Economy

Kodiak’s only sea cucumber fishery has run into a new problem this year.  The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the cucumbers are fine; the allotted yield is the same 120,000-pound figure it was last year. It’s the divers actually. Typically, there are over 20 divers who take the plunge every season in October to catch many thousands of …

The Kodiak City Council unanimously approved a credit of $500 for water and sewer utility bills for each household and business customer that applies. Starting Friday the applications are available from the City of Kodiak, which is encouraging customers apply as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted until 5pm on December 4th, 2020. This credit is being paid for …

The first debate in the Alaska Senate race between Al Gross and Dan Sullivan will be held Saturday evening at 5pm, and hosted by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce. As is tradition for the Kodiak debate, the topics will be limited strictly to fisheries issues. The debate will be hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Rhonda McBride, and broadcast live over …

Alaska fisheries workers can finally see how they might benefit from a $50 million aid package from the federal government. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released the section 12005 CARES Act fisheries assistance draft spend plan for public comment on Monday. It determines how $50 million will be distributed to struggling fisheries around the state of Alaska. It …

This Friday, on KMXT’s Midday News report, host Terry Haines covers: Another case of Covid-19 at a Kodiak school. A report on last night’s USCG’s town hall meeting. Details on how the CARES ACT fisheries assistance funding will be divided up. More on tomorrow’s debates between Dr. Al Gross and Senator Dan Sullivan. All that and more on today’s noon …

In our first recap of Tuesday night’s Borough Assembly Candidate Forum, five candidates for three assembly seats discussed their views on the economy, education, and consolidation. KMXT’s Jared Griffin overviewed the candidates’ positions on non-profit funding, village cooperation in borough decisions, COVID-19, and conflicts of interest. Even though borough financial support for non-profits makes up a relatively small portion of …

Small business owners from around the Gulf of Alaska have another opportunity to get much-needed support during the pandemic.  The first round of the Rural Relief Small Business grants from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or L-I-S-C, opened Monday and will remain open until next Monday, October 5. The 900 grants encompass $18 million in spending on small businesses in …

CrabFest 2021 is proceeding as planned this upcoming year, and the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce is calling for submissions for the design of its poster and logo. “A huge part of it is just the social aspect of it too, for town. Like we do have a lot of tourists and it’s exciting,” said Sarah Culbertson, owner of The Frame …

Kodiak can look forward to the return of cruise ships in 2021. While the recently published schedule is still extremely tentative in the context of the global pandemic, cruise ships may reach the dock of Kodiak as early as May 1st this upcoming year. Many small businesses downtown and around the island benefit from the tourism that the ships provide. …

A Kodiak elementary school has been closed temporarily, after someone at the school tested positive for COVID-19. School Superintendent Larry LeDoux says public health officials notified the district Wednesday afternoon that a person at Peterson Elementary School has tested positive for the virus. He says privacy guidelines prevent him from saying whether that person is a student or a staffer. …