Unalaska, AK – The city of Sand Point experienced another earthquake this morning. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a 5.0-magnitude aftershock jolted the community this morning at 11 o'clock. The Sand Point police station says that no injuries or damage have been reported.
Natasha Rupert is a seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, and she says that the tremor took place in the same spot where two stronger earthquakes hit last Thursday. She adds that Sand Point residents should expect more aftershocks in the coming days.
Unalaska, AK – The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf made its first stop in the Port of Dutch Harbor this weekend. The new national security cutter is now touring Alaskan waters, and it arrived at the Coast Guard dock on Friday evening after a two-day delay. The vessel then departed this morning to conduct a patrol of the Bering Sea.
The cutter is expected to visit Unalaska again before it wraps up its Alaska patrol.
Unalaska, AK – As the school year draws to a close, many Unalaska students are thinking about what comes next. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez spoke with high schoolers about their plans at this year's career fair.
Unalaska, AK – Sand Point residents experienced a rude awakening this morning when a pair of moderate earthquakes struck about 30 miles from the community.
The first quake had a magnitude of 5.8, and it hit just after 6 o'clock. The second one was even more powerful, with a magnitude of 5.9, and it stuck at 9. No tsunami warning was issued.
According to seismologist Natasha Rupert at the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, no one was hurt and there were no reports of major damage.
Unalaska, AK – The Aleutian Islands state-waters sablefish season is set to open ten days from now on May 15, and the guideline harvest level has been set at 523,000 pounds.
Last year, 29 vessels took part in the season. So far, just a fraction of that has registered to participate this year, according to Trent Hartill, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
"We have only a handful of boats registered, which isn't too surprising," says Hartill. Typically there isn't a lot of interest in the sablefish fishery in the Aleutians for a variety of reasons: it's difficult to fish, there's a steep learning curve, there's not a processor in Adak currently. So there are a lot of challenges for people entering the fishery."
Unalaska, AK – Gonorrhea and chlamydia rates in Alaska continue to trend up, but the Aleutian-Pribilof Islands region seems to be avoiding the epidemic.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has released data showing a 13% increase in the rate of chlamydia across the state. Alaska has consistently had the highest rate of chlamydia in the nation for the past decade. Meanwhile, the gonorrhea rate went up 23% last year, and Alaska has the second highest rate in the country, just after Mississippi.
Unalaska, AK – Horizon Lines' quarterly report contains mixed news regarding the international shipping company.
The report came out last week and revealed that the company had sustained losses in the first quarter of the fiscal year. While revenue grew nearly 4% to $285 million, the company still faced a $34 million loss because of the cost of fuel and loss of business with Maersk.
Unalaska, AK – This summer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting a remedial investigation at Fort Glenn, a former defense site on Umnak Island.
Fort Glenn was used as an army airfield and defense garrison during World War II, and reports have suggested that the island might be contaminated with mustard gas and other materials used for warfare. This summer, the Army Corps of engineers will look for areas where chemical warfare materials might have been stored through environmental sampling. It's the first time the corps has done this sort of work since 2004.
Unalaska, AK – This weekend, three Unalaska students placed at the annual Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage. In the girls' toe kick, junior Shayla Shaishnikoff placed third, with a height of 50 inches. Meanwhile, junior Jeremy Ugale placed fifth in the boys' category with a kick of 80 inches. Freshman Dylan Magnusen took fifth in the kneel jump, with a distance of 51.5 inches.
Babbi Goodwin is one of the coaches of this year's NYO team. She says that she only expects them to get better, since the team is only losing one senior.