Articles by Sofia Stuart-Rasi
Adak’s $115 million upgrade begins, but military return not guaranteed
Adak is set to receive $115 million to prepare the island for possible military use. Officials said the westernmost city in the country is uniquely suited for Arctic and North Pacific defense operations because of its location and its old Navy base. The Aleut Corp., the regional Native corporation for the Aleutians, is one of several groups involved in the effort. At the Unalaska City Council meeting on Sept.
Unalaska municipal election 2026 — final results
The final results for Unalaska’s 2026 municipal election are in, and they confirm Darin Nicholson won City Council Seat E, the only contested race this year. Nicholson, who lost his reelection bid last year, returns to the council with 70% of the vote. Write-in candidate Brenda Baker received 25%. Incumbent Thomas Bell ran unopposed for City Council Seat B and won with about 91% of the vote. Incumbent Brian Rankin ran unopposed for School Board Seat B and won with about 95% of the vote.
Lions Club brings vision screenings to Unalaska schools after years-long pause
School is back in session, and many Unalaska students got their vision checked for the first time in years. Traveling optometrist Patrick Campaign, based in Anchorage, worked with the Lions Club, a volunteer service organization known for its work on vision care around the world. Like many remote Alaska towns, Unalaska doesn’t have an eye doctor year-round. Campaign screened 329 students in Unalaska Aug. 24-25, with help from Unalaska’s Ballyhoo Lions Club and Anchorage’s Mountain View Lions Club.
Storm brings wind warning and advisory to the Aleutians
A strong storm is expected to bring high winds to Unalaska and the Aleutian and Pribilof islands beginning Wednesday night and lasting into late Friday night. The storm has moved slightly farther south and grown stronger compared with earlier forecasts, according to the National Weather Service. Atka and Adak are under a high wind warning from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, with gusts up to 80 mph expected. Unalaska and Nikolski are under a wind advisory from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Friday.
Unalaska backs UniSea's pitch for January ferry from Cold Bay
Unalaska's City Council is asking the state to look into running a ferry between Cold Bay and Unalaska during the start of pollock A season in January, one of the busiest travel periods of the year on the Aleutian island. The idea was brought to the local council during public comment on Aug. 25 by Tom Enlow, president of UniSea, a major seafood processor in Unalaska. "The concept would be simple: fly seafood workers to Cold Bay and transport them by ferry to Dutch Harbor," he said.
Unalaska backs UniSea’s pitch to have a January ferry from Cold Bay
Unalaska’s City Council is asking the state to look into running a ferry between Cold Bay and Unalaska during the start of pollock A season in January, one of the busiest travel periods of the year on the Aleutian island. The idea was brought to the local council during public comment on Aug. 25 by Tom Enlow, president of UniSea, a major seafood processor in Unalaska. “The concept would be simple: fly seafood workers to Cold Bay and transport them by ferry to Dutch Harbor,” he said.
A shift in the Pacific Plate lifted the Aleutians 7 million years ago, study finds
Many of the Aleutian Islands rose at the same time, 5 to 7 million years ago. It was part of a geological event that showed up across the Pacific Rim, according to a study published in June. Two researchers with Brown University measured the helium in 43 rocks, from Unalaska to Attu. They found 33 of the samples reached the surface in the same window. "It's rare to see such a pattern across such large distances that you're seeing," said Anahi Carrera, who led the study.
A shift in the Pacific Plate lifted the Aleutians 7 million years ago, study finds
Many of the Aleutian Islands rose at the same time, 5-7 million years ago. It was part of a geological event that showed up across the Pacific Rim, according to a study published on June 17. Two researchers with Brown University measured the helium in 43 rocks, from Unalaska to Attu. They found 33 of the samples reached the surface in the same window. “It's rare to see such a pattern across such large distances that you're seeing,” said Anahi Carrera, who led the study.
Qawalangin Tribe plans to update 40-year-old Makushin geothermal data
Unalaska’s geothermal power project collapsed in 2024. But the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is going back to the drawing board, hoping the project could cut the island’s diesel consumption. Magnus de Witt, a researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, gave a community presentation about geothermal energy at the Unalaska Public Library on July 1. KUCB asked him if geothermal is possible here. “If you ask an engineer if something is possible, the answer is always yes,” he said.
Federal judge throws out land swap weeks before construction was set to start on road to Cold Bay
A federal judge has vacated a land swap agreement that was key to road construction between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The road would pass through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. On Aug.
Federal judge throws out land swap weeks before construction was set to start on road to Cold Bay
A federal judge has vacated a land swap agreement that was key to road construction between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The road would pass through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
Federal judge throws out land swap weeks before construction was set to start on Cold Bay road
A federal judge has vacated a land swap agreement that was key to road construction between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The road would pass through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
Federal judge throws out land swap weeks before construction was set to start on road to Cold Bay
A federal judge has vacated a land swap agreement that was key to road construction between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The road would pass through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
Newhalen school secretary campaigns for state House seat covering Unalaska
Newhalen School secretary and small business owner Evelynn Trefon is running as a Democratic candidate to represent House District 37, which includes the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. She requested to do an interview with KUCB as part of her campaign, saying she can’t travel to all 72 communities in the district. She wants listeners to know she takes the race seriously and would be working for the whole region, including Unalaska. Trefon spoke with KUCB’s Sofia Stuart-Rasi over Zoom.
Unalaska healthcare provider explains cyclospora amid Lower 48 outbreak
Cyclospora is an intestinal parasite that’s been in the news all summer for making people sick across the Lower 48. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has traced the outbreak to iceberg lettuce from a Taylor Farms processing operation in central Mexico. As of Aug. 14, the CDC had counted 9,481 cases in 17 states. Alaska is not among the outbreak states.
California woman charged in Unalaska seafood worker's fatal drug overdose
A UniSea worker in Unalaska died of a methamphetamine overdose on Feb. 2, 2025. Now a California woman is charged in that death. A federal grand jury in Alaska indicted Darlene Moreno, 44, on July 21. Moreno, of Port Hueneme, California, was arrested on Aug. 7. Moreno is charged with three felony counts: one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, and two counts of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony.
California woman charged in Unalaska seafood worker’s death from drug overdose
A UniSea worker in Unalaska died of a methamphetamine overdose on Feb. 2, 2025. Now a California woman is charged in that death. A federal grand jury in Alaska indicted Darlene Moreno, 44, on July 21. Moreno, of Port Hueneme, California, was arrested on Aug. 7. Moreno is charged with three felony counts: one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, and two counts of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony.
Meet KUCB’s new reporter Katie Reuther
KUCB has a new voice on the air. Katie Reuther joined the station in July as a reporter covering the Aleutians. She previously worked as an independent podcast producer in Vermont. Reuther is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. She contributes regional reporting to KUCB, KSDP and Alaska Public Media.
After Coast Guard rescue, skipper races to salvage his own sailboat 950 miles from Adak
Luke Moloney and his crew lost control of his sailboat, the Mizuya, about 950 miles southwest of Adak Island on June 18. They were rescued in an international Coast Guard effort, and the 40-foot trimaran was left adrift. But Moloney wasn’t willing to abandon his sailboat, so he went back to find it. Moloney lived aboard the Mizuya for the past year while sailing around East Asia. In early June, he and two crew members set out from Gamagori, Japan bound for Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
U.S. phone customers pay $340,000 a year to wire empty houses on Adak, investigative report shows
Most of the buildings in Adak sit empty. But more than 300 of them are wired for internet, a cost U.S. phone customers are paying. A new investigation from the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the cost comes to more than $340,000 a year for a service no one on the island was using. The money comes from the Universal Service Fund, a Federal Communications Commission subsidy program paid for by a fee tacked onto nearly every phone bill in the country.
Former Southeast Alaska lawmaker campaigns for governor in Unalaska
Former Southeast Alaska State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins visited Unalaska over the weekend as part of his campaign to become Alaska’s next governor. Kreiss-Tomkins, often referred to as JKT, is one of two Democrats running for the seat, and it was his first visit to the island. Kreiss-Tomkins arrived on the Tustumena ferry on July 18. He said he hoped to visit as many places in Alaska as possible during his campaign, especially rural communities that can easily be overlooked or forgotten.
Historical geographer hopes the community can add to an Unangax̂ boy’s untold story
In the early 1870s, George Tsaroff, a 14-year-old boy from Unalaska, traveled thousands of miles from the Aleutians to the Lower 48 with an explorer. It’s a story that hasn’t really been told until now. Peter Martin, an assistant professor in cultural and historical geography at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, came across Tsaroff’s story while going through the papers of famous explorer William Healey Dall in the Smithsonian’s archives.
Unalaska’s Dennis Robinson launches bid for open state House seat
Seven candidates are running for House District 37, which covers Southwest Alaska including the Aleutians and Pribilof Islands. Longtime Rep. Bryce Edgmon, an independent from Dillingham, is leaving the seat after his 20th year to run for state Senate. Unalaskan Dennis Robinson is vying for the House seat as a Democrat. Robinson held his first campaign fundraising event at the Norwegian Rat Saloon on June 20, where he shared his goals and talked with more than two dozen locals in the crowd.
Multinational Coast Guard effort rescues Canadian sailboat crew 950 miles southwest of Adak
Three sailors are safe after being rescued in the North Pacific, about a thousand miles southwest of Adak in the western Aleutians. The three-day effort was an international rescue that included Coast Guard crews from the U.S., Canadian and Japanese Coast Guards. The three countries coordinated to reach the crew of the Mizuya, a 40-foot sailing vessel that lost rudder control on June 18 and was unable to steer.
Multinational Coast Guard effort rescues Canadian sailboat crew 950 miles southwest of Adak
Three sailors are safe after being rescued in the North Pacific, about a thousand miles southwest of Adak in the western Aleutians. The three-day effort was an international rescue that included Coast Guard crews from the U.S., Canadian and Japanese Coast Guards. The three countries coordinated to reach the crew of the Mizuya, a 40-foot sailing vessel that lost rudder control on June 18 and was unable to steer.
House Speaker Bryce Edgmon on his state Senate run and recent legislative session
Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, was in Unalaska for the island’s first gubernatorial forum on June 24, and he stopped by the KUCB station during his visit. Edgmon has represented Unalaska in the Alaska state House for 20 years. Now, he’s running for the state Senate, hoping to fill the seat being left open by retiring Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel.
Scientists trace mercury in the Aleutians; research part of MOTA’s summer exhibit
The Museum of the Aleutians’ new summer exhibit explores the region’s past ecosystems. It looks at the Pribilof mammoths, the ancient mammals of Unalaska and mercury in marine food webs throughout the region. Scientists Caroline Funk and Nicole Misarti are behind the mercury research. On June 3, they gave a presentation to the community at the Unalaska Public Library before debuting their work at the museum. “We have worked together on this project for about seven years now,” Funk said.
Walking the beach for dead seabirds, Unalaskans help track the ocean’s health
When it comes to monitoring the health of the ocean, scientists rely on dead seabirds, specifically how many wash up on beaches. On May 31, several Unalaskans gathered at the PCR to learn how to count them. Their instructor was Allie Brown, the participant coordinator for COASST. It’s a program out of the University of Washington that trains residents from Alaska to Northern California to survey their local beaches for dead seabirds. “We document dead birds because there’s lots of them,” she said.
Crews finish GCI fiber repair, restoring full service in the Aleutians
GCI's phone and internet service across the Aleutians has returned to normal after nearly three weeks of limited, satellite-based backup. The outage began on May 27, when the company's undersea fiber cable was damaged, disrupting phone and internet service in communities including Akutan, False Pass, King Cove, Perryville, Sand Point and Unalaska. GCI had expected repairs to be finished on June 12, but weather conditions pushed back the work.
Crews finish GCI fiber repair, restoring full service in the Aleutians
GCI’s phone and internet service across the Aleutians has returned to normal after nearly three weeks of limited, satellite-based backup. The outage began on May 27, when the company’s undersea fiber cable was damaged, disrupting phone and internet service in communities including Akutan, False Pass, King Cove, Perryville, Sand Point and Unalaska. GCI had expected repairs to be finished on June 12, but weather conditions pushed back the work.
‘Love and acceptance in Unalaska for all Unalaskans’: residents celebrate Pride
To celebrate the LGBTQ2S+ community, more than 100 people of all ages showed up for Unalaska’s annual Pride event on June 12 at the Burma Road Chapel. There was face painting, sidewalk chalk and kite flying, along with burgers and homemade fry bread tacos. The event was organized by Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence, also known as USAFV.
Unalaska receives a $3.8 million federal grant to remove abandoned cars and improve recycling
Residents who recently went to the Unalaska landfill likely noticed crushed cars on the side of the road. Now the cars are on a barge, destined for Seattle to be recycled. The barge docked across from the local dump on June 5. “It is planned to have approximately 1,200 tons of scrap metal and about 250 vehicles on board to leave,” said Erik Hernandez, the City of Unalaska’s director of public utilities. Crushed cars sit on private property across the street from the landfill.
Two separate deaths in Unalaska last week; police release names
The Unalaska Police released the names of two men who died in separate incidents in early June, after notifying their next of kin. According to the Unalaska Police Department, Keiran Kauka, 27, of Hawaii, was found the morning of June 2 on the beach across from the Dutch Harbor Post Office. A 911 caller reported a man near the water shortly after 8 a.m. and firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene.
“We do it all”: Unalaska Fire Chief Eddie Athey returns to the job
The Unalaska Fire Department has a familiar face leading it again. Edward “Eddie” Athey took over as fire chief on March 25, returning to the same job he held on the island 20 years ago. Athey worked for Unalaska from 1998 to 2006. Since then, he’s served as fire chief in Seward and most recently worked with the Anchorage Fire Department. He came back to the Unalaska job after former Fire Chief Ben Knowles resigned earlier this year to lead the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fire Department.
Crews on site to fix Aleutian fiber outage, service expected to return by Friday
An undersea fiber cable was damaged nearly two weeks ago, disrupting phone and internet service across the Aleutians. GCI said coverage could be back to normal by June 12. A repair vessel, the Cable Innovator, arrived near Chignik Bay on June 7, and crews started pulling the damaged cable up from the ocean floor, according to Josh Edge, GCI’s communications manager. Once the cable is aboard the ship, crews will inspect, repair and splice the damaged section, Edge said.
Volcano scientists study Makushin's eruption history and risks to Unalaska
Makushin Volcano sits just 17 miles west of Unalaska. It’s close enough that a big eruption could blanket the community in ash, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Hannah Dietrich and Michelle Coombs are geologists with the observatory. They’ve spent years mapping Makushin’s eruptive history and assessing the hazards it poses to Unalaska and surrounding communities.
From Amchitka to Angoon, Unalaska students take Alaska history to nationals
Four Unalaska students have spent the past school year buried in Alaska history research, and it paid off with spots at the National History Day finals in Washington, D.C. On May 29, the students presented their projects to about a dozen locals at the Unalaska Public Library, where they also took questions from the crowd. Alaska holds its statewide History Day contest entirely online, so the gathering was practice for the in-person judges they’ll soon face.
War in Iran raises Unalaska plane tickets toward $2,200
More than 4,000 people live on Unalaska's remote Aleutian island year-round. It's the biggest fishing port in the country by volume, and it's a hub for the smaller communities in the region. But flying to Unalaska comes at a high cost. The closest city is Anchorage, 800 miles away, and a round-trip commercial ticket has typically run up to $2,100 in recent years. Now, that price is climbing even higher as oil costs rise due to the ongoing war in Iran.
Citizen science program visits Unalaska, aiming to train locals how to count beached birds
The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, also known as COASST, is a citizen science program based at the University of Washington that focuses on beach environments in the North Pacific. The group is hosting a beached bird training on Sunday from 1:00-5:30 p.m. at the PCR. Volunteers in the program collect data on dead marine birds that wash ashore, helping scientists track the health of the North Pacific Ocean. A science background isn’t necessary to participate.
War in Iran raises Unalaska plane tickets toward $2,200
More than 4,000 people live on Unalaska’s remote Aleutian island year-round. It’s the biggest fishing port in the country by volume, and it’s a hub for the smaller communities in the region. But flying to Unalaska comes at a high cost. The closest city is Anchorage, 800 miles away, and a round-trip commercial ticket has typically run up to $2,100 in recent years. Now that price is climbing as oil costs rise because of the war in Iran.
An audio postcard: Unalaska remembers veterans and those lost at sea
Unalaska held its annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 25. Dozens of locals gathered inside the high school gym to honor veterans and those lost at sea. The ceremony was co-hosted by the Unalaska Military Veterans group, which helps local U.S. military veterans support one another and the community. KUCB’s Sofia Stuart-Rasi attended this year’s Memorial Day service.
Unalaska dentist on electric toothbrushes, straws and birthday cake
Unalaska doesn’t have a dental care provider on the island year round, but the community does have two providers who visit a few times a year. One of them is Dr. Sean Davis with Aleutian Family Dentistry. He’s been practicing dentistry for a decade. Davis started his career in Colorado and worked in Bethel for a few years before regularly serving Unalaska, where he has practiced for the last five years.
An Alaska Peninsula volcano is showing signs of unrest; scientists are learning more about it for the first time
A high-resolution satellite image of active steam vents at Mount Kupreanof on May 10, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Dietterich with the Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey) Earthquakes and elevated gas emissions are causing scientists to take a closer look at Kupreanof Volcano. It’s a remote, heavily glaciated volcano about 50 miles northeast of Sand Point with very little known eruptive history.
An Alaska Peninsula volcano is showing signs of unrest prompting additional studies
Earthquakes and elevated gas emissions are causing scientists to take a deeper look at Kupreanof Volcano. It's a remote, heavily glaciated volcano about 50 miles northeast of Sand Point with very little known eruptive history. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the volcano's alert level to Advisory and its aviation color code to Yellow on Tuesday. That means the volcano is showing signs of unrest, but it doesn't necessarily mean an eruption will happen.
An Alaska Peninsula volcano is showing signs of unrest; scientists are learning more about it for the first time
Earthquakes and elevated gas emissions are causing scientists to take a closer look at Kupreanof Volcano. It’s a remote, heavily glaciated volcano about 50 miles northeast of Sand Point with very little known eruptive history. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the volcano’s alert level to Advisory and its aviation color code to Yellow on Tuesday. That means the volcano is showing signs of unrest, but it doesn’t necessarily mean an eruption will happen. Little is known about the volcano.
Federal agency reviews 90,000 public comments on Alaska seabed mining proposal
The public had many opinions about mining minerals on the seabed off Alaska’s coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management closed its public comment period on April 1, and now the agency is reviewing roughly 90,000 submissions. It’s a first-of-its-kind lease sale, covering more than 113 million acres of federal offshore waters. It includes most of the Aleutian Islands, parts of the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, and parts of the Gulf of Alaska.
Do you ask AI health-related questions? Unalaska healthcare provider weighs in
AI is more a part of our daily lives than ever before, so it’s no surprise people are turning to AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, for health-related questions. An AI chatbot is a search engine that talks back. Instead of returning a list of links like Google, it gives you a direct, easy-to-understand answer, like having a conversation with someone online. But it’s not always accurate.
Unalaskan’s prepare to walk for missing Native women on MMIP Awareness Day
Inside the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska office, a few locals are sitting around a long table making posters for Walking With Our Sisters, Unalaska’s annual event for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day. Ariel Gustafson is putting the finishing touches on one of her posters: a red regalia with the words “You Are Not Forgotten.” “Certain cultures believe that the red is the color that lost spirits can see,” she said.
Unalaska superintendent talks state legislation, facility upgrades and new security system
The Unalaska City School District is wrapping up the school year with a lot on its agenda before the upcoming fall semester begins. For this episode of Island Interviews, KUCB’s Sofia Stuart-Rasi sat down with Superintendent Kim Hanisch on Thursday to talk about state legislation that could reshape teacher recruitment and retirement, school facility upgrades, a new video surveillance system and more.
Unalaska poet turns everyday stories into verses
Roger Blakeley reads his poems at a poetry night in Unalaska on April 23. April is National Poetry Month, and Unalaska has many poets to call its own, including June McGlashan and Carlos Tayag. Another one of them is Roger Blakeley, director of the City of Unalaska’s Department of Parks, Culture and Recreation. He’s the author of the published poetry collection, “Heart to Heart,” with a second one on the way.
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