Andy Lusk
ReporterBorn and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Andy Lusk is a writer, travel enthusiast and seafood aficionado who won the jackpot by landing in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. When he's not hiking or working on his latest story, you can find him curled up with his cats and a good book. Andy is a Report for America corps member and an alumnus of New York University.
-
The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska depends on federal funding for most of its programs, including food distribution services and cultural activities. That funding was recently threatened by changes at the national level, including within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. -
This year, 21 athletes participated in Unalaska’s annual Polar Bear Run. The 5K race down Summer Bay Road, which took place March 15, has long been hosted by the city’s Department of Parks, Culture and Recreation. -
Chignik Bay, a fishing community on the Alaska Peninsula, now has access to high-speed internet through a fiber optic project stretching across the Aleutian Chain. -
The Alaska House of Representatives voted to boost education spending last week, bringing a balanced budget one step closer to reality for the Unalaska City School District. But school officials are keeping the district’s belt tight until a permanent increase in the base student allocation, or BSA, becomes law. -
Unalaska’s city manager and the leader of an Aleutian regional Alaska Native corporation were in Juneau Monday and Tuesday advocating for state funds that could help push several local projects over the finish line. -
Two top state lawmakers released an open letter Feb. 27 calling Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation to action. The letter, addressed to Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and House Rep. Nick Begich III, urges for “a reasoned approach” to the Trump administration’s budget-slashing initiatives. -
Shaishnikoff takes the reins from former council president and interim tribal administrator Katherine McGlashan. McGlashan was chosen for both roles in October, but stepped down Feb. 11. -
Rep. Bryce Edgmon has represented Unalaska in the State Legislature for almost twenty years. Last month, he picked up the gavel again to take his seat as speaker of Alaska’s House of Representatives for the first time since 2021. -
Unalaska City School District officials are advocating for more education funding during their annual visits to the Alaska State Legislature. A top priority is increasing the base student allocation, or BSA — that’s a number the state uses to determine how much funding each district receives per student. -
The biggest marches take place in major metro areas like New York City and Washington, D.C. But they also happen in small towns in Alaska, like Unalaska — a fishing community of about 4,500. The Unalaska Women’s March took place Jan. 17.
