Roy Madsen. (Photo courtesy of Roy Madsen,Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Association) Mitch Borden/KMXT Governor Bill Walker has ordered all Alaska state flags be flown at half-staff today to honor Kodiak’s Judge Roy Madsen who passed away on December 26th. He was 94. Madsen was the first Alaskan Native to become an Alaska superior …

Mitch Borden/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly discussed raising the region’s mill rate at its latest work session(1/25). The possible increase would support a request for more funding by the borough’s school district. The district’s asked for around $1.5 million more than last year. It’s too early to know for certain how much the borough mill rate would go up …

Single-use plastic shopping bags on the street. (Photo by Velkr0/Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT At its regular meeting on Thursday (1/26), the Kodiak city council voted to ban the distribution of single-use disposable plastic shopping bags by retailers within the city limits. This ban will not embargo the use of all plastic bags, but the kind given out at grocery stores that are …

Akhiok doesn’t have cell phone service, which proved problematic recently. (Photo by Anthony Farris/Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT Recently, in the city of Kodiak, leaders from the region’s rural communities discussed they face at the Kodiak Archipelago Rural Regional Leadership Forum. The talks turned towards how communities reacted to the tsunami warning that affected many of Alaska’s coastal communities early Tuesday morning. …

Mitch Borden/KMXT Main Elementary School is growing. That’s what the Kodiak Island Borough School District’s Board of Education heard at its regular meeting on Monday (1/22) from Main’s principal, Angela Chervenak. She says it’s common for the school to get more students at the beginning of the new year, and 2018 is no different. So far, the elementary school’s welcomed …

People seek shelter during a tsunami warning. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT A strong earthquake shook Alaska in the middle of the night. Coastal communities were issued a tsunami warning soon after. People in Kodiak rushed to get to higher ground as quickly as possible. A peaceful night in Kodiak was shattered by the howl of tsunami sirens after a …

Kodiak’s Women’s March 2018. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT Kodiak joined cities across America this weekend by hosting its second annual Women’s March. People of all ages gathered with their hats, mittens, and homemade signs to walk for women’s rights. KMXT’s Mitch Borden was there and has this report. Kodiak kicks off its second Women’s March on a chilly, …

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly deliberates. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT The question of what constitutes a conflict of interest once again took center stage at the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly regular meeting on Thursday. The borough defines a conflict of interest as an individual having a substantial direct or indirect financial interest in a topic or decision. An ordinance …

Mitch Borden/KMXT Two cars and a variety of other things were stolen over the weekend from residents of Cliffside Drive and Otmeloi Way. Two neighborhoods outside the city of Kodiak. Currently, the Alaska State Troopers are investigating the thefts. The vehicles were both recovered. One near where it was stolen and the other inside Kodiak’s city limits. Sergeant Cornelius Sims …

Pink salmon swimming. (Photo: Joe Serio/ USFS/ Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT None of the communities, including Kodiak, affected by the 2016 pink salmon fishery disaster have received federal funding for it. This event was officially declared a Federal Disaster in 2017. Kodiak’s state representative Louise Stutes says the status of the aid is still up in the air. The 2016 pink …