding basic services and schools. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Drainage (and the purpose of government) By Dustin Hofeling - Living in a rain forest, drainage is a problem we all have to face sooner or later. I live on Deer Mountain Court, which is a road that has been forever plagued by drainage problems. I plan to put to fix the drainage issue on my property - what home owner wouldn't want to do this? But it will do no good unless the city fixes the drainage issue on the street that they built and paved. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Bailey Bay Hot Springs Should Remain Public By Mike Sallee - Many of the people in the Ketchikan area have enjoyed Bailey Bay Hot Springs - known to some as Shelokum Hot Springs.  It is a picturesque and remote hot springs nestled next to excellent trout fishing on Lake Shelokum, just north of Bell Island Hot Springs. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

What Happened to our SkatePark? By Bobbie McCreary - Monday night I appeared in front of the Borough Assembly during public comments. I passed out a letter from Taira Wilhelm (Kayhi grad 2008) along with the recent Sitnews letters. I explained I would take only a little of their time as this was a special meeting to address the White Cliff building. I explained that day as I left the Youth Center building project on Park Avenue and drove up Schoenbar towards the bypass I passed by Walker Field. I looked at the fenced lot with a truck and a few pieces of miscellaneous equipment in it and said (out loud, actually!) WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO OUR SKATEPARK? - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Support Bill Walker for Governor By Radford, Harrington, Fultz, Carson, Radford, Bakk, Cooke - We listened to gubernatorial candidate Samuels on the radio this week. Ralph talked about the decline of oil output, which provides 90% of our State income, but we didn't hear any plan to replenish this lost revenue. He would like to see more oil drilling in Alaska. Wouldn't we all, but does anyone seriously think we can count on that to pay for our State government in the near future? He mentioned cutting State spending, but we are talking about 90% of our income disappearing! He supports a natural gas bullet line which he says will provide cheap energy to Alaskans, but the figures all show that a gasline carrying only the small amount Alaskans would use would be far too expensive to provide low cost fuel. Also, there are no permits, rights of way or environmental studies done for a bullet line, which puts construction ten years in the future. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Alaska Lifeline: Walker for Governor By Barb Lander - Reality Check! Think oil and gas issued aren t important to us in SE Alaska? Oil production is approaching a critical low that will mark the end of the pipelines viability. No oil flowing through the pipeline no oil revenue. The massive cuts in services AND new taxes needed to keep this vast state even barely functioning are staggering. Alaskan life as we know it is about over! - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Faces of the Sea By Judith Green - We in South East communities are used to artists giving us photos, drawings, paintings, and writings based on the culture of this great land. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Japanese Knotweed By Jane Collins - I have had this awful weed behind my shoe shop here in Northampton, UK for the last 4-5 years if not longer. It will NOT go away, despite everything I try to do. We are now using a powerful chemical that my husband uses on his farm to see if does the trick so it is just a matter of waiting to see the result. - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Japanese Knotweed Removal By Samantha Quinn - I was reading the letters regarding the Japanese knotweed problem some are having and found this information on Wikipedia.com on it's removal. I hope this helps! - More...
Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Monday - July 26, 2010

RE: Cape Fox Corp. Lack of Respect for Shareholders By Eric Trout - TO CAPE FOX SHAREHOLDERS: Marilyn Blair's letter is just another attempt to twist the issues while protecting her real personal interests. We all know there are two types of politicians, the ones who tell the truth and fight for what's right, the other politicians who twist the issues to benefit their own personal interests. Marilyn has been in the Cape Fox Board room for over 15 years I would say she has a history and experience in twisting issues. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Water Street Sidewalks By Chris Elliott - We have a one-way tunnel with a road going the other way around it. Now we have parallel sidewalks on Water Street. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Skateboard Park By Norm Noggle - I would like to second Vicky's suggestion to develop a skateboard park in Ketchikan. I agree that the existing half pipe at the rec center is very limited in developing skateboard riding skills. I would suggest that if there are a solid number of kids who want a qulaity skateboard park, then they need to organize (with adult assistance) and begin identifying the assets and barriers involved in the development of such a site. Some of the concerns that need to be addressed include: - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Re: Skate Park By Keith Woodard - Although I haven't really followed the skate park issue, I can sympathize with you Vicky. I know what it was like growing up as a bored teenager in this town with seemingly little to do. And I'm really saddened that as much community spirit this town has and as much as people would like to help the youth here, there still hasn't been a new skate park built among other things. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

RE: Skate park By Lexie Jones - I'm a 24-year-old who thinks we shouldn't always be looking for handouts! - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Doing Business without insurance By Terry Miles - Recently, I took my motorcycle, that happens to be a custom chopper into a local "Detail" shop here in the Ketchikan area, to have it cleaned and detailed. The bike is worth about $75k... it's a custom.  - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Concerned about Japanese Knotweed By Melinda Stewart - Browsing Sitnews this morning I saw the letter posted on Rotary Beach. Reading the description and looking at pictures online of knotweed, it is EXACTLY what I have growing in my yard!! - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Goodbye, Don & Lois Kralis By Bill Sullivan - I was saddened to read of the passing of Don and Lois Kralis. They will be missed. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Adhere To Immigration Laws By Donald A. Moskowitz - The federal government, working with the border states, should provide the personnel and resources to secure our borders. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Monday - July 19, 2010

Wrong one fired! By Hugh T. Wilson Jr. - I was a State Certified Police Officer for the town of Metlakatla for approximately 5 years. I served the people of the community of Metlakatla to the best of my ability and I never complained. I was fired June 9, 2010 by Chief of Police Nick Yliniemi in the driveway of my home for reasons I'm still trying to figure out. Now after overcoming adversity, working hard and putting the people that deserved it behind bars, I now have to figure out how I'm supposed to support and take care of my family of 4 with one (maybe 2) on the way. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

Glad for our black bears By Judith Green - OK Ketchikan, aren't we glad for our black bear population? Gives us lots of opportunity for photos and stories, along with eye to eye viewing. I never get tired of yet another picture of these grand creatures with whom we share a love for local-wild salmon and fresh off the bush vitamin packed berries. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

Skate park By Vicky Campo - I want to know when our kids are going to get their skate park. Everything I hear is that there is always a reason why it isn't being pursued. My son is a skate boarder and he is also involved in a lot of Ketchikan's activities including High School. He is involved in basketball, football, and baseball. These kids are always being told that can't skateboard anywhere in Ketchikan besides the rec center, with the talent they have the rec center only allows so much for them. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

Monday - July 12, 2010

Cape Fox Corp. Lack of Respect for Shareholders By Marilyn Blair - Once again the Cape Fox Board of Directors are showing their total lack of respect for the shareholders! They reschedule our annual shareholder meeting two days before its scheduled time and the only notification we get is a sign on the Saxman Community Hall and don't even get a reason why! Last year they rescheduled all the way into October and that was because of the audited finacial statements. - More...
Monday - July 12, 2010

Library By Peter Bolling - My wife and I are completing our one-year hiatus from Ketchikan while I took a sabbatical to attend school.  There are two Ketchikan institutions that we have missed the most:  the public library and KRBD. - More...
Monday - July 12, 2010

Farewell By Sean Powell - Without taking precious reader time, I wanted to say a fond farewell to my friend Don Kralis. As most of you probably know, Don and his wife Lois were killed in late June outside of Terrace, BC. There was a memorial service for him on July 2nd but I was unable to attend. I thought that a few kind words in a public forum might speed him happily on his way to the Great Beyond. - More...
Monday - July 12, 2010

To those opposed to S 881 By Jean Bland - To Johnnie Laird and who ever else is and has taken money provided by SEALASKA; how many of you from these communities (Thorne Bay; Coffman Cove; Port Protection; Naukati; Whale Pass; Hollis) are still working for companies who are contracted by SEALASKA and being paid by them? - More...
Monday - July 12, 2010

Thursday PM - July 08, 2010

Library Tax By Ed Marksheffel - For those outside of the City of Ketchikan please note on your Property Tax Statement, and I quote, "Nonareawide (Library)" and an amount you pay for it. I seem to recall a history lesson about a war and the statement 'Taxation without representation" was one of the causes. - More...
Thursday PM - July 08, 2010

S 881 Bill Still Misses Mark; Ignores Community and Small Business Concerns By Johnnie Laird - After many months of participation in the S 881 process, I continue to be disappointed in Senator's Murkowski's legislation that will go up before the Senate Natural Resources Committee by the end of this month. - More...
Thursday PM - July 08, 2010

MORE FUN AND GAMES AT UAS KETCHIKAN CAMPUS By Robert D. Warner - A recent announcement that the position of UAS Ketchikan Campus Director will be filled for the next year by a temporary troika of people is yet another blunder by the UAS Juneau based administration. This administration has dictated Ketchikan campus policy since 1987 when Ketchikan Community College was eliminated. When the local Campus Director announced her departure in early May, a search for a replacement could have promptly started. Such a search could be conducted efficiently and fairly in about three to four months. This schedule would have allowed one month for advertising, one month for screening applications, and a third month for interviews and hiring. Now we have a needless delay that will drag this process out for another year, perhaps longer! When the long overdue retirement of a UAS provost was finally announced in 2003, pending a replacement being hired, it took 7 years for UAS to hire that replacement. - More...
Thursday PM - July 08, 2010

Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

Tongass Tribe Land - Ketchikan By Aan Kadax Tseen aka Don Hoff Jr. - We are the lineal descendants of the Taan ta Kwaan means Sealion People or known as Tongass Tribe (hereinafter the "Tongass Tribe" or "Tribe"), a traditional and historical Alaskan Native Tribe in Ketchikan indisputably recognized by all Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes in Southeast Alaska. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

Ketchikan's Rock Pit Library By Robert D. Warner - Some of us are rather tired of hearing about "Ketchikan's harassed public librarians." The last time I checked, many of them have been feeding quite heartily at the public trough. We are also tired of the continuing effort to hide our public library in an unsightly rock pit removed from the center of Ketchikan. This is both frustrating and discouraging. Why doesn't Ketchikan Public Library have professional leadership and courage to stop this misguided effort? It is fortunate that several folks like Mr. Bergeron are willing to speak out on this important issue. Shouldn't we be pleased that the public library would remain at the hub of a city center as it has for over 100 years? Why would we want to hide it at a unsightly rock pit? - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

The Ten Top Reasons to Put the Library in the Rock Pit at Copper Ridge By Patrick Jirschele - Number Ten: The librarians won't have to waste time waking up the bums because the drilling and blasting will make it impossible to sleep. That's right, it is an active rock pit! Look out for flying rocks. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

Library By Tom LeCompte - As much as I would've liked to see a gorgeous new library sitting on top of the hill downtown, it has been explained to me by KJ Harris that one of the main reasons to not have it there is the limited access and maneuvering room for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. That is the best explanation for not using that spot. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

Rotary Beach By MJ Cadle - I was at Rotary Beach yesterday and noticed what I believe is Japanese knotweed beginning to take hold. For those of you who know knotweed, you know what a terrible thing this will be. For those of you who don t, think plants with large leaves that grow 15 feet high in one year and are so densely packed even grass finds it hard to grow between. There is an excellent example of what they are capable of doing as you go north around the sharp corner just before the first Sunset Drive turnoff. That dense growth on the right side is knotweed and only knotweed. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

I Oughta Be In Pictures By Daylene Currier - I just finished Dave Kiffer's article. Thanks! I really needed that laugh! I think I need to go back through my pictures now to see how many have been graced by your presence! - More...
Tuesday PM - July 06, 2010

Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Library Location By Suzan Thompson - An inaccessible rock pit? Would that be the one with the broad paved two-lane road sweeping past it? As opposed to an inaccessible cliff top requiring construction of an extremely expensive elevator, the realigning of two steep, narrow streets, and the elimination of the parking which local jurors depend on to keep from being loaded with overtime parking tickets as they do their civic duty down at the bottom of the hill? And that so that we can provide tourists with access to our library? - More...
Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Place it here, or place it there! By Joseph T. Craig - Everyone has their idea of where the new library, fire station, museum , or other buildings should be placed. I would like to inject my thoughts as well. - More...
Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Borough loans By Angelo L. Martin - No , No , No. Have you not learned from past history? I was a Borough Assembly member when the mill closed and when we got the 25 million dollars as the economic disaster fund. I voted to give loans to the bowel factory, Veneer plant, etc. Only one word describes it -- DISASTER!! - More...
Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Thank You By Ben Hastings - I am the father of a handicapped young lady that every one in Ketchikan knows - Lizzy. We just came from the dedication of Opportunity House on Caralina and I was totally impressed. - More...
Wednesday - June 30, 2010

Monday PM - June 28, 2010

No Friend of the Taxpayers By Sam Bergeron - The City Council is no friend of Ketchikan's taxpayers. - More...
Monday PM - June 28, 2010

Bill Walker for Governor By Andy Rauwolf - Bill Walker is the only candidate with a plan and the know how to bring low cost energy to every corner of the state. This is the crucial element that will allow our businesses to grow and develop. With a thriving economy and continued revenues from an in-state gas pipeline flowing into the state coffers Alaska will be a model for the rest of the nation, and our children will finally have a future right here instead of being forced to seek jobs elsewhere. - More...
Monday PM - June 28, 2010

S. 881: Sealaska Bill By Bob Claus - Last week, the U.S. Senate Energy Committee passed 26 bills out of the committee. Senate Bill 881, the Sealaska Bill, was not in this big group of lands bills. - More...
Monday PM - June 28, 2010

Thursday - June 24, 2010

Oil Spill Compensation Act of 2010 By U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski - We're entering the third month of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 22nd year since the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef. In the Gulf of Mexico, as much as 3 million barrels of crude have already spilled from the blown-out well, and in Prince William Sound there is still oil hiding under rocky beaches. - More...
Thursday - June 24, 2010

Ketchikan Gateway Borough economic loan proposal. By A.M.Johnson - After reading the economic loan proposal on an Economical Development Loan program on the borough website, I am convinced that the concept of the borough staff and Assembly being in a decision position to loan money is not a healthy concept. - More...
Thursday - JUne 24, 2010

The Case for Burying S 881 By Alan Stein - Two of America's most open and transparent Senators are on a campaign to keep legislation they wrote and cosponsered behind closed doors. - More...
Thursday - June 24, 2010

Bill Walker has the plan By Ann Graham Radford - We recently attended the funeral of Governor Wally Hickel. It was a wonderful tribute to a great Alaskan. Wally loved Ketchikan and we returned the affection - we were the only District in Alaska where Wally won every election he ever entered, even the write-in! - More...
Thursday - June 24, 2010

Monday - June 21, 2010

Proposal to purchase property for Fire Station 7 By Ed Fry - In response to both Chief Hull and Mr. Dial, the questions that were asked were on target and appropriate; thank you Mr. Dial for calling the questions. - More...
Monday - June 21, 2010

Bill Walker has an Alaskan Plan! By Barb Lander - Bill Walker, Republican gubernatorial candidate deserves your consideration. He is a lifelong Alaskan that like most real Alaskans has a broad and varied background. Most recently he has worked as a lawyer focusing primarily on oil and gas issues, but he has also done construction, worked as a laborer building the pipeline and had a stint commercial fishing. - More...
Monday - June 21, 2010

City improvements By Casey Eberle - First of all let me say, that yes I am a new resident of Ketchikan. It seems that many in this town feel that unless you have been here for an extended period of time you aren't a "local", but I am here for the long haul, and there are several things about this town that I have noticed. - More...
Monday - June 21, 2010

S 881 By Judy Magnuson - We are still waiting to see the new revised S 881 bill, hopefully we will have enough time to adequately assess the new impacts of this legislation on the communities of Southeast. From what we have heard so far I feel that the new bill will not be any different than the last one, places will have been moved around effecting different communities more and others less, but the main objections to this bill will remain the same. Sealaska will still be given millions of dollars of infrastructure paid for at the taxpayers expense, in essence a bail -out of a private corporation by the taxpayers because of their own failure to properly utilize the land they were originally given. The second growth alone cost the taxpayers $10 million in thinning on the 20,721 acres of young growth, plus costs of roads, log transfer facilities, bridges, decades of maintenance, costs of planning, studies, loss of 184 acres with established long term research plots, and loss of 7,359 Geological Special Areas. - More...
Monday - June 21, 2010

Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Proposal to purchase property for Fire Station 7 By Dave Hull - In reference to Mr. Rodney Dial's questions regarding the proposal to purchase property for Fire Station 7, he asks that I answer questions he poses in his letter to the editor. For the record, these are excellent questions that I am sure are being asked by many. I encourage others to call, write or stop by and talk. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Let Everyone Vote By Penny Hamlin Connelly - I have been a townie pretty much my whole life, taking for granted being able to vote on all issues concerning the city and the borough. Imagine my surprise when I moved out North a few years ago, went to vote, and discovered part of my election ballot was missing. I went into total Ketchikan Culture Shock. "What do you mean I don't get to vote on city issues?" Took me awhile to get over it, but I did. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Library By Mark Johnson - The Library has served us very well since it started way back when in 1901 now it's time for us to serve it well and build the new building. Now we'll get much of it paid for with matching funds that we will lose at the rate we are going and that is not going to get us anything. The current building is too small so moving to a new site is the only real option. The downtown site that was the main street school has been rejected twice already. There are problems with all the sites we could have a library on, not one of them is perfect and no place we choose to build can be, but we have a site picked and money in the bank as well as plans in the works. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

S.881: Same Pig, Different Sunglasses and Wig By Sandy Powers - The proposed revisions of the rehashed Sealaska bill S.881 reflect but little difference from previous versions. Some of the selections of the high-value roaded timber got switched with other selections of high-value roaded timber. Parts of north POW were spared immediate impact but Edna Bay, Hollis, Thorne Bay and other areas were hit as hard or harder in return. Some brand new areas were added, such as two tidal energy sites and two geothermal sites. A hydroelectric site is still proposed for Josephine Lake. 190,000 acres of additional LUD-II style lockups on Kuiu, Prince of Wales, Kosciusko, Kupreanof and a couple other islands recommended by staffers, and no doubt SEACC are thrown in for good measure. How ironic - the very groups and politicians who call for transparency and public involvement now eagerly override those guiding principles when it serves their own personal interests. The revision claims new protection for karst, but the Forest Plan already identifies and protects karst. This politically motivated bill hatched up behind closed doors only panders to the special interests of a private corporation and foundation-funded green groups. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Re: Tax Payers Revelation By Peggy Green - I think Don Borders makes perfect sense in his article regarding the Library, and other Government offices. I too think that the Borough offices should utilize the Ward Cove property. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Federal Government Unprepared for Disasters By Donald A. Moskowitz - Our federal government under two administrations has dropped the ball with a major regional problem and unfortunately the Gulf oil spill debacle succeeded the hurricane Katrina debacle in the same region of the country. Where are FEMA and other government agencies when these problems occur? - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Re: A letter to North Tongass residents By Daylene Currier - I applaud Rodney Dial's ambition and his open-mindedness to this issue. So many people argue about what is right and wrong, and of course, theirs is the only opinion that ever matters. - More...
Thursday PM - June 17, 2010

Tuesday - June 15, 2010

A letter to North Tongass Residents By Rodney Dial - My wife and I work 2 jobs each, 7 days a week. We are trying to be responsible citizens providing for our families, and preparing for our future. It's a challenge to say the least when just providing simple things like braces for our children costs $800 per month. - More...
Tuesday - June 15, 2010

Library Site By Suzan Thompson - Being old enough to remember when the downtown core was a thriving, vibrant business and residential district, and having a lot of nostalgia for the days when there were about fifty little mom-and-pop businesses down there which were open all year long, I was one of those people who really wanted to see the library stay downtown. However, after having been to almost all the meetings where the location of the library was a topic of discussion, and having listened to all the public comment and all the pros and cons, even I am finally convinced that the Copper Ridge site is the better choice. - More...
Tuesday - June 15, 2010

Thursday - June 10, 2010

Tax Payers' Revelation By Don Borders - The current outcome of the various state primaries for political seats have reflected the voices of the people concerned with the excess big government spending by electing conservative primary candidates. Elections this fall are going to be an eye-opener for the current elect. - More...
Thursday - June 10, 2010

YES! The Public Library Should Stay Downtown By Robert D. Warner - Three cheers to the grass roots folks responsible for the petition drive to keep the Ketchikan Public Library in the downtown core area. It just makes good sense that a public vote on the issue would be the first step in deciding possible locations for the public library. I find it most unfortunate that this critical step was never taken or encouraged by city and library managers. As a result, significant funds have been spent and public frustration aroused with little accomplished. We are very fortunate that this group moved forward to ask city residents where they would like to locate their public library. - More...
Thursday - June 10, 2010

Summer Dungeness fishery By Mike Moyer - It's a serious issue that demands serious attention and we need to have the resource on our minds. Being a commercial fisherman is a good thing. I come from a commercial fishing family and am proud of that. - More...
Thursday - June 10, 2010

Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Democracy Is Messy By Samuel Bergeron - Winston Churchill said "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried". I'm grateful I live in a country that allows its citizens to criticize and challenge its government. The decision to start a ballot initiative to require the City to build a future library on property it already owns and keep it in downtown Ketchikan was well considered by our group. We are made up of planners, builders, citizens, land developers, local business leaders, realtors and concerned community members of both the City and Borough. We are united in the concept that the library should be centrally located downtown so all of the public has convenient access. After all, it is a Public Library. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Lower property tax rate is good for all By Rodney Dial - On Tuesday as I was reading the paper you could have knocked me over with a feather after I saw that the Borough Assembly reduced the mill rate (they had been discussing raising it). As a frequent critic of local government I feel that it is only right to say "thank you". - More...
Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Thank you By Becky Burnham - Thank you to the officers and volunteers who risked their lives to save our friends (and my bridesmaid), Stacie Cavner's, life, and the lives of all who could be saved in the plane. - More....
Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Capital Budget By Maj Gen Thomas H. Katkus - Alaska requires infrastructure to reach resources and improve the economy. Governor Sean Parnell created the Alaska Military Force Advocacy and Structure Team (AMFAST) to provide recommendations for cooperative projects that support and expand the military industry in our state. As chairman of the AMFAST, I am pleased to tell you that our short-term strategic plan has already yielded success! - More...
Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Library Location By Amanda Kiely and Drew Lindner - The purpose of a public library is to provide its patrons with resources, information, and materials. As of late, though, it seems this central objective has been completely lost in the debate over where to build our new library. - More...
Wednesday PM - JUne 09, 2010

Military support and Tanana Bridge project By Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Katkus - The State of Alaska and the communities of Fairbanks and North Pole should join me in thanking Rep. Mike Kelly and Governor Sean Parnell for supporting the rail bridge over the Tanana River. This bridge is the first step in completing our rail connection to Fort Greely and to Canada. More importantly, it provides dependable year-round access to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. This training area is one of the largest in the country. Reliable access provides an exceptional opportunity to all branches of our military to exercise and train in a realistic and challenging environment without public disruption. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 09, 2010

Monday - June 07, 2010

Dungie clarification By Chris Snyder - Apparently Mr. Moyer misunderstood the relevant gist of my letter. So, I repeat: "...if there are legitimate conservation issues, then by all means lets restrict crabbing--for everyone." That is not a question. It is a statement. - More...
Monday - June 07, 2010

COURTESY By Cecelia Johnson - My family and I were out enjoying the sunny weather recently and took a drive out North. We stopped in a store to purchase a refreshing bottle of water and snacks. An unnamed store has a very rude clerk. This individual's whole persona exhibited ill manners! We need Mystery Shoppers. Another Northend store clerk was also very rude. I purchased an item and received a "look of disdain" with no thanks before I walked out! - More...
Monday - June 07, 2010

RE: Library Location By Pat Long - Kudos to Nathan Brooks for a well thoughtout and reasonable letter. - More...
Monday - June 07, 2010

Friday - June 04, 2010

Library Location: Ballot initiative By Chris J. Herby - It seems that here in Ketchikan there always needs to be a divisive issue to keep everyone from getting bored. This year's issue appears to be the location of the proposed new library. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Library Location By Nathan Brooks - There are many generations of my family living in Ketchikan. There are always issues in any community which cause conflicts and differing opinions. However, Ketchikan is reaching a level of constant conflict which is making it difficult for me and mine to want to live here any longer. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Ketchikan City Council and private business By Charles Edwardson - I would like to retract any statements about the Ketchikan City Council meddling and intervening in the private sector. I criticized them for meddling and intervening in a cab company's request to invest their own money to improve their own business, - More...
Friday - JUne 04, 2010

Friday - June 04, 2010

Bill Walker for Governor By Lawrence "Snapper" Carson - As Alaskans we have a lot to be thankful and grateful for. What a beautiful place to work, play and live. Its stewardship should be of utmost importance to all us. We have the opportunity this year to elect a governor who has the interest and ability to make Alaska a better place for all Alaskans. His name is Bill Walker, he was born in Alaska and has worked and raised his family as a life long Alaskan. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Memorial Day By Joel W Jackson - This past Monday my family and I had the honor of attending Ketchikan's Memorial Day services at our local cemetery. It is a tradition that my mother passed on to me and I have tried to pass on to my children. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Crab Question By Mike Moyer - To answer Chris Snyder's' question: Yes there are legitimate concerns over the handling of crab by the commercial fleet during the summer months and increased mortality occurs during this time. It is known that simply handling crab causes stress and increases mortality. Handling crab during the summer months during molting and mating increases that mortality even more. The numbers of crab handled by commercial boats would obviously be greater than sport fishers because they are using more pots and trying to target more crab. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Real Men By Al Johnson - My comment to Representative Ethan Berkowitz, "Real Men do not KILL Babies". - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Re: Dopey Mushers By Alan R. (Rudy) McGillvray - What a wonderful thing is propaganda. Mr. William R. Hearst launched a propaganda assault against hemp (marijuana by another name) because he could make paper more cheaply using wood pulp instead of hemp pulp. He and Harry Anslinger of the FDA, (a tool of a tax and spend rich Democrat, J.P. Morgan, who was Sec. of the Treasury at the time) saw a way to turn a whole class of people into criminals. So they all launced a propaganda campaign against Pot, hemp, marijuana, and managed to turn public opinion, against a mostly harmless substance, that did not even approach illegality or harmfullness of heroin, but through their propaganda campaign, managed to turn it into something even more powerful than heroin. Peoples' perception. - More...
Friday - June 04, 2010

Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Commander-In-Chief Went AWOL By Donald A. Moskowitz - As a Navy veteran, I am appalled President Obama, our Commander-In-Chief, did not lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day 2010. Instead, he went on vacation. - More...
Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Library Location By Chris Elliott - It would be interesting to know what the community's reaction was when the new high school was built at the top of that huge hill "out the road" (Fourth & Madison). -More...
Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill By A.M.Johnson - Just a thought. Do you suppose that Cletus and Barney, a couple of rednecks, hold the solution to cleaning up the oil spill? - More...
Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Slow moving vehicles By Kim Morton - Just wanted to post a rant about the slow moving eclectic golf carts that I have ran into out south and now out by Wal-Mart. I am pretty sure these cars need to stay in town and seeing them driving down the road when it's supposed to be 50 mph is frustrating to say the least. - More...
Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Illegal Immigration Healthcare Costs Affect YOU! By Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D. - The national spotlight is on Arizona for doing what the Federal government and previous Governor Napolitano refused to do: rein in an invasion of illegal aliens bankrupting our state (Arizona). At an August 2009 healthcare Town Hall in Phoenix, legislators said that more than half of Arizona's 4 billion dollar budget deficit was the result of paying for three areas of services to illegal immigrants: education, healthcare, and incarceration. - More...
Tuesday PM - June 01, 2010

Friday - May 28, 2010

Oil Spills as an Opportunity... By Donald Lee Struthers - What an opportunity. With the April 2010 oil spill situation in the Gulf of Mexico comes several opportunities. - More...
Friday - May 28, 2010

Dungeness By Chris Snyder - There is something very telling in Mr. Gossman's letters regarding the summer dungie fishery. Apparently he thinks that a crab cares WHICH user group harvests him. This simply is not the case. A crab is a fairly simple critter. He doesn't have the ability to look around at the boat deck he is on and say "sure am glad I got caught by this sport fisherman, or retired visitor, or whomever instead of", gasp!, "someone trying to make a living". - More...
Friday - May 28, 2010

Location of Library By Rita Leighton - I understand the library needs more room - but wouldn't it be much simpler to just move the museum out to a different location - possibly somewhere next to the cruise ship docks? There is a vacant lot between the Federal Building & the Logging Show, and that would give the library room to expand in its current, convenient location. - More...
Friday - May 28, 2010

Wednesday - May 26, 2010

FY2011 Capital Budget By Senator Bert Stedman - Governor Parnell has indicated that he intends to veto a significant number of projects in this year's Capital Budget. That would be a mistake. - More...
Wednesday - May 26, 2010

Government Regulation By R.K. Rice - DEROY MURDOCK's column "Era of unlimited government arrives" stated "Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business," President Calvin Coolidge told journalists in March 1929. - More...
Wednesday - May 26, 2010

Monday - May 24, 2010

Tax Heroes By Michael Spence - I have read with great interest the stream of letters coming to Sitnews about our high taxes and how to avoid them. - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Where are your taxes going? By Jean Griffin - Taxpayers, where are your dollars going? - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Parking Carnival By George Miller - Can you hear the calliope music as the parking carnival gets underway? Do people working downtown set an alarm clock so they know when to trot about looking for a place to park, thus possible avoiding the inevitable ticket? Is it worth ten bucks to not miss a sale during the season, and just roll over and pay? - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Great Library Site By Gay D. Peters - The best place to have the new library is Copper Ridge. I drive and it's almost impossible to find a parking space and now there will be plenty of spaces available. - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Library By Robert McRoberts - Over the last few years living in Ketchikan, I think our Borough government has been improving -- maybe from knowing and liking most all working there. With that said, I feel the city is just nuts. Why do we need this library? Where is your planing here? you have no place to build it, no thought at all in the area you select for the site. You get a good deal on the site, but what is the site? Have you dug holes yet? Yet that area is under development. It's going to have some kind of construction activity there for 30 years. Go ahead, put people out of work so you can have quiet. The only good thing I see about putting it there is the jail can let people check out books. - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Dwindling Fish Stocks By Carol Baines - It's estimated that seven out of ten people on the planet depend on fish as their primary source of nutrition. According to the experts, at the rate the seas are being degraded due to over-fishing and pollution, in approximately 40 years there will be no more fish. This all spells trouble --- a catastrophe for our future generations, our children and grandchildren. Fish provide roughly 40 per cent of the protein consumed by nearly two-thirds of the world's population. For example, over a billion people throughout Asia depend on fish and seafood as their major source of animal protein. Here in Alaska we have enjoyed our salmon, halibut, red snapper, et al. and don't want to see the stocks diminish or be contaminated. - More...
Monday - May 24, 2010

Friday - May 21, 2010

Recent posts regarding pool By Zig Ziegler - appreciate Sitnews and the forum it provides for healthy discussion of our community's issues. I truly appreciate it when there is disagreement amongst posts that remains civil and to the point, rather than a personal attack, while addressing different opinions. - More...
Friday - May 21, 2010

Thursday PM - May 20, 2010

Do Not Participate By Lloyd Gossman - Please do not participate in the sale or purchase of Dungeness Crab caught by Commercial fisherman during the summer in Southeast Alaska. This fishery is scheduled to open June 15th, 2010. - More...
Thursday PM - May 20, 2010

RE: Dopey Mushers By Dale Albertson - Well all be! WOW! Would someone please inform John that users of "dope" of this sort does not produce hallucinations? Talk to almost all street cops John, they would much rather deal with a person influenced by THC, which is the active ingredient in Cannabis, than to deal with a drunk. The person on "pot" there I said it, just gets the munchies and wants to lay down and go to sleep. Drunks are seldom non-violent, cause many accidents and deaths annually. I have dealt with both types hundreds of times in my many careers going back to early 70's, and the results have never differed except for the amount of violence one person can perpetrate on another when drunk. I have never in my long career had to deal with a violent pot head. Oh, and no I am not nor have I ever been a user of pot. I have observed a person on pot function and be a contributing productive member of society, and am always amazed, having been fed the same falsehoods you seem to have latched onto. - More...
Thursday PM - May 20, 2010

Re: New Pool By Chris Barry - Poor silly people. Do you honestly believe that if something benefits you, that it benefits the community as a whole? You need to wake up. I have never said I oppose replacing the pool. I understand it is needed for many activities in this community and that the current facilities would be too costly to repair correctly. - More...
Thursday PM - May 20, 2010

Tuesday - May 18, 2010

YouTube Violence By TJ Wilson - I am still having trouble believing that the youth in Ketchikan is so devoid of humanity and right feelings that it has taken me a while here to come to grips with it and speak out. I, of course, am speaking of the You Tube episode wherein many teens bullied an unfortunate individual. And the resulting lack of prosecution or official condemnation of their actions. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

Travesty, indeed. By P. J. Travis - The Copper Ridge site for a new library is not the site we supported or spoke for. The friends and neighbors we discussed the new library site with seemed to support the current downtown location, Heckman or Main School site. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

RE: Something's Fishy Here By Chris Rose - In response to Terri Anderson's opinion letter, I'm not sure what country you live in, but it's obvious that your a person who chooses to live in a paranoid delusional state when it comes to recent facts about BP spill in the Gulf. Its very doubtful that 'people all over the country' are getting the 'vibe' of your conspiracy theory of domestic terrorism. Any reasonable person would see that the evidence, based on eye witness first person account (see this weeks 60 Minutes story), that the explosion on the BP oil rig was as a result of a consistent disregard of industry safety practices designed to protect workers and the environment. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

Dishonesty and a Gallon of Milk By Sandy Powers - Saturday evening about 6:00 in front of Safeway I witnessed something disturbing. A gallon of milk fell off a woman's cart, unnoticed by her, as she made her way to her car. Before I could go pick it up for her, a small white sedan, license plate FCL-561, stopped; the woman driver picked up the milk and then continued to drive slowly toward me. I called out to her, "Hey, that milk fell of that woman's cart" as I pointed out the woman who had lost the gallon of milk. "Just getting it out of the street" the driver replied, and then to my amazement proceeded to drive out of the parking lot and away. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

Response to "New Pool" By Natalie Ripplinger - I read people's viewpoints on SitNews and it shocks me to read entries like "New Pool." Someone felt it was necessary to post about how they don't need a community service for themselves personally??!! Well, I feel like that's just really inconsiderate!! You may not need the pool, but a person should feel that when their community or members in their community benefit, that they in turn benefit too. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

ABOMINATION: The Non-Profit That Wants to Make a Whole Industry Non-Profitable By David G. Hanger - In the history of Ketchikan there have been an incredible number of scams. In the past decade alone we have had "Pips," the "Wooden Bowl Scam," and Veneergate I & II. We still have a city manager who views us as his servants. He is now selling at least part of that public monstrosity that is wrongfully competing with the private sector. Hopefully, the TV and internet crap are sold, too. - More...
Tuesday - May 18, 2010

Friday PM - May 14, 2010

Final Library Vote - a Travesty By Roberta "Bobbie" McCreary - What a Travesty! Last night's Council vote selected Copper Ridge (at the end of the 3rd Avenue Bypass) as the development site for the new Library for the next 50 years by default, not by choice. Comments made about the public (and the Council) being split down the middle actually reflected preferences for "downtown" or "not downtown" NOT reflecting one-half favoring Copper Ridge. I feel certain about this because I spoke to many people, adults and youth, with an open question, "What do you think about Copper Ridge as a location for the new Library." I estimate 85 to 90% said, in effect, "no way!" - More... (Link Corrected)
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

Let the voters decide By Rodney Dial - Apparently a few of my recent letters have upset some people regarding the pool. To those individuals I would simply say that I have never been against a community pool. In one letter I stated my belief that it is an important community asset. - More...
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

The American Flag By Kathy Flora - Monday May 31, is Memorial Day. As we salute the American Flag, and remember those whose coffins were draped by the flag, let us pay tribute to all veterans who served their country, and defended the rights and privileges which we, the living enjoy. - More...
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

New Pool By Chris Barry - For the record, not everyone will benefit from a new pool. I don't even benefit from the old pool, and I am sure there are thousands of locals who, like myself, have never used the pool in the past and plan to never use the pool in the future, old or new. - More...
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

RE: Dopey mushers By Margery Glickman - John Suter raised excellent points when he wrote: "The next thing that ITC does not have is drug testing transparency for the dogs on the trail. No one is allowed to see the drug test results. Why is that? How does any one know that the dogs are in fact drug tested?" - More...
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

King salmon bycatch, intercepted as well. By Michael A. Jimmy - This is good news for the chum salmon but for our mighty King salmon which also returns to migrate back to its spawning ground as far as the Yukon Territory in Canada does not do so well for us down here at Emmonak. Most of them, vital for our survival as subsistence and for economic benefit are caught as bycatch or intercepted before they have a chance to make it to the AYK and South Eastern Fisheries. This will be our third year this summer not being able to commercial fish for the mighty Yukon river king salmon. The fat content of this fish far surpasses the chum as well as the coho salmon.- More...
Friday PM - May 14, 2010

Tuesday - May 11, 2010

OceansAlaska Update By David Mitchel - I would like to update the community on progress at OceansAlaska. OceansAlaska Marine Science Center is a community-based non-profit with a volunteer board of directors and a multidimensional focus on education, mariculture development, and the display of local marine species. The Marine Science Center is a way to provide investment in a sustainable, year-around industry, as well as advance our children's education and help Ketchikan become a more attractive place to visit and live. It is infrastructure for the entire community and helpful for growing our economy. - More...
Tuesday - May 11, 2010

RE: Something's Fishy Here By Dave Head - I am responding to a view of: Terri Anderson in which she blames environmentalists for 2 recent oil rig disasters. Is there any chance she is related to Sarah Palin? Because frankly I have never read such a load of nonesense in my life. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 11, 2010

RE: Something's Fishy Here By Peter Jacob - I would like to present this response to Terri Anderson's opinion letter, "Something's Fishy Here". There are three possible reasons for the coming to the conclusions that you did in your letter: - More...
Tuesday PM - May 11, 2010

Dopey Mushers By John Suter - ITC has reported that two Iditarod mushers have tested positive on THC. ITC will not disclose the identities of the two dopey mushers. The reason for this is because they are in the good old boy net work receiving special privileges and double standards. You can take it to the bank, that if they were women, natives or other minorities who tested positive on their drug test, ITC would hang them out to dry. This is not the right way, but the white way. It is ITC's different strokes, for different folks. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 11, 2010

Supporting a New Pool By Vicki O'Brien - With the dearth of indoor recreation opportunities available in Ketchikan, I find it absolutely crazy that anyone would oppose the construction of a new Borough pool. We talk incessantly about how "there's nothing to do.." yet when the time come to construct a facility that everyone - EVERYONE - in the community can benefit from, there are actually opponents! Young, old, athletic, obese, able-bodied, disabled... there is not a segment of our community who could not benefit from a new pool. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 11, 2010

Land fill By Robert McRoberts - Recently there has been talk about letting S&S Construction dump waste in a borough land fill. Here's the deal guys, by doing this you tell many of us local contractors to bend over. If you're going to open up this area so it can be filled I think you had better take waste fill from every one of us. Make us get a key at the time we dump and lock up when done. We would be responsible for what we dump. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 11, 2010

Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Can't we work this out? In support of the Oceans Alaska Project By Jennifer Castle - I am a Mother with a preschool age child, I cannot tell you how much my son and other families enjoy the small aquarium tank outside the office in the mall. Seeing local sea creatures up close, and being able to ask questions and see them feed is a rare treat for adults and children alike. To me, this seems like just the beginnings of a wonderful relationship between Oceans Alaska and the people of Ketchikan. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Borough property tax rate By Dave Kiffer - I was surprised to read, in a recent letter to SITNEWS, that the borough property tax rate will go up this year because of the replacement pool project. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Re: Better management leads to lower taxes. By Ken Bylund - Mr. Dial... always refreshing to watch an effective observer criticize the devil; amazing how the majority of our species don't seem to notice as the current pack of predators skim ever increasing portions of our potential and freedom while they promote some feel-good give-away described as another crisis by our news creators; they and we have been mesmerized, ignoring that snakelike stealth of career politicians moving us toward absolute social fascism. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Swimming Pool By Jon Hurley - I wish Mr. Dial would attend a swimmg meet with the wind blowing and the rain pouring down. I know that he would love to have the tar dripping on his head and the roof shaking. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Open Letter To Ketchikan City Council: Ketchikan Public Library Concerns By Robert D. Warner - The following are basic questions that I feel need to be answered prior to any decisions being made on the future location of the Ketchikan Public Library. This is an important long term decision. The community will have to live with it for many years to come. We must not be pressured into hasty decisions by special interest groups. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Talent on Revilla Island By Judith Green - Never a disappointment is the music community on our island. We have great talent and not just talent, as my son reminded me, but we have people in Ktn who 'inspire' and encourage all ages and abilities to share that which they have and enjoy. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Thank You Ketchikan By Nicole Esau - Dear Ketchikan Residents, I have been living in Ketchikan for the last 5 1/2 years. I consider it my home. I recently was in a boating accident and spent 3 hours in the cold Gulf of Alaska on my way to fish herring and Salmon. I was traveling on the Northern Belle that went down quickly in the Gulf. It was a both horrifiy and life changing experience. I wanted to write because it was noted in several sources that I was from various places in the Northwest. I have been avoiding national media. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Kayhi and Revilla Class of 2010 Graduation Party By Ginny Clay - Dear Parents of Graduating Seniors, as you know every year the parents get together and throw a graduation party for the Seniors, this year is no exception. There are many fun and exciting things planned for a wonderful event at the Plaza Mall on the night of graduation. BUT we need your help! - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Withdraw THE BILL By Alan Stein - The new article "Sealaska Logging in Tongass rainforest would imperil rare species" is a very good article with good illustrations. Great writer. - The new article "Sealaska Logging in Tongass rainforest would imperil rare species" is a very good article with good illustrations. Great writer. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Open Letter to President Obama: Sealaska Land Bills By Gretchen Goldstein - Dear President Obama, thank you for your muscle and perseverance in getting us some health care reform. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Something's Fishy Here By Terri Anderson - Just curious, I know a lot of people all over the country are starting to get a vibe, that maybe some or maybe a lot of our extreme environmentalists might be responsible for the two oil rig mishaps that have happened, with precision timing. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

RE: Trail Closure By Beth Doddridge - While I do understand the position this writer took I feel I must mention the many other trails that are available to the "public" she made reference to. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

"Ozzy" White Persian Found By Kathy Armey - Our beloved Ozzy went missing April 17th from 12 Mile North Tongass. We did everything we could think of to bring Ozzy home. My husband, Doug got a call yesterday and Ozzy was found under a trailer home at 12 mile. He's in pretty good shape for being out in the elements for two weeks.He's skinny, but otherwise okay, just needs a good brushing out and a bath. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill Response By Marie-Jeanne Cadle - Here is a number you can call if you are interested in volunteering or working on the gulf oil spill response. Right now they are taking names, skills, training and contact info. They do not have any info about housing, travel, compensation, etc. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

RE: Hope this resolves the issue. By Marilyn Catron - There is no need to asked to be excused for giving your opinion here Mr. Jarvi. Isn't that what it's all about? Viewpoints, Opinion Letters? - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 3010

Aircraft Carriers In Jeopardy By Donald A. Moskowitz - An article in the Navy Times entitled "Strike group mission expands far beyond simple escort" has me concerned. - More...
Tuesday AM - May 04, 2010

Wednesday PM - April 28, 2010

Let's get behind the aquarium By Larry Jackson - This letter is in response to the efforts of many in the tourist industry to thwart the aquarium's efforts to raise federal grant money.  Although I appreciate their concerns of public money being used in a quasi competitive endeavor I think their efforts are bit shortsighted.  - More...
Wednesday PM - April 28, 2010

Oceans Alaska Submitted By Kirk Thomas for Various Ketchikan Businesses - We, the undersigned, are writing you this letter to state our strong opposition to Oceans Alaska (formerly known as the Tongass Aquarium) becoming a shore excursion tour operator for cruise passengers here in Ketchikan, Alaska. Oceans Alaska has promoted and represented itself as a research, education and shellfish mariculture facility and has successfully applied for and been granted public seed money for all of the progress they have made thus far. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 28, 2010

Better management leads to lower taxes By Rodney Dial - Mr. Harrington, I am going to assume that your letter and assumption that taxes in Ketchikan would somehow be lower if we consolidated a simple attempt to goat me into writing a three page letter on why you are wrong. I will make that assumption because the only alternative is simply that you as a government official are attempting to mislead the public. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 28, 2010

Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Open Letter to the Ketchikan Borough Assembly Members By Rodney Dial - You guys know that as soon as you raise the mill rate and increase property taxes I am going to write a rather long letter detailing why several of you lied to this community about being able to afford a 23.5 million dollar pool with no tax increase. Right? - More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Perserverance Trail Closure By Heather Muench - The Forest Service is planning to close the Perseverance Trail from May 15 to September 30 for trail reconstruction. While I support the much need trail work, I strongly object to the summer long closure. I agree the trail should be closed on days when helicopters will be moving material to and from the area; but not on other days. - More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

HEAD TAX: VERY BAD CHOICE OF WORDS By Charles Edwardson - It has always bothered me -- the term HEAD TAX. It sounds like a hunting trip. It should be labeled what it is a PORT AND HARBOR TAX. - More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Taxes By Sonia Streitmatter - Tourism is a double-edged sword. - More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Sealaska lands bill By Sarah Red-Laird - I still have a strong connection to Southeast Alaska, although I now live in Montana for school, through my friends and family that remain in the area, and through my crystal clear memories of all the years I spent there, especially those of my childhood on Prince of Wales Island.- More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Sealaska lands bill By Judy Magnuson - Senator Murkowski stated not too long ago that the government was the largest land owner in Alaska. I wish to correct that statement. The PUBLIC, not the government, is the largest land owner in Southeast Alaska. We the people, native and nonnative own these lands, we have full use of these lands for any use compatible with public use of these lands. This is not an aboriginal rights issue, it is simply the right of citizens and taxpayers who have added value through their tax dollars, time and energy through their efforts to support, preserve, participate and have a say in the management of public lands. We have the right to retain those lands that belong to us and have cost us dearly during the last 40 years. Public lands, heavily invested in should not be given away to a private corporation in order that only a few may profit from them. - More...
Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Friday PM - April 23, 2010

High taxes in Ketchikan By John Harrington - It is interesting that Mr. Rodney Dial is complaining about the high taxes in Ketchikan. Our taxes are indeed too high. Those tax rates are higher than most consolidated city/borough governments in Southeast Alaska. When a group of us were attempting to consolidate the two governments, Mr. Dial led the charge to stop it by claiming it would raise our taxes. We had determined quite the opposite in our calculations. But Mr. Dial prevailed in his anti-consolidation efforts and now have received what he tried to avoid, higher taxes. - More...
Friday PM - April 23, 2010

Ketchikan is becoming more expensive every day. By Rodney Dial - As our national tax day passes, a few things you may want to consider regarding the future of your family's finances. The following is an excerpt from a Newsweek article posted on 4/15/10 titled "Today is the best tax day of your life", by Robert J. Samuelson. Newsweek tends to be a liberal leaning publication and this is not conservative hype. - More...
Friday - April 23, 2010

The times are a changing? By Reed Harding - As the country struggles in the turmoil of unprecedented healthcare reform by the current centrist administration many misguided individuals nash their terrible teeth and groan aloud "we don't want change". I awoke today and realized that I do not recognize my own country. Things have changed so much this past year I can't even point out what has actually changed. In fact, there could have been no change at all but that's not what everyone is saying so it must be a completely new country devoid of any principles and understanding that once existed. I can attest to the validity of the following piece as I wrote it rather than merely copying someone else's opinion. - More...
Friday - April 23, 2010

Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Sealaska lands bill By U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski - In a letter concerning the Sealaska lands bill printed on April 14, an Edna Bay resident stated that it was "stunning" that Sealaska had already filed for lands to complete its entitlement under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), as if the matter of filing for lands meant that the current bill is not needed to complete rational land conveyances due Sealaska's 20,000 Alaska Native shareholders. That is not the case. - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Open Letter to the KGB Mayor & Assembly By Johnnie Laird - Mayor Dave Kiffer and Ketchikan Assembly, I am disappointed that you passed a resolution in favor of the Legislation and didn't join in solidarity in opposition with Sitka, Port Protection, Point Baker, Edna Bay, Hollis, Whale Pass, Thorne Bay, Craig, Naukati, Kake, The US Department of the Agriculture, The US Department of the Interior and many others. - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

May is ALS Awareness Month: Let's STRIKE OUT ALS!! By Linda Kreider - May is ALS Awareness Month!! I will be representing Alaska for the 4th time since 2006, when this disease took my father away from me, my mother, brother and sister and the rest of our family. My sister-in-law, Teri Teal will be travelling with me this year for the 1st time! We leave Ketchikan on Friday, May 7 and will return May 12. We will meeting with our Senators and Representatives on Tuesday May 11. In the past few years, I have been able to have a State of Alaska Proclamation declaring May as ALS Awareness Month for the State of Alaska, and am hoping that we can get the City of Ketchikan, as well as the Ketchikan Gateway Borough to do the same!! - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Changes By A. M. Johnson - As the Country watches the huge social changes imposed by the current liberal administration, many are and more are, becoming concerned as to the Nation holding together with civility. I can not attest to the validity of the following piece, however, even if it were not written by the person listed, it still tells well!! - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Trails and drunks. By Patti Fay Hickox - Where are they going so fast? We only have about 30 miles of road. "What's the hurry, what is everybody hurrying for." Drivers do not stop for people in crosswalks. Remember when most of us walked and smiled and waved at the people going by in cars. People slowed down to wave at their neighbors. I came to Alaska to get out of the cities and a fast pace of life. Now Alaska is moving faster. Everybody going so fast they have no time for their neighbors. - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Re: Married Man's Trail By Laurie Hodne - It was funny timing when I sat down to look at the letters to the editor and the very same subject I was debating on writing about happened to be a "peeve" for someone else. I am not a frequent hiker on Married Man's Trail, but was there when I was searching for the Easter Treasure Hunt and was appalled by the trail and its lack of upkeep. Is that City property? - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Married Man's Trail and other stuff By Kara McElroy- Steele - Regarding Ms. Susan Coady's letter about Married Mans trail, I have two things to say. Back in the day (if you lived there for 25 yrs you should remember this), it was common place down on the Tongass dock, for homeless drunks to sit and sleep, behind it and in front of it (before it turned into Tourist Central!). You would also see them hangin out around the loop of bars all the way around the corner by Tom Sawyers. - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Thanks from The Mainframe LAN Gaming Center By Ryan Avila - I would just like to thank everyone who came down and supported our business this weekend. We hope to continue providing a safe environment for the youth of Ketchikan so that they have a fun alternative to doing drugs and drinking (which is a large problem in Ketchikan). - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Hope this resolves the issue By Paul Jarvi - Ms. Catron, Please excuse me for stating an opinion. - More...
Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Wednesday - April 14, 2010

City Council Should Reject KPU Telecom Sale By Mike Harpold - The Daily News correctly notes that the 13 vote margin in the recent special election asking to sell KPU Telecom, an election that turned out only 13 percent of the voters, was not a mandate. Never the less, a decision was made, and the issue passes to the city council which now must act in the interests of all the people on our island. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Ensuring Accurate "TRIBAL" Counts By Marilyn Blair-Catron - I think it funny how they are telling us to put in either KIC or OVS in place of the names of our "Tribes." One being, Ketchikan Indian Community and the other being the Organized Village of Saxman. Do you see anything in those words helping to "Ensure Accurate Tribal Counts?" I sure don't. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Married Man's Trail By Susan Coady - I have lived in Ketchikan for 25 years. I spend my days with children. As the weather has improved, I have been spending the days with the children doing as many outdoor activities as we can. I have two very serious issues that need to be looked at for the safety of our children. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Sealaska Land Bill By Chasina Worman - As an Alaskan resident and commercial fisherman, I am writing to voice my opposition to the Sealaska Bill (S.881) . This legislation will be detrimental to Southeast Alaska. Sealaska has selected prime parcels, that are currently public lands, that they would like. Some names around Ketchikan that my family and I frequent and enjoy are: Dog bay, Naha, Clover Creek, Shrimp Bay, Burns Narrow, Bostwick, Gravel Point (Duke Isand), Chasina Pt., just to name a few. Plus an additional 46 acres in Misty Fjords. This land will become private and will be owned by a native corporation. This legislation gives land that the public uses and enjoys to a timber centric corporation. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

An Open Letter to SEACC Concerning HR2099 & SB881 By Roger DiPaolo - Dear SEACC Directors, I know that my fellow residents of Edna Bay with whom I have spoken all feel exactly the same as I am expressing in this letter to you. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Sealaska's Land Bill: Mediation to Nowhere By Alan Stein - On April 19th at Douglas Library across from Juneau, a mediation will most likely occur between Sealaska Corporation on one side and three green groups on the other. Mediating will be Bruce Bothello, mayor of Juneau. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC DESERVES ANSWERS ON S.881/HR.2099 By Myla Poelstra - During recent discussions and debate across Southeast Alaska over the merits of Sealaska's Land Bills, many issues and concerns have come to light. While efforts have been made by Senator Murkowski's staff to address region wide opposition, cited by testimony given at Town Hall meetings of over 75%, many problems remain and more questions are being asked about a proposal to take highly valued public lands out of forest service management domain and place them into the hands of a private corporation known for it's egregious logging practices. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Reduce Oil Consumption To Counter Russian Resurgence By Donald A. Moskowitz - During the past few years Russian oil revenues have generated a surplus of $500 billion, and Russia is using this money to rebuild and expand its military after many years of neglect. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

RE: Thanks for the Memories, Inga / Francine By Signe Markuson - Not all the fisherman living in the houses at Bar Harbor were POOR. My father Harold Markuson grew up in one of those homes with neighbor and his best buddy Larry Erickson.  - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Re: The Real Issue By Marilyn Catron - I personally read Mr. Hanger's original opinion regarding KPU's customer service. - More...
Wednesday - April 14, 2010

Saturday - April 10, 2010

Board of Fish Deceit and the Company Line. By Lloyd Gossman - The Board of Fish recently opened a commercial summer Dungeness crab fishery that had been closed for nearly 25 years because of the waste. They did this under the guise of needing to gather new data. The fishery is going into its second season and no attempt has been made to gather data. That is the deceit. - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

Ketchikan's "Special" Election? By Robert D. Warner - Will the Ketchikan City Council have the courage to recognize that last Tuesday's special election was not a clear mandate from city voters to sell KPU Telecommunications? Major questions about this issue remain. - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

Mr. McPherson to the AK High School Hall of Fame By Greg Buxton Jr. - How awesome to find out about Mr. McPherson getting the nod to the Alaska High School Hall of Fame! I was fortunate enough to be taught by him for the first time back in 1980. I was just learning to play the "drums" and had attended the Summer Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, AK. I was truly a novice then, and Mr. McPherson was extremely patient with me. He'd challenged us all to put in the time to improve no matter what abilities we had then. - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

Is this fair? By Rob Holston - When Walmart showed interest in "invading" Ketchikan there was much concern and discussion. As in most small towns, the fear came mostly from small business owners who had invested their lives and quite possibly their homes and 80 hour work weeks into making their businesses successful. The fear of unfair competition was at the crux of the controversy. Walmart paid a fair market value for the property, pays property tax & charges sales tax. Walmart invested THEIR money. However, OceansAlaska uses tax payer's money, public funding, to invest in their mega-tourist-atraction. The government "gives" OceansAlaska 28 prime acres for the government subsidized cost of $1 (ONE) US dollar! - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

S 881/ HR 2099, Response to Steve Lewis By Carol Cairnes - Steve Lewis's solution is to pass the problem on to other folks and keep this treacherous legislation alive. Value is not what is due Sealaska under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, land is. The value rests in what Sealaska makes of it. - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

Coming to you soon in a favorite waterway and anchorage near you! By Betsey Burdett - Did you know that there is a company that is applying with the State of Alaska to run an oyster farm and hardening beaches in and on the Tatoosh Islands? They are called Tatoosh Oysters, LLC and intend to put in floating docks, a floating caretaker cabin, and utilize beaches as a hardening area. - More...
Saturday - April 10, 2010

Wednesday - April 07, 2010

Tea Party Protest? By A.M.Johnson - As April 15th draws near, I ask if the local Tea Party group will have a "Tea Party" protest at the usual haunt of Jefferson and Tongass? I read of many such events being planned and publicized across America now to encourage interested citizens to participate. As frustrated as I am towards the direction our Country is taking under this administration, I would welcome a local opportunity to share with like thinking Americans. - More...
Wednesday - April 07, 2010

The Sealaska Lands Bill, S.881: A Problem with a Solution By Steve Lewis - Senator Murkowski's Sealaska Lands Bill, S.881, presents a problem to residents of SE Alaska. Few would suggest that Sealaska should not receive the lands due it under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), but there are many who feel that the current bill will cause serious damage to karstlands and the underlying caves, create permanent rifts among Southeast Alaskans, and provide Sealaska with more than it was due under ANCSA. - More...
Wednesday - April 07, 2010

Sealaska Landless By Vernon Grant - As a Sealaska landless shareholder, this is my perspective on this landless issue. First of all if we let the government slide on the promise to fulfill the ANCSA that they have signed and left unresolved to be out voted by communities that have not been awaiting the passed 40 years for this land issue to be finalized, this will be a blow too our own state and give way to a mind set that they can get away with not upholding any and all promises made too any sect or bill. - More...
Wednesday - April 07, 2010

Ice Skating Rink and Dog Park By Tony Gwynn - I'm pretty sure that most people in Ketchikan would love to have an indoor ice rink and an indoor/outdoor dog park. Myself included. So I say this next part with all due respect. If you are passionate about an indoor ice rink or dog park then take the necessary steps to create those two very worthwhile dreams!!! But please don't steal the hard work and vision of the proposed Ward Cove indoor recreation facility. - More...
Wednesday - April 07, 2010

Roy McPherson By Jason Alderson - Way to go Roy!! Some of my favorite memories are going into McPherson Music as a teenager and looking at the drums! Even though I had long hair, jeans with holes in them and a leather jacket (it was the 80's!!) Roy and Tina always treated me with respect and worked with me so that I could purchase the drums I wanted. - More...
Wednesday - April 07, 2010

Monday - April 05, 2010

KPU TELEPHONE SALE: VOTE NO By Pete Ellis - So it is sort of like voting to sell your birthright and the right to choose services to be offered and their cost. A contrary vote is for the unknown. A yes vote results in an inability to provide further input as to any sales analysis, other than the limited opportunity to appear before the Council and urge their rejection or further negotiation of a sale proposal. Voting NO guarantees continued control and input. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Vote "YES" to look for a buyer By Patti Fay Hickox - Voting yes [on Tuesday, April 6th] only means the city can look for a buyer for telecommunications. Ketchikan KPU cannot complete against GCI, AT&T etc. in the telecommunications business. We would need to buy massive equipment to keep up. This would suck out all the money and some day we will have to sell because GCI etc. has a lot more money to build these connections. We cannot keep up with these big outfits. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Monty Hall and City Hall By Michael McNally - Sitnews readers of a certain age will remember a once popular game show, called Let's Make a Deal. The classic gimmick of the show was that contestants, having obtained a prize of moderate value, would be offered a chance to trade their prize in, sight unseen, for what was behind door number three. The trick was, only the show s host, Monty Hall, knew what was behind door number three and while it could be a valuable prize the contestants also ran the risk of losing what they had. It was an excellent gimmick for a game show, but it is a poor way to conduct public policy. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

New terminals in Metlakatla, Part 2 By Steven G. Booth - I would hope that the M/V Lituya would be home ported in Ketchikan unless and until appropriate security infrastructure is available in Annette Bay with the scenario of dismantling the Chester Bay Terminal. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Sealaska Bill, S.881 By Bob Claus - I thank Arne Fuglvog of Senator Murkowski's office for traveling to Edna Bay and meeting with the residents there. I was glad to have been able to attend as well, and was impressed by the measured tone and thoughtful responses opposing the Sealaska land selections on Kosciusko Island from everyone who spoke. 100% of the community attended the meeting and opposed S.881. I also heard a great amount of hope and optimism for the future of Edna Bay and our other small communities surrounded by the Tongass National Forest so long as they continue to have community input through the forest planning processes. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

S.881 is not the solution for Southeast Alaska By Sandy Powers - Community hearings on Senate Bill 881/HR 2099 held in Edna Bay and Point Baker/Port Protection last week reconfirmed that a majority of Southeast Alaskans are opposed to this bill that would give 80,000-some acres of public-owned, roaded National Forest land to Sealaska Corporation. There was unanimous opposition from these three communities, with residents from age 13 to 82 speaking passionately of how their lives and futures would be forever adversely changed by this legislation. Hearings in other communities throughout Southeast were held earlier in the month. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Taxpayers asked again to bail out a Corporation By Judy Magnuson - Why is the taxpayer again being asked to bail out a corporation? Why are small communities, the public, and businesses that depend upon public lands for their livelihood and recreation being asked to give it up for a private corporation? Sealaska's Vice President spoke in Ketchikan on March 31st , stating the Corporations need for S-881 to pass quickly, because they only have two years of timber harvest lands left. Whose fault is that? - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Roy McPherson By Doug Edwards - Thank you for the excellent article about Roy's induction into the Alaska School Activities Association Hall of Fame. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Fawn Mountain Track and Field By Miguel Torres - I remember arriving in Ketchikan during the summer 0f '06 and looking forward to the upcoming Kayhi football season. Having lived in Texas for many years and enjoying quite a few Friday night football games, I inquired into the Ketchikan football tradition. I was referred to Blaine Ashcraft, high school football and commissioner to the Ketchikan football youth league.  - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Performance Scholarships Will Help to Improve our Schools By Larry LeDoux - The Governor's Performance Scholarship proposal would award substantial postsecondary scholarships to Alaska students who take a challenging curriculum in high school and meet thresholds for performance on grades and tests. The scholarships would be used at Alaska institutions, both technical and academic. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Holy Name By Brandon Fast - I think more people should go to Holy Name Catholic School. At Holy Name we have a bully free environment and small class sizes. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Health Reform By Jim Kempsell - Lamentably, Socratic form of debate (actually listening to an opponent, recognizing they may have some valid points) is virtually non-existent in this age of sound bites and "gotcha". - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Community By Joey Tillson - The other day I had lunch with an out of town friend. Her and I had gone to school together in Juneau for many years and for 29 years of my life, I lived in Juneau but was born in Ketchikan. It was wonderful to catch up with her and discuss how our lives had changed and progressed. - More...
Monday - April 05, 2010

Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Sell KPU Telecommunications Division By Mike Ellis and Susan Fisher - Selling the KPU Telecommunications Division is the right move for our city. We're voting yes on both ballot propositions April 6. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Don't Sell KPU Telecom, Part III By Mike Harpold - The Ketchikan City Mayor wants to get KPU Telecom out of private business, but selling the utility would be nothing less than throwing the baby out with the bath water. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Re: Southeast Economy and S.881 By Evan Hjerpe - Senator Murkowski's letter to the editor in the SitNews on 3/24/10 ( Southeast's Economy and Promises ) states that the Sealaska legislation would bring renewed economic development to Southeast and is needed for the economic survival of the region. A single-interest bill that is based on the liquidation of old growth and exporting processing jobs overseas is by no means the answer to the regional economic woes of Southeast; this perspective has been echoed during the recent listening sessions in the region. In fact, letting Sealaska harvest these lands represents a costly option in terms of adverse impacts on subsistence opportunities and the regional economic drivers the Senator alludes to of tourism, fishing, and trade. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Sealaska Land Bills By Roger DiPaolo -Sealaska refers to the bills HR2099 and SB881 as "Haa Aaní Bill". Since "Haa Aaní" means "Our Land", one could easily assume that the Sealaska is saying in effect that the specific Tongass National Forest lands on North POW and Kosciusko Islands that they want to privately own somehow belongs to them. This is not at all true, completely false in all respects. The disputed lands are part of the Tongass National Forest that belongs equally to ALL Americans, not just to Alaskan Natives. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Once Upon a Time By Carol Cairnes - It is fitting that Senator Murkowski started her March 24th Viewpoint with "Once Upon a Time" in classic fairy-tale style.  Her version of the facts is a fantastic fiction.  The Senator is living in a dream world if she believes Senate bill 881 will revive Southeast Alaska's economy.  The bill, and a similar House bill, 2099, allows Sealaska Corporation to trade the land it is entitled to by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act for publicly owned land in the Tongass National Forest, along with roads and log transfer facilities paid for by American taxpayers.   The deal the Senator envisions for Sealaska Corporation would give the corporation ownership of timber and other valuable resources currently owned by all American citizens under the false claim of aboriginal rights. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

City Council Meddling By Charles Edwardson - I was contacted by the owner of the low speed vehicle - golf carts as I referred to them in my last tirade against the ineptitude of Ketchikan City Council decisions on private business. - More...
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Skating Rink and Sports Facility By Amy Stepper - I really love the idea of having a ice rink here in Ketchikan, but I don't care for another sports facility. Isn't that what the Recreation Center is for? - More....
Wednesday - March 31, 2010

Monday - March 29, 2010

"Part one" DOT-PF AMHS new terminals and South Tongass By Steven G. Booth - I believe new terminals located at Annette bay or at a location along South Tongass Highway will cause numerous burdens for the Community Members of Metlakatla and at the same time cost the State and the federal taxpayers money that need not be expended. Therefore, it will also further deteriorate any efforts to create a more efficient operation for DOT-PF AMHS. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

RE: Southeast's Economy and Promises By Don Hernandez - Senator Murkowski's recent opinion published on SitNews begins with " once upon a time"; this should indicate to all who read it that they are reading a fairy tale, a complete work of fiction spun from her imagination. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

American citizens own National Forest By Carol Cairnes - Regarding Southeast's Economy and Promises By Sen. Murkowski, the U. S. Forest Service does not own any land. American citizens own the land that is designated National Forest. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

A BETTER SOLUTION TO SEALASKA LAND CONVEYANCE By Eric Muench - Much of Senator Lisa Murkowski's opinion is quite true, but her promotion for Senate Bill 881 left out so much of the other side of the story that it could almost have been written by Sealaska Corporation. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Sealaska Lands Bill By Mike Brown - Murkowski lies when she speaks of the need for the Sealaska CORPORATION to be allowed to reneg on a legal CONTRACT that they drew up, and pick lands outside the AGREED upon area they chose in the 1970's. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

A definite need for more taxi permits in Ketchikan By Conan Steele - The Ketchikan City Council recently rejected a proposal to increase the number of taxi permits based upon the argument that there is no need for more taxis. I have driven taxi in Ketchikan for a number of years and I know this to just not be true. During peak periods in Ketchikan (usually during the cruise ship season), it can be nearly impossible to get a taxi in a timely manner, if you can get one at all. This is even true in a bad year. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Additional Taxis By Richard Morgan - As someone who works in the retail sales business, I know that wait times for a taxi can be very long in the Summer. So it is fine and well that some oppose additional Taxis, citing short wait times for bar-goers at night as ample reason to reject the proposal, but what about normal, everyday people who are just trying to get home with their groceries during daylight hours? - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

ObamaCare: Advancing the Destruction of America By Lawrence R. Huntoon - On March 21, 2010, our country witnessed a Bolshevik moment, whereby our U.S. Constitution was trampled and utterly violated by those for whom the ends justified the means. If Obamacare is allowed to stand, the American way of life will be changed forever, and not in a good way. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month By Patti Fay Hickox - April is "National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month." In Alaska, for the last 12 years, we have been doing this awareness campaign with "Mint Green Ribbons." 12 years ago two women from Kenai made 1000 mint green ribbons with Forget-me-knots embroided in the middle. These ribbons were distributed up north and to Juneau. At a "Stand up for Kids" rally in Juneau we saw the ribbons and we brought the idea to Ketchikan and South Southeast Alaska. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Re: Sitnews Front page photos By Alan R. Rudy McGillvray - I find myself in total agreement with Ms. Susan McMurray and her thoughts on Sitnews' front page photos. I check Sitnews for a new photo every time I turn on my computer. A new picture goes first to my desktop screen saver, and then I e-mail it to friends and family, to show them the beauty that surrounds us everyday, whether seen or not. Then I save it to a folder in My Pictures. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Mike Gates Photos By Nellie Miller - I couldn't agree more that Mike Gates pictures are consistently impressive and really capture what I miss most about Ketchikan-thank you for sharing your mind's eye and keep up the excellent work! - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

AcDc By Alexis Schofield - In regards to AcDc, CONGRATULATIONS! - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

A great teacher By Katie Shull - I wasn't a member of AcDc in high school, but Mr. Sean Powell was my geometry teacher one year. I have to say that classmates of mine who shared the experience of being his student and I still talk and reminisce about days in his class. - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Thank you By Sean Powell - It has been pointed out that I missed a few people that helped us get to state: - More...
Monday - March 29, 2010

Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

Southeast's Economy and Promises By U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski - Once upon a time, the Southeast timber industry was one of the largest economic drivers in Alaska. In 1990, timber jobs hit an all time employment high. Now the timber industry consists of a few remnants, scratching desperately to hang on. Southeast has one of the highest rates of unemployment in Alaska, and it's the only region in the state where the population is declining and the average age is increasing. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

Kayhi Academic Decathlon By Miguel Torres  Mr. Powell's leadership and passion to direct these great students is an inspiration. Thank you for your commitment. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

RE: City Council, Who are you representing? By Leonard Bergamaschi - I think the only thing that surprises me anymore is how surprised some people are when they realize how much bullheaded biases local businesses have to go through while anything that will benefit "short term" business,IE tourist related, goes on the fast track for approval. 'Nuff said? - More...
Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

Permits for Yellow Taxi By Shane Sooter - Now, I must be honest, I was against the permit increase for the simple fact it would increase the competition between my fellow drivers and the other two companies, but with the comments made at the Ketchikan City Council meeting last Thursday, I have had a mind change. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

Front Page Photos By Susan McMurray - Monday's featured front page photo by Mike Gates is one of the most beautiful shots I have ever seen of the Ketchikan area, and I have seen several. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 24, 2010

Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Subject: SB 129 -- Residential Sprinkler System Requirements By David Hull - This residential sprinkler system debacle needs some air clearing I believe. First of all, I oppose SB 129 because I don't think the state should pick and choose the way the local community should conduct their business. It has nothing to do with the installation of residential sprinkler systems. This bill has to do with whether or not the local community can make an appropriate decision on their own to require the sprinkler systems or not. The state and the home builders apparently think we can t be trusted to do things the way we always have. We need more process and state guidance on this one specific issue. Why? - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Subsistence Rights opinion By Aan Kadax Tseen aka Don Hoff Jr. - Our Lands, Our Seas, So fight for it! - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Landless, money-less, heritage-less By Chris Barry - It has been my experience personally, and what I have witnessed & read that when a group of people want to be accommodated and repaid, that they never stop. With every restitution they seek, they state that they will be happy, yet with every restitution given them, they become more hungry and seek to gain more and more. This is true with all peoples. And the Natives of SE Alaska it is no different. Once they get land for payment, what will stop them from seeking more of 'their' land. After all, they did live here first. - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE YOU REPRESENTING? By Charles Edwardson - OK I tried, I have tried to not put my two cents in but I cannot help it with headlines like "CITY COUNCIL NIXES TAXI PROPOSAL" WHAT ?? SERIOUSLY?? - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Don't Sell KPU Telecom, Part II By Mike Harpold - Never mind that GCI is forty times KPU's size; the backers of the sale of KPU Telecom say that it is unfair for a public utility to compete against a private company. But the competition has been good for Ketchikan, facilitating the lowest telephone and cable TV rates in Alaska and bringing a variety of Internet related services not found in most other Alaskan communities. - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

WASTE, FRAUD, & ABUSE By Rob Holston - The following is taken from a recent email from Senator Mark Begich: "Health reform will NOT bust the bank ­ it is fully paid for. The money will come from cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs, ending big subsidies to insurance companies and increasing efficiency by coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. Reform takes money already being spent on health care and re-allocates it. We can reduce unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies, negotiate cheaper drug prices and cut unneeded hospital readmissions. The Senate bill also taxes the most expensive insurance plans (the vast majority of Alaskans won't be affected) with the goal of making good benefits affordable, while the House pays for reform through a health tax on families making more than $1 million annually." - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Sincere thanks By Sean Powell - I would like to thank the following ten people: Marco Torres, Leslie Snodderly, Kate Guillemette, Dorsey Winter, Maxx Keizer, Jodie Gatti, Michael Hosley, Valena Johnson, Amelia Cooper and (Kayhi's own team Mom) Ellen Funk. This is our 2010 Kayhi Academic Decathlon State team and they did something magical on the last weekend of February. For those of you who don't know what it is: Academic Decathlon (AcDc...small "c" no copyright infringement here!) is a school sponsored activity that has kids studying Math, Music, Art, Economics, Literature, Science (Chemistry this year) and the Superquiz (this year it was the French Revolution) so they can take tests on those subjects. For fun. They also write an essay, give two speeches and attend an interview as part of the competition. This year they placed in all but one event, took third in the Oral Superquiz and were the second place OVERALL in the STATE! While that is a matter of some indifference to some, it is an amazing accomplishment! - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Fawn Mountain By Kay Jones - After years of waiting, planning and hoping the new turf field at Fawn Mountain is finally ready for Ketchikan to use and enjoy. It is going to make such a difference in the playing ability and experience for our soccer and football players. Our track and field participants now have beautiful track and field event place. This is a dream come true for many. Now it is up to all the folks of Ketchikan to work together and take care of this beautiful facility. This means NO DOGS! No exceptions. I love dogs as much as the average Ketchikan citizen (I have 3), but dogs will destroy the track and field. Their nails tear up the track and rubberized field surface. Urine will clog the drainage system and disintegrate the rubber pellets and I will avoid describing what dog poop does to fields. Not to mention it is just gross and unfair to our players as they come out to enjoy the new field. - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Ice Hockey Rink By Randy Cooper - It's nice to see others interested in an ice hockey rink. Kids love hockey and we are one of the few communities in Alaska that doesn't offer it. It's a fun pastime for families and is a wonderful sport to watch. - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Ice rink & sport facility By Penny Eubanks - Both an indoor skating rink and an indoor sporting facility has long been a discussion in our home as a good idea for Ketchikan. I think both would benefit the community economics. Hotels and restaurants would see a boost from outside teams coming for competitions. All stores would see more spending. It would open some jobs up as those industries would need more year round employees, as well as the new skating and sporting facilities needing employees. - More...
Monday PM - March 22, 2010

Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Don't Sell KPU Telecom By Mike Harpold - Saying that the KPU Telecommunications Division is losing profitability, the city wants to sell it. But voters need to ask if selling the utility is truly in the best interests of city residents. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Ensuring Accurate Tribal Counts In 2010 Census By Norman Arriola & Lee Wallace - Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC) and Organized Village of Saxman (OVS) are proud partners with the 2010 Census. The 2010 Census will provide us with a snapshot of our nation and tribal communities. By being counted, tribal citizens will help paint a clearer picture of Alaska Native peoples. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Stolen Tongass Tribe Lands, 202 By Aan Kadax Tseen aka Don Hoff Jr. - We are the lineal descendants of the Taan ta Kwaan means Sealion People or known as Tongass Tribe a traditional and historical Alaskan Native Tribe in Ketchikan indisputably recognized by all Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes in Southeast Alaska. My Clan, Gaanax adi Clan is the oldest Clan in the Tlingit Nation, with that said, Ketchikan is the aboriginal territory of the Gaanax adi Clan that is Tongass Tribe. We still claim all the low tide lands starting from Tatsuda's to the Tunnel. Tongass Tribe also owned unoccupied village sites on Tongass Island, Long Island, Village Island, Cat Island, Duke Island, Annette Island, Portland Channel, Nakat Bay, Cape Chacon, Pennock Island, Gravina Island, Prince of Wales Island, and Kasaan. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Lands Sealaska Wants NEVER Belonged to Sealaska By Roger DiPaolo - The following argument has become very prevalent of late: "Sealaska only wants the lands they are entitled to returned to them" - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Sealaska Land Bill By Jean Bland - I attended the meeting in Craig; Sealaska's Attorney said to quit hiding behind these letters and call them, they welcome calls and will answer your questions, the land will still be open for public use, if you read the paperwork they handed out. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Sealaska Land Swap bills By Roger DiPaolo - As a resident of Edna Bay, one of the 3 communities most affected by this bill, the major reason that these bills are bad is that the lives of the residents of our 3 towns were not adequately taken into consideration. We residents of these towns are not hostile to Sealaska nor our native neighbors, we wish to see them live and prosper equally beside us. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Big thank you to Sitnews By Sandy Powers - I just want to thank Sitnews for their lack of bias in running articles and letters which present various points of view, THANK YOU! Also for running a lot of user generated content, pictures, classified ads, etc. It is very encouraging that, while the local printed newspaper's content shows a marked bias, yours does not. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

THE OLD FOLKS AND THE CORPORATION By Lois Morgan - There was once an old woman who had spent her whole life in the Great Forest. She was the daughter of a lumberman on the most southern edge of the Great Forest, she grew up benefiting from the beauty and purity of the nature around her and learned at an early age that the nature beings were much kinder then most humans; counting on the creatures of nature to soothe her when a human had abused her. She grew up wanting to go to Alaska, at the far north of the Great Forest, where there were alleged to be fewer humans as well as more pristine nature. When she met a man who wanted to go with her, she abandoned her studies and left with him on their grand adventure. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Ice Rink Suggestion By Kara Steele - I was reading Linda Beaupre's letter and wanted to say kudos! An ice rink is an EXCELLENT idea for Southeast! - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Energize with Nuclear Power By Donald A. Moskowitz - Oil is a diminishing and expensive source of energy, and coal is dirty. - More...
Tuesday - March 16, 2010

Friday - March 12, 2010

The Need to Stop S. B. 881 By Eric Muench - The people of Southeast Alaska need to know what is in Senate Bill 881, sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Nick Begich, and the subject of a meeting Saturday, March 13 at the Borough Assembly Chambers. So far much of it appears to be unknown to most people. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

Sealaska Bill listening sessions on POW By Bob Claus - The Sealaska Bill listening sessions on POW proved the bill is controversial and splits our communities. But they did not serve the stated purpose of letting affected communities be heard. Nor do the way they were handled give residents confidence that their statements will be accurately conveyed to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

S881 Sealaska Lands Bill: Port Protection & Point Baker By Judy Magnuson - Port Protection and Point Baker residents deserved the common courtesy of notification that their meeting was canceled. Residents of both communities kept calling to ask - has it been canceled? And the answer was always the same- no word yet. Finally, with no notification to the contrary and needing a half hour to travel from Point Baker across the open Bay to Port Protection, and not wanting to miss the only opportunity to be heard we have had , people came. We were never notified by Mr. Kleeshulte that he was not coming until 5 minutes AFTER the time the meeting was to start. Even though he must have known in advance of that he would not make it. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

S.881 Impact: Town Hall Meeting Canceled in Edna Bay By Myla Poelstra - The community of Edna Bay is deeply disappointed that Chuck Kleeschulte has unilaterally canceled a meeting in Edna Bay scheduled for 1:00 pm Wednesday. Had he consulted with us first we could have told him the timing of the meeting was ill conceived and dangerous.  - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

S.881/HR.2099 - SEALASKA LAND GRAB LEGISLATION THE WRONG ANSWER FOR SOUTHEAST ALASKA By Myla Poelstra - S.881/HR.2099, two highly questionable pieces of legislation that are quickly becoming stark examples of the wrong approach being taken to resolve an issue that cannot possibly be defended by its sponsors as equitable. The responsibilities being avoided or ignored by our representatives only add to the perception that something is wrong with this process. The recent ethics violations by Senator Kookesh during his lobbying on behalf of Sealaska Corp., in which he is Chairman of the Board, bring into focus the tip of an iceberg many now believe exposes unconscionable support for a contentious proposal that will only represent the interests of its proponents. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

Prohibition of U.S.Citizens from Commercial, Personal fishing By A.M Johnson - The Obama administration has ended public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

DXM By Lela Raymond - I would like to say how thankful I am to the Ketchikan school board, police chief Ed Talik, Kyle Johanson, Dave Scott and the Ketchikan Daily News for really getting the issue of DXM out there. I missed getting tapped in to the school districts mailing to get this thank you out to all the parents for the support that I have received which has been overwhelming and more than I expected. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

Indoor Ice Rink By Patrick Branco - Thank you Linda. Families can skate together, boys and girls can learn figure skating, boys and girls and men and women can play hockey. And on the heels of the olympics we could try a curling club here. (that wasn't a joke, by the way). I love the idea of an ice rink for family fun. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

The cup half full By Ivy Rose - With the days seeming to fly by and caos of our everyday life we all fall short of looking at the cup half full. I remember not to long ago writing a letter on sitnews about customer service and being positive, and it got me thinking. Customer service is more than just serving people, and being nice, but what how we react day to day. It is a proven fact that people remeber and hold on to negative experiences more than the positive ones. How easy it is to let the zen of goodness be zapped by something as silly as someone not letting us out in traffic when we are in a hurry. Then we feel that the whole world needs to know of the wrong doing. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

Re: Wake Up Parents By Bethany Phippen - So the debate continues. First and foremost I have totally given up the talk about the older children who ditch their coats. There is only so much that can be done when it comes to the kids who can actually speak for themselves leaving their coats when they are told to put one on. - More...
Friday - March 12, 2010

Monday - March 08, 2010

S 881 meeting set for Ketchikan By Johnnie Laird - I want to take this opportunity to thank those that sent in emails to Sen Murkowski asking her to set a meeting about this legislation in Ketchikan. It has been set for Saturday, March 13th at 12 noon at the borough chambers. I want to make a few statements about this legislation. - More...
Monday - March 08, 201

Why are S 881 meetings being rushed through? By Alan Stein - The Sealaska's Bill S 881 should die immediately in committee in Congress. Two weeks ago, I warned the Senate Staffer, Chuck Kleeschulte, who is conducting the S 881 dog and pony shows in Alaska, how dangerous travel conditions are on Prince of Wales this time of year. In a stampede to get this bill through Congress, Chuck Kleeshulte did the opposite. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Landless By Charles J. Jackson Jr. - As part of the landless and relatives, when is Sealaska going to help-out the landless people of Southeast? - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Sealaska S 881 observation By Michael Lee Beasley - Arm in arm and toe-to-toe, Sealaska tribal member shareholders are united in their quest to secure acreage owed for for a debt unpaid on behalf of the Federal Government and the People of the United States, since 1971. Nearly 4 decades or 40 years have not satisfied this debt totally. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

South Tongass Hiway Ferry Terminal By Rob Holston - Back in 2007 Saxman missed an opportunity. Perhaps this is their second and last chance to take advantage of their strategic location. The measure failed at that time because the Saxman political leadership took the position that the waterfront property could never be replaced once it is sold. I think they can have their cake and eat it to. The Saxman community should sell the land necessary (Seaport A or B) for the new terminal for 100% of commercially appraised value with the following conditions: - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Ketchikan Wellness Coalition: Letter to the community By Karen Eakes - In July of 2006, the United Way of Southeast Alaska sponsored the United Way Compass II Community-Building Assessment in Ketchikan. The McDowell group completed this assessment with 300 randomly selected phone interviews, ten focus group discussions with different segments of the community and individual interviews with community citizens and leaders. The comprehensive report on the results was released in January of 2007 and copies were distributed to our governmental bodies and throughout the community. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Ward Cove By Rob Holston - As I enter my 11th year of trying to purchase or long-term lease waterfront property in Ward Cove, perhaps this information, gleaned from a news article by Dave Kifer will help folks understand the history behind the present circumstances in Ward Cove: - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Annual immigration cost By Al Johnson - Do you wonder as you watch the various newscast reporting Tea Party frustrations, what it is that has these usual normal non-activist citizens on the streets and in front of public buildings or at Town Hall meetings? Lord, there are so many encroachments by Government into the lives of private citizens to the extent the collective weight test the patience and patriotism of each. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Good Samaritan By Will Roberts - Dear Good Samaritan, the words "thank you" aren't enough to describe the gratitude that I feel when I think about what you did for me Tuesday in line at Wal-Mart. I've been thinking about what you did ever since and am proud to have met you. Love for one another is rare these days, especially between strangers. You are the proof that "love thy neighbor" isn't a pointless phrase these days. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Uncle Al By Jay Jones - I heard with my own ears The "Honorable" Senator Kookesh threaten, bribe the Craig/Sitka City Council. He received a slap on the wrist and has to write a letter of apology to the Craig Council for use of a poor choice of words which implied he would use his senatorial power to block funding for capital improvement projects for the City of Craig. Since the ethics findings Kookesh has already denied intent and claims his statements were "misconstrued". - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

RE: WAKE UP PARENTS By Julie Steiner - Okay! Sounds like we have some controversy along the "kids and coats" subject. Lori Headley is right: You can't force your kids to wear something they don't want to wear! You can try, however, you can also give them consequences when they disobey! But they will just leave and then take it back off! It's a battle your gonna fight until they are 18! - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

GOLDEN PARACHUTES & BIRDS THAT CANNOT FLY By David G. Hanger - Mr. Jarvi keeps referring to these bills (plural) that I have not paid and I must confess you have one on me, because I am not familiar with any unpaid bills. I duly noted back in July I was late paying a bill, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with your allegations that I am not paying my bills. Where did you get that from? You have been carping so loudly about all these unpaid bills of mine, I invite you simply to provide the venders' names, the amounts of the bills, and copies of all of these invoices you keep saying I have not paid. Put up or shut up. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Thank yous to others By Judith Green - You know it is just nice to finally see that our community can and will and does put on sitnews.com the positiveS about our town and peoples and organizations. - More...
Monday - March 08, 2010

Wednesday - March 03, 2010

Good Things Happen in Ketchikan By Charles Edwardson - WHAT does lumpia and the Cape Fox Dancers have in common? Nothing but the KAYHI girls' basketball team. So often I write this publication to complain or find fault in our elected officials. Today I want to change the tone. - More...
Wednesday - March 03, 2010

Customer Service By Scott R. Davis - In 1989 I popped a hole in my fuel tank. While the details of that particular incident aren't important, what happened after that is. - More...
Wednesday - March 03, 2010

New Column - "Community Endeavors" by Enough is Enough Citizens Committee By Bobbie McCreary - The Enough is Enough citizens committee is proud to announce a new Sitnews column written by Jessi Chapman addressing positive actions taken by individuals and groups of citizens to improve the quality of life in Ketchikan. - More...
Wednesday - March 03, 2010

Re: Wake Up Parents By Bethany Phippen - I just finished reading Lori Headley's letter responding to Spring McCurry's statement. I don't know if you have children, but I don't know of one single Pediatrician who is going to have ANY child with a fever outside in just a diaper. Yes, my kids are 4 and 7, and I have to argue with them occasionally about wearing their coats outside to go play. I can understand where high school students don't wear coats, but having an infant outside in a diaper there is no excuse for. If a child has a dangerously high fever you alternate tylenol and ibuprophen every 4 hours, you run them a cool bath, not so cold that they go into shock. If you know of ANY doctor that is recommending a child go outside in 40 even 50 degree weather to get them over a fever, they need to be turned in for malpractice. That is just asking for pnemonia. - More...
Wednesday - March 03, 2010

Indoor sports facility By Linda Beaupre - Instead of a indoor turf field, why not an ice rink? - More...
Wednesday - March 03, 2010

Monday - March 01, 2010

SB 881: No Lands Bill Meeting for Ketchikan By Johnnie Laird - I was surprised to read the schedule of meetings about SB 881 being arranged by Senator Murkowski's staff do not include Ketchikan. - More...
Monday - March 01, 2010

Indoor Sports Facility By Jeff Carson - You may have noticed a petition going around town that asks for your support in urging the Borough to help a local group remodel the veneer building into an indoor turf field facility. This letter is to answer the questions that have come about because of this petition. First of all, the plan is to install a 250' by 100' sport turf field that would run from the south wall of the building 250 feet to the north. Currently in Ketchikan there are 2,241 kids who participate in Little League baseball, youth softball, youth soccer, wrestling, dribblers league, gymnastics, Kayhi baseball, softball & soccer & youth football. All of these kids would benefit from this facility, especially in the Winter months. That doesn't include adult soccer, baseball & softball leagues that could benefit from a field like this. - More...
Monday - March 01, 2010

Congressional Reform Act of 2010 By A.M. (Al) Johnson - The following caught my attention while studied current events surrounding the arrogance of our Congress in addressing many important issues of the day relating directly to our well being. - More...
Monday - March 01, 2010

Brief Letter of Thanks By Jeff Hendrickson - This brief letter is just to say thanks to Kris W. I too am tired of reading the "childish bantor" and business bashing that happens regularly by Mr. Hanger. - More...
Monday - March 01, 2010

Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

KPU Telecommunications: Why Sell? By Karl Amylon, On Behalf of the Ketchikan City Council - On April 6th 2010, a special election will ask voters to vote 'Yes' or 'No', regarding authorizing the City to negotiate a sale of the KPU Telecommunications Division. The Ketchikan City Council recommends a 'Yes' vote. - More...
Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

S 881: A BAD HISTORY FOR A BAD BILL By Alan Stein - If S 881 passes out of a US Senate committee next month, Southeast Alaska and the nation will be worse off. Here is an untold story behind the legislation. 

Back in 1977, Sealaska got Congress to change ANCSA, then six years old. The amendment required Governor Hammond to consent to the transfer of 76,600 acres in Yakutat, and others in Saxman. Also removed from were Sealaska lands around Angoon. - More...
Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

Re: Wake up parents By Lori Headley - In defense of the parent outside with the toddler in the diaper, perhaps this mother was advised to do so by the family doctor because the toddler was having dangerously high fevers that were throwing the child into seizures even after having the kiddie cocktail. - More...
Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

More pressing issues By Kris Williams - Mr. Hanger is very quick and obviously a very educated man, and with that being said what he lacks is some common sense. In a town the size of Ketchikan a public bashing of another business or another resident is just uncouth. Voicing your opinion about a personal experience with a product or service is one thing, and I've had issues with my phone line not working for the last six months and can't get a repair man; but bad mouthing other tax preparers, or for that matter another citizen, well that's just not classy. I've lived here my whole life and people here have more respect, and values than Mr. Hanger has shown on this discussion forum. - More...
Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

Re: The real issue By Paul Jarvi - Mr. Hanger, you are a real piece of work. Nothing you said in your response of 2-25 is true. I don't think you are a lowlife, I just think you should pay your bills. - More...
Saturday AM - February 27, 2010

Friday AM - February 26, 2010

Sealaska Land Bill: Single Interest Proposal By Sandy Powers - The opening paragraph of Mr. McNeil's letter clearly sets the tone for the Sealaska/ congressional delegation's attitude toward the rest of us who do NOT stand to benefit from Sealaska land bill S881. To state, "The Tongass National Forest is a Native Place" clearly implies that those of us who are non-natives do not belong here, should not have a say, and our opinions are dismissible. As far as this land bill "enabl(ing) the government to complete the contract that it made with Sealaska and other Alaska Natives when it enacted ANCSA in 1971", one of the biggest issues is that the public lands they are now trying to take WERE NOT a part of the "contract"! These are public lands we have, as individuals, communities, and taxpayers to the federal government poured years and money into roading and managing, and built our very livelihoods around. Surprise! These value-added, roaded, multiple-use, highly used public areas are now the very areas they want to grab. - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

Sealaska Bill S-881 By Judy Magnuson - While trying to maintain the image of environmental responsibility Mr. McNeil ignores the facts that 71% of Sealaskas enterprise areas on North Prince of Wales Island and Kosciusko are on Karst, currently protected by the Federal Cave Resource Protection Act. This Act which directs Federal land managers to secure, protect and preserve significant caves on Federal land for the perpetual use, enjoyment and benefit of all people. To protect the caves one must also protect the karst system as a whole. The conveyance of karst to a private entity so that they may destroy it violates the FCRPA. - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

The real issue By David G. Hanger - People whose stock in trade is porcelain and glass should not be throwing stones, Paul Jarvi. Your presentation reminds me of those Pipster cons of about five years ago, those who knew it was a fraud and were gaming it for their own profit, thus used a variety of diversionary tactics to try to distract others from the fact that the whole thing was just a massive half-billion dollar Ponzi scam. OK, we now understand clearly you believe that anyone who gets behind on their bills for even five minutes, whatever the reason, is a lowlife. I rather imagine there are now a bunch of lowlifes out there who won't be doing business any time soon with you, either. - More...
Friday - February 26, 2010

Competition is good By Marilyn Catron - I would like to commend Mr. Hanger for standing up for himself after receiving such "Bad Person" services from a KPU employee. Most people would just complain about it for a little while and just let them get away with what they did even if friends prod them to do something about it. That is why people who abuse their positions continue to get away with treating people so badly. - More...
Friday - February 26, 2010

Wearable Arts Show By Kathy Flora - Thank you Kathleen Light, Ann Froeschle, and Anita Maxwell for another exceptional, and seamless production of Ketchikan's Wearable Arts Show. Thank you backstage managers, front of the house, and Cape Fox staff. - More...
Friday - February 26, 2010

Kayhi's Art Honor Society By Bobbie McCreary - Thank you for sharing the story of the Art Honor Society decorating for the Schoenbar Dance. This is the most awesome way of mentoring younger students coming behind the high school students and showing them and their teachers and their parents and families what time well spent with energy and talent can produce! - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

Preserve Bell Island!! By Carrie Lawrenson - I have lived in Alaska all my life. I was born in Fairbanks and lived in southeast all of my life. My family always had an airplane, and I have some of the best memories flying in to Bell Island Hot Springs. After beach combing or just lake hopping, we would stop at Bell Island so I could swim. Some of the time mom and dad would join me, but it was just the best treat a kid could have. - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

RE: Wake up parents By Charlanen Thomas - While I tend to agree with you regarding smaller children not being dressed appropriately, I still find the need to point something out. I have four children, all of which never wear their coats. Yes, I buy coats for my children every year, sometimes more than one. Yes, I make sure they have them on when they head to school. Yes, I remind then constanly to put on their coats. However, once they leave my sight, the coats come off and go straight into the backpacks! I can't even count how many times I've been told, "Mom I left my coat in the car", or "Mom I left my coat at school" (three hours after school is closed). - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

Response to "Wake up parents" By J. Smith - In response to your letter about the teens in this town not wearing a jacket... Have you ever tried to "make" a teenager wear something??? - More...
Friday AM - February 26, 2010

Monday PM - February 23, 2010

Sealaska land bill: Time to work together By Chris E. McNeil, Jr. - The Tongass National Forest is a Native Place. Southeast Natives gave up claims to over 17 million acres of land for approximately 375,000 acres. From less than one-half of one percent of all lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Sealaska has shared over $300 million dollars with other Alaska Natives under Section 7(i) revenue sharing. The Sealaska land legislation S. 881 and H.R. 2099, currently before the U.S. Congress, enables the government to complete the contract that it made with Sealaska and other Alaska Natives when it enacted ANCSA in 1971. - More...
Tuesday - February 23, 2010

Where's Lisa? By Bob Claus - In October, 2009, I had the opportunity to testify in front of the US Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests about Senate Bill 881, the Sealaska land transfer bill. Senators Murkowski and Begich were there, as were other members of the committee. This makes me the only person from Prince of Wales Island to have had an opportunity to speak directly to the decision makers in an official setting. This is not fair to those who wish to express their own opinions about this legislation. - More...
Tuesday - February 23, 2010

Crossing Guards By Tracy Mettler - If you believe that the downtown crossing guards should should wear a uniform, or at the very least, have a dress code this season (and seasons to come...) please follow the link below to the Mayor and Council pages and let your elected representatives know. - More...
Monday PM - February 23, 2010

Monday PM - February 22, 2010

Drug testing By Kay Taylor - I agree with the opinion letter by Jose Garcia. Since drinking and boating is not allowed by Coast Guard directive, why doesn't the city require drug testing for new hires and applicants as well as current employees? They are on duty in the harbor and are responsible for our safety. Why they are exempt and the operators of boats are not flies in the face of discrimination. - More...
Monday PM - February 22, 2010

An Open Letter to Senator Bingaman: Sealaska Land Grab By Myla Poelstra - Can you hear the growing chorus of voices sounding the alarm throughout all of Southeast Alaska? One by one over the last few days, city after city within the Alexander Archipelago, and nearly every town in between, have come forward with formal resolutions of opposition or requests for formal congressional hearings. What would make so many different and diverse communities cry out for justice and fair consideration? Something really wrong is happening in Southeast Alaska. That something is a bill known locally as the "Sealaska Land Grab". S.881 ­ Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization Act has been wrapped in a well designed package that looks and sounds very good, but what's inside is greed and total disregard for everyone but themselves. - More...
Monday PM - February 22, 2010

Open Letter to Senator Lisa Murkowski: Sealaska Land Grab Bill By Myla Poelstra - We read your latest news release this morning in the Juneau Empire, "Public Hearings in Southeast region to begin in early March". Everyone is once again disappointed by what appears to be stubborn indifference to formally addressing our concerns. We have been writing letters since 2003 when you introduced S.1466 - The Land Transfer Acceleration Act. Sealaska had already made their out - of - withdrawal area selections on N. Prince of Wales at that time. Over seven years and several different attempts at legislation, and they have never really adjusted their proposed selections. You have left us to feel there has been an extensive effort of stonewalling against the legitimate concerns of the people living in these areas. Evidently we do not have the deep pockets that it must take to gain your support. If this letter sounds angry and cynical, its supposed to. Your deliberate remarks designed for deflection are easily picked up on. People living remote are not as intellectually challenged as you might think. - More...
Monday PM - February 22, 2010

Request for information By Lauren Stevens - My name is Lauren Stevens. I am a fourth grade student at Evansville Day School. I am doing a state report on Alaska. The reason why I wanted to do Alaska is because I wanted to learn as much as I can about the animals because I want to be a vet. - More...
Monday PM - February 22, 2010

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