Emily Russell, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Emily Russell is the voice of Alaska morning news as Alaska Public Media’s Morning News Host and Producer.
Originally from the Adirondacks in upstate New York, Emily moved to Alaska in 2012. She skied her way through three winters in Fairbanks, earning her Master’s degree in Northern Studies from UAF.
Emily’s career in radio started in Nome in 2015, reporting for KNOM on everything from subsistence whale harvests to housing shortages in Native villages. She then worked for KCAW in Sitka, finally seeing what all the fuss with Southeast, Alaska was all about.
Back on the road system, Emily is looking forward to driving her Subaru around the region to hike, hunt, fish and pick as many berries as possible. When she’s not talking into the mic in the morning, Emily can be found reporting from the peaks above Anchorage to the rivers around Southcentral.
VPO accused of raping teen previously celebrated at AFN
A substitute village police officer from the dry village of Selawik is in jail in Nome awaiting trial. Brent Norton is charged with supplying alcohol to a minor and raping her while she was unconscious. The 16-year-old girl was found dead hours later.
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Grounded Russian oil tanker leaks into North Pacific
A Russian tanker carrying 200,000 gallons of oil ran aground off an island in the North Pacific over the weekend. As it continues to leak, it resurrects a debate on how safety can be improved in a region where a major wildlife corridor overlaps with a busy shipping through-point.
Amid state economic woes, Nome focuses on port’s future
Alaska’s harsh environment is often used to explain its resilient population. But more recently it’s been the economy that’s tested the toughness of its people. Royal Dutch Shell pulled out of its multi-year and multi-billion dollar plan to drill in the Chukchi, taking with it business from the Norwegian oil company Statoil, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers put its plan for a deep draft Arctic port on hold.
Nome officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Amidst the season’s second blizzard that left schools and businesses closed, Nome’s city council hunkered down for their monthly meeting on Monday. And it’s a good thing they didn’t give into the weather and cancel, because on the agenda was a resolution to formerly change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Rock Creek Mine equipment to be sold, shipped south
It’s been a long and unproductive road for the Rock Creek Mine, but now that its being stripped and sold for profit, money will finally flow into the pockets of its current owner, Bering Straits Native Corporation.
Gold dreams scrapped at Nome’s defunct mine
It’s been a long and unproductive road for the Rock Creek Mine, but now that its being liquidated, money will finally flow into the pockets of its current owner, Bering Straits Native Corporation.
Port of Nome hires McDowell Group for port expansion research
Updating and streamlining the strategic plan for Nome’s port expansion was the theme of the hour-long work session that preceded last week’s Port Commission meeting.
Unofficial results reveal Richard Beneville as Nome’s new mayor
With the polls closed and preliminary results in, it looks like Nome will be saying “Hello Central” to a new mayor. With 352 votes for Richard Beneville and 229 for Denise Michels, Beneville will replace Michels, who has held the job since 2003.
As ice melts, Arctic opens for cruise ships
As sea ice melts and temperatures rise, the Arctic is seeing an increase in vessel traffic, but it’s not just icebreakers and research vessels making the journey up north. Cruise ships, mainly European ones, are also taking advantage of the region’s more navigable waters.
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Questions raised about Nome hosting patrol vessels
ABOARD THE USCGC MUNRO - Throughout the summer, Nome’s horizon is dotted with oil tankers, cargo vessels, and foreign icebreakers —anchoring off-shore to avoid the port’s shallow depth. A recent stopover by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro raised questions about the Nome’s inability to host patrol vessels that help ensure the nation’s security in the Arctic.
In unnerving trend, 35,000 walrus haul out at Point Lay
In what’s becoming an increasingly common sight, tens of thousands of walrus have hauled out on the coast of the Chukchi Sea near the Native Village of Point Lay.
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News of Obama Initiative on Village Relocation Pops in Nome
Word is out already on one initiative President Obama is likely to announce while he's in state -- a plan to put the Denali Commission in charge of a project on village relocation.
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VA Sec. Visits Point Hope, Kotzebue; Bush Vets Share The Woes of Accessing Remote Care
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert McDonald, traveled to Point Hope and Kotzebue to address their concerns. Remote access to care and information are among the most common problem facing veterans in Alaska.
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Visa-free travel to Russia reinstated for eligible Alaska Natives
The Bering Straits Regional Commission says travel restrictions for Alaska Natives to Chukotka have been lifted—leaving many with relatives on the Russian side of the strait feeling relieved.
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Visa-Free Travel to Russia Reinstated for Eligible Alaska Natives
The Bering Straits Regional Commission says travel restrictions for Alaska Natives to Chukotka have been lifted—leaving many with relatives on the Russian side of the strait feeling relieved, tired of being used as pawns in international disputes.
Port commission discusses Nome’s role in the future of Arctic shipping
Nome’s role in the future of Arctic shipping was the main topic of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Nome Port Commission. With the summer shipping season in full swing, harbormaster Lucas Stotts said the port had a busy July, emphasizing that, “both docks are completely jam-packed full until August 2.”
Chum Salmon Flood Western Alaska Waters as Buyers Struggle to Keep Up
Western Alaska is in midst of one of the best salmon runs in decades, and that means both subsistence and commercial fishermen in waters around Norton Sound and Kotzebue are catching record numbers of chum.
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