Unalaska, AK – The fate of a Pen Air plane that flipped over on takeoff from Driftwood Bay two weeks ago is still unclear.

The plane is still sitting alongside the runway on the north coast of Unalaska Island. Pen Air President Danny Seybert says that the company has contracted with Magone Marine Service to bring the plane back to town, but that so far sea conditions have made it difficult for barge crews to get on the beach at Driftwood Bay.

Unalaska, AK – A volcano eruption on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula a week ago created a plume of ash that stretched as far as the eastern end of the Aleutian chain, diverting air traffic over the North Pacific. In recent days the volcano has calmed down, but vulcanologists in Alaska are still keeping an eye on it. In Unalaska, KIAL's Charles Homans has the story.

Unalaska, AK – An Unalaska man pled guilty in an Anchorage federal court on Tuesday to dealing methamphetamine in Unalaska earlier this spring, in what was one of the town's largest drug cases in recent memory.

Harmon Fisher, known locally as Danny Fisher, could face up to 20 years in jail and a $1 million fine for each of five charges relating to meth distribution. The 49-year-old Unalaska resident was arrested in April after an undercover investigation by the Unalaska Department of Public Safety and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

Unalaska, AK – Tomorrow is the Fourth of July and, as usual, there will be plenty to do in Unalaska.

"We have a lot going on tomorrow," said Parks, Culture & Recreation Department Recreation Manager Christine King. "I've been here for five years, and it's the busiest Fourth of July I've seen in my time here."

King gives most of the credit for this to Johanna Tellman, who's spearheaded an effort to bring back some favorite Fourth of July activities that longtime Unalaska residents will remember. The events will be taking place at Tutiakoff Softball Park before the annual parade down Main Street. They include:

Unalaska, AK – A 40-year-old man who was arrested last month for allegedly attacking his roommate with two chairs pleaded out on a lesser charge in Unalaska's District Court today.

Alfred Tucker pleaded no contest to 4th degree assault and was sentenced to 360 days in jail with 180 days' credit for time served. He was initially charged with 1st degree assault for attacking his roommate Ivan Sady Cantor-Rincon, which Tucker denied at the time of the arrest.

Unalaska, AK – Six men were charged with misdemeanor 4th degree assault after a Saturday night brawl outside the UniSea Sports Bar.

A Public Safety Department report alleges that the assailants approached a man who recently had been thrown out of the Sports Bar, then knocked him down and kicked him in the face and groin repeatedly. According to witnesses, the victim was intoxicated and had been asked to leave by the bouncer after picking a fight with a co-worker of the assailants.

Unalaska, AK – Governor Sarah Palin has written a letter to two federal agencies asking that they thoroughly review a proposed merger between two large Japanese seafood companies.

The Maruha Group and the Nichiro Corp., the largest and third-largest seafood companies in Japan, respectively, announced that they planned to join forces last December. The deal is an important one for Alaska, because it would consolidate Peter Pan Seafoods, Alyeska Seafoods, Westward Seafoods and Golden Alaska Seafoods under a single company.

Unalaska, AK – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union experienced a pair of setbacks on Thursday in its attempts to organize Dutch Harbor's two biggest fuel providers. A final tally of ballots cast by North Pacific Fuel employees in a union election last week ended up in an 8-6 vote against joining the ILWU. Meanwhile, according to union representatives, Delta Western Fuels has filed an objection to Friday's election there, which resulted in a unanimous pro-union vote.

Unalaska, AK – Repair work on the water-damaged floor of the main gym at the Parks, Culture & Recreation center has wrapped up sooner than expected, and the project was completed without having to replace any floorboards.

PCR Director Jeff Hawley said the gym is expected to open to the public on July 6, about two months ahead of schedule.

"We've got it repainted, resurfaced, refinished, and it's a beautiful floor," he said. "I can't wait to have the community come in and start using it again."