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            If you tried to visit the Kodiak Key Bank sometime after noon yesterday, you may have been surprised to find that the doors were closed, and nobody was there. That’s because they were here, at KMXT. Yesterday was Neighbors Make a Difference Day, a national Key Bank holiday that sends employees from branches all around the United States into their communities for volunteer work. This year, Kodiak’s branch opted to see what nonprofit public radio was all about. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs gave Kodiak branch manager Joyce Gregory a break from the arduous labor and asked her about the organizations day of service.

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    Tomorrow the Baranov Museum will open a new exhibit that will only feature items found within and around the museum. Over the years, various renovations or simple discoveries have churned out an eclectic collection of historical items, but it won’t just be a series of odd relics on display. The Baranov teamed up with Kodiak High School art students to take the exhibit a step further. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.

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    A federal judge in Anchorage has denied bail to the accused killer of two men at Coast Guard Communications Station Kodiak last year. Presiding Judge John D. Roberts said Monday afternoon he was not convinced that bail for Jim Wells was appropriate.
    Wells’ public defender Richard Curtner argued their client has been a suspect for some time and did not attempt to flee the island before his arrest.
        “As we filed this motion we’ve pointed out to the court that Mr. Wells was identified as a suspect – his vehicles were published in the newspapers in Kodiak from the very beginning of the investigation, yet the FBI would tell the community of Kodiak that there was not a risk to the community, knowing that Mr. Wells was their suspect and was living in the community," Curtner said. "And now, they’re saying there is a risk to the community, even for 10 months during this investigation they claimed publicly just the opposite.”

    Prosecutor Bryan Schroder however argued that the risk increased after Wells was charged with double homicide.
        “Now is a very different time. He’s got charges over him. He’s got charges – at least at this point – charges with the ultimate sanction of death, and at a minimum of life imprisonment. If he’s got any inclination to flee or any inclination to harm a witness to try to affect this case, now is the time that would give him the opportunity to do that," Schroder said. "And another factor is before the charges were levied, he didn’t know who the witness are, now he’s gotten discovery, now he’s seen the complaint and the other documents and he knows who the witnesses are now.”

    Wells had requested bail and release to a third-party custodian to Kodiak. Hank and Jan Pennington told the court they would host Wells at their home in Chiniak, and Victoria Geyer said she would serve as a third-party custodian. Judge Roberts said the distance between Anchorage and Kodiak, and between Kodiak and Chiniak, was problematic for monitoring, and he brought up the fact that Geyer had just met Wells.

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    About 60 young professionals from all around Alaska are in Kodiak this week for the annual Emerging Leaders Dialogue. The three day conference is hosted by the Institute of the North and features workshops and discussions about Alaska’s future, and how to better engage younger generations. Last night dialogue participants hosted a community reception. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs was there and filed this report.