Unalaska, AK – The Unalaska City Council convenes for its regular meeting and work session this evening at City Hall, with several interesting items on the agenda.

The council will take its first look at an ethics policy drafted by City Attorney Brooks Chandler following a council work session on the issue in November. The proposed policy would make minor changes to several aspects of the rules currently governing what city officials can and can't do. It would also create a more complete policy for investigations into elections complaints, such as the one filed by Randall Baker following the October City Council election.

Juneau, AK – The Alaska Public Offices Commission has granted Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt's request for more time to refute charges she misused public facilities during her reelection campaign last fall.

The Commission was scheduled to act today on APOC staff's recommendation that Marquardt be fined one thousand dollars. Instead the Commission will revisit the matter at its meeting in June.

New York, NY – Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt is asking for more time to present evidence to state authorities that she did not break state law during her mayoral campaign.

A letter sent on Friday to Alaska Public Offices Commission Executive Director Brooke Miles from Marquardt's Anchorage-based lawyer, Thomas P. Amodio, requested that the commission wait to determine whether to levy the two $500 fines against Marquardt recommended by APOC Investigator Jeff Berliner in his January 28 report to the commissioners, a decision that is scheduled for APOC's Thursday meeting in Juneau.

New York, NY – A state investigator is arguing that Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt violated state law by sending a controversial e-mail during October's mayoral race, and should be fined for it.

"A preponderance of the evidence supports [the] allegation that the mayor's use of her city office--her city e-mail address, signature and computer--represent the use of public municipal funds and authority to take sides and wield influence in a candidate election," Alaska Public Offices Commission Investigator Jeff Berliner wrote in a memorandum dated Wednesday and released to KIAL Friday.

Unalaska, AK – Join us back here then for more of your local headlines from KIAL AM 1450.

Unalaska, AK – February 5 is Super Tuesday, when primary elections for this year's presidential race are held in nearly half the states in the country, including Alaska. Depending on which party you belong to, you may or may not have a chance to weigh in here in Unalaska.

Unalaska Democrats will be caucusing at the Burma Road Chapel at 4:30 p.m. on February 5. Democratic voter registrar Tammy Fowler-Pound said she's expecting a better turnout than the last Unalaska caucus, in 2000.

Unalaska, AK – Customers stopping by the Eagle Quality Center yesterday afternoon had a chance to get a taste of the cooking of Chris Starkenburg, the captain of the tugboat Gyrfalcon and something of a local authority on the unique art of galley cooking. He was at the Eagle promoting a new cookbook called The Galley Chef by Dean and Dione K. Lee, in which he is credited for many of the recipes.

Unalaska, AK – The Unalaska City School District School Board holds its regular meeting this evening, and on the agenda is a discussion of the possibility of resuming an Unangan language education program in the school district.

The issue was brought up at the board's November meeting, when a group of parents and other local residents presented letters of support for resuming the program. That effort was led by City Council member Katherine McGlashan, who said at the time that bringing back language education should be a district priority.

Unalaska, AK – A 22-year-old Russian man could be deported for using a dumpster on the Dutch Harbor spit dock for target practice.

Yuriy Gureev was arrested on January 15 onboard the fishing vessel Heritage, which he had been watching during the off-season, after several fishermen reported almost being hit by low caliber bullets while walking in the spit dock parking lot. Gureev admitted to public safety officers that he had repeatedly shot a .22 caliber rifle at the dumpster in the parking lot, according to Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Shockley.