News

Wildfire Danger High Due to Dry, Windy Conditions

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Fire danger is high in Kodiak right now due to lack of snow cover and precipitation. Bayside Fire Chief Bob Himes said the fire department responded to three fires this weekend. “Two of which were unattended fires. One was an unattended controlled burn, and the other one was an unattended campfire. The other fire, we’re not sure what …

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Murkowski Grills Blank on Observer Policy

Jay Barrett/KMXT Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank on several ocean policy issues facing Alaskan coastal communities during a Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last week. Topics ranged from the federal fisheries observer program to Japanese tsunami debris clean up, among other things. Murkowski pointed out that with the fisheries observer program expanding to …

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‘Protect Bristol Bay’ Says Out-Going Interior Head

Jay Barrett/KMXT With the appointment and confirmation of new U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, the outgoing secretary, Ken Salazar, took the opportunity to hold a “good bye” chat online with supporters. When asked by Dillingham fisherman Verner Wilson about protections for Bristol Bay salmon, he said it should remain off-limits to non-renewable resource extraction. “Bristol Bay is one of …

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Kodiak Runner Safe, Describes Boston Marathon Explosions

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A Kodiak resident who ran the Boston Marathon today is safe and uninjured after twin explosions occurred near the finish line just before 3 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. ADT). Howard Valley, 64, finished his race roughly 40 minutes before the blasts and said he was walking away from the area when he heard the commotion.

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Kodiak Runners Safe After Boston Marathon Explosions

Jay Barrett and Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Boston Marathon runner Howard Valley, 64, from Kodiak is safe and uninjured according to his wife Aeran. She said Mr. Valley finished the race at 2:10 p.m. EDT (10:10 a.m. ADT), about an hour before the blasts occurred near the finish line. Coast Guardsman Matthew Breckel, once stationed in Kodiak, was in the race and …

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Legislators Say Goodbye to Kodiak’s Doug Letch

Jay Barrett/KMXT A long time fixture in the halls of the state capital retired yesterday. He was an even longer fixture in Kodiak, and is now on his way out of state. Doug Letch, aide to Senator Gary Stevens attended his final legislative hearings late last week in the State House, sitting in for his boss. Letch was answering questions …

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Lieutenant Governor Boosts Kodiak Launch Site

Jay Barrett/KMXT Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell was in Colorado Springs last week participating in the National Space Symposium, in conjunction with the annual business meeting of the Aerospace States Association, which he chairs. While there, Treadwell invited the aerospace community to consider Alaska, and particularly the Kodiak Launch Complex, as a strategic resource for the nation. He said state policies …

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Legislature Passes Austerman Resolution for New Alaska-Based Cutter

Jay Barrett/KMXT On Saturday, the state Legislature passed Representative Alan Austerman’s bill to request a next-generation Coast Guard cutter be homeported in Alaska. The resolution will be forwarded to Washington D.C. urging construction of more “Legend-Class National Security Cutters” and designating one for Kodiak. Austerman said as the world’s attention turns toward the arctic, that it’s more important than ever …

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Voices from ComFish Alaska 2013

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The 34th annual ComFish in Kodiak kicked off on Thursday. The event is Alaska’s largest commercial fishery trade show and dozens of vendors packed the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center to showcase their goods and services. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs was there to talk with the diverse crowd and hear their thoughts on ComFish 2013.

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Lloyd Sees Pattern in Fishery Vacancies

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Earlier this week the state legislature did not confirm Vince Webster for reappointment to the Board of Fisheries, meaning the governor must now select another appointee for the empty seat. But Kodiak fishery advisor Denby Lloyd told the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and City Council the empty board seat could follow what seems to be a pattern of …

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