KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Jay Barrett/KMXT Alaska Department of Fish and Game personnel, local officials with dipnets were all standing by in Old Harbor Wednesday to corral four orphaned bear cubs, but the guests of honor were noticeably absent. The quadruplet cubs were orphaned last week when their mother had become a nuisance dump bear in the community and was put down by officials. …

Jay Barrett/KMXT The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed sport fishing for king salmon in the Chignik River in an attempt to boost escapement. The closure goes into effect tomorrow (Friday) and lasts through August 9th. Fishing had earlier been restricted on the Chignik, but additional measures are necessary to reduce chinook mortality. According to an emergency order …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Tomorrow more than 24 teams will gather at Woody Way Field for the annual Relay for Life. Sarah Nugent is the survivorship chairperson for this year’s event, and said the 24-hour relay is an opportunity for Kodiak community members to celebrate cancer survivors, among other things. “And it’s a chance for us to remember those that we have …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The Kodiak City Council will decide on a number of much needed vehicle purchases for various city departments tonight. On the regular meeting agenda is a series of purchase authorizations, two of which are for the fire department. Two weeks ago Fire Chief Rome Kamai explained the need for a new ambulance. He said the average life of …

Jay Barrett/KMXT A 14-year-old Kodiak boy drowned in Lake Gertrude at Fort Abercrombie last (Tuesday) night. The Alaska State Troopers report Rex Matautia was swimming with friends around 8 p.m. when he began struggling and slipping underwater. The other boys attempted to save him, but couldn’t hang on. A bystander who heard the other two boys calling for help dialed …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A bill passed in the Alaska Legislature three years ago has forced the Kodiak City Council to discuss amending certain aspects of city code. In April, a law that mandates police officers personally serve citations went into effect across the state, which caused some unforeseen consequences in the area of parking enforcement. Like many cities across the state, …

Jay Barrett/KMXT When deterrents – including an electric fence – failed to chase off a dump bear in Old Harbor last week, it was shot and killed by authorities, lest it become a further nuisance. When the sow was shot, though, she left behind four orphaned six-month-old cubs. “Because there weren’t any homes in qualified places, we said, ‘Well they …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A former Alaska Aerospace Corporation employee was sentenced in Anchorage federal court on Monday for violating conflict of interest laws. According to press release from Assistant U.S. Attorney Retta-Rae Randall, Jodi Ann Andres, 48, of Anchorage, was once an auditor with the Department of Defense’s Defense Contract Audit Agency. According to the press release she worked for the …