Home prices in Alaska jumped to record levels last year, according to a report from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The average price of a home in Alaska was $388,648 last year, according to the department’s June newsletter. That’s almost 8.9% higher than the year before.  However, prices rose the least in Kodiak, according to state data. …

A group of researchers is hoping that data collected from the Gulf of Alaska’s sea floor will shed new light on the effects of bottom trawling. Scientists from the conservation group Oceana, which is based in Juneau, spent eight days aboard a research vessel circumnavigating the Kodiak archipelago late last month.  Jon Warrenchuk is a senior scientist and fisheries campaign …

Cleanup is underway for an oil spill at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center on Near Island. The oil is not threatening any water in the area. The source of the spill is an overfilled fuel tank. The Kodiak Island Borough’s Engineering and Facilities Department was alerted of the spill on May 16. It’s contained to the gravel area around the …

The airline industry is in dire need of pilots – and Alaska is no exception. Just this spring, Alaska Airlines became the latest company blaming an ongoing pilot shortage for canceled and delayed flights. But finding new pilots remains a hurdle, and it’s not easy to get into the cockpit of a major airline.  Take Connor St. Laurent as an …

Listen to the interview here: Several congressional candidates made stops in Kodiak over the weekend for CrabFest – including Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski was last in Kodiak – virtually – in March for ComFish, when she gave a federal legislative update with Sen. Dan Sullivan. Much of the discussion then focused on the future of the Pebble Mine; since then, …

Voting has already begun in the special primary election to fill the late congressman Don Young’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Forty-eight candidates are on the ballot, and they span the ideological spectrum from former governor Sarah Palin to Santa Claus – that’s the city council member from North Pole. Kodiak Democrat Mike Milligan is also in the …

Listen to the story: Senate Bill 33 extends tax credits through the year 2026 for salmon and herring processors in Alaska that invest in new equipment. The bill was sent to the governor on May 2, and if it’s signed into law, shoreside facilities that process Pacific cod and pollock would also be eligible for the program.  The current tax …

Kodiak Island’s burn suspension was put in place on May 10 for all types of burning that required a permit – like burn barrels and brush pile burning.  It was lifted Mon., May 23, according to Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources, thanks to this weekend’s cooler, wet weather. The burn suspension will remain in place for the Kenai Peninsula, which …

Fifty new Coast Guard housing units are coming to Kodiak. That’s according to Perini Management Services – a Massachusetts-based construction firm that announced this week it had been awarded a nearly $85 million contract for the project. The build-out is expected to be completed in 2025. The development is slated for Nemetz Park – which is located about 3 miles …

Listen to the story: A new, 6-week unit piloted in Kodiak High School biology teacher’s Sarah Nugent’s classes this semester focused solely on Kodiak brown bears. Two of Nugent’s classes – about 40 students – participated in the course, which ran throughout April and into May. Each week, a bear expert presented to the class as part of the program; …