Unalaska, AK – A vessel that grounded near King Cove this weekend has been successfully recovered by an area salvage company. Magone Marine Services of Unalaska was able to remove the F/V Capt'n Andrew off the rocks today.

The 58-foot seiner was carrying approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and yesterday the salvage company reported seeing a light sheen on the water. But today, that sheen had disappeared. According to the Coast Guard, no clean-up efforts are planned at this time.

Unalaska, AK – City Council will gather tonight to potentially amend this year's budget and discuss the status of the wastewater facilities plan.

The meeting will open with a public hearing on an ordinance that would fund a variety of different items this fiscal year. This budget amendment ordinance would accept grants monies for the library collection, fund survey work connected to a tideland lease request made by OSI, and authorize the purchase of an asphalt reclaimer. The ordinance would also amend the FY11 budget to factor in the money won in the PCB settlement with the federal government, up the funding for capital projects and maintenance involving the power house and the cooling water intake pipe clean-out, and approve electrical upgrades to the Bering Fisheries plant. Additionally, the ordinance would also permit some improvement to the employee 8-plex lot, allow for the replacement of light fixtures at the light cargo dock, and enable the city to go ahead with some improvements to the airport. This ordinance will receive a second reading from council during the unfinished business portion of the meeting.

Unalaska, AK – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided that it will not conduct a wolf kill on Unimak Island as part of an effort to grow a dwindling caribou herd.

An environmental assessment released this January suggested three predator control options - including aerial wolf hunts - as possibilities for protecting the caribou herd at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. But Fish and Wildlife rejected these options and instead chose a "No Action" alternative after receiving 95,000 comments on the matter.

Unalaska, AK – A 58-foot seiner ran aground near King Cove on Sunday. The five-member crew of the F/V Capt'n Andrew was rescued by its appropriately named sister vessel, Just In Case.
According to Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, the vessel found itself in trouble yesterday morning.

"They tried contacting the Coast Guard, however the communication was really poor," says Rios. "So, it was actually relayed to us from another vessel, and another vessel - the Good Samaritan crew - actually went and picked them up and took them to safety."

Unalaska, AK – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has put the forecast for the commercial salmon catch this year at 203 million fish.

The harvest is expected to be one of the largest ones on record, according to Fish and Game. The state is expecting an especially large harvest of pinks, with solid harvests of sockeye and chum as well. The Chinook forecast has not yet been announced.

Unalaska, AK – Both the boys and girls Raiders basketball teams wrapped up their seasons today at the Western Conference regional basketball tournament in Hooper Bay.

The boys team played their second game of the tournament against Bethel. The Bethel Warriors came out ahead 70-48. Andrew Seman was a top scorer. At the start of the tournament, the Raiders suffered a narrow loss against Dillingham.

Unalaska, AK – The federal government will be conducting a new oil spill analysis before it completes a lease sale in the Chukchi Sea.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement announced today that it will be shifting the schedule for its Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement so that it will have time to study what's called a "Very Large Oil Spill" scenario - a spill that would involve over 150,000 gallons of oil. In the past few months, the bureau has received over 100,000 comments on the lease sale. Many of these comments asked for a study that would look at the effects of a Deepwater Horizon-like spill in the Arctic.

Unalaska, AK – After a rocky start, the Lady Raiders pulled off a win at the Western Conference regional basketball in Hooper Bay.

The Lady Raiders beat the home team of Hooper Bay, with a score of 35-32. Cassandra Morrisette was the top scorer with 21 points. Yesterday, the girls team lost to the Kotzebue Huskies 77-37.

The boys team did not play today, but they will play a game tomorrow at 2:30pm. Yesterday, they lost a close match against Dillingham. The final score was 56-52.

Unalaska, AK – Nigerian Navy personnel have traveled to Unalaska for training on the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau.

The 21 Nigerian officers and engineers are preparing to receive excess military equipment as part of the government's foreign military sales program. The Nigerian Navy will be taking over the Cutter Chase, a 44-year-old vessel that the Coast Guard had planned to decommission as part of its fleet upgrade.