KUCB Newscast

Cleanup efforts on Adak Island are getting a boost thanks to a federal recycling grant; and some Alaskans are facing long wait times for SNAP benefits. 

The Tustumena is set to make six sailings down the Aleutian chain this summer; scientists blame a warming Bering Sea for the decline in western Alaska chum salmon; and the federal government is giving Alaska millions of dollars to improve rural infrastructure.

We hear a 2005 interview with Father Michael Oleksa, who passed away suddenly last week; the EPA recently announced over $4 million for the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and the Aleut Corporation for recycling projects; and it's almost time for the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Most killer whale deaths in the Bering Sea and Aleutians were due to entanglement in fishing gear; and Congresswoman Mary Peltola spoke with Alaskans concerned about an upcoming grocery store merger.

The majority of Alaska’s Bristol Bay red king crab have been caught for this year; and a Russian Orthodox priest who spent over fifty years working in Alaska Native communities has died.

A well-known figure in the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska passed away last night; and Alaska Native women are disproportionately affected by high maternal mortality rates in the state.

Representatives from the Aleutian and Pribilof region discuss subsistence at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention; Rep. Mary Peltola discusses a lawsuit that could change the future of Alaska salmon management; and tonight's Unalaska City Council meeting will discuss the future of the Makushin Geothermal Project.

The Qawalangin Tribe will receive over a million dollars to create a regional recycling center; and fishing gear is a leading cause of Steller sea lion deaths.

Three Bears is expected to close a deal with Alaska Ship Supply early next month; and the last surviving prisoner of war from Attu has died.

Scientists in Alaska are using machine learning to help understand the threat of volcanoes throughout the Aleutian Arc; Alaska Native tribes have signed on to letters urging the Bureau of Land Management to maintain long-standing protections on millions of acres of land throughout the state; and it’s world Fisheries day, Unalaska fisherman Scott Lorenzen talking about life at sea.

The Coast Guard has decided not to expand in Dutch Harbor; and, despite growing awareness from government agencies and advocacy groups, the number of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Alaska continues to climb.

Guest host Ethan Candyfire from KUHB in St. Paul has stories about a new cell tower that could go up on Standard Oil Hill; the Museum of the Aleutians' new exhibit; and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's conference last month.

The Army Corps of Engineers has finished clean up in the Unalaska Valley and is now making plans to remediate contaminated sites in Summer Bay and Little South America; a new federal report says climate change is here and that it threatens the health, livelihoods and cultural practices of Alaskans across the state; and the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor Fish and Game Advisory Committee will be holding a public meeting at the library tomorrow.

Scientists say marine heatwaves are behind Alaska’s snow crab crash; and construction started in Akutan as part of GCI’s Aleutians Fiber Optic Project.

Snow crabs may have a superpower that could help them endure shifting marine conditions; and kids explored the changing colors of the tundra as part of a new event series at the Museum of the Aleutians.

Weather experts predict warmer-than-average temperatures in most of the Aleutian Islands this winter due to El Niño and climate change; a group of locals in Unalaska is providing a space to discuss and address community behavioral health, substance misuse, and crisis needs; and an audio postcard from Bethel where, every year, students and staff at Bethel Regional High School gather to honor the region’s veterans right before the Veterans Day holiday.

At last night’s city council meeting, council members certified the results of a runoff school board election; and a hunter in Cold Bay found a large unexploded artillery munition.

Correction: The live version of this newscast mistakenly said the runoff election was held Oct. 10, but it was actually Oct. 30.

On today's newscast, we have a conversation with Brian Hosken, the program director of Coaching Boys into Men, which teaches young males about the importance of respect for themselves, others, and particularly women and girls.

Volcanic ash prevented some patients from reaching hospital care in Anchorage last week; and the Museum of the Aleutians hosted their members-only dinner over the weekend.

The U.S. government is sending $72 million to Alaska communities for maritime infrastructure projects — and more than half of that money is going to Cold Bay in the Eastern Aleutians; fish-harvesting jobs in Alaska declined in 2022, continuing a years-long trend; and Gov. Mike Dunleavy designated November as Alaskan Native Heritage Month.

At our thirty-hour fundraiser, listeners like you donated more than thirty thousand dollars; and Unalaska’s wastewater supervisor shares his expertise, and a few surprising facts about his industry.

Unalaska elected a new school board member; and military officials were weathered out before a planned visit to Unalaska.

Unalaska’s city council has a new member and a new vice mayor; and a federal task force is seeking input on Pacific salmon life cycles.

An advocate discusses the signs and long-term effects of domestic violence; and Unalaska will hold a runoff election on Monday.

Bogoslof volcano is showing signs of unrest that could lead to an eruption; and military officials are visiting Unalaska this week.

The Qawalangin Tribe elected a new president and vice president at their annual meeting; and Alaska’s chief medical officer urges people to get the flu vaccine to protect against an early season.

A conservation group is preparing to sue NOAA Fisheries for allegedly failing to protect killer whales in the Bering Sea; and stakeholders discussed the risk climate change poses to Alaska Native subsistence practices at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention.

Former Unalaska physician Dr. Murray Buttner provides tips and resources for staying healthy during the winter season; and Alaska Native veterans are celebrated at this year's Alaska Federation of Natives conference.

At an annual suicide prevention and awareness dinner, Unalaskans reflect on arts and culture as a way to promote better mental health; and author Ray Hudson talks banned books. 

Unalaska’s cross country team headed to the state championships earlier this month; the UCSD librarian discusses banned books and the value of reading freely; a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck north of Adak early Monday morning, which was felt by residents in both Adak and Atka; and a new report estimates that almost all of Earth’s surface-level permafrost could disappear by the year 2100, as climate change continues to warm the atmosphere.

The Trusty Tusty is out for repairs, but she’ll be back at sea soon; and a visiting artist discusses how her stained glass practice connects her with previous generations of artisans.

A staple of Unangan maritime culture makes a comeback after almost 200 years; and the Unalaska City School District wants public input on priorities for the next three to five years.

Unalaska has a new police chief; two school board candidates are headed to a runoff election; and in Western Alaska, researchers are looking at ways to further reduce the number of Chinook salmon scooped up in trawl fisheries nets.

There will officially be a red king crab season this year; and a cannabis dispensary looks to open in Unalaska.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is set to decide tomorrow whether or not to reopen the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery; and federal funds are going to Alaska’s longliners to steer the fleet away from fossil fuels.

The polls for the 2023 Municipal Election closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and two races remain undecided; a volcanic eruption on Mount Shishaldin triggeredan air quality advisory in Unalaska, the first time Unalaska has been affected by the stratovolcano, which has been erupting since July; and tesearchers are working with Unangax̂ knowledge holders to understand how bear bones ended up on two Aleutian Islands where bears haven’t been known to live.

It’s Election Day in Unalaska; and GCI connects two more Aleutian communities to fiber optic.

Unalaska internet provider OptimERA is working with Starlink for faster service; and fisheries officials meet this month to discuss opening the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery.

Federal officials are investigating recent orca bycatch in Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fisheries; and a Peruvian national has been arrested for sending more than 150 fake bomb threats to schools across the United States — that includes several in Alaska.

A former St. Paul police chief was convicted Tuesday of sexually abusing a minor, according to the State of Alaska; all three members of Alaska’s delegation to Congress have weighed in against the merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons; and

A Japanese research vessel connected to controversial whaling refuels in Unalaska; and Alaska’s Congressional delegation opposes the merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons.

The Center for Biological Diversity intends to sue the federal government over a new marine highway in Alaska; and the 2023 Iditarod winner visited Unalaska over the weekend.

Scientists work with drones to monitor Makushin Volcano; and Narcan became available in pharmacies throughout Alaska last week.

The Unalaska City School District was unaffected by statewide bomb threats, but schools in Atka were.

The U.S. Coast Guard is keeping watch on Russian military exercises in the Bering Sea; Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence is hosting a dinner to raise awareness of suicide prevention education; and a group of sailors from Estonia is sailing through the Northwest passage, en route to the Aleutians.

Highlights from KUCB's 2023 Candidates Forum; Mount Shishaldin in the eastern Aleutians erupted Friday; and a deep dive into the relationship between Bristol Bay's fleet and processors.

Unalaska’s Church of the Holy Ascension has a new resident priest; the knowledge work and art of Indigenous healers and medicine people in Alaska is being featured at the Anchorage Museum; and the Qawalangin Tribe is holding a climate camp for youth in grades 6 through 12, starting this weekend.

Two new species may have been discovered in the Aleutians; and a pair of the largest grocery store chains in Alaska – and in the U.S. – are moving forward with a multi-billion-dollar merger.

Unalaska firefighters joined local students Monday to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; the federal government is looking for public input on proposed changes to how fisheries are managed in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea; and the Unalaska City Council considers a lease from the City of Unalaska to the Ounalashka Corp. that would make it possible for the corporation to provide storage for the new Trident processing facility on Captains Bay. 

KUCB says farewell to longtime morning host Vic Fisher; and rising hatchery populations may increase the risk of salmon suffocation in Southeast Alaska, according to a new study.