“The driver heard small explosions, pops coming from the load – once we arrived on scene we could hear the same thing,” said City Fire Chief Frank Dorner. No injuries were reported.

Alaska's suicide rate was nearly double the national average in 2017. For National Suicide Prevention Month, several organizations in Kodiak are pushing mental health resources and awareness events as part of it.

Researchers have documented a hundred more cases of wild birds in Alaska infected with the bird flu since last year. Yet there is evidence that a variety of species are building up immunity to the virus.

“We have a reimbursement transportation cost payment program, just because transportation costs here in the 49th State and particularly in remote areas such as Kodiak Island, are higher than being in the contiguous U.S," staff with the USDA-Farm Service Agency said.

Salmon sharks appear to be turning up in fishermen’s nets around Kodiak Island in greater frequency this summer. But there isn’t enough data to determine if the shark population is growing in Alaska.

Environmental staff with the Kodiak Area Native Association test water samples along with a variety of species at three beaches once a week to monitor toxin levels in shellfish and issue advisories.

Dock users at Kodiak’s biggest boat harbor, St. Herman Harbor, are being urged to keep an eye out for eagles in the area, as several attacks have been reported in the last week.

Researchers are monitoring a bloom of phytoplankton near one of Kodiak Island’s beaches that is known to cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP. PSP can be dangerous and even fatal.

On this week’s Talk of the Rock, host Jared Griffin speaks with Jill Wallace and Rhea Hayes, two organizers of this week’s series of workshops on soul exhaustion, suicide prevention, and launching the new Kodiak Reentry program. You can find details for the workshops on their Facebook page: Kodiak Reentry. Listen to their talk here:

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 …