Unalaska, AK – It has now been over a month since fisherman John F. Courage has gone missing, and the Unalaska Department of Public Safety is still working to determine his whereabouts.

Courage, age 56, was last seen on December 29. He had been conducting boat watch aboard the F/V Alaska Trojan when he disappeared. His personal belongings, including his wallet and identification, were left in a stateroom, but his survival suit was missing from the vessel. That suit was later found floating in the Iliuliuk South Channel.

Unalaska, AK – This weekend, the Unalaska Raiders headed to Bethel and Anchorage for three games.

After a travel delay on Thursday, the boys and girls teams made it to Bethel on Friday, where they faced the Warriors that night. The girls team lost that match, with the Warriors coming out on top 59-24. The girls also lost their morning game against Bethel, 65-31.

The boys team fared better. On Friday night, they lost to the Warriors 60 to 72, but they made a comeback the next day, winning 55 to 53. Andrew Seman scored 32 points the first night against Bethel, and then 30 points the next morning. Coach Jim Wilson was pleased with the boys' performance.

Unalaska, AK – The city of Unalaska has accepted a $1.96 million settlement from the federal government over PCB contamination.

The settlement is the result of a five-year process that began when the city discovered that the site of the new powerhouse was contaminated with PCBs - or polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are toxic compounds that can cause liver damage, skin lesions, and cognitive impairment. The Environmental Protection Agency requires PCB-contaminated sites to be cleaned up if the compound is present in greater amounts than one part per million. Soil at the new powerhouse site contained concentrations up to 700 parts per million.

Unalaska, AK – The Ornithological Council has released a report on the rodent-eradication project on Rat Island, focusing on the number of bird deaths the occurred as a result.

The goal of the $3 million eradication project was to exterminate the invasive rat population, which had a negative impact on the seabirds that have traditionally migrated to the island. In the fall of 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from Nature Conservancy and Island Conservation, dropped rat poison onto the island via helicopter. The project worked. By 2009, the island was rat free.

Unalaska, AK – The City of Unalaska is in the process of setting a number of short-term and long-term goals. Mayor Shirley Marquardt joined KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez on this week's edition of Speak Up, Unalaska! to talk about the Fiscal Year 2010 budget and the Comprehensive Plan. Listen here.

Unalaska, AK – Last night, the City of Unalaska established their goals for the Fiscal Year 2012 budget.

As in previous years, the city's top priority is making sure that the general fund does not run at a deficit. But there are two big differences to the city budget this year.

"There were only two changes to the goals from last year, and actually the last several years," says Mayor Shirley Marquardt. "The first one involves the possibility of one full-time equivalent new employee for the operations systems department. The second involves a 3% increase in the operating budget that was non-personnel - just for the nuts and bolts of the operating budget."

Unalaska, AK – Tonight, city council will be meeting to hammer out priorities for the coming year's budget.

The meeting will open with a work session where council will discuss financial goals for Fiscal Year 2012. A top objective is budgeting the general fund without a deficit, and maintaining city personnel at current numbers. According to a memo from City Manager Chris Hladick, the most complicated part of setting the budget will be determining the financing and timing of capital project involving the landfill, the water treatment plant, and the waste water treatment plant.

Unalaska, AK – A state employee for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been charged with the receipt of an "unlawful gratuity." Melanie Bakker, 26, allegedly received $100 after conducting a gear inspection of the F/V Northwestern.

According to court documents, Bakker had scheduled the inspection with Sig Hansen, the captain of the Northwestern, for Saturday, January 15. Fish and Game technicians regularly perform this type of gear inspection on weekends, and ADFG offers it as a courtesy. After the inspection occurred, the Deadliest Catch star offered to buy Bakker dinner. Bakker told police that she declined the invitation, but that Hansen then insisted that she take a gift of $100. Bakker did not take the money immediately, but accepted the gift after Hansen persisted. During the time of the inspection, she used a state vehicle and clocked in for one hour of work for the department.

Unalaska, AK – This weekend, the Raider basketball teams traveled across the Kenai Peninsula for a series of games.

On Thursday, the girls team matched up against Nikolaevsk, and defeated them 42 to 21 after breaking away in the second half. Asia Vernon was a top scorer, with 17 points.

The boys team then followed up on that victory by beating the Nikolaevsk Warriors 57 to 44. Andrew Seman scored a total of 23 points, while J.J. Fernandez brought in 15.