KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT This month’s unusually warm weather is starting to affect local roads these days. This week the Alaska Department of Transportation implemented emergency weight restrictions on the Chiniak Highway and a portion of Rezanof Drive because unseasonal freezing and thawing is making the ground slightly unstable beneath roadways. Jill Reese is the media liaison for the DOT’s central region …

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Senate Education Committee plans to hear a bill that would require school districts to have a strategy in place for addressing reading deficiencies in students in kindergarten through third grade. Districts under the bill authored by Sen. Gary Stevens are also to provide reachable goals for students so they can reach grade level expectations. “What …

Jay Barrett/KMXT Governor Sean Parnell spoke at length about education during his state of the state address last week. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, Kodiak Senator Gary Stevens will deal directly with some or all of the governor’s education agenda. In the days after the Governor’s address, there was confusion over what sounded like a quid-pro-quo that in …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT After about three years with the Kodiak Daily Mirror, James Brooks is saying his goodbyes. The editor of Kodiak’s only daily print publication recently accepted a job with the Capital City Weekly in Juneau, and will be relocating there next month. Brooks said he applied for the job after a friend in Juneau called him and told him …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has extended the public comment period for an acoustic noise study released last month. On December 27 the administration began soliciting comments on a study that examines how acoustic noise affects marine mammals. The comment period was initially supposed to end yesterday, but on Thursday NOAA announced the deadline would be extended …

Jay Barrett/KMXT We’ve heard a lot about potential radiation danger from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor, mostly from two sources: scientists whose job it is to measure these things, and social media that is flooded with dire, unsubstantiated warnings of doom. There is a concern in Alaska – but it’s not about being irradiated. It’s the danger of public perception, of …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT A downed tree left many Monashka Bay residents without power for about an hour Sunday afternoon. Around 2:30 p.m. a Kodiak Electric Association customer was attempting to fell a tree when it dropped on a power line on Lakeview Drive. KEA President and CEO Darron Scott said the customer called KEA’s 24-hour dispatch to report the incident and …

Mike Mason/KDLG Walmart announced Friday that they will continue to stock salmon products from most of the large seafood processors that operate in Alaska. Previously Walmart had announced that they would only accept salmon products that carry the Marine Stewardship Council label of sustainability. Since most of the large seafood processors that operate in Alaska withdrew their support for MSC …