Brian Venua
Senior ReporterBorn and raised in Dillingham, Brian Venua attended Gonzaga University before graduating and ultimately returning to Alaska. He moved to Kodiak and joined KMXT in 2022. Venua has since won awards for the newsroom as both a writer and photojournalist, with work focused on strengthening community, breaking down complex topics, and sharing stories of and for the people of the Kodiak Archipelago.
Contact him at brian@kmxt.org
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Kodiak College is joining a list of educational institutions left scrambling after the White House froze billions in grants on Monday. Campus staff say the future of some programs is uncertain. -
This week we hear about more than half a million dollars in federal grant money slated for Kodiak College is frozen, the Alutiiq Museum's archaeology team has pieced together a historical timeline for Shuyak Island, the City approved its FY26 budget, the borough is on the hook for a quarter million dollars for school bond debt, and another dead whale washed up on Surfer's Beach. -
The state issued a burn permit suspension that went into effect at 8 a.m. on July 3 after lifting a previous one on June 30. -
Scientists suspect it was killed by an orca, much like another whale that washed up in the same area about a month ago. -
Alaska’s public schools will receive $500 more per student next year. It's the first permanent education funding increase since Gov. Mike Dunleavy took office, but he cut it again after the state's Legislature overrode a previous veto. -
This week we hear about Alaska students being part of a mass panic at the National Speech and Debate Association's tournament, Harbormaster Dave Johnson's charges were dismissed by the state, a Kodiak dog has parvovirus, the Griffin Memorial Hospital could be used for museum storage, state land is for sale on Kupreanof Strait for the first time, and Kodiak was part of the "No Kings Day" protests on June 14.
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An "unidentified attendee" got on stage and interrupted a performer in Des Moines, Iowa, which led to the crowd evacuating. No major injuries were reported by the National Speech and Debate Association, however at least two Alaska teens were bruised in the rush. -
If untreated, infected dogs face an over 90% fatality rate, owners should look for symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite, or fever. It's unknown how any of the animals contracted the virus. -
About 200 people lined downtown with signs sharing disapproval for President Donald Trump. It's the fifth protest this year, and second-largest one so far. -
This week we hear about a dead gray whale washed up near Surfer Beach, the Kodiak Island Borough will lower its mill rate, young fishermen went through a new training program, a Kodiak fisherman went to D.C. to testify in front of lawmakers about illegal fishing, and Chiniak has a new resort.
