On today’s Talk of the Rock, host Kayla Desroches speaks with Cooperative Extension Service Pest Technician Janice Chumley about how to defend against pests you might find in your garden, from root maggots to cutworms.

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Earlier this month, the Kodiak City Council discovered the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly had passed an ordinance which violates a memorandum of agreement between the two governing bodies. The agreement allows for a building inspection program that serves both the city and borough, but the borough assembly had recently taken action to relax engineering requirements for home owner …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Trash is a big topic in Kodiak, where shipping it off-island can be expensive. Sometimes it never leaves at all, like the cars some people abandon on the side of the road. Residential waste came up at the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly regular meeting Thursday night in the context of establishing the borough’s fee schedule. Assemblyman Larry LeDoux …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Going on a fishing expedition to Alaska is many people’s dream come true and that also goes for one recipient of a trip from the Make-a-Wish Foundation who spent last week in Kodiak. Make-a-Wish America is a nonprofit that fulfills the dreams of children with life-threatening medical conditions, and one Wisconsin seventeen-year-old, Logan, wished to fish in Kodiak. …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT At its regular meeting last night, the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly granted Discover Kodiak money to support general operations and two special projects, but some assembly members questioned whether or not money from the tourism fund might be more evenly doled out. Discover Kodiak provides destination marketing and tourism development for the city and borough. Executive Director Chastity …

Michael Powers. Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT New Kodiak Island Borough Manager Michael Powers says he’s been spending the last few weeks settling into his position and adjusting to the change of pace. He comes from a bigger city and one with shorter days. “The hardest part of coming here has definitely been telling myself it’s time to go to bed …

Cutworm. Brad Smith / Flickr Kayla Desroches/KMXT Cutworms are on the attack, and they’re out for your broccoli, collard greens, and cabbage – but they eat most everything. Janice Chumley, Integrated Pest Management Technician with Kenai Peninsula District Office of the Cooperative Extension, will be in Kodiak Thursday through Saturday to do site visits and answer any questions local gardeners …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT A large chunk of the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly’s regular meeting tonight  will be about rezoning, but they’ll also touch on last minute revisions of the budget.  Up for public hearing will be an ordinance that compensates for projects that are over budget. It’ll account for that in part by moving around funds. Among the dozen or so …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Some local kids are completing documentaries about the fishing industry. Educator Marie Acemah led the digital storytelling group last year as well, when they covered climate change. Other topics she and her students have explored in previous years include the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Filipino community stories. For this assignment, the kids sat down with members of …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT When it comes to trawl bycatch management in the Gulf of Alaska, many members of the fishing industry are concerned about the future for new entrants. Two bycatch options currently before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are alternative two, which would award catch based on harvesters’ historical participation, and alternative three, which would allocate the bycatch species …