It might not be the end of The Dutch Harbor Fisherman after all.
Last week, the Calista Corporation put out a statement that they were liquidating Alaska Newspapers, Inc. a publisher of a handful of rural weeklies across the state. But since making that announcement, the Native corporation has started to receive offers for ANI assets.
“The fact that we have some sole proprietors who are interested in picking up perhaps individual papers or sets of papers now coming forward is very exciting to us,” says Margaret Nelson, ANI’s president and publisher.
City council will convene for a brief meeting tonight to discuss capital projects.
During the work session, Public Works Director Nancy Peterson will be giving an update on the status of the Carl E. Moses Small Boat Harbor project and all related roadwork. According to City Clerk Elizabeth Masoni, Peterson is also expected to talk about the construction of a new 8-plex off of Loop Road and give an assessment of the new powerhouse, which went online this winter.
It was a damp and blustery Saturday, but 36 men, women and children came out for this year’s Ballyhoo Run. While the race is only 1.8-miles long, adult competitors must make it up and down the 1,600-foot peak in under an hour to have their times counted, and ideally do it without falling down.
KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more on the winners.
The Dutch Harbor Fisherman and five other rural newspapers are scheduled to make their final run on August 31.
The Calista Native Corporation announced on Friday that Alaska Newspapers Incorporated will be shutting down its printing press this summer for financial reasons. According to a press release, President and CEO Andrew Guy states that as "a responsibility to our 12 thousand shareholders, we had to take a hard look at the subsidiary and make a tough decision." On top of the Fisherman, the Tundra Drums, Arctic Sounder, Bristol Bay Times, Cordova Times, Seward Phoenix Log and First Alaskans magazine will also be closing up.
Multiple piles of commercial fishing net caught fire Saturday evening near the Unalaska spit dock, resulting in a significant amount of damage.
The fire started around 8pm at the Pacific Stevedoring storage area, and the Unalaska Fire Department was able to contain and extinguish the fire within an hour. No injuries were reported, but fishing vessels that keep their gear on the property could suffer substantial financial losses. Net bundles in storage spaces used by the Northern Jaeger and Ocean Rover were totally destroyed.
Jobs data for June is in, and the unemployment rate in Alaska continues to hover around 7.5%.
That puts the state below the nationwide rate of 9.2%. According to the Alaska Department of Labor, the state also has a lower unemployment rate than it did at the same time last year. In June of 2010, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9%.
While regional data have not yet been seasonally adjusted, early figures suggest that Southwest Alaska continues to have the state’s biggest jobs problem. Unemployment is at 12.4% for the region overall. The bulk of that figure comes from the Wade Hampton Census Area, which struggles with a 22% rate of unemployment.
Icicle’s new processing plant in Adak is now up and running.
The seafood company formalized their lease of the facilities in April, and spent the spring making upgrades. The plant had been left vacant since former tenants Adak Fisheries went bankrupt in 2009, and serious maintenance work was need to get the plant operating again. On July 3, Icicle was able to buy their first fish.
Vice President of Operations John Woodruff says that the plant has been buying longline fish, mostly halibut with some black cod and Pacific cod. Right now, he says that the company’s major goal is attracting boats out to the western Aleutians.
Mount Cleveland is heating up once again. The Alaska Volcano Observatory issued an advisory alert today, saying that their satellites have detected increased thermal activity.
A small earthquake hit just 13 miles from Unalaska yesterday afternoon.
The quake only had a magnitude of 3.5, but it was felt in the community due to its proximity to town. The Unalaska Department of Public Safety says that there have been no injury or damage reports.
According to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, the earthquake struck at 4:45pm, and its center was at a depth of 49 miles.
