Recent News

SPAR Readies for Open House in Nome

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Jay Barrett/KMXT Residents of Nome will have a chance to tour the Kodiak-based Coast Guard Cutter SPAR this weekend. The crew will host an open house on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Nome pier, with crewmen available to answer any questions they may have about the ship’s mission in Alaska. The SPAR is a 225-foot seagoing buoy …

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Chamber of Commerce Puts Pressure on Ferry System

Jay Barrett/KMXT Local business leaders have been working with Kodiak’s legislative delegation over concerns about the ferry Tustumena’s repeated delays in returning to service this summer. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced this week that the Tusty will miss its scheduled July 23rd return to service because of shoddy work done on welds to watertight compartments in the ship’s hull. …

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Smoking Ordinance May See Less Assembly Support Next Week

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Next week the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will decide if Kodiak residents should have an opportunity to vote on whether or not smoking should be banned in indoor public places. The second hand smoke control ordinance, if passed by the assembly, will be put on the October ballot and left to the community to decide. During last week’s …

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Council Suggests Deleting Sunset on Sales Tax Increases

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A sunset provision that would lower the sales tax on Dec. 31 will more than likely be eliminated by the Kodiak City Council. During the council’s work session on Tuesday City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski explained the looming expiration of two decades worth of sales tax increases. Kniaziowski said the council adopted an ordinance back in 1993 that increased …

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The Naturalist – Who Was Georg Wilhelm Steller?

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The now-extinct Steller’s Sea Cow was big. Really big. You’ve almost certainly heard of the Steller sea lion and maybe the Steller jay or Steller eider. But do you know anything about the Steller sea cow? Or … even Georg Wilhelm Steller himself? Deb Mignogno of Fort Abercrombie fills in the details for us in during this week’s edition of …

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The Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week, it’s been a tough month for salmon tenders, with one submerged upside down and two more hitting the rocks; salmon tracking is underway as part of the plan to figure out what’s wrong with Cook Inlet king salmon, and, with apologies to Dr. Seuss, “One Fish, Two Fish, Young Fish, maybe not so old fish.” The …

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Akhiok, Kodiak Airports Officially Renamed

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Senator Gary Stevens joins Governor Parnell and family members of Jim Andie and Robin Starrett for signing of SB31. Jay Barrett/KMXT Wednesday, Governor Sean Parnell signed Senate Bill 31, which renames Akhiok’s runway the “Jim Andie and Robin Starrett Memorial Runway,” and renames Kodiak’s airport the “Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport.” Senator Gary Stevens sponsored the legislation at the request …

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Shoddy Welds Keep Tusty Laid Up Until August 20

Jay Barrett and Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The return of the Alaska State Ferry Tustumena, which has been in a Seward dry dock since November, has been pushed back for a third time. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced on Wednesday that faulty welds will mean the Tusty won’t be sailing until near the end of August. Hundreds of passengers already booked …

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