KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Jay Barrett and Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Boston Marathon runner Howard Valley, 64, from Kodiak is safe and uninjured according to his wife Aeran. She said Mr. Valley finished the race at 2:10 p.m. EDT (10:10 a.m. ADT), about an hour before the blasts occurred near the finish line. Coast Guardsman Matthew Breckel, once stationed in Kodiak, was in the race and …

Jay Barrett/KMXT A long time fixture in the halls of the state capital retired yesterday. He was an even longer fixture in Kodiak, and is now on his way out of state. Doug Letch, aide to Senator Gary Stevens attended his final legislative hearings late last week in the State House, sitting in for his boss. Letch was answering questions …

Jay Barrett/KMXT Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell was in Colorado Springs last week participating in the National Space Symposium, in conjunction with the annual business meeting of the Aerospace States Association, which he chairs. While there, Treadwell invited the aerospace community to consider Alaska, and particularly the Kodiak Launch Complex, as a strategic resource for the nation. He said state policies …

Jay Barrett/KMXT On Saturday, the state Legislature passed Representative Alan Austerman’s bill to request a next-generation Coast Guard cutter be homeported in Alaska. The resolution will be forwarded to Washington D.C. urging construction of more “Legend-Class National Security Cutters” and designating one for Kodiak. Austerman said as the world’s attention turns toward the arctic, that it’s more important than ever …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT The 34th annual ComFish in Kodiak kicked off on Thursday. The event is Alaska’s largest commercial fishery trade show and dozens of vendors packed the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center to showcase their goods and services. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs was there to talk with the diverse crowd and hear their thoughts on ComFish 2013.

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Earlier this week the state legislature did not confirm Vince Webster for reappointment to the Board of Fisheries, meaning the governor must now select another appointee for the empty seat. But Kodiak fishery advisor Denby Lloyd told the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and City Council the empty board seat could follow what seems to be a pattern of …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT Tonight (Friday) the Colorado-based band Salem will take to the stage at the Rendezvous. It’s the first time the band has been to Kodiak, but as singer-songwriter Todd Anders Johnson said, it’s been on the wish list for many years. The band, which formed in 2004, boats an eclectic sound. Johnson said the group’s music is definitely a …

Jay Barrett/KMXT There was a very slight hiccup in the legislative process to name Kodiak State Airport for Alaska Flag designer Benny Benson. Yesterday on the State House floor, the bill passed unanimously and was transmitted to the Senate for its concurrence, however the House Rules Committee inadvertently deleted the word “Kodiak” from the name, proposing simply “Benny Benson State …