Patrick Saltonstall stands in front of site. Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kayla Desroches/KMXT This year’s Community Archaeology Program, which turns Kodiak locals into archaeologists, wrapped up this month. It was the last year digging the Kashevaroff site at Womens Bay, and Alutiiq Museum Curator of Archaeology Patrick Saltonstall says this year confirmed a lot of the conclusions they’d previously drawn. He says …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Yesterday was the first day of classes for Kodiak Island Borough School District middle schoolers and high schoolers, as well as for new and returning Kodiak College students. For some, that means the end of summer. For others, it’s the beginning of an even brighter season, at least for the mind: the school season. Kodiak College Director Alan …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Two groups are asking the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to sign a contract which would restrict development and otherwise protect the natural resources on Lesnoi-owned Termination Point and Long Island. The Great Lands Trust came before the borough last fall and at different points over the last year hoping it would accept the conservation easement on the properties, …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak Island Borough Manager Michael Powers joined the staff this summer and, last week, he presented his 90-day manager report to the borough assembly at its work session Thursday night. He said he applied a “fresh set of eyes” to the community, and its diversity stood out. He also said he noticed how haphazardly the greater metropolitan area …

Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Public Media & KTOO The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission will keep most of its functions for now, after commission supporters fought to protect it from losing certain functions to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Gov. Bill Walker put a hold on an administrative order he issued in February, saying he needed more stakeholder feedback. The commission …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly continues the struggle to allocate funds to nonprofits during a difficult fiscal time. At its work session last night it went over staff’s projected funding for the community groups. In June, the assembly asked staff to look back over the budget and see if it could scrape up extra sources for funds. Borough …

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force deliver medical supplies to a temporary medical treatment facility set up as part of Arctic Chinook in Kotzebue, Alaska, Aug. 24, 2016. Arctic Chinook is a joint U. S. Coast Guard and U. S. Northern Command-sponsored exercise that consists of a live field training exercise in a Unified Command structure. Photo by Petty …

Duncan Fields. Via duncanfields.net Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak’s Duncan Fields is seeking election for the Alaska House of Representatives for District 32. Though running as an independent, Fields was, until recently, the chairman of the District 32 Republican Party. He renounced that position when he filed for office. Fields has also been active in the community as president of the Kodiak …

Bacteria that causes botulism. Courtesy of public-domain-image.org Kayla Desroches/KMXT Food scientists with the help of a botulism expert are trying to combine science and traditional Alaska Native methods to make one prohibited food safe to eat. Regulated programs under the State of Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program are not allowed to accept or distribute seal oil due to the …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and Kodiak City Council talked communication at their joint work session Tuesday night. First on the agenda was the assembly’s decision to change building codes, which it did without sitting down with the council. The borough and city share a building department through a memorandum of agreement, and the assembly’s decision to revert …