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The state agency that owns the Ketchikan Shipyard wants to find a new operator quickly, hoping to avoid a work gap after deciding that the current contractor needs to vacate the facility this fall. But few specifics about the process for selecting a new operator, the transition timeline and prospects for current shipyard workers if there is a gap between operators were available May 4 during a nearly two-hour public meeting in Ketchikan hosted by the shipyard owner, the Alaska Industrial...
Vigor Alaska, the private operator of the state-owned Ketchikan Shipyard, has been notified that the state will not extend the shipyard operating agreement with the company when the current contract expires in November. Citing less-than-full utilization of the shipyard and increasing unfunded maintenance at the facility under Vigor's management, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), which owns the facility, said in a Feb. 28 letter that it would give the company until...
Restarting Alaska state ferry service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, is contingent on the state receiving a long-sought federal waiver for renovations to the leased terminal at Prince Rupert and waiting at least until 2026 when the Kennicott returns to service. That’s according to Alaska Marine Highway System staff presentations at the Oct. 23 Alaska Marine Transportation Operations Board meeting. Shirley Marquardt, chair of the advisory board, said there is a strong push to restore service to Rupert, just 90 miles south of Ketchikan, w...
The anticipated movement of invasive European green crab farther into Southeast Alaska was verified June 13 when 11 carapaces of the shellfish were collected on the shore of Gravina Island’s Bostwick Inlet, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The inlet, less than 10 miles southwest of downtown Ketchikan, is a popular local spot for harvesting Dungeness crab. The molted green crab carapaces were found by members of the Metlakatla Indian Community Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Alaska Sea Grant program, who were c...
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough is working to recover a $625,125 electronic payment that was sent to a fake vendor account on May 3, according to Borough Manager Ruben Duran. The case is under investigation by the FBI, and a claim has been filed with the borough’s insurer, Duran said. The borough has made arrangements to pay the real vendor with a check via certified mail. Duran provided an update to the borough assembly on May 6, followed by an interview with the Ketchikan Daily News on May 8. The borough had intended to pay the contractor on th...
A Palmer woman has been indicted on murder, manslaughter and assault charges for an alleged hit-and-run in Metlakatla that resulted in the deaths of her 3-year-old son and her brother, as well as injuring the child’s father. Alecia A. Henderson, 27, was taken into custody on a court-ordered warrant May 2; the indictments were issued May 4. Ketchikan District Court Judge Kristian Pickrell set Henderson's bail at a $500,000 appearance bond, with 10% cash requirement. Pickrell also stipulated that Henderson could not be released from custody u...
Ketchikan Police Chief Jeffrey Walls has been placed on paid administrative leave after being indicted for felony third-degree assault and five lesser charges related to an incident Sept. 10 at Salmon Falls Resort. “Chief Walls is currently on administrative leave while we complete our internal review,” Ketchikan City Manager Delilah Walsh wrote in a Jan. 4 email. “Deputy Chief Eric Mattson has assumed the role of acting chief.” “We will do an internal investigation,” City Manager Delilah Walsh said in a telephone interview with the Ketchik...
The wolf hunting and trapping season for Prince of Wales Island will be the same as last year — Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 — though a number of individuals who trap wolves in the area criticized the Alaska Department of Fish and Game last week for its wolf management decisions. The department announced the limited season last Friday, just two days after a teleconference to review with the public wolf population estimates and harvest levels. Several people described seeing more wolves than deer in the area, arguing that a longer season and higher harves...
With smiles and hugs, the 2022 Race to Alaska concluded last Thursday evening when the last two teams still in the race — Fix Oder Nix and Sockeye Voyages — arrived at the finish in Ketchikan’s Thomas Basin. It had taken both teams more than 21 days to complete the approximately 710-mile distance between Victoria, British Columbia, where the R2AK’s second leg to Ketchikan had begun at noon Pacific time on June 16. Sails, ores or paddles — no motors allowed. “We made it,” Joachim Roesler of Team Fix Oder Nix said after their arrival at th...
By Scott Bowlen Ketchikan Daily News Pure & Wild, a 44-foot monohull sailboat, won the 2022 Race to Alaska on June 20, sailing into Ketchikan four days, four hours and 32 minutes after departing Victoria, British Columbia. Team members Jonathan McKee, Matt Pistay and Alyosha Strum-Palerm gathered at the Alaska Fish House, where their first-prize winnings of $10,000 cash had been nailed to a high beam on the back wall. Pistay climbed up to the beam and used a small crowbar to pry the prize money...