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Gov. Mike Dunleavy says his administration is committed to replacing the Alaska Marine Highway’s ocean-going Tustumena that’s a lifeline in Southwest and Aleutian communities; state health officials say they’re extending the contract for the more than 400 out-of-state health care workers who came to help local hospitals strained by the COVID-19 pandemic; and a University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher who listens to killer whales using underwater microphones — called hydrophones — has learned some interesting things about the creatures.

All three Kenai Peninsula representatives to Juneau have signed onto a letter to the council that oversees commercial fishing in Alaska’s federal waters, joining a bipartisan chorus of voices demanding reduction of halibut bycatch.Specifically, representatives are asking the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to approve Alternative 4 at its meeting next week, which would take the most significant swing toward linking the trawl fleet’s fishing with halibut abundance in the Bering Sea.

Unalaska’s Dr. Murray Buttner has been nationally recognized for his work bringing emergency training to rural Alaska communities.Buttner, a family medicine doctor and co-medical director of the island’s Iliuliuk Family and Health Services clinic, was named a 2021 Community Star by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The award went to one health care provider in each U.S. state.

Three volcanoes continue to erupt across the Aleutian Chain. But that’s not out of the ordinary, says an Alaska geologist.

Three volcanoes are continuing to erupt across the Aleutian Chain; support from the National Science Foundation will aid ice melt modelling at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; and some lawmakers say the permanent fund can help settle one of the state issues that it’s been debating even longer than the PFD: how to pay for public education.

Jacob Tix̂lax̂ Stepetin co-founded and plays lead guitar for the Indigenous heavy metal group, Merciless Indian Savages. They have song titles like “Pseudo Savior,” “Manifest Death” and “Kill the Man/Save the Indian.” These song titles grab your attention, but Stepetin says the point is to create an opportunity to talk about Indigenous issues.

British Columbia, devastated by wildfires last summer, is now coping with severe flooding — both dramatic examples of the impact of climate change.

The Unalaska Department of Public Utilities is upgrading electrical equipment that’s caused some of the island’s recent power outages.The new, more robust transformers will be able to better handle the harsh Aleutian weather, according to acting public utilities director Steve Tompkins. They’re also equipped for possible upgrades to the island’s energy grid, such as renewable energy from nearby Makushin Volcano.

House Speaker Louise Stutes has appointed a former Unalaska mayor to a new ferry oversight board.Shirley Marquardt will be joining the nine-member Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board, which was established through the passage of House Bill 63 — introduced by Speaker Stutes last session.