The 32-foot fishing vessel Rocky Point sank at the Spit Dock on Christmas Eve.

Coast Guard pollution investigator David Doyle says it’s unclear why the boat went under, although heavy snowfall over the holiday may have been a contributing factor.

Doyle says the vessel’s fuel tanks were empty, so there was minimal pollution from the sinking.  The Coast Guard put sausage boom around the boat and collected a few gallons of residue.

Water shortages are a problem for the fish processing plants in Unalaska, which have their peak season in winter, when surface water on the island is mostly frozen.  A resolution on tonight’s City Council agenda would start the process of developing additional groundwater sources to increase the city’s available water supply during the winter months.

If approved, the Seattle-based consulting firm Shannon and Wilson will receive a $35,000 contract to decide where to put in new wells. The city estimates that there needs to be an additional 4 million gallons of water a day to meet demands during peak season.

The City of Akutan wants to grow.  It has submitted a proposal that would expand its territory by 700 percent if approved by the state’s Local Boundary Commission. 

The proposed annexation is of lands on both Akutan and Akun islands and the water that divides them. 

Current town boundaries don’t encompass the airport that’s being constructed on Akun or a proposed site for geothermal energy development south of town.  According to Akutan Mayor Joseph Bereskin, the city wants more control over development around those sites.

The Coast Guard icebreaker Healy will be in Unalaska for Christmas.  The United States’ only operational icebreaker was scheduled to finish up its Arctic season last week, but a fuel shortage in Nome has pushed that date back. 

The Healy has supported four separate scientific expeditions up in the Arctic over the last seven months.  The latest was the vessel’s first wintertime mission, according to Executive Officer Greg Tlapa.

Retailers in town are doing well this holiday season.   Many of them have seen increases in sales over the last couple of weeks, especially with Christmas drawing nearer.

Safeway Assistant Manager Abe Palmer says they’re selling more this year, even though they haven’t brought in any new products.

“Sales this year have been substantially better than what they have been in past years. We have noticed that there is more fishing vessel business. This year, this early, before the season starts, then what there has been in past years.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the largest health insurance providers in the state and the city but until recently, the Iliuliuk Clinic was not part of their network. 

Clinic Director Eileen Scott says she made it a priority to change that when she was appointed in October. 

“When I first got here I was reading a lot of the consultant reports, when they spoke to the community about what their needs were.  And of course I met with a lot of the community leaders and one of the things that came up was why we didn’t have a contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield.”

A major reform announced last month by the Federal Communications Commission promises to extend high-speed internet access to people in rural areas across the country.  But the 27 percent of Alaskan consumers whose internet comes through a satellite won’t see the same degree of improvement.

The Federal Communications Commission is trying to address internet inequality on a national scale by shifting $4.5 billion in government subsidies away from traditional telephone networks toward internet-based systems.  The Commission released the full Connect America reform order last month.  It’s a 759-page document, but the basic gist is that telephone companies are going to have to offer affordable broadband to their customers if they want to continue receiving federal funding.

Taking advantage of the state’s education tax credit, the trade group Pollock Conservation Cooperative has made a $100,000 donation to vocational training in Western Alaska.

PCC is an arm of the At-sea Processors Association, which represents 16 vessels that fish for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands pollock out of Unalaska.

Its donation went to the Northwestern Career and Technical Center in Nome.  The Center offers vocational training for high school students in the Bering Strait and Nome public school districts as well as more limited training opportunities for community members.  

State Wildlife Troopers have cited the fishing vessel Ramblin’ Rose for possession of undersized St. Matthew blue king crab.  The crabber was boarded last Thursday for a routine inspection while delivering to Bering Fisheries in Unalaska. 

Trooper technician Nick Butryn says he found a substantial number of crab below the 5.5 inch legal limit in his initial survey.   The final estimate was that 5.5 percent of the catch, or several hundred pounds, was undersized.  Butryn says that’s the most he’s ever seen in an offload.