This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     
            It was a tense atmosphere in the borough assembly chambers Thursdday night as the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly wrapped up its regular meeting.
            The assembly introduced an ordinance that seeks to amend borough code and make information about borough contracts more readily available to the public. It also requires the borough manager to notify the assembly about certain contracts that may pose a conflict of interest between the borough and assembly members or their immediate family. The assembly passed the first reading 4-2, with Assemblyman Mel Stephens and Assemblywoman Louise Stutes voting against it. Stephens chose to address the reasoning behind his vote during assembly member comments. 

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
            Prospective home buyers and sellers can look forward to familiar face with a new business this year. Paula Laird will officially open the doors of her RE/MAX real estate business Friday night.
            Laird has been a licensed agent for about five years and earned her brokers license three years ago. She worked as an associate broker here in Kodiak before branching off on her own this summer.
           Tomorrow Laird will host an open house at her new office location downtown at 104 Center Avenue featuring door prizes, food and an official ribbon cutting ceremony by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce. Festivities will kick off at 5 p.m.
           Laird said she doesn’t currently have regular hours, but hopes to have them by February once she hires part time staff to help. In general, she said she is excited for the new opportunity to run her own business.
           Laird works primarily with road system properties but has recently branched off to also feature some remote listings.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     
            A series of fallen trees left some Kodiak residents entering the New Year without power. Nancy Sweeney is the communication and human resource specialist for Kodiak Electric Association and said extremely windy weather on December 31 caused a number of trees to fall on the Chiniak and Pasagshak power lines, cutting power to areas of Women’s Bay and out the road. She said winds were gusting up to 85 miles per hour when KEA dispatched a line crew to patrol the line to determine the cause of the outage. The crew discovered a number of fallen trees and was able to restore power to the Coast Guard receiver site at Holiday Beach and Middle Bay just before 3:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
            Sweeney said a large portion of the Chiniak and Pasagshak lines are off the road system and difficult to access. The line crew was called off the search for additional lines until daylight due to inclement weather. Power was restored to the Kodiak Launch Complex and Pasagshak on the afternoon of January 1.
            On Wednesday, line crews continued to patrol the power line via helicopter and were able to spot additional downed trees and restore power to all users shortly after 1 p.m. Sweeney said she is pleased with the hard work and time KEA’s crews gave and appreciates residents for being patient with them as they worked to resolve the outages.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
            Two more assessment teams were put on the Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig Kulluk Thursday to continue determining the extent of damage caused by its grounding on New Years Eve near Kodiak Island. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard says it should be able to balance its role in the recovery efforts with its responsibility to assure safety in winter fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.
            Weather conditions around Sitkalidak Island improved enough that a Coast Guard helicopter was able to lower a five-person assessment team onto the deck of the grounded rig Kulluk yesterday, and another 11 today. The crew yesterday spent about three hours aboard the rig.
            Shell’s Alaska Venture Operations Manager Sean Churchfield said the preliminary report from the crew showed a mostly intact interior, though some significant water damage.