Since July, scientists have been watching Cleveland Volcano for signs of an eruption. The potential for an explosive event has only increased in the last month.

A lava dome has now reached the lip of the volcano’s crater, and if it keeps growing, it could overflow and create an ash cloud. The volcano is located on unpopulated Chuginadak Island, so an eruption wouldn’t create any immediate risk for human life. But Cleveland does lie under a major flight path, and air travel could be affected if the volcano does blow. Ash fall could also impact commercial fishing by damaging boats, and it could also be harmful to people with respiratory problems.

A 41-year-old man has been charged with vehicle theft and driving under the influence. Danny Gonzales of Mansfield, Massachusetts was arrested around 3:30am on Sunday, after allegedly driving a Grand Aleutian van into a ditch off of Airport Beach Road.

According to court documents, a taxi driver witnessed the accident and reported the incident to the police after determining that Gonzales was drunk and unable to exit the vehicle. When an officer arrived at the scene, Gonzales allegedly told him that he was a Unisea employee and authorized to drive the van. Police established that Gonzales was in possession of keys meant for a Dunlap GMC pick-up truck. Those same keys had managed to fit into the stolen van’s ignition, according to Sgt. Mike Holman with the Department of Public Safety.

About twenty years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for workers at the Unisea seafood processing plant to get injured on the job. The safety standards were more relaxed, and there wasn’t a culture of prevention.

“Back in the early nineties, it wasn’t uncommon to have an ambulance here once or twice a week,” says Gregg Bishop, who is the head of safety and environmental compliance.

That’s all changed.

Absentee and contested ballots have been counted in the local election and although the results won’t be official until City Council certifies the election on Tuesday, the numbers are in. 

In the close race for City Council Seat E, Zoya Johnson opened up an 8-point lead over incumbent Katherine McGlashan with a total of 239 votes to McGlashan’s 220. 

Dennis Robinson held on to unopposed city council seat B with a total of 378 votes.

Good Samaritans rushed to help yesterday afternoon when an SUV flew off the road into Captain’s Bay.  The passengers, a 23-year-old male and a 3-year-old, were able to exit the vehicle before police arrived on scene. 

Sergeant Mike Holman says the preliminary investigation shows that the driver was speeding and lost control of the car.  The 3-year-old was treated for mild hypothermia at the Iliuliuk Clinic.  

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a workers' compensation case that started in Unalaska. 

Longshoreman Dana Roberts slipped on the ice while working as a dispatcher for Sealand in 2002, injuring his back and shoulder.  

After being declared permanently disabled, he started receiving workers' compensation based on how much he was being paid when he was injured. Roberts argues that he should be getting paid based on 2007 wages, the year a lower court affirmed his disability.  

The preliminary results for the local election are in, and one race is too close to call.

Zoya Johnson, the executive director of the Museum of the Aleutians and a former city council member, currently has a 3-percent edge on incumbent Katherine McGlashan in the race for City Council Seat E.

Johnson received 224 votes, and 208 ballots were cast for McGlashan. There are still 30 votes that need to be counted however – 24 absentee, and six contested. Those will be processed on Friday by a canvassing committee. They will meet in city hall council chambers at 10:30am, and official results are expected later in the day.

The amount of crab that’s available for harvest in the region has been set, and Bristol Bay Red King Crab is seeing big cuts.

The total allowable catch for the fishery has been set at 7.8 million pounds. That’s a 47% drop from last year’s quota.

Meanwhile, the St. Matthew Blue King Crab fishery is seeing a boost. The quota has been set at 2.4 million pounds, up from 1.6 million last year.

The stateless drift-netting vessel Bangun Perkasa is under siege in the Port of Dutch Harbor.

Local officials and Alaska Senator Mark Begich are calling for the Coast Guard to scuttle the boat, even as rat eradication efforts get underway.

The 140-foot Perkasa was intercepted by the Coast Guard in mid-September, 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak and was escorted into Dutch Harbor by the Coast Guard cutter Monro.