The community of Kodiak was cast into a pensive mood over the weekend, as departed fishermen were commemorated at the Fishermen’s Memorial service on Sunday, and fallen veterans were honored at the Memorial Day service at the City Cemetery on Monday.

On Monday, the 2023 Crab Festival will be coming to a close. Vendors and exhibitors will be taking down their stands. But a very significant event will be taking place at the City Cemetery at 11 a.m.

Rustico and Norma Peregrino, who will serve as grand marshals for the 2023 Crab Festival parade on May 27, have a long history in Kodiak and a long memory as well.

Kodiak recently said goodbye to four remarkable women who represented a variety of professions and interests.

Kodiak recently said goodbye to four remarkable women who represented a variety of professions and interests.

For Orthodox Christians, today is Good Friday, the dark prelude to Pascha, the most celebratory of all church holidays — the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ who was laid in a tomb after His crucifixion. For those who put their hope in this message, their lives show signs of their hope.

If you’ve been to the Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park headquarters, you may have noticed a statue of Ed Apperson, the first on-site state park ranger at Abercrombie.

Monday marks the 59th anniversary of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and tidal wave. The catastrophic event made such a lasting impression on Kodiak that folks here still talk about that day of terror as if it happened yesterday.

If you have an appetite for political intrigue and international espionage, you need not hunt down novels by Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming.

The Russian Old Believers sect has been a part of the Kodiak archipelago for many years. A colony exists near the old village of Afognak on Afognak Island. Members of the group come to town to shop, and many go commercial fishing on Kodiak Island waters. The Kodiak Island Borough School Dist…

There’s an old saying that captures the essence of subsistence harvesting: “When the tide is out, the table is set.” Clams, mussels and other food are available for the person who combs the beaches.

Now that Tanner crab fishermen are out on the grounds, the product is available to us crab connoisseurs. When you sit down to eat the succulent meat and thank God for this food, also say a prayer for the fishermen and fisherwomen who put in long hours in inclement weather to provide this delicacy. 

The story of Zacchaeus, which is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, is appropriate for two impending events. First of all, since Zacchaeus was a tax collector, his story is a reminder that in April we’ll be expected to make our annual payment to the Internal Revenue Service.

For new moms, Kodiak Kindness is like a helpful neighbor

In case you weren’t paying attention, Christmas has been extended in Kodiak. You can tell by the colorful light displays still adorning Kodiak homes and the frequency of fireworks (although some of the explosives may be heralding the new year).

Lois’ beloved dog was no match for late-night prowler

When National Fisheries Marine Service biologist Bob Otto came to Kodiak in the late 1970s to work at the NMFS lab at the Coast Guard base, he considered it of utmost importance to get to know the fishermen his agency served.

If there’s a word we readily associate with Christmas, it’s “quaintness.” Decorated Christmas trees with piles of gifts beneath; a creche calling attention to the birth of Jesus in a Bethlehem stable — the reason for the season; snow falling on the roofs of homes that are draped in colorful …

It’s a story that has been told many times around the kitchen table, in museums and at Native gatherings. It’s a story that reveals the adventurous character of the inhabitants of the Kodiak Island archipelago.

Weather permitting, Roger Malutin is to be laid to rest today in an environment he was comfortable and happy in — the ocean. He was a fisherman at heart — even after he retired from that profession.

We’re at the confluence of two of the year’s most beloved seasons, and both involve giving. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and are entering the Advent season which anticipates Christmas, the holiday that recognizes the birth of Jesus Christ — God’s Gift to humankind. The exchange or grantin…

We are a people of lists. Some can’t go through the day without a string of pertinent “to-do’s” to guide them.

Long before Kodiak had the B&B Bar on Shelikof Avenue, there was B&B Fisheries, a processing plant owned by partners Bix Bonney and his uncle, Ed Bonney. Bix died recently at the Providence Kodiak Medical Center Elder House after a long struggle with dementia.

Every youngster needs a mentor who helps uncover hidden talents and interests, and ignites a passion for a particular profession or cause.

Recently I attended the memorial potluck gathering for Wendy Beck and her husband, Harvey Goodall, at the Buskin Beach House. I didn’t know this couple well, but I knew enough about them to be thankful that they were a part of this community.

Gary Morton, Alaska regional director for Christians United For Israel, invited local pastors to join him and his organization in making a trip to the Holy Land next fall, and standing with the nation of Israel “against the darkness of antisemitism” and fulfilling the biblical mandate to “pr…

Because of its status as habitat for Kodiak bears, our island is a popular destination for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. Many say that their greatest desire is to see the world-famous bear, and almost as many add the disclaimer “at a safe distance, of course.”

In our society, young people are encouraged to follow their dreams, which could lead to a stage, a sound booth, a football field or a congressional hall. Rarely is that encouragement coupled with a directive to serve humanity.

Tuesday was election day for city and borough candidates. But the topic of discussion amongst voters at the poll where I voted wasn’t politics or municipal issues. Instead people reflected on the life of Bobby Reynolds, who had died recently.

This past weekend was a busy one for Kodiak residents. They gathered to mourn, grieve, celebrate life, congratulate newlyweds, proclaim birthday wishes and acknowledge the close of another salmon season.

Nenita (Nita) Doctolero Agmata is an exemplary postal worker. She is always very helpful, has a cheerful countenance and often asks how the customers and their families are doing. 

Campers at the Kodiak Baptist Mission’s recent bushcraft weekend on Woody Island discovered that you can start a fire in pouring rain. Fire-starters used flint to get the flames going.

The summer is nearly behind us, and now we look forward to chilly autumn nights, the first snowfall, ice on the windshields, and long periods of cold darkness. 

Lots of Kodiak people have had to take cabs. Maybe they don’t own an automobile or theirs is on the fritz and the taxi is the only way to get to their destination. Or maybe they’ve had too much to drink and don’t want to run the risk of a DUI.

It feels like fall in Alaska. Winter is not far behind.

There have been numerous reports of bears wandering the neighborhoods and parks of Kodiak. Bears were also a concern at Dig Afognak, a culture camp at Qattani Bay on Afognak Island.

Beginning Sunday, Orthodox faithful in Alaska will be celebrating the 52nd anniversary of the canonization of St. Herman of Alaska, who left his home in Russia to be part of the team that evangelized Kodiak Island and other parts of Alaska in the late 1700s.

In addition to the many Facebook tributes and articles honoring the late Margaret Roberts, I must give my own tribute.

While we spend precious summer days in Anchorage away from our Kodiak Island home, we enjoy any reminder of what we’ve been missing these past weeks. Once in awhile I’ll run into someone at the store or the Hickel House where we’re staying, who either used to live in Kodiak or who currently …

Recently we said goodbye to two people who were known for their generosity and kindness. Ruth Dawson and Richard Niblock also shared a heritage from Afognak Island. Richard’s mother, Marla Larsen Niblock and Ruth’s mother, Nina Lukin Olsen, both grew up in the village of Afognak.

We’re coming out of a very patriotic week. Many in Alaska celebrated Independence Day with robust enthusiasm. Not surprising. According to a Fox News poll, Alaska is one of the most patriotic states in the nation.

Recently, Kodiak bade farewell to Ruth Dawson, a lady who loved sponsoring Easter egg hunts near her home on Lightfoot Street. Even though Ruth was gravely ill, she made sure that the hunt went on this spring.

For those who are absent from their homes for a long period of time, local people and their stories can be like landmarks that point to the place where they belong.

In 1971, U.S. president Richard Nixon signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act into law. The Act conveyed 45.5 million acres of Alaska ancestral land to village and regional Native corporations, including Koniag Inc., which includes shareholders of the Kodiak archipelago.

This past month has been a time of remembering the heroic fallen. It started with the Crab Festival Fishermen’s Memorial service on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day. Names of departed fishermen and processing plant managers and workers were read at the tolling of a bell.

Ambika Srivastava is quite fond of two local organizations. One is the Kodiak Indian organization, which she helped form, and the other is the local chapter of the Rotary Club. She serves as president of the noon rotary. The other branch meets early in the morning.