The Aleutian Islands are soon to be home to some of the world’s most cutting-edge architecture. Last week, the International Living Future Institute announced the winners of a contest that challenged architects to design an affordable, net-zero energy home suitable for the region’s tough climate. Now, as KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports, the Aleutian Housing Authority is moving forward with plans to turn those designs into reality.
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May 15, 2012 - 5:25 pm
The Coast Guard reports its responding to an ammonia leak on a fishing vessel 80 miles north of Cold Bay in the Bering Sea. Responders were expected to arrive on scene at 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening. The report came in around 1pm this afternoon that crew members were suffering from ammonia exposure. The extent of injuries is unknown.
May 10, 2012 - 5:38 pm
The snow crab fleet is in a race against time. The Bering Sea has been covered in record-setting ice since the season got underway in January and with just a few weeks left, fishermen still have millions of pounds of snow crab to catch. As KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports, boats are going to extremes to finish in time, with a little help from a tugboat stationed on St. Paul Island.
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May 7, 2012 - 5:20 pm
Record-breaking ice in the Bering Sea continues to take a toll on the snow crab industry. Crabbers, processors and regulators met last week to discuss the possibility of extending the season. The inability to forecast the ice has everyone frustrated.
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April 19, 2012 - 5:20 pm
Last month, Alaska-based PenAir landed the country’s most expensive Essential Air Service contract for a flight from Presque Isle, Maine to Boston. Now, PenAir is on track to receive the second most expensive EAS subsidy in the nation as well, for flight service between Anchorage and Adak.
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April 17, 2012 - 5:18 pm
The Arctic has crossed the threshold from winter into spring. Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced last week that Arctic sea ice reached its maximum extent on March 18 and is slowly beginning its summer retreat. But the Bering Sea had record ice extent for part of the winter.
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April 11, 2012 - 5:40 pm
For decades, the community of King Cove has lobbied for a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to nearby Cold Bay. Proponents say it’s critical for the remote community to have a more reliable way to evacuate medical patients. Conservation groups contend it would devastate critical wildlife habitat.
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March 28, 2012 - 5:37 pm
Cleveland Volcano has exploded for the third time in just over a week. The latest eruption of the Aleutian volcano Tuesday afternoon was relatively small, according to a release from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
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March 14, 2012 - 5:24 pm
Five months after its seizure, the stateless fishing vessel Bangun Perkasa is still tied up at the dock in Unalaska – but not for much longer. Earlier this month, a U.S. District Court judge formally declared the vessel unclaimed. Now the government will seek forfeiture so the Bangun Perkasa can be sold – either for scrap or at auction.
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March 12, 2012 - 4:25 pm
The federal government is proposing at least a million dollar reduction in funding for tsunami programs in Alaska. The agency in charge says the cuts are necessary and won’t hurt the state’s tsunami preparedness, but some scientists and officials disagree. They say the reduction in funding will weaken Alaska’s tsunami programs and leave the state’s coastal communities at risk.
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March 8, 2012 - 5:21 pm
Cleveland Volcano has blown its top again. An explosion shook the restless Aleutian volcano at around 7:00 Wednesday night. There’s no monitoring network on the volcano itself, but distant seismic stations and sound arrays picked up the blast.
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March 8, 2012 - 5:20 pm
There won’t be an Atka mackerel or Pacific cod fishery in the western Aleutians until at least 2015. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess ruled Monday that the National Marine Fisheries Service would have 23 months to assess the impact of its Steller sea lion protection measures in the region.
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March 5, 2012 - 6:04 pm
The City of Unalaska has agreed to settle a lawsuit with the Environmental Protection Agency over more than 4,000 Clean Water Act violations by the City’s wastewater treatment plant. Although the lawsuit and settlement are unique to Unalaska, city officials say wastewater is likely going to be an issue in coming years for other Alaskan communities as well.
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March 5, 2012 - 5:59 pm
Anchorage television station KTUU first reported that a warehouse owned by Trident Seafoods erupted in flames at about 10:30pm Thursday. While the fire has continued to smoke through the afternoon, a group of 25 responders, including Coast Guard personnel, have been able to keep it from spreading to nearby buildings.
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February 10, 2012 - 5:33 pm
If you’ve been following the news about the fuel delivery to Nome or the Bering Sea snow crab fishery’s hiatus you may recognize the name Kathleen Cole. She’s a sea ice forecaster for the National Weather Service in Anchorage and her services have been in high demand this winter.
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February 3, 2012 - 5:25 pm
The U.S. Attorney’s office is recommending a reduced sentence for Arne Fuglvog. The former fisheries aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski pleaded guilty in August to falsifying records for his sablefish catch in 2005. That year, illegal fishing earned Fuglvog an estimated $100,000. Court documents estimate the total value of Fuglvog’s illegal harvests between 2001 and 2006 at $1 million.
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February 2, 2012 - 5:37 pm
Bering Sea ice came in quickly this year and is at its largest extent since the 1970s. It has effectively shut down the snow crab fishery, causing problems for boats as far south as the Aleutians. But some scientists say that while it’s a pain in the short term, the ice is good for the Bering Sea’s valuable fisheries in the long run.
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January 30, 2012 - 5:33 pm
The Bering Sea snow crab season is on hold. Rapidly advancing sea ice has left crabbers scrambling to get their gear out of the water or stuck in port, waiting for better weather.
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January 24, 2012 - 7:06 pm
The rats are gone from Rat Island and the name might follow suit. The Aleut Corporation and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association recently voted to ditch the now-inaccurate moniker and revert to the traditional Unangan name.
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January 23, 2012 - 5:23 pm
A federal judge has upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service’s decision to restrict fishing in the Western Aleutians in order to protect an endangered stock of marine mammals.
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January 19, 2012 - 5:54 pm
