Unalaska, AK – Friday marks the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Dutch Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The deadly raid came June 3rd, 1942. Local author and history teacher Jeff Dickrell will be presenting his annual slideshow with some new material. The presentation will be at 7 p.m. Friday in the Unalaska High School Auditorium. The event is free.
Unalaska, AK – Three people were seriously injured this morning when a black Ford F-150 pickup truck carrying four people careened off East Point Road and smashed into a shipping container near Dutch Harbor. "We're still investigating, we do expect charges will be filed," said Unalaska Public Safety Sgt. Mike Holman who said three people have been medevaced off the island; a fourth has been treated for minor injuries. "We're still trying to collect as much information as we can." He added that alcohol is suspected to have been a factor. The collision occurred at about 3:45 a.m. Tuesday. No other vehicles are thought to have been involved, Holman says. "It appears he was traveling at a high rate of speed, lost control, went off the road there and ran into those containers." Names of the driver and three passengers have not been released. Holman said more information will be released after officers complete their investigation.
Unalaska, AK – About a hundred people gathered in the wind and drizzle to honor men and women who had died in the armed forces. Words were also said for mariners lost at sea and community members who had passed away since last year. All this came during Unalaska's Memorial Day Service held yesterday in Memorial Park. KUCB brings you this report.
Unalaska, AK – Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and contractors CH2MHill addressed Unalaskans yesterday about improving safety at the Tom Madsen Airport and extending the runway.
"This has been a process at least since 2001, where [the Department of Transportation] and FAA started doing an environmental impact statement," says City Manager Chris Hladick. "And now they've gone with an environment assessment because they felt the impacts were pretty small for adding onto either end of the runway. I think it's about 550 feet of extra runway that we'll end up with."
Unalaska, AK – If you go out to Summer Bay regularly, you've almost certainly spotted two women briskly walking down the road, rain, snow, or shine. Holly Holman and Zoya Johnson have been running partners for a decade now, and they train almost every single day. This year, though, they were preparing for something special: the Paris Marathon. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.
Unalaska, AK – For most people, cleaning up litter means walking along roads and picking up empty soda cans. But for one group in Unalaska, it means dragging up boat parts and fishing nets from the floor of the harbor. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.
Unalaska, AK – Between the high prices of heating fuel and construction materials in the Aleutians, the cost of building a house along the chain - and living in it - is higher than most places in the United States. But now, two groups are teaming up to find an affordable and environmentally friendly design for the Aleutian Islands. The Aleutian Housing Authority and the Cascadia Green Building Council have organized a global contest to develop what's called a "living building" in Atka.
Unalaska, AK – The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development has released its April job numbers, and the unemployment rate in Southwest Alaska is on the rise even though other areas of the state are recovering jobs.
In the Southwest region, the unemployment rate jumped from 12.5% in March to 13.6% in April.
In the Aleutians West Census Area, which includes Unalaska, the picture is a little bit different. The Aleutians West Census Area traditionally has one of the lower unemployment rates in the state. In March, the unemployment rate was the lowest in Alaska, at 3.8%. Now it's gone up to 7.5%. However, that's not seasonally adjusted. According to the department, this increase in unemployment is a "a typical seasonal occurrence as some of its ground fisheries and crabbing seasons wind down."
Unalaska, AK – On Saturday, men, women and even toddlers gathered at the Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence - or USAFV - office to drink coffee, eat pie, and meet the non-profit's staff. It's a space that many community members have never seen, and that's exactly why executive director M. Lynn Crane thought it was important to open USAFV's doors.
"Many people in town may not ever have had to use our services, so the shelter's kind of perceived as a closed off place. We just wanted to invite people in to see the facility, look at our library materials, meet the staff, and get a sense of what the building is really like. So, if you make a referral to someone, you'll kind of know what they're coming to," says Crane. "We just want to make sure that people feel comfortable coming here."