Public Radio from Kodiak Island Alaska. http://www.kmxt.org Thu, 23 May 2013 00:13:11 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.kmxt.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.kmxt.org Public Radio from Kodiak Island Alaska. http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4703&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130522.wells_denied_bail.mp3 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Wed, 22 May 2013 11:44:19 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4702&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130522.eld_reception.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Wed, 22 May 2013 11:04:34 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4701&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130522.salmon_sculpture.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) It’s been about a year since Ophelia, the marine debris octopus, was built by Kodiak High School art students. The sculpture, which now resides in the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, was constructed using items collected from Kodiak beaches by Island Trails Network employees. She’s become a mascot for marine debris clean up, and a vivid example of how much flotsam and jetsam is circulating the world’s oceans. But she won’t be the only example for long. As KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs reports, Kodiak’s young artists are at it again. News - Latest Wed, 22 May 2013 11:02:53 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4700&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130521.ivars_maritime_museum.mp3 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) If you’ve ever passed through Seattle – and really, who hasn’t? – you are likely familiar with Ivar’s, the Puget Sound seafood chain. This week you won’t have to go nearly as far to get some of its famous deep-fried fish and chips or its classic clam chowder, as it’ll all be available at the Kodiak Maritime Museum booth during Crab Fest. As the Maritime Museum’s Executive Director Toby Sullivan explains, Ivar’s and the museum were brought together by the connections each had to Alaska Leader Fisheries. News - Latest Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:54 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4699&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130521.long_term_care_contract_vote.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) It was two times a charm for a legal services contract up for approval during last week’s borough assembly meeting. After failing to get assembly approval two weeks ago, the contract with Wholforth Brecht Cartledge and Brooking passed 4-2 Thursday night. The firm bid for the contract, which includes legal services associated with the sale of revenue bonds for the new long term care facility, in July 2012. The fee amount at that time was for $17,500, but during the May 2 assembly meeting the assembly faced a contract for $25,000, with little to no explanation of the increase. Following that meeting, assembly members were sent a memo from borough’s attorney, Cheryl Brooking, who explained why the firm was asking for more money. News - Latest Tue, 21 May 2013 11:56:38 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4698&Itemid=2 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) One of the most well-known names in seafood – at least in the Pacific Northwest – will have a presence at Crab Fest this week. Ivar’s, which made its name with quick and tasty fish and chips, and clam chowder, is teaming up with the Kodiak Maritime Museum, through a deal brokered by Alaska Leader Fisheries. According to museum executive director Toby Sullivan, Ivar’s is providing the batter mix for the museum’s deep-fried cod, and is sending up its world famous clam chowder. The way this came about is just slightly convoluted, but try to keep up: Alaska Leader Foundation operated the booth to the benefit of various Kodiak non-profits. Then last year, the foundation turned the operation over the Kodiak Maritime Museum. In the meantime, Alaska Leader struck a deal with Ivar’s to supply cod for its operation, and at the suggestion of company officials, talked the Puget Sound icon to donating clam chowder and batter for the museum’s booth. Sullivan said the museum is excited to add clam chowder to the fish tacos and fish and chips on the menu. News - Latest Tue, 21 May 2013 11:36:50 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4697&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130520.kalakala_update.mp3 Jay Barrett KMXT The iconic Washington State Ferry that spent 20 years as a seafood processor in Kodiak’s Gibson Cove changed hands quietly late last year. Karl Anderson, a Tacoma business man didn’t buy the Kalakala necessarily to be the next person to try and restore it to its former Art Deco glory. Instead, he acquired it in exchange for delinquent moorage fees. Former owner Steve Rodrigues, who reportedly went broke and sold his home in an effort to get the Kalakala restored, was not present at a foreclosure hearing in November where Anderson was given possession in exchange for $4,000 in back rent. The aging ship was declared a hazard to navigation by the Coast Guard just over a year ago, as the agency is concerned it will come loose of its moorings and sink in the channel, according to Regina Caffree, a Coast Guard spokeswoman: “If the Kalakala sinks it would block the entirety of the waterway,” she said. “And it could impact up to $23-million worth of commerce in one month.” News - Latest Mon, 20 May 2013 10:11:12 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4696&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130520.millstein_and_begich.mp3 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) Last week a U.S. Senate subcommittee held a hearing about the importance of America’s small brewers to the economy. It was hosted by Alaska Senator Mark Begich, and he spoke with Kodiak’s Ben Millstein afterwards. “It was great. There was about a dozen or so brewers from around the country with the Brewers Association, which is a national organization, Millstein said. We were talking about our small business and how they contribute to communities. Different things we value: taking care of employees and sustainability, and we had a lot of interest from the senators, which was an honor to be here.” Begich inquired about Kodiak Island Brewing Company’s new location downtown at the Y, and announced his plans to visit this week. “Expanded tremendously and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s a great new spot,” Millstein said. “So when you have Kodiak Crab Fest – which I will be at – maybe I’ll sample the brew, Begich said. Because we had no samples here today, but that’s okay. Maybe next time.” KMXT will try to catch up with the Senator during Crab Fest, which begins on Thursday. News - Latest Mon, 20 May 2013 10:27:51 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4695&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130520.safe_boating_week.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) As spring works its way toward summer, more and more people will take to the water for recreational and commercial boating endeavors. During Thursday’s borough assembly meeting Borough Mayor Jerome Selby took the time to remind all boaters to be safe. “On average 700 people die each year in boating related accidents in the United States. Nearly 70 percent of these are fatalities caused by drowning, Selby said. And where as the vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error or poor judgment and a significant number of boaters lives could have been saved had they worn their Coast Guard approved personal flotation device.” Selby read a proclamation recognizing this week as Safe Boating Week in Kodiak and the rest of the Nation. Coast Guard Auxillary Fotilla Commander Drew Herman accepted the proclamation and spoke a bit about what the week is all about. “It’s not just a week. It’s all summer, it’s all year, he said. Especially for Kodiak, where things are particularly tough on boaters. But we like to take this week to sort of highlight the safe boating message and recharge everybody’s memory about some of the ways we keep safe on the water.” Herman said better outreach and education in recent years have lowered boating-related deaths in the United States. News - Latest Mon, 20 May 2013 09:21:15 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4694&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130520.wells_fargo_dog.mp3 Jay Barrett KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) In larger towns you often see businesses using different gimmicks to lure in customers, but not so much in a small town like Kodiak. Some use balloons or lights or dancing mascots out on the sidewalk. Well, the downtown Wells Fargo branch decided to try the mascot move last week. KMXT’s Jay Barrett caught up with him during a lull in the traffic. The identity of whoever might have been in the costume is not known for sure, but the bank manager denies it was her. News - Latest Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:08 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4693&Itemid=2 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) The Kodiak High School Bears held off a late charge by Anchorage's Dimond High School to win the state championships in track and field over the weekend. The Kodiak boys racked up 87 points to Dimond's 84. Chugiak was third, with Lathrop and South Anchorage rounding out the top five. The Bears were led by The Levis, who each took home an individual championship, and shared in another. Levi Fried won the 800-meters by less than a half-second in 2-minutes and 18-onehundreth of a second. Levi Thomet was third and Clayton Hanna was third. Thomet wont the 1,600, with a time of 4-minutes 25-seconds. Cole Christiansen was third in that race. As a team, Kodiak won the 3,200-relay and were second in the 1,600 relay and fifth in the 400 relay. The Lady Bears tied for 16th with four points. The Dimond girls won with 81 points. We have full results after the jump. News - Latest Mon, 20 May 2013 10:44:22 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4691&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/file_name.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) The funding wishes of the Kodiak Island Borough School District were granted last night. The borough assembly voted 5-2 in favor of funding the district’s $10.6 million request, which is the state allowed maximum. In recent years the assembly has only funded about 96 percent of that, but low state and federal contributions forced the district to ask for full funding. The close vote boiled down to some assembly members’ disappointment in the district’s lack of communication about additional funds. On the last day of the legislative session a bill was passed that allocated $21 million to districts around the state. Kodiak’s piece of the pie is about $450,000, and it was determined that those funds could be put toward energy saving costs and free up other dollars in the district’s $48.7 million budget. A few assembly members, one being Assemblywoman Carol Austerman, wanted to know where those free dollars would go. News - Latest Fri, 17 May 2013 12:11:40 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4690&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/tustumena_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 19:38:38 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4689&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 19:27:59 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4688&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130516.alaska_fisheries_report_16-18_may.mp3 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 (http://www.kchu.org) Tony Gorman in Valdez, KSKA’s (http://www.kska.org) Ellen Lockyer in Anchorage, KDLG’s (http://www.kdlg.org) Mike Mason in Dillingham, KFSK’s (http://www.kfsk.org) Matt Lichtenstein in Petersburg, and KUCB’s (http://www.kucb.org) Stephanie Joyce in Unalaska. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 17:49:56 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4686&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130516.boro_bond_advance.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 12:56:12 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4685&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130516.pavlov_kucb.mp3 Stephanie Joyce/KUCB (mailto:stephanie@kucb.org) Pavlof Volcano has been putting on a light show for residents of several communities on the Alaska Peninsula in recent nights. As KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports, activity at the volcano has increased, and it’s shooting lava high into the air and spewing ash up to 20,000 feet. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 08:58:08 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4684&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130515.ferry_system_cuts.mp3 Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska Say so long to summer drivers riding the ferry for free. Wave goodbye to the winter roundtrip discount. And printed schedules? Those are on their way out too. Those changes won't happen for a while. But they are just some of the ways the Alaska Marine Highway will address a $3.5-million spending cut mandated by the Legislature. Ferry Business Enterprise Director Dick Leary described the cuts at Tuesday’s Marine Transportation Advisory Board meeting. He said managers won't cut sailings where tickets have already been sold. That means no reductions to the summer schedule that runs through September. We also feel very strongly that the winter schedule as it now exists is a bare-bottom service level and so if possible, we don’t want to cut any of the winter schedule. And that takes us from October first to April 30th. So, of course, you put one and two together and you’ve only got May and June left. Managers also agreed that none of the system’s 35 port communities should lose service for an extended amount of time. News - Latest Wed, 15 May 2013 13:21:27 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4683&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130515.downtown_loitering.mp3 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) Though it is a problem year-round, homeless people in Kodiak spend more time outdoors as the weather warms up. That was the complaint of Lisa Zeimer at Thursday’s Kodiak City Council meeting. Judi Kidder, part of the volunteer Project Kodiak Clean Up organization, agreed with Zeimer, saying the things left behind by downtown transients is troublesome. Mayor Pat Branson suggested a committee could examine the issue, and suggested the city could strengthen its loitering laws. Councilmen Terry Haines, John Whiddon and Gabe Saravia agreed loitering is a problem, but both said a solution wouldn’t be immediate. News - Latest Wed, 15 May 2013 13:08:12 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4682&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130516.alutiiq_classes_wrap_up.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Classes wrapped up at Kodiak College last week, marking the end of the first year of the Alutiiq Studies Program. The program joined the college curriculum last fall and offered classroom and distance learning courses in Alutiiq Language and culture. John Beale is the data collection and distance learning technician for the program, and said its first year faired well with student interest and community support. “It’s looking good. I mean, we’re at baby steps at the moment. Our grant is teaching, not only an in class, but a hybrid distance class, which is something not many colleges are doing, Beale said. It enables us to teach a class and distance students simultaneously. We’ve had students as far away as Finland, Thailand, we’ve got several students down in Oregon, California, and then in the villages in Alaska that we’re managing to reach all online at the same time and include them in classroom activities via a video conference link.” The program is funded through a five year Title III federal grant from the Department of Education. Under the grant, Beale said there are various requirements the college must meet each year. For instance, this year the college was asked to provide multilingual and educational signage throughout the buildings and campus. Beale said they did that, and even added lamppost banners, which were installed last week. News - Latest Thu, 16 May 2013 12:53:31 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4681&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/mali_skype_package.mp3 Marina Cummiskey/KMXT Students at Kodiak Middle School have been fundraising for another middle school in Mali, West Africa. The students raised $1,000 – the amount needed to provide electricity at the school in Mali. Students in both countries made an attempt to communicate using Skype early Friday morning. KMXT’s Marina Cummiskey was there and filed this report. It’s 7:30 a.m. on Friday and Kodiak Middle School students are in a classroom trying to Skype with their peers a world away. In Mali, students are crowded in a cyber café at 3:30 p.m., hoping to do the same. There were many struggles to connect, but finally a connection was made. Still, it wasn’t all that great. You couldn’t hear the students in Mali speaking, and most of the time they looked like colorful blobs rather than people. But even if the students couldn’t communicate very well, that wasn’t important. The real connection came before the Skype attempt, when students in Kodiak raised money with the hopes that the students in Mali could get a better education with electricity. News - Latest Wed, 15 May 2013 12:49:53 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4680&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130514.special_olympics_torch_run.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) This weekend, law enforcement officers and community members in towns throughout Alaska will partake in a 5k run and walk as part of the law enforcement torch run for Special Olympics. The race has a long history, both in Alaska and across the nation. “In the late 1970s the torch run actually started here in Alaska, although it’s not advertised that way, “ said Dan Canavan, community director for Kodiak Special Olympics. “There was a group of State Troopers, and Fish and Game folks that started a run that was a fundraiser for Special Olympics here in Alaska. And it was a distance run,” he said. “And then in 1981, when the official torch run started, it was in Wichita, Kansas, and it was law enforcement folks joining together to both raise funds for Special Olympics across the country, and raise awareness of Special Olympics and what they’re about.” You can learn more about the Special Olympics Torch Run by listening to KMXT’s Talk of the Rock today (Tuesday) at 12:30 p.m. Canavan will be joined by local law enforcement, athletes and unified partners to talk about what expect during the May 18th 5k, and how to get involved with Special Olympics year round. News - Latest Tue, 14 May 2013 10:35:47 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4679&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130514.boro_salary_study.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) A new study found that Kodiak Island Borough salaries are competitive with other boroughs across the state, and with similar-sized towns in the Pacific Northwest. Lori Messer is a Senior Consultant for Fox Lawson and Associates, the company that conducted the compensation and classification study for the borough. Messer presented the findings of the borough’s study during a borough assembly work session on Thursday. “When we look at actual salaries being paid at the borough compared to actual salaries being paid in the market, again, in highly competitive position because the borough is leading by almost 1 percent,” she said. Messer said the borough remains competitive when employee benefits packages are included in the information. While this is good news overall for the borough, Messer stressed that it is only an average, meaning some positions aren’t competitive. “This is based on all of the benchmark positions, so it’s an aggregate figure. So there are some positions that are further below the market, some that are further above. This is the overall results of the study, all positions combined.” After presenting the results of the study, Messer suggested a few methods to bring underpaid jobs up to the market salaries. The options range from costing the borough $4,400 to $176,000 each year. She didn’t go into specifics about what those options entailed, which raised some questions later on in the meeting when the assembly began reviewing the agenda for next week’s regular meeting. The agenda includes acceptance of the classification and compensation study, but Assemblywoman Carol Austerman asked if that meant the borough would be accepting the $176,000 price tag to bring underpaid jobs in line with the market. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 19:44:51 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4678&Itemid=2 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) The perennially strong Kodiak boys track and field team wrapped up its eighth straight Region III championship over the weekend in Nikiski. The Bears finished with 168 team points, easily outdistancing runner-up Colony’s 123. Soldotna was third, foll0wed by Wasilla, Kenai, and Palmer. Kodiak was led by sophomore Levi Thomet, who took four titles – three individual and one team. He finished first in the 800- 1,600- and 3,200-meter events and was on the winning 4-by-800-meter relay, along with Clayton Hannah, Levi Fried, and Cole Christiansen. The Kodiak boys also won the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400- meter relays. Michael Ma’inifo took first in the long jump at 20-feet 5.5-inches, and the triple jump at 40-feet 8.5-inches. He was third in the high jump at 5-feet 8-inches. The Kodiak girls were fifth, with 63 team points. Wasilla was first with 115, followed by Colony, Kenai, and Soldotna. Palmer took up the rear in sixth. We have full results after the jump. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 14:02:35 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4676&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130513.pribilof_ferry_kucb.mp3 Stephanie Joyce/KUCB (mailto:stephanie@kucb.org) The Pribilof Islands of St. Paul and St. George are just 45 miles apart, but getting between them can be challenging because of limited flight service, and the area’s notoriously foggy weather. This summer, a regional community development group is hoping to solve that problem by contracting a ferry to run between the islands. But as KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports, finding a suitable vessel has proved challenging. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 09:50:12 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4675&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130513._togiak_open_package_kdlg.mp3 Mike Mason/KDLG (mailto:news@kdlg.org) The Togiak herring fishery is underway. Fish and Game opened it up at noon Saturday. KDLG's Mike Mason has more. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 09:41:13 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4674&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130510.munro_captain.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) In June, the captain of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro will retire after 27 years in active duty. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs had a conversation with Captain Mark Cawthorn last week and learned about his two years serving at the helm of the Kodiak-based cutter Munro. While the majority of Captain Cawthorn’s career was spent on the East coast, he said the past two years on the Munro were certainly some of his fondest. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 10:37:57 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4673&Itemid=2 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) It looks like there’s no need to go changing the name of next week’s celebration to Bruin Burger Fest, thanks to the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. The group will be providing local Kodiak Tanner crab for at least one event during Kodiak Crab Festival. Kelly Harrell, the group’s executive director says in an over the weekend that AMCC will have Tanner crab at the tasting event featuring local seafoods and wild-harvested edibles of other kinds on May 25th – the Saturday of Crab Fest. Organizers have wondered for months about who might step up and offer crab for sale at the event after Saint Mary’s School said it could no longer do so. The school offered fresh crab legs and crab meat sandwiches for sale as a fundraiser for years. On May 24th, Chef Rob Kinneen and local wild foods expert Gayla Pedersen will lead a field trip to Gibson Cove where local greens will be collected for use the next day. That’s when Kinneen will give a cooking demonstration and wild foods tasting at the Koniag Building on Near Island. Harrell said AMCC wants to help fill the void of crab at Crab Fest in some way this year, and maybe even more next year. News - Latest Mon, 13 May 2013 10:25:00 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4671&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/school_funding.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Last month the Board of Education passed a $48.7 million budget, which included a $10.6 million funding request from the borough. That’s the state-allowed maximum, and the borough has only been funding about 96 percent of it in recent years. During a joint work session with the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly in April, School Board President Melissa Borton explained that less funding from state and federal sources forced the district to request the additional $400,000 to meet the state cap. There was little discussion on the matter then, but last night the borough assembly revisited the topic during its work session. Assemblyman Tuck Bonney kicked the discussion off by saying he supported funding to the cap. “My job, I look at it as an assembly member, is to fund the school as well as I can without harming the economy of Kodiak. We have the money to go to the cap, I don’t have any problem going to the cap because we have the money. If we didn’t have the money I wouldn’t say that,” Bonney said. Assemblywoman Carol Austerman asked the district’s chief business officer, Lisa Pearce, whether or not the board had considered what to do with the last minute legislative funding that was mentioned during the joint work session in April. On the last day of session a bill was passed that allocated $21 million to districts around the state. Kodiak’s piece of the pie is about $450,000. Districts that have an average daily membership of 4,500, which Kodiak does, can put the money toward fixed costs and energy relief. During last night’s work session, Pearce said the district only recently received clarification on what that money could be used for, so where to implement it hadn’t been discussed by the school board. Austerman said that was understandable, and shared her hopes for where the money would go. News - Latest Fri, 10 May 2013 14:41:25 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4670&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130509.alaska_fisheries_report_9_may.mp3 Coming up this, we look westward for our fishy news. In Togiak, the only thing missing is the herring, while just around the corner there’s renewed interest in Kuskokwim Bay herring. Fishermen in Quinhagak are doing their part to preserve the might king salmon, and a small processor in Unalaska is going world-wide. It was made possible with the contributions of KDLG’s Mike Mason in Dillingham, KYUK’s Sophie Evan in Bethel and KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce in Unalaska. News - Latest Thu, 09 May 2013 17:40:55 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4669&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/crossing_guard_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) If you’ve ever driven by the intersection of Mill Bay Road and Birch Street on a weekday morning, you’ve probably seen Don Roberts. For the past 13 years, Roberts has faithfully served as crossing guard of that three-way stop, which is an early morning hub for kids walking to school. He arrives early, around 7:30 a.m., rain or shine. Dressed in neon reflective gear and armed with a light-up traffic baton and stop sign, Roberts spends the better part of an hour directing traffic and safely ushering pedestrians across the street. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs spent a morning with Roberts to learn what it’s like to be a crossing guard for more than a dozen years. Don Roberts was named the volunteer of the year during the April 22 Kodiak Island Borough School District's Board of Education meeting. News - Latest Thu, 09 May 2013 15:01:58 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4668&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/kodiak_bracelet_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Alaska has a long history of inspiring the rest world. Books and films have been written about the Last Frontier and more recently a slew of television shows boasting tremendous success have depicted various aspects of the state. Companies have marketed products around their performance in the Alaska wilderness, and others have simply branded them with an Alaskan name. So is the case with the KODIAK bracelet (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/556289079/the-kodiak-re-defining-survival). KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more. Entrepreneurs Jonathan Price and Michael Mojica (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/556289079/the-kodiak-re-defining-survival/creator_bio) have never been to Alaska, but their passion for the outdoors and desire to one day visit played a big part in naming the KODIAK bracelet. “So basically what we wanted to do was really create a survival bracelet that pretty much encompassed everything that you really need if you really need to survive, said Jonathan Price, who co-owns Outdoor Elements with Mojica. The pair designed and created the KODIAK after seeing a simple paracord survival bracelet, which have grown in popularity and allow wearers to carry several feet of paracord with them at all times. Price said he and Mojica wanted to recreate the bracelet, but incorporate their own elements of survival, like a fishing hook. The hook is woven into the bracelet, beneath the paracord. But they didn’t stop there. Price said they engineered a Ferro rod and steel striker into the bracelet’s buckle so someone could start a fire whenever they wanted. “Then we decided to take it to another level and that’s when we created the survival cord with integrated braided fishing line actually inside the rope itself and a material that you could pull out and use as tinder as well,” Price said. And what about the name? “We really wanted to give it like a raw, rugged name. So I was thinking, well, Alaska’s probably one of the most beautiful places on the planet, just the vast wilderness up there. That’s really where we came up with the name Kodiak, basing it off of a love of the outdoors and just how beautiful the state of Alaska is.” News - Latest Thu, 09 May 2013 14:49:51 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4667&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/navy_seal_.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Navy SEAL training could expand on Kodiak Island. The state is currently taking public comment through the end of May on a permit application to use state-owned lands as part of a U.S. Navy winter weather training program. Clark Cox is a natural resource manager for the State Department of Natural Resources and said the Navy didn’t provide any specific dates, but rather wanted the ability to use the land when needed for trainings. According to the application submitted to the state, Navy SEAL trainings occur about six times per year and typically involve groups of up to 12 people for two days. Cox said a portion of the state land in question is located in Chiniak and Pasagshak. “There’s lots of things out there. So, you know public lands are generally open for use. So we’ve got hunting that takes place, whether it’s personal or subsistence or commercial. We’ve got agricultural grazing leases in and around the area. We’ve got the rocket launch facility, obviously. We’ve got the roads, we’ve got private residences there, we’ve got material sites, and we’ve got all kinds of activities taking place,” Cox said. The state isn’t the only entity the Navy has contacted. Duane Dvorak works in the community development department for the Kodiak Island Borough and said the borough land is also part of the area the Navy is looking at for training. News - Latest Wed, 08 May 2013 12:36:42 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4666&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130507.baranof_director.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) For the past five months Tiffany Brunson has been serving as the interim executive director for the Baranov Museum, but now she can finally drop one of the words in her job title. Brunson has officially been hired as the executive director and began working in that capacity on May 1. “I’m really actually honored to get this position, I think it’s a great opportunity and I really love the history of Kodiak. I think it’s got a really fantastic history.” The museum, which is operated in part by the Kodiak Historical Society, began its search for a new director back in early December, when former director Katie Oliver left to take a similar role with the Kodiak Arts Council. At the time, Brunson was working as a gallery host at the museum. She had the education and experience for the position, and knew it was something she wanted to pursue. While the Erskine House, the building that houses the museum, has a rich history in Kodiak, Brunson is relatively new to the island. She moved here from Idaho a year ago and has spent majority of her time here with the museum. She said the past year has definitely been a great experience, and she has certainly learned a lot. News - Latest Tue, 07 May 2013 19:55:19 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4665&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/130507.bill_kersh_leaving.mp3 Jay Barrett/KMXT (mailto:jay.barrett@kmxt.org) Despite both being islands with decent surfing, there’s not much that Puerto Rico and Kodiak have in common. Both, however, do have U.S. Post Offices and need postmasters. And in this case, Cabo Rojo’s gain will be Kodiak’s loss, as Postmaster Bill Kersh leaves here for there next month. Kersh, who’s been postmaster in Kodiak for about seven years, recently accepted a similar job just about as far away from Kodiak one can get and still be in the United States. Cabo Rojo, on the southwest corner of the island, has a population of 50,000 in the city, with several other towns surrounding it. Kersh has never been there, but plans a visit soon. In Kersh’s time as the Kodiak postmaster, there have been a lot of changes, both in staff and infrastructure. Though the size of the staff is a fraction of what it was when he arrived, due to the Postal Service’s well-publicized financial troubles, Kersh said the people he worked with here were top-notch. Kersh also involved himself actively with the community, serving five years on the Planning and Zoning Commission and participating with several groups around town, including the Lions, Elks and Coast Guard Auxiliary. Kersh and his family will be leaving for Puerto Rico in mid June. News - Latest Tue, 07 May 2013 19:53:07 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4664&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/file_name.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Two new trucks could be coming to the city of Kodiak. Tonight the Kodiak City Council will meet for a work session and hear from the harbor office and parks and recreation representatives about the need for new vehicles in both departments. Current trucks used by the city in those departments are in need of repairs, but at high price. Reports and mechanic evaluations filed by the harbor office and parks and rec say it makes more sense to purchase a new vehicle, rather than invest in the repairs that cost more than the value of each truck. The purchase of two new vehicles will cost an estimated $41,000, but the city approved $40,000 for renewal of the parks and rec fleet in the 2013 budget. Likewise, a memo from the harbor office says there are sufficient funds in the harbor’s budget to purchase a truck. The council will discuss the proposed purchases tonight and vote on the matter during its regular meeting on Thursday. Those are the only two items up for discussion during tonight’s meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough conference room. News - Latest Tue, 07 May 2013 19:50:07 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4663&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/ms_theather_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Students at the Kodiak High School and Middle School dabbled in theatric storytelling last week. A handful of classrooms participated in a two week artist in schools program that culminated with a presentation of their work on Thursday. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs attended the performance and filed this report. It’s about 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon and the foyer at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium is a buzz with students from the Kodiak Middle School. Groups of 7th graders are putting the finishing touches on a series of tableaux – the final product of two weeks working with visiting teaching artist Ryan Conarro. “I am here as a theater teaching artist and we’re doing a project with middle high and high school classrooms on using drama-based activities for integrating with academic content,” he said. Conarro has a rich background in theater, both as a teacher and performer. He has worked with the Alaska State Council on the Arts’ Artist in Schools Program for about ten years and taught in districts across the last frontier. In Kodiak, Conarro had middle school students interview family members about their first job as part of the program. “That’s related to their unit that’s happening this spring on career preparation. And we’ve taken some of the stories from those interviews and are dramatizing them.” The students reenacted the stories through a series of tableaux. But what exactly is a tableau? “A tableau is basically a picture formed with actors, it’s still besides the fact that you switch between scenes. You’ll have usually four or five people and you’ll take elements from the story and you’ll act them out silently in a picture,” said 7th grader Eli Griffin, who interviewed his dad, Kodiak Island Borough Assemblyman Aaron Griffin. “He worked at Papa John’s Pizzeria. And then he went into the Air Force.” Griffin said his dad’s past with Papa John’s isn’t the topic of his group’s tableau. “We’re doing one about a paper boy’s first job, I’m pretty sure. I’m a newspaper. I think that I play it awesomely. I just get to sit there.” Conarro narrates the first job accounts, and the students shuffle into intricate, telling positions. Three frozen scenes later, the story is told. For Griffin, the experience has opened his eyes to a new form of acting. He said he’s always been a part of theater, but he didn’t realize the power of a solid position. “I think it’s really cool to be able to act without actually moving and speaking. It seems to me like it’s a lot more powerful,” Griffin said. He isn’t the only that learned from the experience. “Well I learned that there’s a lot of actor’s tools. Like there’s more than just a script and you just act it out. There’s like body gestures and all that stuff. I think it’s cool how the pictures can just show the whole stories. It’s definitely a new, like, interesting way I learned to look at stories. And I thought that was cool.” The Artist in Schools program is funded through the Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Alaska State Legislature, the Rasmuson Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, with help from the Kodiak Island Borough School District. Conarro, who is based in Juneau, wrapped up his two week artist residency on Friday. During his time in Kodiak he also worked with high school students on dramatic representations of personal essays. And as for Eli Griffin’s portrayal of the newspaper, he was indeed awesome. News - Latest Mon, 06 May 2013 12:40:05 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4661&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/clean_up_day.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Today is community clean up day on the Coast Guard base and tomorrow the event will spread onto the borough road system. The event, which is held annually, is the borough’s push to encourage citizens to spruce up the island and properly dispose of items around their house and community. Unlike past years, the borough will not provide curbside pick up of trash items, but will allow free dumping at the landfill today and tomorrow. During the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting last night Borough Manager Bud Cassidy said there will be a drop off site at the Kodiak High School parking lot for hazardous household waste. Cindy Harrington is the co-chair of the borough’s spruce up Kodiak group, which is a subcommittee of the solid waste advisory board, or SWAB. She thanked a number of organizations last night during a SWAB update at the meeting and also pointed out a way people can get rid of items without putting them in the landfill. “The Mirror also has something in their classifieds that’s free for folks to, if they have something free to, I think they call it one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. So just another resource I’d like the community to be aware of.” Participants in the clean up can pick up litter bags at the high school between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring roadside pick-up within the city. Folks will have to request the service by calling 486-8060. News - Latest Fri, 03 May 2013 12:30:44 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4660&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/borough_assembly.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) A contract for legal services associated with the sale of revenue bonds for the new long term care facility failed to get borough assembly approval last night. During a regular meeting the assembly voted 3-2 against the contract with the attorney firm of Wohlforth Brecht Cartledge and Brooking. The firm has provided the borough with past bond counsel services, but the contract failure last night came as a result of a fee increase. In July 2012 the firm bid for the contract with a fee of $17,500. But last night the assembly was faced with a revised contract for $25,000, plus any additional expenses. Assemblyman Mel Stephens said he didn’t understand why the fees increased. “There has been not word one either from staff or from the Wohlforth Brecht law firm about that anything has changed so drastically so that particular figure should change, he said. Adding $7,500 to it is an increase of over 40 percent.” Borough Finance Director Karl Short tried to explain some of the reasoning behind the cost increase, citing the complexity of the bonds as the primary reason. “And what I would like to say in favor of this is if we do not approve this with Cheryl Brooking and Wohlfort, we will have to do an rfp for another bond attorney. They won’t have the past experience of working on this long term care center lease. And it’s a very complicated lease and a new attorney firm would have to follow it so I don’t know that they could give it another price, Short said. The complexity of the bonds wasn’t a good enough reason for Assemblyman Tuck Bonney, who said he would certainly vote against the contract. “I don’t like this. And I feel strongly about this. You don’t make a contract and break it. And that’s what I feel. If it was so complex, that’s their own damn fault, he said. Assemblyman Dave Kaplan said he felt the same way as Stephens and Bonney and asked that the contract be postponed until the assembly could hear from the firm about its decision to increase the fees. Stephens said he didn’t think the contract warranted postponement, but also didn’t think it should pass. “Because quite frankly the Wohlforth Brecht Cartledge firm did not have the courtesy to send so much as a single page letter saying this is why we want to do what we want to do, Stephens said. I don’t think it’s something that should be postponed; I don’t think it should pass. They should simply comply with their original contractual responsibilities which is to finish out what they said they would do.” The motion to postpone failed, as did the contract. News - Latest Fri, 03 May 2013 12:25:12 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4658&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/trooper_investigation_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) A video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded v=D_hCd9uwsng) recording that went viral earlier this week has prompted an internal investigation by the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The 11-minute video was posted on YouTube Monday afternoon in Kodiak and shows a woman thrown to the ground by an Alaska State Trooper before being arrested. Alaska State Trooper Brian Mitchell is one of the two troopers involved in the arrest and the individual seen throwing 20-year-old Skyler Waite to the ground in the video. Mitchell filed an affidavit on the incident where he detailed his account of the arrest. According to the document, Mitchell was dispatched to a home in Kodiak for a medical emergency. It was determined that no one was in need of medical care, but Mitchell reported marijuana was in plain view and began asking Waite about the substance. The film, which has attracted tens of thousands of views, shows the discussion between Waite and Mitchell. In the affidavit, Mitchell wrote that Waite pressed her hand against his arm, as if to usher him away, which he interpreted as an attempt to “instigate confrontation.” Then, as Mitchell was preparing to leave, he wrote that Waite attempted to move behind him and came into what he called “virtual body-to-body contact”. Mitchell said he saw Waite reaching her arm toward him, which he considered a “prelude to a physical assault.” Out of concern for his safety, Mitchell wrote that he shoved her away. He told Waite she was under arrest and he and the other trooper, Boyd Branch, forced her to the ground in order to handcuff her. In the video, Waite is heard asking why she is being arrested and saying she was simply reaching for the door when she was thrown down. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 21:41:09 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4656&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) The Kodiak landfill is quickly filling up, but the borough has had an expansion plan in the works for some time. But as Borough Manager Bud Cassidy explains, the landfill isn’t simply a hole in the ground. This means expanding the area, or even closing out the old space, is a huge undertaking. “Everything about the landfill, it’s an engineered mountain, Cassidy said. We’ve finished our existing footprint, or we will in the next year or so. So we’re building a new cell, and this new cell has to meet all the EPA, DEC regulations.” Cassidy said new regulations require all of the liquids that come out of the garbage, as well as any rainfall, need to be captured and sent to a water treatment plant. Part of the expansion project is construction of a treatment plant at the low point in the landfill. At about $25 million, Cassidy said the new landfill will be much more costly than the previous one. He attributes the price tag to complex engineering and needed equipment to meet Environmental Protection Agency and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s standards. He said the hope is to have the new cell up and running in 2014. “Give or take how much, you know the more we recycle. Maybe the longer period of time we might have to use the original footprint. But even after it’s completed we have to close it out, he said. It’s pretty expensive to close a cell out. Then you have a 30 year required monitoring.” The borough is set to receive $4.5 million from the state capital budget that was passed during the legislative session that ended in April. Cassidy said that money is solely designated for the landfill expansion, which will certainly help buffer the high cost of the project. “The message is having a landfill on an island in the North Pacific is pretty expensive. There’s no doubt about that. And I can’t say enough about the more recycle the longer our landfills will last.” The legislative grant the borough received for the project isn’t necessarily a done deal. The entire capital budget is still awaiting the governor’s signature. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 13:44:27 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4654&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak has deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and support personnel to Cordova. The temporary deployment is in preparation for the upcoming Copper River Red and King fisheries in Prince William Sound and Southcentral Alaska. Those fisheries are set to open in a few weeks and the increased number of fishing vessels that will be operating in the region prompted the Coast Guard’s deployment of the helicopter. The hope is to ensure rapid response in case of a vessel emergency. Coast Guard Captain Daniel Travers is the chief of incident management and said in a release that Cordova is one of the Coast Guard’s four seasonal forward operating stations in Alaska and is scheduled to remain open until September 30. The aircrews now stationed in Cordova will also receive support from the Air Station Kodiak based HC-130 Hercules airplane throughout the spring and summer. A release from the Coast Guard said the aircrews in Cordova saved nine lives and assisted 12 others last summer. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 12:46:58 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4653&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will meet tonight for a regular meeting and discuss a rezoning ordinance and approve a number of contracts. First up on the agenda is an ordinance that would rezone a plot of land in Chiniak from public use to residential. This will be the second reading of the ordinance and a public hearing will be held on the matter. Also during the meeting, the assembly will look at contract for legal services associated with the sale of revenue bonds for the Long Term Care facility. Another contract up for discussion is for installation of electrical services for the Kodiak High School Renovation and Construction project. The Assembly will also be asked to approve a change order for construction services on the landfill lateral expansion project. Tonight’s meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the borough assembly chambers. The meeting is open the public and comments are taken at the beginning and end of each meeting. It will also be broadcast live on KMXT. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 12:43:09 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4652&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) The deadline to have studded tires removed from vehicles has been extended. The original deadline was April 15, but an emergency order last month extended that deadline to May 1. Another emergency order came through the Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner’s Office this week to extend the deadline even further, this time to May 15. As winter still lingers in weather forecasts across the state, the department sought to ensure drivers were safe on roads still covered with snow and ice. The deadline isn’t expected to be extended beyond May 15, and citations will be issued to those still driving with studded tires. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 12:40:58 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4651&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/alaska_fisheries_report_online_may_2.mp3 From KMXT in Kodiak, this is the Alaska Fisheries Report. I’m Brianna Gibbs. Coming up this week, harvest restrictions are expected for the Yukon River, but the Kuskokwim River may see more salmon going to fishermen. The latest EPA assessment claims a large mine in Bristol Bay would affect salmon habitat and the future of the state’s film tax program. All that coming up, on the Alaska Fisheries Report. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 12:38:28 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4649&Itemid=2 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Buy Sildenafil Citrate (news-111.php) Buy Generic CIALIS Online (tadalafil) (news-112.php) Generic Cialis Online No Prescription (news-113.php) Generic Viagra Online Without Prescription (news-114.php) Generic cialis low price 10mg,20mg,40mg (news-115.php) Viagra Generic (news-116.php) Generic Levitra Online (news-117.php) Levitra Generic 20mg 2013 (news-118.php) Buy KAMAGRA Oral Jelly Tablets Soft (news-119.php) Buy Sildenafil Online 100mg 50mg (news-120.php) The face of Borough Hill is changing. The new library is slated to open its doors this fall and on Monday the parking lot in front of the Kodiak High School was fenced off to allow for equipment storage in preparation for the renovation and construction project. Borough Manager Bud Cassidy said project is moving forward, but folks shouldn’t expect to see too many changes just yet. “There’s still a lot of the paperwork, documents to be signed, those kinds of things, he said. But certainly the fencing off the area where materials will be stored is important. And that’s what you really see right now is all the fencing that’s been put up. But you won’t see a whole lot going on for some time.” Earlier this month the Assembly approved a $62 million construction budget for the project. The total project cost is $80.4 million, but as Kodiak Island Borough Assemblyman Aaron Griffin said, that’s not an accurate view of what the borough will actually be paying. “For a community our size that’s a huge amount of money, Griffin said. But you have to remember that we’re getting a 70 percent reimbursement from the state on this. He said the borough isn’t even really paying the 30 percent of that bill that’s left. About $4 million in bond money from other projects was rolled into the high school cost and $7.5 million will come from legislative grants. When you take all of those into account, the actual cost of the high school renovation and construction project is $21 million, which will be paid for over the next two decades. That isn’t the only project on the borough’s agenda these days. Work has already started on the new Long Term Care Facility. That project comes with a price tag of about $21 million, but again, Griffin said that money won’t come directly from the borough. “That’s going to be paid for out of the Medicaid funds. It’s paid for by the people staying there, the beds pay for it through the state Medicaid and Medicare, he said. Another item on the borough’s project list is the landfill expansion. That project will run about $25 million, but funding from the state capitol budget should help with that cost as well. The capitol budget was passed during the legislative session that ended in April and now awaits the governor’s signature. News - Latest Wed, 01 May 2013 17:41:59 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4648&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/flats_fire.mp3 (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Cheap Levitra Drops Old Name at New Location (news-1.php) Generic Cialis Canisters a Concern on Kodiak Beaches (news-2.php) Dry weather paired with an abandoned campfire set about six acres of land in Womens Bay ablaze on Saturday. David Conrad is the assistant fire chief for the Womens Bay Fire Department and said he received a report of smoke from a person driving by the Salonie Creek Bridge Saturday afternoon. Generic Cialis Canisters a Concern on Kodiak Beaches (http://vivagora.fr/news-1.php) Generic Cialis (Tadalafil) - Buy Generic Cialis (news2.php) Generic Cialis Canisters a Concern on Kodiak Beaches (http://vivagora.fr/news-1.php) The fire was on the Northern side of the Salonie Creek Valley, right by the bridge. Conrad said an unattended campfire was found in the area, which spread onto the dry, dead grass surrounding it. He said the six acres that burned belongs to the borough, but the State Department of Forestry came to Kodiak on Sunday to investigate. News - Latest Thu, 02 May 2013 03:00:00 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4647&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/arlo_guthrie_package.mp3 (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) Tonight, the major act for the Kodiak Arts Council’s performing arts series will take the stage at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more. Arlo Guthrie lives up to his family’s name. He’s the eldest son of folk legend Woody Guthrie, but stands on his own two feet in the musical arena. Since the late 1960s, the singer and songwriter has released more than two dozen albums and performed at sold out venues around the world. Kodiak Arts Council Director Katie Oliver said Guthrie’s visit to Kodiak is part of a year-long tour honoring his late father. News - Latest Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:43:32 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4645&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/new_library.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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 News - Latest Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:42:39 +0100 http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4643&Itemid=2 /images/stories/mp3/phostoxin_package.mp3 Brianna Gibbs/KMXT (mailto:brianna.gibbs@kmxt.org) 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. News - Latest Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:46:30 +0100