Unalaska, AK – A combined project by Westward Seafoods' Unalaska processing plant and the Alaska Energy Authority is taking the first step to explore wind generation possibilities on the island.
Crews are installing two hundred-foot towers on a hill overlooking the plant, which will collect data on wind velocity and direction. Dick Peck, the energy consultant who's working with Westward on the project, says the goal is to figure out how best to supplement Westward's diesel generators with a cleaner, cheaper power.
Unalaska, AK – The Canada thistle, a nasty invasive plant, has been spotted in Unalaska. KIAL's Charles Homans went out looking for the weed this morning with a group of plant experts.
Unalaska, AK – A Seattle man will serve 30 days in jail after pleading no contest to assaulting an Unalaska public safety officer at the Unalaska Airport restaurant last month.
On August 18, a restaurant employee called the police after Eric Warner, 41, refused to leave the business. When an officer arrived, Werner yelled at him and shoved him, according to the officer's report.
A few minutes later, after the officer had placed Werner against a wall, Werner reached between his legs, grabbed the officer's leg and tried to pull it out from under him. The officer reported that Werner appeared intoxicated, and he said that when he arrested him, Werner tried to explain that he was only trying to demonstrate what someone might try to do to an officer in an arrest situation.
Unalaska, AK – The sun rose red over Unalaska this morning, confirming the National Weather Service's stormy forecast for the next couple days. Gale warnings are in effect through Friday, with winds picking up tonight to as much as 40 miles an hour and peaking with gusts as strong as 60 miles an hour on Friday. In the Bering Sea that will translate into seas as high as 26 feet, calming down by Sunday.
Unalaska, AK – Observers in Unalaska still aren't sure what killed more than 2,400 seabirds that washed up on the island's beaches starting Wednesday night. But they're leaning towards the hypothesis that the birds, called shearwaters, may have run into one or more fishing boats offshore in Unalaska Bay.
Marine biologist Reid Brewer is coordinating a volunteer effort in Unalaska to document the shearwater die-off, in conjunction with the Washington state-based Coastal Observation and Seabird Safety Team and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He says that while the boat strike may not be the whole story, it seems like a reasonable explanation.
Dillingham, AK – The race for the House District 37 Democratic nomination is still too close to call, even with most of the absentee and question ballots counted.
Although challenger Bryce Edgmon enjoys a slim two-vote lead over incumbent Rep. Carl Moses of Unalaska in the Democratic race, there are still overseas ballots to count and officials don't know how many there are in the district.
Unalaska, AK – The state Labor Department believes that safety violations led to last week's serious accident at Westward Seafoods' Unalaska plant.
An investigator for the department's Labor Standards and Safety Division spent Thursday and Friday at the Westward plant, where an employee lost his right arm in a conveyor belt accident on Wednesday. According to Steve Standley, the acting chief of enforcement for the division, the investigator's report says that safety procedures weren't being properly followed, and that four specific violations allegedly occurred.
Dillingham, AK – The race for the Democratic nomination in House District 37 isn't over yet, although challenger Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham is gaining ground. There are still more votes to be tallied by the state Division of Elections from tiny precincts that couldn't post the results of the new touch screen voting machines.
The distance between Edgmon and incumbent Rep. Carl Moses of Unalaska has grown to 19 votes, in Edgmon's favor. But that's still within the 20-vote difference that triggers a recount, and more votes remain to be counted.
