Four years ago, Rat Island’s namesake rodents were eradicated. Now, the name is being done away with as well.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially dubbed the remote Aleutian island Hawadax (Ha-WA-thaa), an Unangan word meaning "entry" or "welcome." That was the island's traditional name, before a Japanese shipwreck in 1780 unleashed a plague of rodents.

This week, Unalaska lost one of its most senior elders.

Nicholas Galaktionoff was called an “Unangan treasure” by Aleutian scholars, a great fisherman by his friends, and a good man by his family. He was born in Makushin village in 1925, where his grandmother cared for him. When he was about five years old, he went out on his father’s baidarki for the first time, an experience he would later describe as some of the most fun he ever had. Galaktionoff learned how to fish when he was eight, and caught plenty of halibut and salmon from Unalaska’s waters even in his old age. At age 13, when World War II hit the Aleutian Islands, Galaktionoff was evacuated from Makushin village by the Coast Guard.

Credit: Flickr/Frank Kovalchek

The search for an airline to serve Adak is starting over. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation rejected the only bid it received for the federally subsidized flight route and reopened the bidding process.

After Alaska Airlines announced in February that it wouldn’t try to renew its Essential Air Service contract this year, the DOT put out a request for proposals. PenAir was the only airline to reply.

It proposed flying a 30-seat Saab turboprop to Adak four times a week in exchange for a $3.4 million subsidy. That would have been the second most expensive EAS subsidy in the nation and double what Alaska Airlines currently receives for flying a Boeing 737 to Adak twice a week.

Some Unalaska residents felt a little shaking Friday morning. At 10:49 a magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 31 miles south of town. Relatively speaking that’s not a very large quake, but because the epicenter was so close to town, it was perceptible.

For the second time this week, an inmate at the Unalaska jail has attempted escape and failed.

Christopher Hadsell, 23, was brought to the Unalaska courthouse by two police officers for a pre-indictment hearing and attempted to flee their custody shortly before 10am. Hadsell was in both handcuffs and leg irons at the time, and was apprehended almost immediately. Back-up was requested, and Hadsell was ultimately transported back to the Unalaska jail by four officers.

Ironically, the court hearing that Hadsell fled from concerned an unsuccessful jailbreak that took place on Monday. Hadsell stands accused of faking a seizure to lure a corrections officer into his cell and then trying to lock that officer away. According to the Department of Public Safety, Hadsell was quickly apprehended in the cellblock hallway and would not have been able to make further progress.

A new airline is entering the Aleutian market. Starting this summer, Anchorage-based Grant Aviation will be flying to Atka and Nikolski as part of the federal government’s Essential Air Service program. The federal EAS program compensates airlines for flying to remote communities where it would otherwise be unprofitable.

Atka city administrator Julie Dirks says the community is thrilled about the new air service.

“We were concerned that no one would submit a bid and that things would just go on as they have been.”

A proposal to restrict chain use on Unalaska’s paved roadways generated some controversy at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. The ordinance only allows truck-trailers to use chains on days when the Director of Public Safety or the Roads Chief deem them necessary.

That idea was not popular with truck drivers, several of whom testified at the meeting that the restrictions would imperil safety - both the drivers’ and the public’s. Here’s Doug Leggett.

The cause of a recent ammonia release aboard the Alaska Juris has been determined. According to the Coast Guard’s local marine safety detachment, the leak came from a faulty hose, which has since been replaced.

The ammonia leak occurred at sea on May 10, and three crewmembers were medevaced from the factory trawler because of exposure. The Alaska Juris, which is owned by the Fishing Company of Alaska, has been docked at OSI since the event. No further medical calls connected to the ammonia leak have been made, but the Unalaska Department of Public safety did send an ambulance to the vessel last night because of an unrelated incident.

The kayakers attempting to paddle the length of the Aleutian Chain have made it to Nikolski. Eleven days after leaving Unalaska, the duo from the Isle of Man were enjoying the luxuries of civilization on Monday afternoon.

“In Nikolski, they love the whiskey down here," says George Shaw. “We literally got off the water yesterday and we were looking for this guy, and we found him straight-away on the beach and within two minutes had a whiskey in our hand having a drink a with him and then the next minute we were in his house, eating reindeer. So quite a good experience in Nikolski.”