Regional

Stories from the KUCB Newsroom from the Aleutian Region, the Pribilof Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and beyond.

Murkowski Asks HELP Not To Test Students

By • Apr 13, 2016

Senator Lisa Murkowski wants the U.S. Department of Education to guarantee Alaskan students will not have to resume assessment testing this year.

At a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee yesterday, Murkowski stressed problems with the Alaska Measure of Progress (AMP) test were more than technical glitches.

PenAir's New Planes, Seven Years And Counting

By & • Apr 12, 2016
Chrissy Roes

Since about 2009, PenAir officials have been working on getting new planes for the Anchorage to Dutch Harbor route. The wait is almost over -- but not quite yet.

This week PenAir president Scott Bloomquist said the company is in the final stretch of necessary certification for the Saab 2000. Before any passengers can board, the Federal Aviation Administration has to sign off on the plane after what's called proving runs, which can last anywhere from 35 to 100 hours.

May Tustumena Sailings Canceled

By • Apr 11, 2016
Nancy Heise

The Alaska Dept. of Transportation announced Monday that May sailings of the ferry MV Tustumena are canceled due to unexpected repair work.

The ferry's first 2016 trip servicing the Aleutian chain will now depart about two weeks late.

Tustumena sailings from May 15th through the 26th are cancelled; the ferry is expected to return to service for the season on Friday, May 27th.

DOT spokesman Jeremy Woodrow says the cancellations were unavoidable. 

CVB Loses Director As Tourism Season Nears

By • Apr 6, 2016
Greta Mart

Unalaska's tourism office will be missing an executive director when the first cruise ship of the season docks here on April 23.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Saturday, over a thousand passengers and a few hundred crewmembers will disembark the Crystal Serenity, expecting a day full of sightseeing.

State Axes AMP Testing

By • Apr 4, 2016
Greta Mart

Alaska's Dept. of Education has permanently canceled an unpopular and problematic standardized test, just one year after public school districts across the state implemented the computer-based aptitude test. 

The second Alaska Measure of Progress - or AMP - was supposed to be administered to students in grades 3rd through 10th during a five-week window this spring. Unalaska students were scheduled to take the AMP test this week.

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