Public Safety

Monday was the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attacks in United States history and a harrowing day for emergency services. Memorials were held all over the country, but one in Kodiak served a dual purpose – to christen a new fire truck.  Ellis’ kids helped pour the first water into the truck’s tanks, September 11, 2023. (Brian Venua/KMXT) The …

A de Havilland Beaver operated by Alaska’s Enchanted Lake Lodge Inc. and a Bell 206L-4 helicopter operated by Maritime Helicopters collided in mid-air over Katmai National Park during Labor Day Weekend. The plane’s pilot and passengers reported no injuries, but the helicopter’s pilot was injured in the crash.  The accident took place at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday, near Lake …

Kodiak Fire Department responded to a call for suspected arson Friday afternoon in a wooded area between Kodiak College and the Fir Terrace Apartments, which is across from Safeway on Mill Bay Road. No injuries were reported and damage was limited to wooded areas. A spokesperson for the city of Kodiak says a tree near the complex was ablaze and …

Kodiak Electric Association experienced a major power outage yesterday that affected the Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport, the Coast Guard Base, Bell’s Flats, and out the road system to Chiniak and Pasagshak.  The outage occurred at about 2:00 PM. The airport and Coast Guard Base lost connection to the cooperative’s power grid, however power returned an hour and a half …

Kodiak’s Bayside Fire Department has a new chief. Scott Ellis joins the crew after more than three decades as a firefighter on the east coast.  Ellis spent most of his life in Connecticut and was getting ready to retire, when he found out he and his wife were about to have their seventh child. It inspired him to take another …

Kodiak police have named Clint Moudy as a suspect in the fatal hit-and-run collision during the tsunami evacuation late on July 15. The crash killed a pedestrian, 45-year-old Kodiak resident Vanessa Amox. Friends on Facebook also know her as Vanessa Malutin-McCormick. Moudy’s white, flatbed-style truck had damage consistent with debris collected from the crime scene, according to a press release …

A Kodiak resident died in a hit-and-run during this weekend’s tsunami warning and evacuation.  Kodiak police have identified the pedestrian who died Saturday night as 45-year-old Vanessa Jean Amox. Friends on Facebook identified the victim of the hit-and-run by the name Vanessa Malutin-McCormick. She was hit by a truck within a half hour of the sirens going off between the …

A U.S. Navy Missile Cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain, docked at Kodiak’s Pier 2 over the weekend. It’s the third ship to bear the name Lake Champlain, and the second Naval vessel to visit the community this month as part of this year’s Northern Edge military training. The first was the USS Harpers Ferry on May 4.  The USS Lake …

Petro Marine Services, the parent company of the gas station chain Petro Express, has released more information on issues with contaminated fuel that was reported over this past month at its Kodiak location near Safeway.  The Petro Express near Safeway in Kodiak. This was the location affected by the strange liquid. March 21, 2023. Brian Venua/KMXT The company’s general manager, …

Kodiak High School’s fire alarm went off twice Friday morning before students started class. Both turned out to be false alarms, but students had to wait outside or in buses for around 30 minutes until the issue was resolved. According to Assistant Principal Matt Bieber, the alarm tripped due to a faulty sensor. After a single reset, students began to …