Kayla Desroches

Alaska Aerospace Corporation facility to hold first commercial launch

From the AAC facility in Kodiak, taken 2016. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Alaska Aerospace Corporation is scheduled to conduct its first commercial launch at its Kodiak facility over the next few days. In 2014, a failed military test launch led to an explosion at the facility. Since then, the corporation has rebranded, rebuilt, and is …

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Harbormaster retires

Harbor in downtown Kodiak. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak’s harbormaster is retiring. The city acknowledged harbormaster Lon White at its recent regular meeting. According to the city manager, White has worked at the harbor in various capacities for 36 years and began as harbor officer. He took over as harbormaster in 2014. The city manager says …

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Chignik emergency petitions for sockeye spark Kodiak concern

Sockeye in stream. (Photo by Watershed_Watch / flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Concern about the poor escapement for sockeye salmon in the Chignik area has led regional groups to seek emergency measures, but some Kodiak stakeholders are worried about what that could mean for the Kodiak management area. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, early-run sockeye salmon escapement at …

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Kodiak student joins youth leadership group as vice president of development

Rafael Bitanga outside the KMXT studios. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A national leadership group for youth just elected a Kodiak local as vice president of development. The nonprofit, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, or FCCLA, gives its members the chance to start projects locally and then compete nationally and statewide to demonstrate their accomplishments. …

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Commercial company conducts rocket exercise at launch facility

A Vector test rocket, or vehicle, housed inside the AAC facility. (Photo by Daysha Eaton / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A commercial company that aims to launch small payloads into the earth’s orbit is conducting tests for a future launch from Alaska Aerospace Corporation’s facility at Narrow Cape. They’re trying to develop a streamlined rocket, or vehicle, to carry small payloads. …

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U.S. Coast Guard and partners search ferries for illegal activity, drugs

Petty Officer 1st Class Devon Waite and canine Bingo conduct a vehicle sweep aboard the ferry vessel Tustumena in Kodiak. (Photo by Lauren Dean / U.S. Coast Guard) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The U.S. Coast Guard partnered with law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct a large-scale search for illegal activity on ferries in Washington State and Alaska. Between June 24 …

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Larsen Bay lodge pursues lot zone change

Larsen Bay. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly looked at a rezoning of a Larsen Bay lodge at its regular meeting last week. According to borough staff, a former Larsen Bay mayor brought the borough’s attention to a zoning issue with the lodge. It’s a business, but currently located in a residential zone. …

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GCI customers lose service statewide

Cell phone tower. (Photo by Ryan Greenberg / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT A power source failure in Anchorage Monday morning caused service issues for GCI customers across the state. According to GCI spokesperson Heather Handyside, the outage happened between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. near company headquarters. “What we know is that services statewide that were impacted include our wireless service, …

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GCI equipment issue causes service interruptions

Phone. (Photo byFrédéric Bisson / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT An issue with GCI equipment last week meant that some residents of Kodiak lost wireless calling and landline calling, including 911 access, in addition to cable services. The problems began around 2 a.m. Friday morning after GCI replaced a power source in the system as part of routine maintenance. GCI’s senior director …

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