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            After almost 50 years in service, Alaska will say “goodbye” to the M/V Tustumena. But frequent farers of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry won’t have to say those goodbyes just yet. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.
            During the Marine Transportation Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday in Juneau, board members discussed the lengthy process of replacing the ship. AMHS General Manager Captain John Falvey said a new ferry is still five years out.
            “September of 2015 hopefully we’re building, if everything is perfect. And we talk about how long it takes to construct a ship, probably 2-3 years to construct a 325-foot ship. This is a ship now, this isn’t’ a day boat. So, five years from now. And we’ve got to keep Tusty going for five years,” Falvey said.

            Nine grams of methamphetamine is now in police custody. On Wednesday morning officers from the Kodiak Police Department served a search warrant at a private residence on Selief Lane for evidence of drug dealing. Police Chief T.C. Kamai said the search resulted in the discovery of the meth.
            “...Approximately 9 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales and packaging materials. And the officers arrested one subject, the occupant,” Kamai said.         
            “We’ve executed search warrants where we’ve seized just trace amounts of drugs, methamphetamine included, and then we’ve served search warrants where we’ve seized multiple ounces of methamphetamine. Nine grams is not a substantial seizure, but it is a fairly significant seizure we think. Definitely the quantities tend to support our investigative theory that the subject was engaged in drug distribution and not simple possession and individual use.”
    Drug-related investigations are on the rise in Kodiak. Kamai said there were 121 drug investigations in 2010. In 2012 that number jumped up to 165. This most recent investigation only adds to the growing number for 2013.
 

Coming up this week, Copper River opens, Togiak opens, Kodiak is a little slow and they’re done in Seymour Canal. Plus, why does the largest CDQ group want to get even bigger? The Alaska Fisheries Report was made possible with contributions from KCHU’s Tony Gorman in Valdez, KSKA’s Ellen Lockyer in Anchorage, KDLG’s Mike Mason in Dillingham, KFSK’s Matt Lichtenstein in Petersburg, and KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce in Unalaska.

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    Tonight the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will meet for a regular meeting and revisit an agenda item that failed to get assembly approval two weeks ago. During the May 2 meeting the assembly failed to approve a contract with Wohlforth Brecht Cartledge and Brooking for legal services associated with the sale of revenue bonds for the new long term care facility.
    During last Thursday’s work session, Assemblyman Mel Stephens asked why the contract was back.
     “I’d like to know why it is back on the agenda. We voted on whether to postpone and ask for additional information on this. That motion failed. We voted on whether to pass it, that motion failed. No person asked for reconsideration," he said. "So I think your obligation was to call up the attorney and say the decision of the assembly was not to go along with this.”

    The contract failed in large part because of an increase in fees associated with the legal services. In July 2012 the firm bid for the contract with a fee of $17,500, but on May 2 the assembly faced a contract for $25,000, plus any additional expenses. At the time there was no explanation of the change, but a memo has since been provided to the assembly by the borough’s attorney outlining why the cost went up, and where in the original contract fee increases are allowed.
    The memo helped clarify the matter for Assemblyman Tuck Bonney, who said he is in favor of revisiting the contract, even after voting against it during the May 2 meeting.