Leila Kheiry, KRBD - Ketchikan
Malaspina Crew Helps In Canada Rescue Effort
The crew of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Malaspina participated in a weekend rescue effort in Canadian waters.
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Ordinance to Add Prayer In Ketchikan Schools Passes First Vote
An ordinance that would add a prayer to the regular Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly meeting agenda passed in first reading Monday night. The vote was split 4-3, with some on the Assembly expressing concern about inadvertently excluding some people with different beliefs.
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Ketchikan Shipyard to Build Two Alaska Ferries
It’s official: The Ketchikan Shipyard will build two new ferries for the State of Alaska over the next few years. The deal was announced on a very rainy Saturday during a barbecue at the shipyard’s huge, enclosed ship construction area.
State Files To Participate In Big Thorne Lawsuits
The State of Alaska filed motions in federal court Monday to participate in lawsuits that seek to halt or delay the U.S. Forest Service's planned Big Thorne timber sale on Prince of Wales Island.
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Does Vigor Still Need Local Tax, Utility Breaks?
As Ketchikan’s shipyard continues to grow and attract contracts, questions arose last week about whether the community should continue to offer tax and utility breaks for the property.
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Ketchikan Welcomes New US Citizens
Eighteen Ketchikan residents became U.S. citizens a few days ago. The ceremony took place in the courtroom of Ketchikan’s historic downtown federal building.
Appeals Court To Rehear Tongass Exemption Case
The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit released an announcement today (Friday) that it would rehear the Tongass Roadless Rule exemption case.
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Five Conservation Groups File Lawsuit To Stop POW Timber Project
Five more conservation groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday in hopes of stopping the Big Thorne timber project on Prince of Wales Island.
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RFP Released For Alaska Class Day Boat Construction
The Alaska Department of Transportation has released a Request for Proposals to the Ketchikan shipyard for construction of the Alaska Class day boat.
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Autopsy Reveals No Answers In Sea Lion Death
A dead sea lion that washed up on the beach near Ketchikan was dissected last Thursday in hopes of finding out what caused the death. The necropsy took several hours, and attracted many observers. But it didn’t provide any clear answers.
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Saxman Files Lawsuit Over Non-Rural Status
The Organized Village of Saxman filed a lawsuit on July 25th in federal court over the Federal Subsistence Board’s 2007 decision to designate the Native village as non-rural.
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Why Does Southeast Alaska Have A Daycare Crisis?
Mention daycare to pretty much any parent in Southeast Alaska, and you’ll get an earful. It’s never been easy to find daycare in the region, but just recently, it’s gotten much worse.
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OceansAlaska Admits Financial Problems
OceansAlaska, a Ketchikan-based shellfish seed producer, is in a financial mess. Officials with the nonprofit admitted as much during Monday’s Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly meeting. They asked the Assembly for more time to reconcile their accounts related to a borough grant, along with enough borough funding to keep the doors open through the end of July.
Parnell Signs SB99 To Allow POW Mine Loans
Gov. Sean Parnell was in Ketchikan on Monday to sign into law Senate Bill 99, which allows the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to issue bonds for two Southeast Alaska mining projects, plus a loan for Sitka’s Blue Lake Hydroelectric Project.
Ketchikan Assembly Cuts Library Funding
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly voted to cut its share of funding for the city-owned Ketchikan Public Library. In 2010 city voters approved spending up to $5.2 million for the facility. Because Borough residents were not allowed to vote on the issue, who should pay for services has been sometimes controversial.
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Ketchikan Gateway Borough, State Argue Education Funding
Judge William Carey heard oral arguments in Ketchikan Superior Court on Monday morning in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s lawsuit against the state over education funding.
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Comment Period Opens For Cruise Waste Permits
The Legislature approved new regulations last year for cruise ships to release wastewater into Alaska’s oceans. Since then, the state has developed a permit process based on those regulations. Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Water Director Michelle Hale stopped in Ketchikan this week to talk about the changes.
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Carnival Miracle Cancels 15 Ketchikan Port Calls
Citing mechanical issues that affect the Carnival Miracle’s maximum cruising speed, Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled 15 of that ship’s port calls in Ketchikan this summer.
Birthday Cupcakes Exempt From Ketchikan Schools’ Nutrition Guidelines
The Ketchikan School Board adopted new administrative regulations last week governing student nutrition and physical activity, in order to meet new federal standards. The standards essentially require that only healthy food be served in schools. There are some exceptions built into the rules and the Ketchikan school board added a few more, including the “cupcake clause.”
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POW, Metlakatla Schools Awarded Tech Grants
Hydaburg and Annette Island school districts were among three Alaska Native groups that received advanced telecommunications technology grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development office.