Ben Matheson, KNOM - Nome
Ben Matheson is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Longtime Pen Pals Meet in Eek
After eight years of exchanging letters from their homes in rural Alaska and Vermont, two pen pals met each other face to face this month in Eek.
State Seeks to Build Decentralized Water and Sewer
Six-thousand homes in Alaska are not connected to a central water and sewer system - and the state may want to keep it that way. The Department of Environmental Conservation has spent decades working with communities to build water and sewer system.
Tuntutuliak Man Dies of Huffing Propane
A Tuntutuliak man had died from huffing propane. Alaska State Troopers responded Sunday morning to reports of a death in the community.
Kwethluk Turns On Water, Sewer Service
In 1995, Governor Tony Knowles set a goal to put the honey bucket in the museum within a decade. That exhibit is one step closer to reality in Kwethluk, a community of 700 located 15 miles upriver of Bethel. Residents are starting receive water and sewer service in their homes.
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Salvage Crews Move Sunken Tender Lone Star
The salmon tender Lone Star is still submerged in at the mouth of the Igushik river near Dillingham, but salvage crews have successfully moved it. The Coast Guard says that Resolve-Magone crews on Monday pulled the vessel 200 feet to the east shore of the river.
Five Arrested in Undercover Drug Sting
Five people are facing felony drug charges after being arrested Tuesday. Unalaska police say they’ve been conducting an undercover investigation for the past four months, which allegedly revealed sales of black tar heroin and crystal meth in town.
Solo Rower Reaches Adak
The British woman attempting a solo crossing of the North Pacific arrived today in Adak. 28-year-old Sarah Outen left Japan this April in a one-person partially enclosed boat. This afternoon she was being towed by a small boat around the island, into Adak’s Harbor. She saw a person face to face today for the first time in 150 days.
Hundreds Of Aftershocks Rock Aleutian Chain
Hundreds of aftershocks are rattling the Aleutian Chain following a 7.0 earthquake near Adak on Friday. Residents are ready for life to go back to normal – but it could be months before the quakes subside.
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AK: Fishing
This week on AK: We go fishing. A group of four female soldiers spent a weekend last month on the Naknek river. The weather was gorgeous, the fish were biting, and the company was unmatched at the Project Healing Waters retreat. Through the program, the fishing community and veterans organizations hope to help injured veterans in their long recovery. KDLG’s Ben Matheson takes us out on the water.
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FedEx Plane Makes Emergency Landing At King Salmon Airport
A Fedex plane made an emergency landing at the King Salmon Airport today. The plane landed safely shortly before 1 o’clock this afternoon. The airport heard a call from a Fed Ex MD- 11 needing to land at the nearest available airport.
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Researchers Study Micro-Nutrients Of Aquatic Ecosystems
A researcher in Bristol Bay is working to better understand the micro-nutrients that are essential for aquatic ecosystems. Salmon are well known to be a big source of the nutrients, but scientists are learning that a slightly less delicious organism plays a huge role in the health of salmon-producing streams and lakes.
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Crews Battle New Wildfires in Southwest Region
It's hoped that a change in the weather will calm down wildfires that have flared up in Southwestern Alaska. Two fires were ignited by lightning in the Nushagak drainage, west of Koliganek; and, for the second time this summer, a fire this summer is threatening Lime Village.
AVO Looks To Improve Ash Forecasting With Online Tool
All of Alaska’s currently active volcanoes are hundreds of miles from the scientists responsible for warning us of potentially hazardous activity or the likelihood of ash clouds that disrupt air traffic. Satellite imagery and seismic sensors give researchers a look into what’s going on, but they depend heavily on citizen scientists for eyes and ears on the ground. The Alaska Volcano Observatory aims to improve the quality of ash forecasts through a new online tool.
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Northern Leader Heading To Bering Sea
One of the world’s biggest and most environmentally friendly cod long liners has begun its journey to Alaska. The 184-foot Northern Leader has left the shipyard, and after two weeks of work in Seattle, it should be fishing for cod in the Bering Sea in about a month.
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Volcano Screams Just Before Eruption
Volcano eruptions are pretty violent. Lava explodes into the air, ash plumes drop particles on nearby towns, and as a new analysis from Mount Redoubt’s 2009 eruptions shows, volcanoes can also scream right before they erupt.
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Kokhanok Man Indicted on Charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor
A Kokhanok man has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting an underage male family member. Following his arrest Tuesday, Edwin Zackar is now in custody in Anchorage on $30,000 bail.
NPS Finalizes Land Acquisition Plan For Lake Clark National Park
The National Park Service is finalizing its strategy for future land acquisitions in and around Lake Clark National Park. The park’s first final Land Protection Plan should be finished in July.
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Two Remote Volcano Sensors Resume Sending Seismic Data
Scientists are now able to monitor two remote volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula after equipment came back to life this spring.
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Pavlof Ash Continues To Ground Many Southwest Alaska Flights
Pavlof volcano continues to ground flights in Southwest Alaska. Pen Air put 6 flights on hold Tuesday due to an ash and steam cloud extending up to 20,000 feet.
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Parnell Signs Bill Creating Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council
Over the week-end in Dillingham, Governor Parnell used the occasion of the Rural Providers' Conference to sign Senator Donny Olson’s bill to create the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council.