Kodiak

Investigators recently searched a Kodiak Island home belonging to a man who worked alongside the two people killed in last Thursday's double homicide at a Coast Guard communications station. The FBI won't confirm that its agents were there, but neighbors say law enforcement agencies blocked access to the property over the weekend and could be seen going in and out of the home in the Bells Flats area. Property records show the house, which is on Pavloff Circle, six miles south of the Coast Guard station, belongs to James Wells, a civilian rigger who works for the Coast Guard at the communications station.

A U.S. Coast Guard memorial service will be held Wednesday in Kodiak for the two men shot at a communications station last week. The ceremony will be held in a hangar on base at 1 p.m. and is open to the public, according to spokesperson Petty Officer Charly Hengen. Investigators were still on-scene Monday at the facility where 51-year-old Richard Belisle and 41-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins were shot and killed Thursday. The FBI is investigating the crime as a double homicide.

The Kodiak Launch Complex has been selected by Lockheed Martin as the aerospace and defense contractor's dedicated West Coast site for launches of its Athena III rocket, according to Gov. Sean Parnell's office. In a statement Friday, Parnell praised the decision by Lockheed Martin, which will utilize expanded medium-lift launch capabilities at the Kodiak complex to launch orbital payloads weighing nearly 13,000 pounds -- a nearly fourfold capacity increase over smaller rockets. “Lockheed Martin has been a great corporate partner with Alaska and we appreciate the ongoing commitment to our state,” Parnell said.

The state is monitoring a potential spill situation near Kodiak after the grounding of the Kimberly, a fishing vessel, on Wednesday. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said weather is affecting crews efforts to deal with the Kimberly with a reported heavy freezing spray warning along with seas to 9 feet. 4 crewmembers were forced to abandon ship after facing winds gusting 100 knots near the head of Jute Bay on the west side of Shelikof Strait. According to ADEC, the responsible party is working with a marine surveyor to develop a plan for removal of the fluids and any other hazardous substances from the vessel once weather permits.

A stateless fishing vessel seized by Alaska's Coast Guard should be "used for gunnery practice" and sunk, Sen. Mark Begich says. “Now that this pirate ship is in custody, I have one recommendation: the Coast Guard should sink the Bangun Perkasa ,” Begich said in a statement Tuesday. The Kodiak-based Coast Guard cutter Munro picked up the vessel 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak on Sept. 15. The ship was packed with illegal driftnets, 30 tons of squid and at least 30 shark carcasses.

Alaska State Troopers said a Kodiak Man on a hunting trip died after he fell from a cliff. According to Troopers Spokeswoman Megan Peters, 21-year-old James Monroe fell off a cliff on Kodiak Island near Halibut Bay on Friday. Troopers said he was hunting in the area. The Coast Guard took a call Friday night that a man had fallen and a helicopter found Monroe and took him to Kodiak. Monroe was pronounced dead at Kodiak Providence Medical Center.  

After Week 1 of each team's 2011 high school football debut, the new Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network Poll is out. Bartlett jumps to number one after beating West Valley 51-26. South, the former number one team has completely dropped out of the pole after losing to Chugiak 21-18. LARGE SCHOOLS 1. Bartlett        1-0        2 . Service        0-0-1 3. Chugiak      1-0 4.  Palmer        1-0 5   Dimond       1-0       Others recieving votes Juneau-Douglas,West, South       SMALL SCHOOLS TEAM       RECORD       1. Sohi      1-0          2. Skyview  1-0 3. Kenai      1-0 4  Kodiak     1-0 5. Nikiski      1-0 Others recieving votes Homer, Barrow  

The first official games of the 2011 High School Football season were played Friday night, three games in all. Monroe     7 Nikiski     26 With a 6pm start time the Monroe vs. Nikiski affair goes in the books as game one on the year.  The Bulldogs played host to the Rams without being all too hospitable beating Monroe handily 26-7.  Both teams play in the Greatland Conference giving this game added significance....

Denali National Park officials say a Kodiak climber died on Mount McKinley Friday morning of an apparent cardiac arrest. Eight people have now died during this year’s climbing season in the Alaska Range. According to park spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin, 52-year-old Brian Young had returned from a 20-hour summit day to sleep in a tent at the mountain’s 17,200-foot high camp when he suddenly stopped breathing. Fellow tent occupants notified the mountaineering patrol stationed at the camp, who initiated CPR on Young.