KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak High School volleyball star Issabelle Riina. As the team’s "libero," she wears a different color jersey than her teammates. She made the Midnight Sun Volleyball Club’s varsity gold squad, its highest level of players. (Photo courtesy Jodi Llamos) Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Last week KMXT told you about Kodiak High School Senior Hannah Wandersee’s hopes to play college volleyball, but she …

Dave Bendinger/KDLG Honeywell corporation, which owns the company that makes what was once the official footwear for coastal Alaskan, is on a mission to improve relations with their disappointed, formerly loyal customers. They don’t want XtraTuf to be known as “Sort-of-Tough” anymore. They started getting that reputation two years ago when Honeywell transferred production of XtraTufs from Rock Island, Illinois, …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Last week KMXT told you about the Food Bank’s busy plans for Thanksgiving, but really the entire holiday season is a busy time for them. Kelli Foreman works with community education for the Kodiak Baptist mission, which owns and operates the Food Bank. Foreman said in years past the bank’s food supplies have often dwindled down this time …

Liz Ruskin/APRN Two bills aimed at helping coastal communities deal with marine debris have advanced in Congress. Alaska Congressman Don Young, a co-sponsor, says they would make it easier for local, state and tribal governments to get money to remove rubbish that floats to their shores. One bill would broaden the ability the federal government to reimburse communities for cleaning …

Coming up this week, we hear what folks think about the Pacific Marine Expo, and who was named Fisherman of the Year, the sockeye prediction for Cook Inlet is above average, and Bristol Bay permits keep edging up in value. Thanks to KDLG’s Dave Bendinger and Mike Mason, reporting from Seattle and Dillingham, respectively, and KUCB’s Lauren Rosenthal also reporting …

Jay Barrett/KMXT There’re a lot of reports this week of a bear sighting in the Selief Lane area of Kodiak. At least one, and perhaps two, brown bears were reported on Tuesday in the area between the 1200-block and the 1600-block, roughly from Maple Avenue to Lynden Way. Another sighting reported earlier to the Kodiak Police Department included a bear …

Jay Barrett/KMXT This week we’ve been bringing you new developments in the story of the former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis, which is currently in Mexico, awaiting its fate. The one-time longest serving cutter in the Coast Guard will be cut apart and its parts melted down as scrap metal, unless there is a way to stop the process and …

Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB Seward Ship’s Drydock was only supposed to spend a few months fixing up the Tustumena ferry. Instead, it took them a year to finish extensive repairs on the 50-year-old vessel. Now, the shipyard is now seeking extra payment from the state of Alaska.