Unalaska, AK – Today at 8:40 am, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit about 25 miles from Dutch Harbor. No damage or injuries were caused by it, though public safety did receive one felt report. The earthquake was a deep earthquake, with its epicenter about 70 miles underground. According to Alaska Earthquake Information Center seismologist Natasha Rupert, it's not connected to the magnitude 6 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that hit the Fox Islands in July.

Unalaska, AK – This morning the North American Aerospace Defense Command led joint exercise flights across the western parts of the United States and Canada, and some of these exercises took place in Southwest Alaska. Exercises were also conducted over northern California and northern Alberta in order to prepare for what's described as a "multiple threat scenario."

The NORAD exercises can cover a variety of scenarios -- from hijackings to unknown aircraft responses to airspace restriction violations. But NORAD spokesperson John Cornelio says that no one in Unalaska should be able to see any of that as planes did not fly over the city.

Unalaska, AK – On Tuesday, Alaskans will head to the polls to vote for their favored candidates. They'll also be voting on Ballot Measure One, which its supporters have called an "anti-corruption measure" and its opponents have called a "gag law."

The objective of the legislation is to reduce wasteful government spending and to minimize the role of lobbyists in Alaska government. The measure would mandate that no public organization or government employee could use public resources for lobbying or campaigning. But critics say that the measure is overly broad and may disproportionately affects small, rural communities.

Unalaska, AK – Tomorrow, Governor Sean Parnell will sign two bills into law that will affect life in the Aleutians. House Bill 20 concerns a fisheries loan program. Representative Bryce Edgmon co-sponsored the bill with Bob Buch, and he explains exactly what it does.

"What House Bill 20 does is it expands the pool of fishermen who would be eligible for the commercial fishing revolving loan fund, such that a commercial fisherman who is a bona fide Alaska resident and who qualifies for the Division of Investments loan program can actually go in and get a low-interest-rate loan to purchase a new energy-efficient engine -- and right now the interest rate is about 3%, and we've had a great number of fishermen eagerly await the bill signing."

Unalaska, AK – Monday was the last day to file for candidacy in Unalaska.

In the mayor's race, incumbent Shirley Marquardt will be running against city council member Dick Peck.

Only one of the two city council seats up this year is in play. Skip Southworth and Jessica Culp are both challenging Roger Rowland for a seat on the council. Southworth has previously served as an interim member of the council, and Culp has run for council once as a write-in candidate. Council member Dave Gregory is running unopposed.

Unalaska, AK – The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting this week in Anchorage to discuss the draft Steller Sea Lion biological opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The special meeting starts today at the Hotel Captain Cook, and consideration of the BiOp is the only thing on the agenda.

The biop proposed closing the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries out in the western Aleutians, much to the chagrin of companies working out in the region.

Unalaska, AK – All summer long, a group of documentary filmmakers from Japan have been exploring the Aleutians and studying its ecosystem. The four-person crew is working on three separate programs for NHK, which is Japan's public broadcasting organization. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.

Unalaska, AK – Last week, the Coast Guard demolished the tallest structure on Attu Island. A 625-foot LORAN tower -- which stands for Long Range Aids to Navigation -- was brought down on Wednesday. Its Russian-American signal was turned off on August 1st, and the station will be decommissioned on August 26.

Today, Attu's only residents are Coast Guardsmen. About a dozen people have been stationed there to monitor the LORAN signal, and when the Coast Guard decommissions the station on August 26, Alaska's westernmost island will be left uninhabited.

Unalaska, AK – Camp Qungaayux wrapped up today at Humpy Cove. For a week, youth from the city, the region, and even the lower 48 participated in the culture camp put on by the Qawalangin tribe. Earlier in the week, the campers learned how to catch and prepare fish. Yesterday, they learned how to catch and prepare something a little bit bigger: a seal.

While the campers did not go out on the hunt, they did get to see how the seal was traditionally prepared. A couple dozen children gathered round yesterday afternoon as the seal was being cleaned and dressed. The group was curious, but the reactions were definitely varied.