Unalaska, AK – Russian submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles are test firing their rockets in the north Pacific this week. The tests began on September 15 and will continue until the 20.
Novosti, the Russian news and information agency, reported an unidentified official saying missile launches will be carried out in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea and will hit targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. The source did not say what types of submarines or missiles will be used but people in the Kamchatka region have been informed of the tests. Included in the Russian Pacific Fleet are nuclear submarines equipped with missiles that can hit targets up to 5,150 miles away.

Unalaska, AK – The Russian pollock fisheries are seeking Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The process recently began and could take more than two years to complete. The third party assessor will look at the health of the stock, the fishery's impact on the ecosystem and the management practices in the Western Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.

Jim Gilmore of the At-Sea Processors Association doesn't think the potential certification will affect Alaskan pollock.

Unalaska, AK – The Crab Plan team is meeting in Seattle this week to discuss recommended over fishing levels, or OFLs, for crab stocks. The team decided not to recommend opening the St. Matthew's blue king crab fishery this year because the recommended OFL is less than the required TAC of 2.8 million pounds.

The recommended OFL for Bristol Bay red king crab, including the bycatch in the non-target fisheries, is 24.2 million pounds a similar number to last season.

Unalaska, AK – The power is back on in the city of Adak. The city council approved a new agreement with the Aleut Enterprise Corporation which says the Corporation will sell the city 5,000 more gallons of fuel on credit while helping them find low interest loans to buy more fuel for the future. The city plans on selling the utility to TDX Electric but will have to maintain it until December at the earliest. Janet McNall is one of the five council members who voted for the agreement.

Unalaska, AK – The fuel crisis in Adak continues. The city, which is debt for over $525,000 to the fuel supplier, Aleut Enterprises, has been rationing fuel for over a week and is down to the last few hundred gallons. City manager Steve Hines did not return any phone calls but a city council meeting has been planned for tomorrow.

The new power schedule, starting tomorrow, reduces power availability from 11 hours a day to seven.

Unalaska, AK – When the Native American pop rock band Medicine Dream played in Unalaska this weekend, they brought more than catchy tunes; they provided music therapy. KIAL's Anne Hillman listened in.

Unalaska, AK – The Native American pop-rock band Medicine Dream plays in Unalaska tonight. The music fuses native instruments and vocalizations with mainstream styles to create a blend of music the band hopes will infuse listeners with hope.

"Part of what the music provides is hope. That there are other answers out there," said percussionist Steven Alvarez. "There are other ways of dealing with your hurt, with your trouble, or with your struggle."

Unalaska, AK – Teachers, volunteers, and elders are preparing to teach Unangan culture classes to elementary school students in Unalaska. The after school program will be taught in four week blocks. Each grade, from first through fourth, will participate separately four times a week for the 35 minute long sessions. Thus far, class topics include traditional uses of plants and traditional Unangan design. Sharon Svarny-Livingston is one of the class leaders. She's encouraging elders and volunteers to help out with the program.

Unalaska, AK – Construction is underway on Atka's new runway. The runway is being lengthened by 13 hundred feet and widened by 14 feet to allow for larger aircraft to land. When the 17 million dollar, FAA-funded project is completed in August 2009, it will be able to accommodate the Metro 23 and the SAAB 340, commuter planes usually used by PenAir. It will also support partially loaded larger aircraft such as the DC-3 and DC-6, which are frequently used to transport fish.