News

Retiring Kodiak Police Chief T.C. Kamai Jay Barrett/KMXT After the end of this month, there’ll only be one “Chief Kamai” working for the City of Kodiak. That’ll be the fire chief, Rome Kamai, because his brother, T.C., is retiring as chief of police: “Well, I’ve made it no secret that September of 2013 was 25 years for me,” he said. …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A new gym floor is in the works for Kodiak High School, potentially further displacing some athletic teams until December. During Thursday’s Borough Assembly meeting Borough Manager Bud Cassidy told the assembly that he authorized a change order in the high school construction and renovation project, one that would completely replace the gym floor. Cassidy said the original …

Jay Barrett/KMXT In sports over the weekend, the Kodiak High School Bears continued to excel on the trails and in the water. The Kodiak boys and girls both won the Homer Invitational swimming and diving meet Friday and Saturday, and Levi Thomet swept the ACS Class Challenge and Palmer Invite. Football The Bears football team, in their home opener, were …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A contract to revise and rewrite parts of the Kodiak Area Emergency Operations Plan passed the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly last night, but not without some discussion. Borough Manager Bud Cassidy said the contract with Risks and Rewards Management Group, LLC, of Anchorage, would update the plan that tells various entities how to react in the event of …

A nautical chart of the Kodiak Island area. Jay Barrett/KMXT Nautical charts have been around for hundreds of years, marking the depth of waterways and noting hazards to navigation. But they don’t update themselves as the ocean floor changes and new hazards appear. That job falls to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One of the people who work to …

Ed Ronco/KCAW The state ferry Tustumena, which serves Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, and out to Dutch Harbor, could go back into service next month after a yearlong absence from the seas. The 50-year-old ship went into maintenance in October 2012 and never returned to service, after ferry system staff discovered mechanical and structural issues were discovered. While the Tusty is …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Bear dens aren’t just found in the wild, and they don’t just cater to animals. At Kodiak High School, a different kind of Bear’s den services a different kind of bear, when it provides snacks, drinks and alternatives to breakfast and lunch for hungry high school students. The Bear’s Den has been around for many years and is …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The Kodiak Police Department is currently investigating an alleged assault that occurred downtown early Sunday morning. Kodiak resident Dan Unruh was found severely beaten around 4:30 a.m. outside the Village Bar. Police officers and EMS personnel were summoned to the area and transported Unruh to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. He was later medevaced to Anchorage where he …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Federal sequestration has left many programs scrambling for funds, or making significant cut backs to services already offered. One of the most recent examples of this is the national Head Start program, which helps ready young children for school and provides assistance to low income families. Sequestration cut the program across the board by 5.3 percent this year. …

Jay Barrett/KMXT On the day before Walmart executives are expected to meet with Alaska seafood officials, some fishermen are planning a protest in front of the company’s biggest store in Anchorage to urge the mega corporation to reverse its rejection of Alaska wild-caught salmon. The company announced earlier this year that it would not source seafood unless it had the …