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For nearly 80 years, a small American flag placed by an old friend was the only thing that stood above the tundra, marking the plot of Army Pvt. George Fox in Unalaska’s cemetery.But on Monday, that all changed when the decorated fallen veteran’s resting place was finally recognized.Fox is the only known Unangax̂ soldier killed fighting in World War II and any war since, and for decades he was buried in an unmarked grave. This Memorial Day, he was finally honored with a gravestone in a long-awaited burial ceremony, which drew crowds from across the state and Lower 48 to the remote Aleutian community.

The new strain of bird flu that arrived in Alaska with the spring migration has now been detected in a fox that died in the Aleutian Islands; a bill awaiting Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature has some Alaska seafood processors thinking of expansion; and Alaskans will soon be able to reach a suicide prevention hotline by calling a three-digit number instead of a ten-digit number.

Sen. Dan Sullivan called their work recognizing and honoring Army Pvt. George Fox "heroic."

The new strain of bird flu that arrived in Alaska with the spring migration has now been detected in a fox that died in the Aleutian Islands. Wildlife officials say the red fox, as well as eagles, found dead in the Unalaska area, were most likely feeding on birds that had died from the H5N1 avian influenza.

Two years after becoming one of the most sealed-off locations in the United States, St. Paul Island is reopening to visitors. St. Paul Island Tour, a business within the Unangan-owned TDX Corp., is resuming its operations after a pause forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A wildfire in the eastern Aleutians has been contained at 69 acres, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry; two bills that would tighten regulations on the group of chemicals known as PFAS are stalled in committee as Alaska’s legislative session draws to a close; and hundreds of thousands of tourists come to see whales in Alaska, and sharing space with the sea mammals isn’t always easy.

Eight Aleutian businesses were awarded $3,000 each in late April as part of a new microgrant program from the Aleutian Marketplace. Grant recipients range from an ice cream shop in King Cove to a notary in Unalaska to commercial fishermen in Sand Point. A total of $24,000 worth of grant money was distributed throughout the region. It’s the first of two rounds of grants through the partnership between the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, TelAlaska, Wells Fargo and the Aleut Corporation. The organizations work with community members, small business owners and creative entrepreneurs throughout the region in an attempt to help fuel local economies.

New data from drone surveys flown over Unalaska’s three road-system lakes last summer show low sockeye salmon counts. The counts total less than half of what they were in summer of 2020, according to data released in April by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. But Fish and Game biologist Tyler Lawson said the one-year drop isn’t too concerning. Escapement numbers often fluctuate and there’s more room for error in aerial surveys, he said. “We call them a ‘high error survey,’ which kind of sounds bad, but it's just because in comparison to the weir — which is a very precise tool — there's variability whenever you're up in the air, looking down and trying to count salmon,” he said. While the technology is still relatively new when it comes to counting salmon in Unalaska, Lawson said he’s hopeful that drones will play a key role in helping assess broader trends among salmon stocks in the region.

Eight Aleutian businesses were awarded $3,000 each in grants in late April as part of a new “micro grant” program; a group of law professors is critical of the Ninth Circuit for a March split ruling, which cleared the way for a land swap to create a lifesaving road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge; and hundreds of voters in Alaska watched the results in this year's Philippine national election.

Sand Point upgraded its travel lift at the Robert E. Galovin Small Boat Harbor. Also known as a boat gantry crane, the travel lift hoists boats out of the water for repairs or storage. Jordan Keeler is the city administrator for the Eastern Aleutians community. He said the former travel lift was about 40 years old and needed to be replaced.