This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

            When the library moves into its new building on borough hill, much of its collection will go with it. However, one thing will be left behind – its name. Thursday night the Kodiak City Council unanimously voted in favor of renaming the A. Holmes Johnson Memorial Library the Kodiak Public Library once it moves into the new facility.

            For about 45 years the library’s name has memorialized a local physician and outspoken advocate of public libraries. Kaia Converse is the chairman of the Kodiak Public Library Association and said the dropping of the memorial title does not mean the contributions of that individual will be forgotten

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

            A series of aluminum canisters have been washing up on the shores of Southeast Alaska, and more recently in the Kodiak Archipelago. Two were discovered on Afognak Island earlier this month and last week another was found on Queer Island, near Kalsin Bay. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.  

            The canisters contain a compound with the trade name phostoxin (foss-toxin), which when exposed to the moisture in the air creates phosphine gas.

            "Which is highly toxic and poisonous and leads to, well, death," said Tom Pogson, the director of marine programs for Island Trails Network in Kodiak. He has been monitoring the reports of the canisters throughout Alaska. He said there have only been a handful, but it’s still concerning as more and more citizens take to the beaches to help with marine debris clean ups.

            A spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Ecology, Curt Hart, said the canisters were big problem in Washington state three years ago.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marine debris isn’t a new phenomenon in Alaska. Items have been washing up on shorelines across the state for decades. But when the Japanese Tsunami washed away entire towns in 2011, things changed. North America braced itself for an onslaught of debris. Government scrambled for clean-up funds, and citizen volunteers, armed with bags and good intentions, took to the beaches. Tsunami remnants are still en route, and as KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs reports, the next wave of debris could bring some new obstacles.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

    The Kodiak City Council voted last night to restructure its pay scale in an effort to become competitive with other municipalities in the state. City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski explained the need for updating the city’s policies.
    “It’s important to keep our wages and benefits attractive. As I mentioned earlier we’ve got employees who are retiring or are getting ready to retire. Sometimes employees move on to higher paying jobs with better benefits packages," she said. "So this puts us in a much better position. It’s still reasonable and I do believe it is a sustainable increase.”
    City Councilman John Whiddon agreed that it was important to attract and keep skilled employees.
    “Until I came on the council I didn’t realize the level of skill and competency required in the key positions, but really throughout the city government," he said. "And it’s not just a question of hiring neighbors and friends any more that you would typically think in a small community. You really have to look for skilled people; people who will stay, which is always difficult in Kodiak. So I think this pay and compensation will go a long way to allow us to attract and retain the best possible employees so we can continue to provide the goods and services we need here in Kodiak.”
    City Councilman Gabriel Saravia said the increases will be money well spent.
    “I see the letter in the newspaper today – we’re not giving away the money to people because we like it. Services costs money, and people well qualified have a lot of opportunities to go someplace else," Saravia said. "It costs more money to train new people than to keep the people we have. And will Kodiak be a ‘ghost town?’ I don’t think so. The fish we still have to catch and the Coast Guard isn’t going no where. We live in wonderful houses in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with more than $400-million a year is spent inside of town. I think our city’s in good hands.”
    There were no comments at all during the public hearing in person or on the phone, and the ordinance passed unanimously.