Since the metal gate was stolen, the road is clear for cars to drive up Pillar Mountain. But, the Kodiak Police Department says the road is still not safe to drive on. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT Even though the road leading up Pillar Mountain is technically closed to traffic, motorists will find the path unblocked. That’s because over …

Kelly Krueger and Randy Boskofsky downloading measurements from a buoy. (Photo by Mitch Borden/KMXT) Mitch Borden/KMXT A few years ago a runway at the Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport was extended into Chiniak Bay near the mouth of the Buskin River. This construction project raised some concerns about how the extension could affect the Buskin River’s salmon population, among other …

King Salmon can cause some commercial fisheries to close early if too many are caught. (Photo by Ingrid Taylar/Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT King salmon are causing some trouble for Kodiak’s trawl fleet. The problem, too many are being caught as by-catch. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is currently looking at changing the chinook prohibited species caps for the Gulf of …

Emperor geese flying in the Yukon Delta. (Photo courtesy of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT Last fall was the first time in decades Alaskans were allowed to hunt emperor geese. After reviewing how last year’s season went the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is preparing for the 2018 hunting season. After almost 30 years, Alaskans were …

Mitch Borden/KMXT Residents of the City of Kodiak won’t see an increase in the city’s mill rate, at least for now. For weeks, the Kodiak City Council has been discussing doubling the mill rate to raise funds to help maintain the city’s aging infrastructure. But at its last regular meeting, the council voted unanimously to keep the mill rate at …

Mitch Borden/KMXT It’s time to work together and move forward. That’s how the Kodiak City Council and the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly ended their discussion on consolidation at their recent joint work session. For years, the subject of consolidating the City of Kodiak and the Kodiak Island Borough has been a contentious topic. Borough Mayor Dan Rohrer says it would …

Katie Baxter, director of Kodiak Public Library was recently put on administrative leave. (Photo from KMXT’s archives.) Mitch Borden/KMXT Earlier this week, Katie Baxter, the director of the Kodiak Public Library was put on administrative leave. The City of Kodiak will not comment on its reasons for taking this action, but as KMXT reports some who have worked with Baxter say …

Mitch Borden/KMXT The Kodiak Archipelago could face all sorts of emergencies and natural disasters at any time, which is why the City of Kodiak and the Kodiak Island Borough are discussing hiring an Emergency Management Specialist. At a joint work session, the Kodiak City Council and the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly looked at how the potential position would be funded …

Around 3,000 gallons of oil were released into the Shuyak Strait after this building collapsed. (Photo Courtesy of the Coast Guard.) Mitch Borden/KMXT At the end of February, 3,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Shuyak Strait about 50 miles north of the City of Kodiak.  The oil was in a building that collapsed because of a severe windstorm. Since …

Breaching humpback whale. (Photo by Antarctica Bound/Flickr) Mitch Borden/KMXT The Sun’aq tribe is working on partnering with the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network so some of its staff can respond to alive and dead whales that wash ashore in the Kodiak Archipelago. Kelly Krueger, a biologist for the Sun’aq Tribe, was one of the people who came face-to-face with one …