Unalaska, AK – U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez has confirmed Governor Sarah Palin's appointment of Robert "Ed" Dersham to the open seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Dersham has been a Lower Cook Inlet charter boat operator for more than two decades, and he was previously the chair of the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

"He has a lot of expertise in some of the interactions between state and federal fisheries management, which is always an issue with the council, so we thought that would be helpful," Cora Crome, Palin's fisheries policy advisor, said. "But mostly we were looking for somebody we felt could do a good job of representing that recreational viewpoint, and also just work for the best interests of the state of Alaska."

Unalaska, AK – The signature watercraft of the Aleutian Islands is the subject of two events this weekend. An exhibit called "Kayaks of Alaska and Siberia" opens at the Museum of the Aleutians on Saturday, and local historian and kayak enthusiast Jeff Dickrell will be giving a talk and a slideshow about the kayak on Friday.

The museum show is a traveling exhibition that started at the State Museum in Juneau 21 years ago. It features kayaks, kayak models and related artifacts. Collections Manager Jaime Robinson said it covers the whole geographical range of the kayak, but with an added local emphasis.

Unalaska, AK – People who live or work on the Unalaska side of town once again have more than one option for eating out.

The Crab Pot Deli, owned by Mary and Emil Berikoff, opened for business today on the corner of Broadway and 4th Street at the former location of Angelo's Trattoria, which has relocated to the AC Store. You can get sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as coffee and other beverages and breakfast items.

Unalaska, AK – A freighter from Thailand that broke down in the western Bering Sea on Monday with 25 crew members on board got up and running again Tuesday night after drifting for about a day. KIAL's Charles Homans reports.

Unalaska, AK – Communities all across the country are celebrating New Year's Eve tonight with fireworks displays, and Unalaska is no exception. This year's ten-minute display, which will take place at 11:59 p.m. over Iliuliuk Bay, includes about 600 individual fireworks, worth about $30,000 dollars. It's being designed and fired by Larry Mattingly of Olympia, Wash.-based Entertainment Fireworks, along with several local volunteers. Mattingly is celebrating his fiftieth year in the fireworks business, and figures he's put on nearly 5,000 displays. In this audio postcard, he walks KIAL's Charles Homans through this year's display in a utility garage in Unalaska.

Unalaska, AK – An Unalaska man was picked up by local harbor officers Thursday morning after spending the night stranded on an island in Captains Bay.

William Ammons was found in the morning on one of the small islands near the wreck of the Northwestern in the back of the bay, according to Harbormaster John Days. He had spent the night in a cabin after experiencing engine trouble in his skiff and getting caught in bad weather.

Unalaska, AK – A $2.6 million earmark in a transportation bill signed by President Bush last weekend puts Akutan within striking distance of its federal funding goals for construction of an airport for the island.

The money isn't a lump sum for the airport construction, but is rather an amount that the Department of Transportation agrees to spend on the project at a future date. Through the efforts of Alaska's congressional delegation, Congress has set aside close to $20 million so far for Akutan.

Unalaska, AK – A taxi that veered off Ballyhoo Road into the harbor and sank on Christmas Day was pulled out of the water Wednesday.

The taxi driver, Thao Thanh Doan of Blue Checker Cab, had just dropped off his fares and was driving past the gates at the end of the runway when he slipped off the road in bad weather, according to Sgt. Jennifer Shockley of the Public Safety Department.

Unalaska, AK – A coastguardsman deployed in the Bering Sea got a phone call from President George Bush wishing him a merry Christmas yesterday. Michael Tapp, a boatswain's mate on the cutter Rush, was one of ten servicemen and women to receive the customary Christmas call from the president. He's the only one of the ten who isn't stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Persian Gulf.

A White House press release recognized Tapp for reorganizing the Rush's deck division, and also for the Coast Guard Commendation Medal he received for his work with the Transportation Security Administration in his home state of Michigan. The Rush couldn't be reached by phone today.