Unalaska's community health center is preparing to start construction on an expansion that could help secure emergency care funding.

The National Marine Fisheries Service developed the regulations after a 2021 recommendation by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council to limit bycatch from the groundfish fleet. Proponents say the limits protect halibut populations from the trawl group, which accounts for more than half of the halibut bycatch in the area. Groundfish Forum, which represents a group of large trawl catcher-processors, said this puts an unfair burden on their sector, while other fisheries in the region aren’t facing the same constraints. They also said the proposed cap is unrealistic because it’s too strict to implement, which they claim violates conservation laws.

The real estate wing of the Aleut Corp. recently launched a brokerage firm aimed at building economic opportunity and support for Alaska Native communities. Tayal Brokerage, which comes from the Unangam Tunuu word meaning “to buy,” went live in mid-October.

For decades, King Cove’s roughly 800 residents have called for a road they say could save lives in emergencies. Neither city has a hospital, so residents rely on medical evacuations to reach Anchorage for urgent medical care. The Biden administration last week endorsed the proposal, recommending a land exchange with King Cove’s Native corporation so the road can be built. But that road would go through a federally protected wilderness area. While residents argue it’s a matter of life and death, environmental advocates say the road could threaten vital wildlife habitat — and set a dangerous precedent.

The Unalaska High School Raiders played their final conference volleyball games last weekend and will go into their regional tournament as a top contender.

Marii Swetzof, daughter of the Aleut Corp.’s first president Mike Swetzof, has been elected to fill a vacancy on the corporation’s board.

Adyson Scott, a sophomore at Unalaska City High School, capped off her record-breaking season on Friday with 12th-place finish at the state swimming championships. She swam a personal best of 1:12.6 in the 100-yard breaststroke, a new school record.

Unalaska City School District high schoolers got to see the democratic process firsthand during a field trip on Election Day, Nov. 5. About a dozen students got a tour of the island’s only polling place at City Hall from Estkarlen Magdaong, the city clerk.

Silver Bay Seafoods will acquire processing plants in Dillingham and Port Moller, along with fishery support sites in Dillingham and North Naknek. Silver Bay announced the acquisition from Rodger May, the former co-owner of Peter Pan Seafoods, in a press release Wednesday. The Dillingham and Port Moller plants are Silver Bay’s fourth and fifth plant acquisitions this year. It also took over Peter Pan’s plant in Valdez last spring, and Trident Seafoods plants in Ketchikan and False Pass.

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is going through major leadership changes. CEO Chris Price and Tribal Council President Nick Tutiakoff both stepped down late last month. Board member Katherine McGlashan took the helm as council president Oct. 30.