Unalaska city officials remove passenger limits in taxis April 1st 2:55 pm |
Hope McKenney, KUCB News
City also clarifies quarantine for vaccinated travelers
Unalaska city officials have eased some of the island s health mandates designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, based on updated Center s for Disease Control and Prevention and state guidance.
City councilors voted unanimously on March 23 to remove the three-month window exempting fully vaccinated people from the local traveler quarantine. That means fully vaccinated people will no longer need to self-quarantine following travel to Unalaska.
The new mandate also removes a three-person passenger limit for local taxis, van services and shuttles.
Crabbers push for extended season April 1st 2:51 pm |
Hope McKenney, KUCB News
A group of Bering Sea crabbers say the pandemic has slowed their fishing season, and they want more time to catch their quota before the state shuts down their season next week.
But the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has denied their request for an extension, citing low population numbers and an upcoming mating season.
For the few boats fishing bairdi crab this year, there could be a lot at stake if they don t have time to catch their full quota. I m thinking they don t quite understand what we re going through out here, said Oystein Lone, captain of the 98-foot crab boat Pacific Sounder, which is based out of Dutch Harbor.
Pandemic brought record sales for canned salmon April 1st 2:54 pm |
It s back to the future for Alaska canned salmon as more Americans choose it for its health benefits and as an easy-to-use ingredient for sandwiches, salads and more.
Salmon canning in Alaska started in the 1870s and by the early 20th century, it was the state s largest industry, generating 80% of the territorial tax revenues. Its position then in the state economy is one that oil enjoys today.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed record sales for the pantry shelf product and canned salmon sales soared by 30.3% in 2020 to $286 million. Suddenly, there was double the demand for an item that s normally very predictable, said John Daly, manager of domestic canned sales for OBI Seafoods, Alaska s largest producer of canned pink and sockeye salmon at nine plants across the state. It s not like the seafood counter at grocery stores. The canned fish business is the grocery business. It s a center store aisle
UCSD prepares for Class of 2021 graduation April 1st 2:57 pm |
Maggie Nelson, KUCB News
Unalaska City School District officials are planning for a limited in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021 on May 15.
There will likely be some restrictions on who is allowed to join the 25 seniors as they turn their tassels, according to Superintendent John Conwell. Due to the physical distancing requirements needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, it is anticipated that only the graduates and their families will be able to attend the ceremony in person, Conwell said.
Those restrictions are subject to change depending on how the pandemic progresses over the next few weeks, he said.
Dillingham s Sands reflects on representing Alaska at U.S. Senate youth program April 1st 2:56 pm |
Isabelle Ross, KDLG News
Dillingham high school senior Sawyer Sands represented Alaska as a U.S. Senate Youth Program delegate this month. Alaska s other delegate was Nych?? Andrew of Anchorage.
Normally, the program is held in Washington, D.C., and the students meet with a variety of national leaders. This year it was virtual.
Sands said the program coordinators tried to make the experience as normal as possible, but the virtual conference had its challenges. The Zoom calls - it was taxing, Sands said. Probably 12 hours spent in front of the camera with intermittent breaks - sometimes not long enough. But you really can t overstate how well they tried to compensate us for that.