Kirsten Dobroth

The city of Kodiak is in the beginning phases of acquiring the Griffin Memorial Hospital building – located just outside the downtown core. The state of Alaska owns the building, which is the square, white facility that sits next to the Russian Orthodox Church, near Kodiak’s waterfront. The building is currently vacant, and back in …

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing the Buskin River drainage to sport fishing for coho salmon. The closure goes into effect Thursday, Sept. 22 at midnight. Fish and Game announced the closure earlier this week, saying that the run is not currently projected to meet the escapement goal. As of Monday, 981 …

Law enforcement in Kodiak seized more than $650,000 worth of fentanyl, meth and heroin this weekend. The bust was part of a major investigation into drug trafficking on the island. Alaska State Troopers say 11,457 blue fentanyl pills were seized Friday – nearly two pills for every person living within Kodiak city limits, according to …

Leadership within Alaska’s Republican party will decide whether to oust Kodiak’s sitting district chairman at a hearing Tuesday, Sept. 20 over his public support of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In July 2021, Alaska’s Republican Party formally endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Trump-backed Republican challenger this November. The party censured Murkowski for her support of legal …

Plans for Kodiak’s new fire station are moving along. Late last month, City Councilmembers got a first look at the concept for the new building. The concept presented to Kodiak City Council by Palmer-based Wolf Architecture includes a single story on Mill Bay Road with a drive through garage bay for the station’s trucks and …

Kodiak’s pollock fishery is open to trawlers – the fall season kicked off Sept. 1. There’s more than 90 million pounds of Central Gulf of Alaska pollock allowed for this season’s catch. Last year’s fall catch was about 68 million pounds. Julie Bonney is the executive director of the Groundfish Data Bank. She said via …

Public health officials and local law enforcement are sounding the alarm over a wave of fentanyl that’s recently arrived in Kodiak — including a new form of the opioid called rainbow fentanyl. Amy Butts is a public health nurse and team lead at the Kodiak Public Health Center. She said there’s been a worrying trend …

The state’s Bycatch Review Task Force is preparing its first recommendations. On a recent visit to Kodiak, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the group would make a series of preliminary proposals at its Sept. 20 meeting in Anchorage. “We’re looking at the science, we’re looking at all kinds of data, we’re looking at how people catch …

Janissa Johnson is one of 25 Alaskan artists recognized with a Project Award from the Rasmuson Foundation; she was recognized for her work in folk and traditional art. She said it’s an honor to be named among this year’s winners. Artist Janissa Johnson wears one of her sea otters scarves; she won a Rasmuson Foundation …

Another rocket launch is scheduled for Kodiak’s Pacific Spaceport Complex next week. It comes on the heels of a successful launch back in March – and as Alaska Aerospace eyes expanding operations at its facility. But some residents say that growth is shutting out locals’ access to the area. Alaska Aerospace’s chief executive officer Milton …