The Coast Guard says they will be joining the rest of the nation this week in observing National Safe Boating Week, which promotes safe boating practices and aims to prevent recreational boating accidents.

National Safe Boating Week began Saturday and lasts until May 25. It comes just after the Coast Guard announced its 2012 Recreational Boating Statistics on Monday, which revealed that there were 651 boating fatalities last year nationwide. The Coast Guard says that’s the lowest number of boating fatalities on record.

Roses in hand, they marched single file. Eighteen of this year’s 113 Southeast Alaska GED graduates marched down the center isle of the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall with their heads held high with pride. They’d made it.

“You’ve all come tonight to say ‘you’ve done a great job. Well done. You’re on your way. You’ve set your path. The future’s ahead of you,’” said Julie Staley, associate director of SERRC — Alaska’s Educational Resource Center.

A pair of old headphones sat atop a legal pad on Christopher Orman’s desk. He wasn’t listening to music.

As the incoming assistant city attorney and prosecutor to take over when August Petropulos steps down, Orman, 36, is listening to court transcripts.

But there was a time when he would have had music playing.

“When I was in law school, I went through a phase where I needed to get things done fast and keep myself going especially when I got tired,” he said. “I’d listen to, just, annoying music, like Aphex Twin and all that – which was not my personality at all.”

The city received more appeals to the Assessor’s office than any year prior following a recent change in the process for assessing properties that raised concerns among the public late last month.

In total, the assessor received 614 appeals. In past years the number has hovered between 350 and 400, according to the city’s Director of Finance Bob Bartholomew.