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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Kodiak's Gary Stevens is set up to once again serve as senate president and Louise Stutes is slated to chair the House's powerful rules committee. Each visited KMXT to share their priorities ahead of the next Alaska Legislative Session, which starts Jan. 21. -
Main and North Star Elementary schools are both on the chopping block. The district’s superintendent is expected to present which one she will recommend to close as officials address an $8 million budget deficit. -
McCown joins Kodiak College from UAA's Kenai Peninsula College. She'll be leading the $4 million federally-funded program to provide support services for migrant students, like seafood workers or their kids. -
Kodiak has few abandoned buildings, but one of them could be torn down in the next year. A half-century old facility, made with toxic materials, sat empty before the local borough assembly made the decision. -
“The success of last year’s inaugural fireworks show demonstrated the strength of our community spirit,” Kodiak Mayor Pat Branson wrote in a press release. It’s the second year in a row for the local display after over a decade-long hiatus. -
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.
