KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Alexandra Gutierrez/APRN The summer cruise ship season is like Christmas for a lot of coastal retailers, and they depend on the tourist income to stay open. But because the stakes are high, business has the potential to get dirty. For the first time, the State of Alaska is cracking down on third-party contractors that are allegedly treating local stores unfairly. …

Coming up this week, false labeling of seafood isn’t just rampant on the East Coast, researchers try to find out exactly what’s living up in the Arctic Ocean, and a new processor is heading to Bristol Bay. All that, and we learn about Alaska’s first, Fish and Game commissioner.We had help from KNBA’s Joaqlin Estus in Anchorage, Northwest News Network’s …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A fisherman was medevaced this afternoon after complaints of chest pain. The Coast Guard received a medevac request at 12:20 p.m. and quickly launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Kodiak. The aircrew arrived on scene to the fishing vessel New Venture around 1:25 p.m., and safely transported the ailing fisherman back to Kodiak just before 3 …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A handful of break-ins that occurred last weekend are being investigated by the Kodiak Police Department and Alaska State Troopers. Jasmine Gilpin is the manager of Near Island Coffee, a new drive-through coffee shop across the bridge on Near Island. The coffee shop has only been open for ten days, but Gilpin said she arrived early Sunday morning …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT For years the Alutiiq Museum staff has worked with community members and Alutiiq elders to help revitalize the Alutiiq language. That push led to an Alutiiq studies program at Kodiak College and various language courses offered throughout the community. Last week the efforts were further recognized when the museum came out with a new book, The Alutiiq Orthography: …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Two years ago, KMXT spoke with local documentary filmmaker turned writer Dave Kaplan about the release of his first novel, The Burning Bush of Hoboken. The story follows a traditional Jewish family through a modern day version of exodus, testing each family member’s spirit, faith and humor. KMXT recently caught up with Kaplan and learned that his first …

Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB The Northern fur seals that breed on the Pribilof islands have been on the decline for decades, a smaller colony just 200 miles away is thriving. As KUCB’s Lauren Rosenthal reports, a new study of these colonies is challenging scientists’ assumptions about what marine animals need from their environment — and how they get it. The National Marine …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Drug-related arrests are on the rise in Kodiak. That information comes from Police Chief T.C. Kamai who said 2012 had some of the highest numbers of drug investigations by the police department. The arrests have continued into 2013, with a handful of drug busts occurring in January. Kamai said the increase in arrests could mean higher usage, but …