Leila Kheiry, KRBD - Ketchikan
Saxman Regains Rural Status
The Organized Village of Saxman is now officially rural again. The Federal Subsistence Board voted during a work session Tuesday in Anchorage to return communities to the status they held before 2007.
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Groups seek halt to POW wolf hunting, logging
Citing a state study that shows a sharp decline in the wolf population on Prince of Wales Island and surrounding islands, six conservation groups have asked state and federal officials to take steps to help preserve the remaining animals.
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Saxman: Call us ‘Rural’
The Southeast village of Saxman took its fight to be designated a “rural” community to Congress today. Saxman Village President Lee Wallace told a House subcommittee he was devastated in 2007, when he watched the Federal Subsistence Board decide Saxman was “non-rural.”
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Ketchikan Pastor Goes Barefoot to Raise Money For Those Who Need Shoes
A Ketchikan minister is going barefoot for a month, in hopes of raising awareness of the need for shoes among the world’s poor.
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Barefoot pastor raising awareness, money for shoes
A Ketchikan minister is going barefoot for a month, in hopes of raising awareness of the need for shoes among the world’s poor. While only part way through his month-long project, Peter Epler has gotten a feel – so to speak – for what many people deal with all the time.
Education lawsuit heads through appeals process
A flurry of briefs was filed by the June 30th deadline with the Alaska Supreme Court in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s ongoing lawsuit challenging the State of Alaska’s requirement that local governments earmark a certain amount of property taxes for public education.
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Body of Ketchikan Woman Recovered from Tongass Narrows
The victim has been identified as a 34-year-old Ketchikan woman. Next of kin have been notified, and the body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
Ketchikan Advances A $3 Per Pack Tobacco Tax
In a split vote Monday, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly voted to move forward with a proposed tobacco tax. The proposal calls for the borough to work with the City of Ketchikan on a tax that would be similar throughout the community. The suggested tax is $3 per pack of cigarettes, or 75 percent of the wholesale price on other tobacco products. Tobacco substitutes, including e-cigarettes, also would be taxed at a similar rate.
Efforts Underway to Recover Victims of Fatal Plane Crash
Recovery efforts were under way early Friday afternoon for nine people killed on Thursday when a floatplane crashed into the side of a steep mountain in Misty Fiords National Monument outside of Ketchikan.
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Tribe boycotts FedEx over ‘Redskins’ support
Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is boycotting FedEx. The Juneau-based tribal organization announced Thursday that it has sent notice to all employees to stop using FedEx services, citing the national delivery company’s sponsorship of the Washington Redskins football team.
9 Killed in Flightseeing Crash Near Ketchikan
Nine people died Thursday afternoon when the DeHavilland Otter floatplane they were traveling in went down near Ella Lake in Misty Fiords National Monument near Ketchikan.
Plane With 9 On Board Crashes in Misty Fiords
A Promech float plane with nine people on board apparently crashed near Ella Lake in Misty Fiords National Monument outside of Ketchikan. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Kelly Parker says the plane was reported overdue this afternoon.
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Race to Alaska: ‘Soggy Beavers’ Slog Into Ketchikan
Teams continue to arrive at the finish line in Ketchikan for the inaugural Race to Alaska, an engineless boat race that started in Port Townsend, Wash. By late last week, all the finishing teams had been on sailboats. But Team Soggy Beavers relied almost 100 percent on human power.
State study shows 60% wolf decline on POW
The number of wolves on Prince of Wales Island and nearby islands has dropped dramatically, according to a draft report from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. A state official said that decline is something to watch carefully, but he’s not concerned yet about the viability of wolves in that area. Conservationists, though, are alarmed and say that number could be too low to maintain genetic health among remaining wolves.
Ketchikan man dies after accidental shooting
A 22-year-old Ketchikan man died Sunday night from what Alaska State Troopers say appears to be an accidental shooting.
Ketchikan Welcomes A Canine to Search And Rescue Squad
Ketchikan’s volunteer rescue service recently added a new four-legged team member. Pace has a great nose, tons of energy and the drive needed for what to her is a fun game. For the people she finds, though, it’s as serious as life or death.
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Hyder border to reopen for 24-hour access
The border between Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia, soon will be open 24-hours a day. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office announced today that after many discussions with her office, the Canadian government has agreed to work with U.S. officials to open the gate — and keep it open, all the time.
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Hyder-Stewart Border to Re-Open 24-Hour Access
The border between Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia, soon will be open 24-hours a day.
Cruise Ship Season Comes to Port
The first big cruise ship of the 2015 tourist season arrived in Ketchikan on Friday. In its inaugural visit to Alaska’s First City, the Ruby Princess brought more than 3,000 passengers and about 1,200 crew members.
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Ninth Circuit Denies Big Thorne Injunction
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an emergency motion for an injunction that would have delayed the Big Thorne Timber Sale pending an appeal of a lower-court ruling.
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