Kayla Desroches

Bayside Fire Station Gets New Chief

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Howard Rue. Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT After much deliberation, the Bayside Fire Station has found a replacement for the former fire chief, who left in December of 2014. Howard Rue relocated from a suburb in Chicago to lead the Bayside volunteer firefighters, and he moved onto the island last week. Rue says he’s been a paid on-call fireman for 45 …

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Island Trails Network Installs Trail Signs Around Kodiak

Kayla Desroches/KMXT A trail sign could be the difference between a planned two hour walk and a surprise, six hour hike. One nonprofit is busy providing helpful signs to keep hikers oriented and on the right path. Island Trails Network executive director Andy Shroeder (shroh-dir) says the group won a grant of about $22,000 through the State of Alaska’s Recreational …

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Kodiak Island Borough Manager to Retire Sooner than Expected

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak Island Borough Manager Bud Cassidy gave his 90-day notice at the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly work session Thursday. The timing may have been a surprise, but Cassidy says he’s been thinking about retirement for a while. “I actually had taken a fairly long vacation, did some hiking in Canada and came back and probably felt that I …

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Kodiak Historical Society Welcomes New Archivist, Says Farewell to 40-Year Veteran

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Picture of Alice Ryser. Via Kodiak Historical Society Kayla Desroches/KMXT If there’s one thing that long-term Kodiak Historical Society archivist Alice Ryser and her successor have in common, it’s a passion for the job. The Kodiak Historical Society operates the Baranov Museum in the Erskine House. Now, Ryser is passing her job along to another person who considers cataloging the …

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Members of Public and KIB Assembly Speak on Governor’s Budget Plan

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Governor Bill Walker presented a budget plan Wednesday that proposed implementing a personal income tax, decreasing the Permanent Fund Dividend, and changing the oil tax credit system, among other possible solutions for Alaska’s multibillion dollar budget deficit. KMXT took a few minutes before the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly work session last week to ask people in the room …

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KIB Assembly Decides on Potential Forest Consultant for Damage Assessment in Chiniak

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is in the process of determining how to approach the roughly 800 acres affected by the Twin Creeks Fire. At its work session last night it reviewed timber assessment proposals from three different forest consultants. Borough Manager Bud Cassidy introduced the topic.   “When we last talked about this, the assembly wasn’t willing …

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Kodiak Strong Planning Day Team to Hold Housing Kickoff Meeting

Kayla Desroches/KMXT At the Kodiak Strong Planning Day last week, community members pinpointed three goals that Kodiak wants to achieve in the next year. And participants aren’t wasting any time. The planning day’s organizing group, Healthy Tomorrows, has scheduled a day for its first kickoff meeting. The group’s community wellness program coordinator, Merissa Koller-Williams, says that meeting will be for …

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Alaska Marine Highway System Talks Budget in Kodiak

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Neussl gives a presentation on the ferry system budget at the Kodiak Island Borough assembly chambers. Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Alaska Marine Highway System held one of its six coastal Alaska community engagement meetings in Kodiak yesterday and spoke about the challenges of a struggling budget and how it plans to approach them. Deputy Commissioner Mike Neussl presented a …

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Kodiak High School Renovation and New Wing Near Completion

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak High School renovation and construction project has reached its final stages. Kodiak Island Borough School District Superintendent, Stewart McDonald, says its conclusion is just a few weeks away. “We’re very proud of the work that’s gone into that. We’re on or under budget at this moment, and December 18 is the magic date for me where …

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