Brian Venua
Senior ReporterBorn and raised in Dillingham, Brian Venua attended Gonzaga University before graduating and ultimately returning to Alaska. He moved to Kodiak and joined KMXT in 2022. Venua has since won awards for the newsroom as both a writer and photojournalist, with work focused on strengthening community, breaking down complex topics, and sharing stories of and for the people of the Kodiak Archipelago.
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This week we hear about Pacific Seafood finalizing purchasing Kodiak's largest seafood plant, KIBSD will decide whether to close a school in January, the Board of Fisheries tweaked some regulations for Prince William Sound pollock, Dunleavy proposed increasing funding for ASMI, and a small landslide struck near Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. -
“We’re going to do what we can, but we need to stabilize our budget,” said Cyndy Mika, the district's superintendent. Main and North Star Elementary schools are both on the chopping block — the Board of Education will make a decision on Jan. 20. -
Kodiak’s largest seafood processing plant has a new owner. The sale from Trident Seafoods to Pacific Seafood comes about two months after the companies announced a deal was in the works and over a year since Trident announced it would sell its Kodiak assets. -
No injuries or structure damage were reported. Alaska Department of Transportation crews dug out 10 total dump truck loads of material. -
The Harbor Lights Boat Parade, organized by the Kodiak Maritime Museum, is one of the Kodiak's most popular annual events. Hundreds, if not thousands of spectators line the town's shorelines to watch boats decorated with lights sail by. KMXT Photojournalist Brian Venua shares some of the highlights from the 2024 parade. -
The indictment comes after about a month-long investigation from Alaska State Troopers. The incident occurred at a popular recreation area after a 55-gallon fuel drum was thrown into a fire, causing five teens to be medevaced to Anchorage for severe burns. -
On today's Midday Report with Host Brian Venua: Cases of whooping cough were confirmed in Kodiak Middle and High Schools, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. gave its CEO a 10% raise, Gov. Dunleavy presented a draft budget for next fiscal year, there's research into how or if electric vehicles could be viable for the arctic circle, and Petersburg got rid of an aggressive sea lion. -
The highly contagious bacteria, known to spread via coughing and sneezing, can last for around 10 weeks and is particularly harmful for infants and pregnant women. The district is encouraging any kids with a cough to see a doctor as soon as possible and tell them they may have been exposed. -
It’s been a year since Kodiak’s new indoor mall opened to the public, and it’s already become a sort of community center. Several events have been held there and businesses are celebrating their growth in the Marketplace ahead of the holidays. The space will also host Kodiak’s annual boat parade afterparty this weekend. -
This week we hear an update on the lawsuit between KANA and the borough, symptoms of a shrinking population, how climate change is affecting Kodiak, staffing issues on Base Kodiak, and a grow-your-own program for firefighters.
