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.

Unalaska, AK – A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Nikolski at about 1 p.m. this afternoon.

The quake was about 55 miles southeast of the village, and 128 miles south-southwest of Unalaska, where it could also be felt. Doris Komkoff, the health practitioner in Nikolski, was sitting at her desk in the village clinic when it happened.

"All of a sudden, I felt the clinic starting to move," she said. "It got stronger and stronger--it lasted quite a while, and I [said], 'Wow, we're having a good earthquake.'"

Unalaska, AK – As soon as the weather allows, Umnak Island will have three new residents: a trio of buffalo calves that are expected to boost the island's profile as a hunting destination.

The Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, which operates a hunting lodge in the lone Umnak Island village of Nikolski, is partnering with the Chaluka Corp., the local village corporation, on the project. APICDA Director of Tourism George Weaver said the bison herd, which APICDA and Chaluka hope to build to about 50 animals, could provide an added draw for hunters who are already coming to the island for reindeer.

Unalaska, AK – A possible case of paralytic shellfish poisoning in Unalaska has health officials reiterating a warning against eating certain shellfish from local waters.

Rebecca Sheffield, the state Department of Environmental Conservation's environmental health officer in Unalaska, said she received a report of an Unalaska resident "who dug some razor clams out at Summer Bay, went home and cooked them up, and then a few hours later after they ate them, they started feeling ill." Sheffield said she didn't know who was infected.

Unalaska, AK – A Seattle-based fishing company involved in a drawn-out battle with the federal government over environmental restrictions on Bering Sea bottom trawling won a small victory in federal court earlier this week. The court upheld the overall regulations on bottom trawling, but struck down some elements of the regulations' enforcement that the company complained had been approved undemocratically. KIAL's Charles Homans reports.

Unalaska, AK – A former Unalaska City Council member is arguing that Unalaska should raise the taxes it levies on the Bering Sea fishing industry.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Dennis Robinson read a letter asking the council to consider replacing the city's existing raw fish tax with a processed fish tax. That would mean that companies would be assessed at the higher market rate of their product, rather than the lower value the unprocessed fish has when it crosses the docks in Unalaska.

Unalaska, AK – A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Western Aleutian Islands at about 11:30 local time Tuesday night. KIAL's Charles Homans reports.

Unalaska, AK – The Unalaska City Council meets for its final meeting of the year this evening, and one of the items on the agenda is the prospect of developing a financial sustainability plan for the city.

The plan would basically be a five-year budget that would chart the city's course through what may be a difficult few years. The city's financial obligations are increasing while shrinking revenues from the fishing industry could cost the city as much as $3 million in taxes next year. City Manager Chris Hladick said its better to confront those challenges sooner rather than later.