Kodiak’s COVID-19 count has climbed to 64, with three new cases reported. The Kodiak Emergency Operations Center says those infections are travel-related – that two are residents and one was working off island.20200819 Positive Test Announcement – Case 63-65 Currently two cases are classified as active. Out of the 64 Kodiak Island Borough cases tracked since April, 30 have been …

Alaska primaries are often sleepy affairs, but political pundits have lots to talk about this morning — a swirl of cliffhangers and upsets, that has already begun to reshape Alaska’s political landscape, even before November’s general election. For now it looks like Kodiak Sen.Gary Stevens might have been swept away in a tide of voter angst over the Permanent Fund …

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct information about the Kodiak Island Borough candidate filings and add information about the Kodiak City Council Races)           Kodiak Island Borough Candidate Filings    Monday was the deadline for candidates to file in the October Municipal Elections. In the Kodiak Island Borough, three assembly seats are open with …

This edition of the KMXT Midday News is hosted by Terry Haines. Some of today’s top stories include: Kodiak’s COVID-19 count climbs to 61 cases. State Transportation Commissioner John MacKinnon weighs in on the winter ferry schedule. And a new book is out about Sitka’s legendary Richard Nelson, who brought radio listeners closer to nature        

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add a witness account.) A Coast Guard investigation is underway into the capsizing of a Kodiak fishing boat on Saturday morning. Lexie Preston, a U-S Coast Guard Petty Officer based in Juneau, said two boats collided near Whale Pass, about 22 nautical miles east of Kodiak. Preston says the Denise Marie rolled after …

The Kodiak COVID-19 count has risen to 61. The Kodiak Area Emergency Services Organization reported a new case today involving a Kodiak resident who is currently off-island. 20200817 Positive Test Announcement – Case 61 OBI Seafoods Plant at Alitak. Photo Courtesy of OBI Seafoods. The status of some of the cases on the Kodiak dashboard, which tracks local cases online, …

Editor’s note: The following was distilled from an hour-long conversation, edited for length and clarity Rhonda McBride, KMXT: It hasn’t been an easy summer, especially with these recent cases of COVID.  John MacKinnon, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities DOT & PF Commissioner John McKinnon: We’re running the Matanuska at about 30% of its actual capacity — …

It happens. You get in the grocery line with just a few items, and the couple in front of you has a great, big, cart load – so, you settle in to wait. Then suddenly, the groceries go flying out of the bags, and the clerk is swiping codes again, to deduct items. The man looks terribly uncomfortable. Apologizes profusely. …

The Alaska Aerospace Corporation says the windows for last week’s attempted rocket launches at the Kodiak Pacific Spaceport were too narrow. Astra, a California-based company, tried to send its 3.1 Rocket into space on four different days, each within a two-hour window. The president of Alaska Aerospace, Mark Lester, says it’s not unusual to have launches called-off during the testing …

It’s tough enough to deal with the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Then there’s the frustration of applying for state and federal relief. Many rural businesses in Alaska, as well as non-profits and those who make their living from the sea, have found the help that’s been offered, very unhelpful — so tangled in red tape, that it’s impossible to …