Tag Archives: Port Lions

Like many parts of coastal Alaska, Kodiak Island is gearing up for a gap in ferry service this winter. While the city of Kodiak has relatively reliable alternatives for transportation to the mainland, the gap will pose serious difficulties for the some of the island’s outlying villages. The M/V Tustumena docked in Kodiak. It’s the smaller of two ferries that …

The Inlandboatmen Union’s strike hit the one-week mark on Wednesday, and the effects of going without ferry service are rippling throughout coastal Alaska. For Alaskans living in remote villages, the impact is especially heavy, since ferries are often the only way to transport vehicles and other goods too big for a charter plane. The M/V Tustumena remains docked in Kodiak …

Whale carcass. (Photo Courtesy of Kathy Burek, Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services as authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program.) Daysha Eaton/KMXT Three dead gray whales washed up on two different Kodiak Island beaches recently. The strandings happened within the span of a week, said Mandy Migura, Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The …

Larsen Bay School, which could be closed next year if it has less than ten students enrolled in the fall.(Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT In villages across Alaska, schools are the beating hearts of rural communities. Of course, that’s where kids are educated. But school sites also often provide the only basketball courts and meeting halls around. And, in …

A fishing boat passes by Port Lions. (Photo by Bo Joyner / U.S. Air Force) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak State Airport’s new manager says the Department of Transportation is planning a few new projects, including an extension to the airport in Port Lions. Phil Smith worked for DOT as an equipment operator for roughly 19 years before stepping into the …

Guy Bartleson from Port Lions presents on the community’s garden progress. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Four of Kodiak’s villages just wrapped up their second year growing local as a way to supplement their diets and incomes. In 2015, the Administration for Native Americans gave Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie, and Port Lions a three-year grant to …

Kodiak High School. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly met with the Kodiak Island Borough School District’s board of education to discuss the district’s budget for the fiscal year 2019 and some major cuts it might have to make. The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and the Borough’s board of education recently had a joint work …

Kathryn Adkins/City of Port Lions Mitch Borden/KMXT It’s taken almost two decades, but soon the city of Port Lions will finally have another barrier to protect its boats from waves and currents. Since the 1980s, boats at the Port Lions’ harbor have had one wall between them and the open ocean, but it hasn’t been enough to keep rough seas …

Mitch Borden/KMXT A fire truck was recently donated to the city of Port Lions, but there are still some details to be worked out before it arrives. Kathryn Adkins, Port Lion’s city clerk, says the community was looking for a substitute for their current fire truck because it’s old and needs repairs. “ We wanted to get that over to …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Kodiak Island Borough is working to finish up infrastructure updates in the villages before students return to school. Matt Gandel says the borough replaced some of the flooring in the smaller Karluk and Ahkiok schools, and is now updating Ouzinkie. “So, we’re basically replacing the existing carpet with new carpet for the most part. There’s a little …