Angela Denning, CoastAlaska
YKHC Lays Off Workers, Cuts Programs
Sequestration federal funding cuts are across the board unless an exemption is made by Congress. The Indian Health Service has not been exempted and non-profit corporations all over the state, like the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation based in Bethel, are feeling the hit.
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Two Dead, One Missing Near Alakanuk
Alaska State Troopers are investigating what appears to be at least two deaths from a boating incident near Alakanuk.
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Bethel Group Wants Board Of Fish To Take A Closer Look At Kuskokwim Kings
The Alaska Board of Fish has a work session planned for October 9-11 in Girdwood. And although it’s not on the agenda to talk about Kuskokwim Chinook salmon, that’s just what several local groups want the board to do.
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Man Charged With Shooting, Killing 2-Year-Old Son
Saturday State Troopers arrested a man in Tununak and charged him with shooting and killing his two-year-old son.
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Man Arrested For Heroin Possession In Bethel
Bethel police arrested a man for possessing what they believe to be heroin. On August 29, police arrested 30-year-old Travis Longbotham of Nikiski. He was staying at the Long House Inn Hotel when employees noticed the smell of drugs coming from his room and called police.
Alakanuk Gets $2.2 Million For Road Development
The Village of Alakanuk is getting a $2.2 million grant to pave almost three miles of dirt roads. The money is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation and will pay for part of the road project. The total amount is estimated to cost around $5.2 million.
Bethel Hosts National Celebrities
Bethel was a hotspot for celebrities last week. A handful showed up at Bethel Regional High School.
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King Salmon Fail to Reach Spawning Grounds
Kuskokwim Chinook salmon—or Kings as they are known locally--did not make it to the spawning grounds this year as managers had expected. Counting projects are showing the lowest escapements in history for nearly all of the river’s tributaries. Managers and residents are trying to make a plan for next year.
Bethel’s Oldest Catholic Church Burns
The original Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bethel was totaled by a fire early Sunday morning. The structure still remains but the inside is blackened. The emergency call came into the police and fire departments at about 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 25. The caller said the outside of the building was burning.
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Mike Williams Sr. To Help Lead Suicide Prevention Summit
Tribal leaders from around the state will be gathering in Anchorage this week to address the suicide epidemic. It’s sponsored by the Alaska Tribal Leaders and is their 13th annual summit meeting. All 229 tribes in Alaska are invited.
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Bethel Tundra Tram Project Is Complete
Heading west from Bethel towards the Bering Sea the lakes get bigger and there are more of them. From the air, it’s a patchwork of water and land. In the winter time they become frozen into one making cross country travel by snow machine relatively easy. But the rest of the year, traveling by tundra is not. And that’s where the tundra tram comes into play.
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Peltola To Run Federal Subsistence Program
Gene Peltola Jr., also known as Buzzy, has resigned from running the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge based in Bethel. He has taken a promotion and is moving to Anchorage to become the Assistant Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He will head the subsistence program at the Office of Subsistence Management.
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Alaska Delegation Asks For Consensus Among CDQ Groups
Coastal Villages Region Fund, the state’s largest Community Development Quota group, has been asking for more fish for their fishermen. It would require Congress amending the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. In response, Alaska’s congressional delegation says before pursuing changes to fishing allocations they would need a consensus.
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Bethel Gas Fire Injures Three
A fire injured three people in Bethel Sunday afternoon when the gas tank they were filling in their boat exploded. The boat was on a trailer at the North Star Gas station near Brown Slough Bridge. Bethel police, fire fighters, and medics responded to the emergency call which came in around 3 p.m.
Fishery Disaster Funds Included In Early Appropriations Bill
Relief funds for last summer’s King salmon fisheries disasters on the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers has taken one step closer to reaching fishermen in the region.
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More Charges Surface In Bethel Child Abuse Case
Peter Tony, a 69-year-old Bethel resident, and former foster parent, is facing more charges of sexually abusing minors.
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State Files Cross-Appeal In Fishermen Trial
The State of Alaska has submitted a cross appeal in the Kuskokwim fishermen trials. About two dozen fishermen were convicted in Bethel court in May for taking King salmon last summer when restrictions were in place. Fifteen fishermen are appealing that decision.
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Peter Tony’s Stepdaughter Speaks Out About Abuse
Peter Tony, age 69, is in jail in Bethel awaiting court proceedings for multiple charges of child sexual abuse. Meanwhile, his case keeps growing. It’s evolving from two sides: the past and the present; a 48-year-old alleged victim and a four-year-old alleged victim. Kimberley Bruesch is Peter Tony’s step daughter who says he abused her when she was 8. She says her abuse lasted for about a year but the aftermath went on for decades.
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Kuskokwim River Gear Restrictions To Start Friday
The main stem of the Kuskokwim River has gone without restrictions for salmon fishing this season. At least, up until now. Restrictions will go into affect this Friday in the form of 6-inch gear limitations.
Former Bethel Foster Parent, Daycare Provider Arrested On Sex Abuse Charges
A former foster parent and daycare provider in Bethel has been arrested for charges that he sexually abused a 4-year-old. Bethel police arrested 69-year-old Peter Tony June 13 after investigating him for six months. They say he could have many more victims going back to the 1970s.
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