Unalaska, AK – The Army Corps of Engineers finally received enough funding to award the contract to build the floating breakwaters for the new Carl E. Moses Boat Harbor. The project will be completed by Pacific Pile & Marine, the same company that is building the inner harbor floats.

Eleven million dollars of the $12.5 million necessary for the project comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Stephen Boardman, the chief of civil projects management branch at the Corps of Engineers in Alaska, said that the project was not in the first list of priorities for the ARRA funding. However, when other projects either didn't use all of their funds or couldn't actually be built, the money was reallocated to second tier projects, like the breakwaters.

Unalaska, AK – The City will unveil the complete draft of its new comprehensive plan this weekend, including the major housing component. The plan is based on the Community Vision Statement developed by HyettPalma, which is based on surveys and meetings with community members and local organizations.

Housing consultant Martin Jarrett, who contributed to the project, said that the plan affects the entire community. "The comprehensive plan is a guide for the long-term future growth, development, and improvement of the City of Unalaska. And it affects everybody. It really sets the blueprint for how the city is going to evolve and change over the next ten years."

Unalaska, AK – The Groundfish Plan Team's initial review of this year's pollock survey data shows that the fish stock could be improving. Both the acoustic survey and the bottom trawl survey, which collect pollock population data throughout the Bering Sea, found more fish than scientists expected. Fisheries stock assessment scientist Jim Ianelli said that though the numbers were higher than expected, they haven't sky rocketed.

Unalaska, AK – September is suicide prevention month, and a number of organizations are working to make Unalaska residents more aware of both the causes of suicide - and warning signs. Non-profits like the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Assocation and Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence have been distributing literature and even distributing coasters with emergency hotline information to local bars.

Unalaska, AK – For the 29th year, Alaska will be distributing dividends from the permanent fund. The state will be mailing checks in the amount of $1281 to almost 642,000 qualifying Alaskans. This is a slight drop from last year's dividend, which was $1305. The amount will be paid out on October 7th, either through paper checks in the mail or via direct deposit. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez Unalaska residents will be spending this year's checks.

Unalaska, AK – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has completed its currents survey in the Aleutian Islands. Mariners no longer need to be on the look out for the yellow torpedo-like objects used to conduct the project.

The survey was performed in three parts, using 24 subsurface moorings to collect data in the area between Unimak Isand and Unalaska Island. Inside the moorings were meters that measured the speed of the currents. The 11 remaining mooring were collected on September 15, according to Steve Bassett, a member of NOAA's tides and currents team.

Unalaska, AK – In the next month, Library Journal - a magazine for library professionals - will be running a lengthy article on America's best library facilities. Featured in its pages is Unalaska's own public library. It's been named a star library for the third year in a row, an honor bestowed by the American Library Association, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the publishing company and trade group R.R. Bowker. Two hundred fifty-six libraries are named star libraries; there are approximately 122,000 libraries in the nation.

Unalaska, AK – In the next month, Library Journal - a magazine for library professionals - will be running a lengthy article on America's best library facilities. Featured in its pages is Unalaska's own public library. It's been named a star library for the third year in a row, an honor bestowed by the American Library Association, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the publishing company and trade group R.R. Bowker. Two hundred fifty-six libraries are named star libraries; there are approximately 122,000 libraries in the nation.

Unalaska, AK – For twelve years, fishing vessels have avoided killing the short-tailed albatross. In the past month, two of the endangered birds have been taken as bycatch. Now, biologists and fishermen alike are trying to figure out why this happened and what this means both for the birds and for the longline fleet.

Because the short-tailed albatross is an endangered species, the federal government closely monitors incidental bycatch of the bird. It expects four individuals to be taken in a two-year period. While restrictions could ultimately be placed on longliners if bycatch got to be too high, Fitzgerald says that there isn't a quota in place. If two more albatrosses were caught in addition to the ones already taken, the first step would be an endangered species act section 7 consultation. This would involve an evaluation of the protective measures that already exist and - he says -- potentially the creation of new ones. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.