The Kulluk and the Xiang Rui Kou heavy lift vessel are no longer in Captains Bay -- but the ships aren’t leaving Unalaska just yet. The vessels have been moved to Broad Bay, says Coast Guard Lt. Jim Fothergill. They’ll stay there until Friday, when they’re scheduled to leave for Singapore.
Shell has pushed back the departure twice now. Fothergill says he doesn’t know the reason for the delays, and a Shell spokesman did not return requests for information.
A Coast Guard helicopter flew into Unalaska last night to medevac an 18-month-old girl.
The girl had consumed an adult medication that can be toxic to kids. Medical staff at the Iliuliuk Family and Health Services clinic referred the child to Anchorage for additional care. A Guardian Flight plane was not available locally to take the call, and Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosley says local weather conditions would have prevented a dispatched flight from landing.
Unalaska’s oldest resident passed away on Sunday. Josefa Gozun Velasquez, 91, had lived in the community for more than 25 years, first as a seafood processor, and then as a caregiver.
Her son-in-law, Frank Kelty, says she helped raise nearly four generations of children in Unalaska -- including her own grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Doanh Tran has withdrawn her name from consideration for a vacant city council seat after questions arose about whether she met the residency requirements for the post.
Tran declined to comment. In a letter to the city, Tran wrote that her withdrawal is in response to a legal opinion from the city’s attorney regarding residency.
After three weeks in port, Shell’s Kulluk drill rig is set to leave Unalaska tomorrow.
The rig has been loaded on the Xiang Rui Kou heavy lift ship in Captains Bay. Coast Guard Lt. Jim Fothergill says the vessels are scheduled to leave at 10 p.m. Tuesday night. That was pushed back from today.
Fothergill wouldn’t say why the plan changed, but he says efforts to secure the rig are still going well. Once they leave Unalaska, the vessels are bound for Singapore, where the Kulluk will be repaired.
The executive in charge of Shell's troubled Arctic drilling program is stepping down.
David Lawrence was Shell's vice president for North American exploration. He's been with the company for almost 30 years. Now, a spokesman says he's leaving "by mutual consent."
Shell won't say whether Lawrence's departure has anything to do with the 2012 drilling season. But it's only been a week since the Department of the Interior released its review of Shell's Arctic program. Interior's investigators said Shell wasn't fully prepared for the logistical challenges it faced in the Arctic.
A day-long standoff with a man who verbally threatened Unalaska police officers with guns came to a peaceful resolution Wednesday evening. Robert Cash, 54, surrendered and was taken into custody.
The incident started Tuesday night, at about 6 p.m. Following up on a drunk driving tip, a police officer followed Cash to a house on General's Hill. Public safety director Jamie Sunderland says Cash was visibly intoxicated.
Arson is suspected in a late-night car fire on Ballyhoo Road.
A pickup truck parked outside the Pacific Stevedoring bunkhouses burst into flames just after midnight Thursday. The fire didn’t spread to any buildings and no injuries were reported. But the vehicle was completely destroyed.
Still, public safety director Jamie Sunderland says the truck yielded some clues.
"We have some evidence that points strongly to arson, in that there was a burning wick hanging out of the gas tank," Sunderland says.
Longtime Unalaska resident Harriet Berikoff is skilled in many traditional art forms.
In this segment of The Exchange, Berikoff talks about her favorite projects and previews the cultural craft classes she's teaching at Unalaska's senior center this spring.
