COLD BAY

About a year ago, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation tested Cold Bay’s water wells for PFAS, and the results came back well above the levels recommended for human consumption. Cold Bay closed the wells for drinking when the test results came back, and the Eastern Aleutian community has relied on state-provided bottled water ever since.

The new regional airline, which is operated by Sterling Airways, announced Wednesday that they’re starting a route between Anchorage and two Alaska Peninsula communities: Sand Point and Cold Bay. According to company spokesperson Ashley Hammers, starting in May, flights will be offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with some increased availability.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man from a factory trawler near Unalaska Tuesday.A Kodiak helicopter aircrew hoisted the mariner from the 310-foot fishing vessel Northern Eagle early in the morning on Jan. 24, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. He was then transported to the care of LifeMed personnel in Cold Bay.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crew member from a large container ship Friday, at a rendezvous point near Dutch Harbor. The 48-year-old man was on board the YM Uniformity, a 1,093-foot container ship from Taiwan. The ship was more than a thousand nautical miles southwest of Dutch Harbor when the crew called the Coast Guard to report the crewmember was experiencing chest pain.

Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary, made no commitments to building a road long sought by residents that would cut through a national wildlife refuge on the Alaska Peninsula. But she listened intently on a whirlwind day of flights, tours and meetings.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man from a fish processing boat north of Cold Bay Monday. The 62-year-old man was hoisted from the 254-foot vessel, Phoenix, after experiencing stroke-like symptoms, according to a USCG news release. Officials at the command center in Juneau received the initial medevac request shortly before 11 a.m. Monday morning.

A federal appeals court last week reversed a decision that had impeded construction of a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The proposed road would stretch 11 miles through the wildlife refuge on the Alaska Peninsula, connecting the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The project has been held up in the courts since 2020, when a judge blocked a land exchange necessary for the road’s construction. But the court decided last Wednesday to reverse that judge’s decision that prevented the swap between King Cove’s Native corporation and the federal government. Supporters of the road say it will save lives. The small airport in King Cove is closed due to weather around 100 days a year, on average. Advocates say connecting King Cove to the much larger airport in Cold Bay would make emergency medical care more accessible for residents of the small community in the Aleutians East Borough.

For the first two weeks of May, the tiny Aleutian community of Cold Bay hosted hundreds of military service members who gathered to assess equipment and…

One of the most remote regions in Alaska is the Aleutian Islands. And for the most part, communities along the island chain have done well throughout the…

Scheduled air service to Cold Bay is being cancelled through Dec. 1. That's expected to also disrupt service to Unalaska, where the only commercial flight…