Unalaska, AKT – This week, Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment team released two reports that study vessel traffic and potential oil spill scenarios in the region. The objective is to ultimately find ways to keep spills from happening in the Bering Sea, and the documents are used by the Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Unalaska, AK – Today, the state of Alaska filed a lawsuit against the federal government with the objective of overturning a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. State Attorney General Dan Sullivan is arguing that the federal government did not adequately discuss the moratorium with state officials and failed to consider its economic impact.

However, the Department of the Interior contends that there isn't actually a moratorium in place. This spring, Secretary Ken Salazar said that arctic drilling would be suspended until 2011. But in the past month, Michael Bromwich, who is the head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has said no moratorium exists and that his division is now focused on studying oil spill prevention measures.

Unalaska, AK – For two decades, the port of Dutch Harbor been number one in landings. And now, for the 21st consecutive year, it's come out on top again according to an annual report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Just over 500 million pounds of fish and shellfish passed through Unalaska in 2009. The next busiest port is found in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, where 412 million pounds of seafood crossed the docks.

Unalaska, AK – On Friday, members of the community gathered to give feedback on the services provided by Iliuliuk Clinic. About 20 people met at Burma Road Chapel to listen to a presentation delivered by two representatives from Agnew Beck Consulting and then offer their own opinions on how the clinic could improve and expand. Heidi Wailand and Thea Agnew Bemben presented the results of the community health needs assessment and then opened the floor to Unalaska residents.

Unalaska, AK – Last week, descendants of uninhabited Unangan villages got the chance to visit the places their families came from. A group of about a dozen people were able to visit Biorka and Kashega in as part of the Lost Villages Project, a program is sponsored by the National Park Service.

Kashega and Biorka - like many villages in the Aleutians Islands -- were evacuated during World War II. There were some attempts to resettle, but none lasted for more than a decade. For the descendants on the trips, this was their first time visiting these places. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.

Unalaska, AK – On Saturday, the Kulluk mobile drilling rig was brought to Unalaska by the icebreaker Tor Viking. The drilling rig is owned by Shell Oil, and it's set to stay in Captain's Bay through the wintertime.

The Kulluk was brought from McKinley Bay in Canada, and Shell is mooring it here for the next few months as the company works on repairs to the rigAfter that, the company is hoping the rig will be ready for use.

Unalaska, AK – Today, Governor Sean Parnell took a stand on the Steller sea lion issue. The state of Alaska has submitted critical comments on the draft biological opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries Service that would place restrictions on fishing in the Western Aleutians. The state also petitioned the federal government to remove the Eastern stock of Steller sea lions from its endangered species list.

Unalaska, AK – City Council met last night to discuss city contracts, utilities billing, and council travel.

The meeting kicked off with a spirited public debate about Horizon Lines' preferred use agreement, which guarantees the shipping company lower rates for use of the city dock. Representatives from the company and Trident Seafood made comments in support of the arrangement, while a representative from APL argued that the agreement was no longer necessary. City Council did not address the preferred use agreement in last night's meeting, but it will be considered later this fall. The agreement has been in place for 20 years, and is set to expire in October.

Unalaska, AK – For the past two weeks, scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory noticed thermal anomalies at Cleveland Volcano in the central Aleutians. Now, it's on watch. After detecting a rise in temperature using satellite imagery, AVO has put a code yellow warning on the volcano.

AVO will watch the volcano closely for the next month, according to AVO chief scientist Chris Waythomas. If there is no further activity, the advisory will be removed.