Hope McKenney, KUCB - Unalaska
EPA fines largest at-sea Alaska pollock processor nearly $1M for Clean Water Act violations
American Seafoods was fined for waste discharges in Oregon and Washington. EPA officials didn't say whether its Alaska operations are under scrutiny.
Activists urge reforms after Bering Sea trawlers hauled up 9 dead orcas this year
According to NOAA Fisheries, a tenth whale was released alive, but the nine other orcas incidentally caught in trawl nets weren’t so lucky.
Crew member on Alaska factory trawler dies after possible ammonia exposure
Crew on the Northern Eagle reported a likely ammonia leak that led to the death of David Kumah, from West Africa.
Sighting of Chinese and Russian warships near Aleutians prompts Navy response
A U.S. Northern Command spokesperson said the foreign patrol ships remained in international waters and were not considered a threat.
Unalaska readies to deploy traps for invasive European green crabs
The crabs could cause a big problem. They destroy habitat and outcompete native species.
Unalaska sees large turnout for annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebration
Gray skies and drizzle didn’t deter dozens of community members from showing up to Unalaska's Pride event Friday.
Millions of pounds of fiber cable are en route to Unalaska to bring high speed internet to the region
Nearly 2,000 tons of subsea fiber has begun its journey from Europe to Alaska.
St. Paul hunkers down following largest spike in COVID cases since start of the pandemic
Roughly half of all coronavirus cases recorded on St. Paul Island have happened in the last two weeks.
After tribal court ruling, toddler killed in St. Paul will be buried next to his mother
The boy’s paternal aunt had power of attorney. That side of the family pushed for him to be buried in Anchorage, where he died.
A Coast Guard cutter has reached the planet’s southernmost navigable waters, setting a new record
Melting of the Ross Ice Shelf meant the Polar Star could sail into newly navigable waters.
Fisherman’s photos could be first visual evidence of North Pacific right whales in the Bering Sea in winter
Right whales are among the rarest of all marine mammal species and have never been documented in the Bering Sea in winter months.
Nation’s sole heavy icebreaker returns to Antarctica to resupply American scientists
Each year, the crew maneuvers the nearly 400-foot, 13,000-ton icebreaker to cut a channel to McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic Program’s logistics hub.
Coast Guard cutter returns to California after a nearly 80-day patrol in the Bering Sea
During the Waesche’s most recent patrol, it enforced fishing regulations among Bering Sea fleets and monitored the U.S.-Russian Maritime Boundary Line.
Family of toddler killed in St. Paul at odds over where to bury him
Family of a St. Paul Island toddler who authorities say died at the hands of his foster parents last month are at odds over where the boy should be buried.
Unalaska and Kodiak set winter warm weather records
Temperatures in Unalaska soared to 56 degrees on Saturday. And in Kodiak on Sunday, temperatures hit 67 degrees.
St. Paul couple accused of killing toddler who was in their care
Troopers say after a thorough investigation, they determined the child’s guardians, 31-year-old Steven Melovidov and 28-year-old Sophie Myers-Melovidov, had killed him in their home and attempted to mislead investigators over the course of the investigation.
Fuel shortage and blizzard leave St. George residents rationing heat and water
“Whatever led up to the situation where all the sudden we don't have any fuel in the dead of winter, and with all these storms coming through, is beyond me,” said St. George resident Victor Malavansky. “I would like to say this is totally unacceptable.”
Meet Sean Peters, an Unalaska resident who climbed Bunker Hill more than 300 times this year
Unalaska resident Sean Peters broke his personal record this year by making the one-mile hike up Bunker Hill 321 times. That averages out to more than once a day for every day he’s been on island in 2021.
St. Paul gets new police chief after its entire department quit over COVID vaccine mandate
The new police chief, Michael Castro, is moving to the remote Alaska island from Utah with his two sons this week.
Unalaska doctor nationally recognized for bringing emergency training to rural Alaska
Dr. Murray Buttner, a family medicine doctor in Unalaska, Buttner, a family medicine doctor and co-medical director of the island’s Iliuliuk Family and Health Services clinic, was named a 2021 Community Star by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The award went to one health care provider in each U.S. state.