Unalaska's Bureau of Indian Affairs hospital was bombed by the Japanese during World War II. /Courtesy: National Library of Medicine

Tribal and federal officials say the plan to build a regional hospital for the Southwest in Unalaska is closer than ever to reality.

For most locals, the idea of a full-size hospital in Unalaska has always been little more than a pipe dream.

But not for Tom Robinson of the Qawalangin Tribe. He’s been trying to make the hospital happen for more than five years.

Two groups in the Aleutian Islands are looking for the region’s next great start-up business.

The inaugural Aleutian Marketplace Competition opened last week, in search of innovative ideas from residents of the region’s 12 main communities.

The contest comes from the Aleut Corporation and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, or APICDA. Larry Cotter is executive director there. He says they want sustainable businesses that will create jobs and make some kind of social impact.

Semisopochnoi Island in Nov. 2012. /Courtesy: Roger Clifford

A volcanic island in the western Aleutian Islands woke up this week, decades after the last time it was active.

Semisopochnoi Island is about 130 miles west of Adak.

It’s home to a few peaks that have been active in the past, including Sugarloaf and Cerberus.

But the island had been quiet for more than a quarter century.

That's until this past Monday, when the Alaska Volcano Observatory recorded a series of small earthquakes there.

Tribes, local governments, and residents from the King Cove region are suing federal officials for denying them the right to build a road through a wildlife refuge. 

"We’re at the point where we can’t let this go, and we’ve got to keep moving forward," says Della Trumble.

She's a spokeswoman for the King Cove Corporation and the Agdaagux Tribe. They are two of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in United States District Court in Anchorage.

Pavlof's ash plume as seen from the air on June 3, 2014. /Credit: Paul Horn, ADFG

Ash is still blowing from the erupting Pavlof Volcano, prompting airlines in the Alaska Peninsula region to cancel some flights Wednesday morning.

PenAir canceled its morning flights from Anchorage to Cold Bay and Unalaska. And all Grant Aviation flights in and out of Unalaska are on hold right now.

PenAir’s service to Sand Point has not been affected.

There’s no word yet on the status of the airline’s afternoon flights.

Lava fountains at Pavlof Volcano, as seen from the southwest on June 2. /Credit: Rachel Kremer

Pavlof Volcano is erupting on the Alaska Peninsula, sending a haze of ash out above nearby towns.

The volcano’s ash plume is up to 18,000 to 20,000 feet Tuesday.

That’s put local airlines on alert.

PenAir spokeswoman Missy Roberts says the ash hasn’t caused problems for any flights just yet. Planes made it in and out of Sand Point last night and Cold Bay this morning.

On Sunday, a Coast Guard C-130 airplane brought some unusual cargo to the Aleutian Islands. 

United States Senator Mark Begich and Coast Guard Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo jumped off for a quick tour of Cold Bay and Unalaska. 

United States Senator Mark Begich is planning to visit constituents in the Aleutian Islands this month. 

Begich's press office confirms that the senator will travel to Unalaska and Cold Bay on May 25. He'll be joined by Rear Admiral Tom Ostebo, the outgoing commander of the Coast Guard in Alaska.

In Unalaska, the senator is planning to hold a one-hour public meeting at City Hall. Arctic development is at the top of his agenda, according to press secretary Heather Handyside.

The CDQ group for the Aleutian and Pribilof islands is trying to get better returns on its investment in graduate students.