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Fax News Releases: 907-225-8590
Alaska: USFS: No new wilderness in the Tongass -
Agency still supports another wilderness designation for area
in Chugach forest -- The U.S. Forest Service is recommending
no new wilderness areas be created in the Tongass National Forest
after two years of work on a court-ordered wilderness study.
Alaska Regional Forester Denny Bschor said the decision released
today will keep wilderness at current levels in the Tongass.
- Read more...
Alaska: Murkowski Says USFS Made Right Decision -
Responding to today's release by the US Forest Service of a supplemental
environmental impact statement (SEIS) that concluded there was
no need to recommend new wilderness areas within the Tongass
National Forest, Governor Frank Murkowski said, "We are
encouraged to see the Alaska Region of the Forest Service take
what we believe is the right decision, because all land types
of the Tongass are already represented in the vast wilderness
areas of the Tongass and because those areas are underutilized.
There is no justification for additional wilderness on the Tongass."
- Read more...
Alaska: Lawyers may determine dividend's fate - The
principal of the Alaska Permanent Fund can't be touched, even
to pay dividends, under the Alaska Constitution. But just how
you define "principal" could determine whether this
year's dividends will be slashed, or maybe not paid at all. -
Read more...
Alaska: Alaska Economic Trends Magazine Features Sitka
- Learn more about Sitka, how Sitka's economy survived the closure
of its pulp mill -- and where the Sitka Mill Workers are now.
Also featured in the February 2003 issue are: Teachers -
"Their earning are converging with the national average,
but are higher than in Alaska's private sector..." Employment
Scene - "Alaska chalks up fifteenth straight year of
modest growth..." A 23 page magazine - More.... Alaska: ANWR Resolution Passes Legislature & Enroute
to Washington - Urges Congress to allow oil and gas exploration
in the 1002 area of ANWR - According to a news release from
the Alaska Republicans, Alaska's voice on opening the "1002
area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" to oil and
gas exploration and production is once again enroute to Washington
D.C. - Read more... Alaska: House Approves Funds for ANWR Effort - Appropriations
Support Education About Exploration - The Alaska House of
Representatives passed House Bill 101 by a vote of 34 to three
on Wednesday according to an Alaska Republicans' news release.
HB 101 appropriates a total of $1.3 million to promote oil and
gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. House
Finance co-Chairs Representative John Harris (R-Valdez) and Representative
Bill Williams (R-Saxman) said efforts to open the refuge for
exploration must continue.- Read more...
Ketchikan: Schoenbar edges
Dryden for Southeast wrestling championship - Petersburg
tops Wrangell for small schools title - Floyd
Dryden Middle School of Juneau had more individual champions,
but it wasn't enough to counter the depth of Ketchikan's Schoenbar
Middle School as Schoenbar edged Dryden to win the Southeast
Middle School Wrestling Championships held Friday and Saturday
in Ketchikan. - Read more... Wrangell: Wrangell mourns
victims of shooting - Police investigating four deaths
as a possible murder-suicide case
- Wrangell residents are in shock and mourning after police
released the names of four people found shot to death in a downtown
Wrangell home early Monday. Police said they are investigating
the shootings - the deadliest in Southeast in 20 years - as a
murder-suicide case. - Read more...
Ketchikan & Statewide: AK Education Report Card To The Public Released
- The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
recently delivered the newest edition of the Alaska Report Card
to the Public to the legislature as required by statute. The
report is now available to the public - and available online.
- Read more & view Report Cards for Ketchikan's
Schools...
Wrangell: Four people found
shot in Wrangell - Police discover bodies in downtown
home -- Police this
afternoon released the names of four people found shot to death
in a downtown Wrangell home early today. Police said they are
investigating the shootings - the deadliest in Southeast in 20
years - as a murder-suicide case. Alaska: Governor Says US Supreme Court Correct to Review
Red Dog Permit - Certorari Petition Granted in ADEC v. EPA, Red
Dog Mine Air Permit Dispute - Governor Frank Murkowski today
said he is extremely gratified that the nation's highest court
has chosen to review the dispute between the Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation and the federal Environmental Protection
Agency over issuance of an air quality permit for the Red Dog
Mine in northwest Alaska. - Read more... Wrangell: Police find four bodies in Wrangell home - Troopers
traveling to town to investigate multiple homicide -- Wrangell
police are investigating a multiple murder after four bodies
were discovered in a home early Monday, police said. - Read more... Ketchikan: Coast Guard Rescues Stranded Ketchikan Fishermen
- According to a USCG news release, a Coast Guard rescue
team airlifted two fishermen who had been stranded overnight
on a beach... Read more...
Alaska: Murkowski Recruits Labor for Help on ANWR
- Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski yesterday spoke to several
trade unions in a major address, calling on them to help Alaska
open ANWR to responsible exploration. Doing so, Murkowski said,
would provide high paying, union jobs. - Read more... Alaska: Governor Declares George Ishiyama Day Feb. 22
- Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has issued an executive
proclamation making February 22, 2003 "George Ishiyama Day
in Alaska." Ishiyama, a leader in Alaska's trade with Japan,
passed away February 4. He would have been 89 on his next birthday,
February 22. - Read more... Ketchikan: I Can Cope, A Cancer Information & Support
Workshop, To Be Offered
- Following the American Cancer Society's "I Can Cope"
program, a cancer information and support workshop will be provided
free of charge to individuals with cancer and their family members.
- Read more... Ketchikan: Totem Heritage Center Presents Weaving Videos
- In anticipation of the Gathering of Alaskan Basket Makers,
the Totem Heritage Center invites the public to enjoy a pair
of weaving videos on Saturday, March 1, 2003, at 2 p.m. - Read more... National: National Safety Council Says Americans Must Develop
a 'Culture of Preparedness' - The National Safety Council
(NSC) on Friday called on all Americans to develop a "culture
of preparedness" for emergencies. Tragic events like the
stampede in a Chicago nightclub and the fire in Rhode Island,
which together took over a 100 lives, can occur at any time.
- Read more...
Alaska: Seafood Industry Vital To Alaska Economy - Jobs,
Payroll, Tax Revenue, Infrastructure Important to All Alaskans
-- The seafood industry remains a powerful economic engine for
hundreds of communities, thousands of vessels, and tens of thousands
of workers throughout Alaska, according to a new study released
on Thursday. - Read more...
Alaska: Former DOT Commissioners Support Governor on
Habitat Permitting Move -
Four former commissioners
of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have
sent a letter to Governor Frank H. Murkowski offering their solid
support for his initiative to move the permitting functions of
the Division of Habitat and Restoration from the Department of
Fish & Game to the Department of Natural Resources. - Read
more... Alaska: Governor Requests No More Wilderness Reviews
from Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton - Governor Frank
H. Murkowski last week sent two letters to Interior Secretary
Gale Norton regarding land use and ownership in Alaska. - Read
more... Ketchikan: Ketchikan drivers get too close to video store
- A video store took an accidental pounding from two members
of a Ketchikan family Monday night. A 17-year-old girl making
a return to Blockbuster Video said the brakes on her 1982 pickup
truck failed and the truck rolled into the store. - Read more... Ketchikan: Ketchikan processing plant gets new owner
- A Ketchikan fish plant that was scheduled for shutdown this
year will instead remain in business under the son of its founder.
- Read more... Alaska: Juneau Masters Swim Team takes third at state
meet - Juneau, which had 14 swimmers, took third place
with 574 points, followed by Fairbanks Arctic Swim Team (FAST,
10 swimmers) with 486 points and the Ketchikan Masters
Swim Team (10 swimmers) in fifth place with 394 points. - Read more...
Alaska: Governor Appoints Stevens to District R Senate
Seat - Governor Frank H. Murkowski on Wednesday named Representative
Gary Stevens of Kodiak to fill the Senate Seat R, recently vacated
by Alan Austerman, who has taken a new position as Murkowski's
fisheries policy advisor. - Read more... Alaska: Governor Requests Bare-bones Supplemental Budget
- Governor Frank H. Murkowski on Tuesday introduced supplemental
funding requests for the FY 2003 state operating budget totaling
$63.3 million in general funds. The figure is significantly lower
than the earlier estimate from the Legislature,s finance analysts
that $140 million would be needed to finish up the current year
budget. - Read more... Alaska: Murkowski Introduces Bills on RCA, AIDEA Bonding
and Oil Spill Contingency Plans - Governor Frank H. Murkowski
on Wednesday introduced legislation to extend the life of the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska, to extend the life of Alaska
Industrial Development and Export Authority's bonding authorization,
and to increase the renew period for oil discharge prevention
and contingency plans from three years to five years. - Read more... Alaska: Murkowski Announces DOT Team - Governor
Frank H. Murkowski on Tuesday announced that Mike Barton will
be the new Commissioner of the Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities. - Read more...
Ketchikan - Hydaburg boys beat Ketchikan in tourney final
Class 2A - Warriors knock off Class 4A host Kings at First City
Prep Shootout - It may not rate with any of the Hydaburg
High School boys basketball team's three Class 1A state championships,
but last weekend's victory over the host Ketchikan Kings will
rank as one of the Warriors' top highlights. - Read more... Ketchikan: Research vessel to be overhauled in Portland
- A federal research ship will be overhauled in Portland, Oregon
before returning to Alaska. The 35-year-old Fairweather, a ship
owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
will be overhauled by Cascade General of Portland at a cost of
13 million dollars. - Read more... Alaska: Second AK Teacher
Education Forum Set For Feb. 18-20
- Roppel of Ketchikan Among Outstanding Educators Selected
To Participate -- The
second annual Alaska Teacher Education Forum is being held in
Juneau, February 18-20. The theme is "Teachers: The Heart
of Education, Celebrating our Choice, Building a Voice."
Organizers are Patricia Truman and Vivian Montoya, former Alaska
Teachers of the Year. - Read more... Nationwide: Guidance Clarifying School Prayer Issued by USDOE
- On February 7, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige issued
a seven-page letter of guidance that clarifies the rights of
students to pray in public schools. - Read more... Ketchikan: Sealaska tests idea of restarting veneer plant
- "...In another initiative related to timber, Sealaska
is working with Oregon-based Timber Products Co. on the possibility
of restarting a wood veneer manufacturing plant in Ketchikan...."
- Read more... Ketchikan: Alaska Troller's Association Announces Port Meeting
- The Alaska Troller's Association announced they will be holding
an ATA port meeting on Wednesday, February 19th in Ketchikan
at the Cape Fox Hotel at 7:00 pm. - Read more... Alaska: Prison expansion leaves out Southeast - A
plan to allow construction of a 1,200-bed public prison in the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough and expand existing facilities in Bethel,
Anchorage and Fairbanks has been introduced by Sen. Lyda Green,
a Wasilla Republican. - Read more...
Ketchikan: Former tribal judge faces child molesting charges
- A former Klawock tribal judge, has been indicted by a Ketchikan
grand jury on charges of molesting an 11-year-old girl. - Read more...
Ketchikan: Interpretation Techniques Workshop Announced
- Great Guided Tours and Other Visitor Experiences - Do
you give tours or other presentations? Do you interact with visitors?
You know your facts -- now translate them into meaningful experiences
for your guests! - Read more...
Alaska: Murkowski Backs Delegation on Tongass Language
- "Given the misinformation circulating in the national
press about the proposed Tongass language in the Interior Appropriations
bill now pending before Congress, I think it is appropriate for
the State of Alaska to set the record straight," Murkowski
said. - Read more... Alaska: Governor Calls for Resource Assessment on State
and Federal Lands - Murkowski said today that the federal
government should step up efforts to identify mineral wealth
on public lands in Alaska. - Read more...
Alaska: Executive Orders Introduced to Move Habitat and
Coastal Management Programs - Today Governor Frank
Murkowski introduced two executive orders (EO) in the Alaska
Legislature that will move permitting functions of the division
of habitat and restoration and the entire office of coastal management
to the Department of Natural Resources. - Read more... Alaska: Governor's Accomplishments After First 70 Days
Outlined - "We have been working diligently to
get Alaska moving again. These actions require a deliberate process
and cannot be done overnight. But we have set our course and
we know where we are going," said Murkowski. - Read more... Ketchikan: Extra! Extra! The Newspapers of Ketchikan - Museum
Unveils New Exhibit February 14, 2003 - News devotees and
local history enthusiasts will not want to miss the Tongass Historical
Museum's upcoming exhibit, Extra! Extra! The Newspapers of Ketchikan.
- Read more... Alaska: Management Team Picked for Administration
- Department of Administration Commissioner Mike Miller on Tuesday
announced the appointment of Ray Matiashowski of Ketchikan,
Kevin Jardell, and Elizabeth Snyder as his management team in
the Office of the Commissioner. - Read more... Alaska: Congressional
riders would expand logging - One would prevent environmentalists
from appealing 1997 Tongass management plan -- Alaska's congressional delegation is battling
to keep riders in a massive national spending bill that would
allow more logging in the Tongass National Forest and move toward
oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. - Read more...
Alaska: Murkowski Appoints Austerman Fisheries Policy
Advisor - Governor Frank H. Murkowski today announced that
he has appointed State Senator Alan Austerman of Kodiak to serve
as his fisheries policy advisor. Austerman, who has been in the
Alaska Legislature for eight years, resigned from the Senate
today. - Read more...
Alaska: Drunk Drivers May Lose Dividend Check - Senate
Bills 58 & 59 Aim to Make Alaska Streets Safer -- If
having the toughest drunk driving laws in the country is not
enough to give someone pause before driving under the influence,
losing your Permanent Fund Dividend check might. - Read more... Alaska: Attorney General Argues for Sovereign Waters
in Proceeding Pending Before the U.S. Supreme Court - Attorney
General Gregg Renkes on Monday gave the opening statement in
the State of Alaska's submerged lands case before a Special Master
appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court. In the court case, the state
asserts that it holds title to the submerged lands surrounding
the mainland and islands of the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast
Alaska. - Read more... Ketchikan: First Annual Focus on Living Women's Wellness
Conference Set for March 7-8 -- Unwind, relax and
rejuvenate at the First Annual Focus on Living Women's Wellness
Conference set for March 7-8, 2003 at the University of Alaska
Southeast Ketchikan. - Read more...
Ketchikan & Statewide:
Labor Partners To Offer Merchant Marine Training
Opportunities - In partnership with the SIU and the
Ketchikan-based nonprofit recruiting and referral agency,
SEA Link Inc., the Dept. of Labor will train and place qualified
dislocated Alaskans previously employed in the fishing industry
into family-wage jobs as merchant mariners aboard U.S.-flag commercial
vessels engaged in the Alaska, domestic, and international deep-sea
shipping industry. - Read more.... Ketchikan: Judges refused venue change in third Mateu trial
- Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins has turned down
a prosecution request to move the murder trial of 19-year-old
Jose "Che" Mateu out of Ketchikan. - Read more.... Alaska: Southeast processors look to use fish waste
- Southeast fish processors are smelling opportunity in a
byproduct that traditionally has caused people to turn up their
noses - decomposing fish carcasses. - Read more... Alaska: Attorney General Offers Consumer Tips on Information
Security - Alaska Attorney General Gregg D. Renkes has joined
a group of federal, state and local organizations and national
advocacy groups to launch the fifth annual National Consumer
Protection Week (NCPW), February 2-8, 2003, to highlight consumer
protection and education efforts. - Read more... Ketchikan: State waits for response on Ketchikan airport
inspection - A November inspection of the Ketchikan
International Airport revealed deficiencies that threaten its
operation, according to a letter from state to borough officials.
- Read more... Ketchikan: Ketchikan faces backlash for hosting state meet
- Last October, Rick Collins got the gift he had desired
most of all in seven years as head wrestling coach at Ketchikan
High School - hosting the state championship.- Read more...
Alaska: Salmon Task Force
Delivers Report and 14 Bills - Backers say Good Start
but More Work For Task Force Lies Ahead - After months of work, more than 50
public meetings in nearly a dozen communities and a review of
hundreds of proposals: The Joint Legislative Salmon Industry
Task Force delivered its final report to the Legislature on Friday.
- Read more... Alaska: Murkowski Picks Bill Tandeske As Commissioner
of Public Safety - Governor Frank H. Murkowski on
Monday announced the appointment of William (Bill) Tandeske of
Eagle River to be the Commissioner of the Department of Public
Safety. Tandeske brings 26 years of public service as an Alaska
State Trooper serving the citizens of Alaska to the position.
- Read more... Alaska: Murkowski Blasts Habitat Division - The
state habitat division has a reputation of delaying and derailing
major construction projects and a change is overdue, Gov. Frank
Murkowski said Monday. ....... The governor listed several specific
instances of delays or personal biases - including an alleged
pizza party to celebrate the demise of the Ketchikan Pulp
Company...... Read more... Wrangell: Silver Bay Logging files for bankruptcy protection
- Wrangell-based Silver Bay Logging has filed for bankruptcy
protection, citing depressed lumber prices and increased costs
of harvesting federal timber in Southeast Alaska. - Read more....
Alaska: U.S. Senate nixes trans-Alaska oil pipeline environmental
lawsuits - The U.S. Senate adopted a rider to the omnibus
federal spending bill which would shield the new trans-Alaska
Pipeline right of way agreement from lawsuits and judicial review.
- Read more...
Sitnews Stories in the News |
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