Kodiak’s annual commercial fisheries trade show, ComFish, is April 10-13.  Ellen Simeonoff is the executive director of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the trade show. It’s her first year lining up the booths and contacting presenters but she said she was grateful for help from the ComFish Committee.  “They help determine the blueprint of the floor of the …

Over 100 Kodiak High School students walked out of classes today (April 4) as part of a statewide protest over Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoing SB 140, a bill that would have permanently increased education funding.  Students walked from the front entrance of the high school, down Mill Bay Road, and between Main Elementary and Kodiak Middle School for the …

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel Oscar Dyson left its homeport in Kodiak on April 1. The boat mostly provides insight into Alaska’s fish populations, from the Gulf of Alaska to the Bering Sea.  The Oscar Dyson docked at Kodiak’s Pier 2 on March 31. Most of the day was foggy and misty but lifted later that afternoon. …

Fossil Beach, at the southern end of Kodiak Island road system, will be closed Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, from 5-10 p.m. The Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska at Narrow Cape announced the road closure March 28.  After that initial announcement, PSCA released an update on the evening of March 29 stating Fossil Beach would be open on Saturday, …

There’s a new partnership to monitor Kodiak Island beaches for harmful algal blooms, which spread marine toxins like Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. Academic, federal, and tribal entities are working to better understand which waters are most susceptible to the toxins.   The project’s partners held a presentation about what they hope to find on Near Island in a building owned by …

Kodiak Public Library hosted the island’s second-ever popular culture convention, Fan Con, on March 22 and 23. Attendees competed in video game tournaments, watched movies, made various crafts together, and heard from a published author. KMXT’s Brian Venua stopped by and has this story.  The library had several games set up and hosted tournamets for “Mario Kart 8” and “Super …

Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would have permanently increased state education funding last week. The Alaska State Legislature failed to overturn that veto by one vote on March 18. As KMXT’s Brian Venua reports, school officials in Kodiak are left wondering when, or if, the state government will help.  The Kodiak Island Borough School District’s Board of Education …

On this week’s Talk of the Rock, host Brian Venua speaks with members of Kodiak High School’s Drama, Debate, and Forensics team. Listen here:

The Kodiak History Museum hired a new executive director after months of searching. Kristin O’Lear, the new executive director, is bringing over a decade of experience in museums to the job. She arrives on the island in May.  “I am so excited to be in this new role and to move to Kodiak and just get to know the community …

Ouzinkie’s head teacher gave the school’s annual presentation for the Kodiak Island Borough School District Board of Education at its meeting on March 11. The district struggled to keep teachers in Ouzinkie last year, but now has a new pair to lead the elementary and secondary students and is fully staffed this year. The head teacher, Estella Bryans, is in …