KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Marina Cummiskey/KMXT Kodiak’s annual Crab Festival kicked off today, bringing with it all the long-time traditions that will occur throughout this weekend. However, as KMXT’s student news intern Marina Cummiskey discovered, a new event is coming to Kodiak this year.

Coming up this week, Copper River is off to a lukewarm start, there’s a new client organization for MSC certification for Alaska salmon, and Petersburg has a shiny new harbor. All that and more, coming up on the Alaska Fisheries Report. We had help from KDLG’s Mike Mason in Dillingham, KYUK’s Ben Matheson in Bethel and KFSK’s Angela Denning in …

Jay Barrett/KMXT The democratic challenger to Alaska’s longest-serving delegate to Washington D.C. will be in Kodiak for Crab Fest. Twenty-nine-year-old Forest Dunbar is Representative Don Young’s main competitor this year, though perennial candidate Frank Vondezaar of Homer has also filed as a Democrat. Dunbar said his reason for seeking Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat is simple: he believes Congressman Young …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT This month is shaping out to be one of the driest Mays on record. “To date we have had 0.31 inches of precipitation this month.” That’s Craig Eckert, the station manager for the National Weather Service office in Kodiak. Eckert said if the recent dry spell continues through the end of the month it will break the record. …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Kodiak Area Native Association is set to receive grant funds from the federal government. A press release from U.S. Senator Mark Begich’s office announced that $384,000 will go to KANA, specifically to be used for treatment of depression. KANA was awarded the money as a sub-grantee of the John A. Hartford foundation and the release said it will …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The Kodiak City Council will gather for a regular meeting tonight and hear the first reading of its FY 2015 budget ordinance. If approved, the budget will then move on to a public hearing and second vote during the council’s next regular meeting. Also on tonight’s agenda is the second reading and public hearing on a n ordinance …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Kodiak’s annual Crab Festival starts tomorrow and it will be a different one than most folks are used to. Last year Golden Wheel, the long-time vendor for rides, said they would not be returning for this year’s festival. That left folks like Summer Wood, the community relations director for the Chamber of Commerce and Crab Fest Manager, scratching …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT People will have a chance to provide input on a replacement vessel for the ferry Tustumena. Tuesday night the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will hold an open meeting at the Kodiak Public Library to give folks an opportunity to add their voice to the department’s replacement process and hear what plans are already in the …