Unalaska, AK – This winter, multiple cases of sexual assault have been reported and tried in Unalaska. M. Lynn Crane, the executive director of Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence (USAFV), answers questions about how communities can minimize sexual violence.
Unalaska, AK – It's Christmastime in Unalaska, and community members are busy preparing for the holiday. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez spoke with some about how they plan to celebrate this Saturday and what items they're including on their wish-lists.
Unalaska, AK – Yesterday brought some rough weather to Unalaska, and among the casualties were three shipping containers. At about 5pm on Tuesday, the containers blew from the Horizon Lines yard and into the lake near Strawberry Hill. The containers were empty, and a crew from Horizon Lines was working to recover them this morning.
Bruce McConnell is a manager with Horizon Lines, and he says that despite plenty of strong winds this winter, there haven't been many incidents like this so far this year. Two containers blew over a couple of weeks ago, but this is the largest number of containers Horizon has seen affected this season.
Unalaska, AK – Governor Sean Parnell has tapped Acting Commissioner Cora Campbell to lead the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Campbell has long been seen as a favorite for the position, having served both Governor Parnell and former Governor Sarah Palin as a fisheries policy advisor. Prior to joining the governor's office, Campbell was the executive director of the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association.
Unalaska, AK – Last week, the Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment project completed released a 350-page study looks at the impacts oil spills could have on the region and how to prevent them.
This draft builds upon previous baseline spill study and vessel traffic reports, and it examines 16 different risk scenarios across six separate locations across the Aleutian Islands. The scenarios model different types of accidents that could occur with different vessel types and weather conditions. The draft also looks at the effects that oil spills in the Aleutian region could have on local economies and subsistence harvests.
Unalaska, AK – Today, the joint board of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game met to finalize its list of candidates for the position of commissioner. The joint board determined that both acting commissioner Cora Campbell and former Board of Game chair Ron Somerville are qualified to run the department.
This ends ADFG's involvement in the appointment process. The department accepted applications for the position of commissioner through the fall, but only Campbell and Somerville submitted their names. The two sat for interviews with the joint board and discussed their experience in resource management.
Unalaska, AK – The new power plant is officially on the grid and running.
Engine testing started in November and was completed December 10, and it resulted in intermittent power outages during that month. Training of public utilities staff was conducted Monday, and the new power plant was brought online on Friday morning. Work on the powerhouse project first began eight years ago, and Public Utilities Director Dan Winters says that he and the rest of his department had been looking forward to the moment when the new powerhouse would finally provide electricity to the city.
Unalaska, AK – Last week, the Marine Stewardship Council recertified the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands pollock fishery as sustainable.
MSC first certified pollock as sustainable in 2005, allowing the fish and products made with it to carry a blue "eco-label" when sold. The certification is for a five-year period, and pollock underwent a reevaluation in 2009 to ensure that the fishery was still being managed appropriately.
Unalaska, AK – This week, the body of a male elephant seal washed up ashore near Summer Bay Road. While whales and Steller sea lions are a fairly common sight in Unalaska, the elephant seal is a bit more rare. Marine Advisory Program agent Reid Brewer talks with KUCB about finding and studying the seal.