diff --git a/src/components/alerts/alert.css b/src/components/alerts/alert.css
index 181023d183f61caccf59fdccc36c6a507e3af757..250c79d2a9f77fd6f0872244dc25b2dc3eefbb15 100644
--- a/src/components/alerts/alert.css
+++ b/src/components/alerts/alert.css
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 .alert-icon {
     vertical-align: middle;
+    margin-right: 5px;
 }
 
 .alert-message {
diff --git a/src/components/alerts/alerts.jsx b/src/components/alerts/alerts.jsx
index 67bebacfb5aefd127f9c80d8d33edf0c8099ba45..33ff774e316b5b0a4a07a6fcbe77ddbd5dbf462e 100644
--- a/src/components/alerts/alerts.jsx
+++ b/src/components/alerts/alerts.jsx
@@ -22,10 +22,13 @@ const Alerts = ({
                 key={index}
             >
                 <div className={styles.alertMessage}>
-                    <img
-                        className={styles.alertIcon}
-                        src={a.iconURL}
-                    /> {a.message} {a.name} {'.'}
+                    {a.iconURL ? (
+                        <img
+                            className={styles.alertIcon}
+                            src={a.iconURL}
+                        />
+                    ) : null}
+                    {a.message}
                 </div>
                 <Button
                     className={styles.alertRemoveButton}
diff --git a/src/containers/alerts.jsx b/src/containers/alerts.jsx
index 21251555b09592a04f25472effca5528e12b17c0..9e9bc06f0de674620a0e2e611371cb834a77b94c 100644
--- a/src/containers/alerts.jsx
+++ b/src/containers/alerts.jsx
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import {connect} from 'react-redux';
 
 import {
-    showAlert,
     closeAlert
 } from '../reducers/alerts';
 
@@ -38,12 +37,10 @@ Alerts.propTypes = {
 };
 
 const mapStateToProps = state => ({
-    visible: state.scratchGui.alerts.visible,
     alertsList: state.scratchGui.alerts.alertsList
 });
 
 const mapDispatchToProps = dispatch => ({
-    onShowAlert: () => dispatch(showAlert()),
     onCloseAlert: index => dispatch(closeAlert(index))
 });
 
diff --git a/src/reducers/alerts.js b/src/reducers/alerts.js
index e91178477091aae55f197cedfe16ac4ba5d21d2d..3acb7097fc33d6042b0a2f1b986d51c280502ad9 100644
--- a/src/reducers/alerts.js
+++ b/src/reducers/alerts.js
@@ -14,16 +14,18 @@ const reducer = function (state, action) {
     case SHOW_ALERT: {
         const newList = state.alertsList.slice();
         const newAlert = {message: action.data.message};
-        if (action.data.extensionId) { // if it's an extension
-            const extension = extensionData.find(ext => ext.extensionId === action.data.extensionId);
+        const extensionId = action.data.extensionId;
+        if (extensionId) { // if it's an extension
+            const extension = extensionData.find(ext => ext.extensionId === extensionId);
             if (extension && extension.name) {
-                newAlert.name = extension.name;
+                // TODO: is this the right place to assemble this message?
+                newAlert.message = `${newAlert.message} ${extension.name}.`;
             }
             if (extension && extension.smallPeripheralImage) {
                 newAlert.iconURL = extension.smallPeripheralImage;
             }
         }
-        // TODO: add cases for other kinds of alerts?
+        // TODO: add cases for other kinds of alerts here?
         newList.push(newAlert);
         return Object.assign({}, state, {
             alertsList: newList