Emily Schwing, KYUK - Bethel
Newtok shuts down its critical infrastructure
On Sunday, local tribal leadership decided to shut down the power and water plants in the tiny Bering Sea coastal community.
Memories, stories and family heirlooms make the final move from Newtok
The Newtok Village Council has decommissioned the village, deeming it too unsafe to live in.
‘All public services … decommissioned and shut down’: Newtok’s end is imminent
The last residents are moving to Mertarvik, as the local tribal government has deemed the village too unsafe to remain there this winter.
Alaska Bush Caucus assesses its impact ahead of upcoming session
All six members of the caucus took to the stage during this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta residents brace for fall storms after early floods and erosion
Last week’s fierce storms aren’t unprecedented, but longtime residents say they aren't all that normal either.
Yup’ik storyteller spins a good yarn with airraq
Matthew Nicolai uses a simple loop of string to create connections and tell traditional stories.
Visa programs draw foreign teachers to Alaska’s rural school districts
“I consider this already as my family, the community here, the kids here," said Filpino special education teacher Dale Ebcas in Upper Kalskag.
A utility room under Mertarvik’s public school is full of raw sewage
Excrement has been backing up into the building for months, but the tribal council that owns it had no idea how bad things were until recently.
2 Alaska health care providers sue feds over millions in unpaid costs
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium are seeking about $34 million in contract support costs.
As their public school deteriorates, Sleetmute residents worry their community isn’t far behind
"I feel like us upriver people are just being neglected," said Agnes Sanford, vice president of the Sleetmute Tribal Council.
Alaska’s recent cold snap tested critical infrastructure, including in Mertarvik
The entire community was without electricity for more than three days, as subzero temperatures sapped the local generator's batteries.
Chevak hardware store and corporation headquarters lost in fire
Residents who live in about a dozen homes were evacuated to the local school after the Monday blaze, which partially knocked out local power.
The 2024 Kuskokwim 300 is expected to be cold, but it certainly won’t be the coldest
Deep in the race archives, there’s a story about a race so cold it froze a half gallon of rum.
‘Inequitable and inefficient’: New report criticizes feds’ climate change response system
For the dozens of Alaska Native communities weighing relocation because of climate change, the path forward isn’t clear.
Sweeping FEMA changes aim to eliminate red tape, financial burdens for disaster survivors
The changes won’t apply to hundreds in Western Alaska who are still cleaning up from spring floods and Typhoon Merbok.
Peltola says she’ll dig in on salmon crisis during report to the Alaska Federation of Natives convention
The congresswoman tried to deliver a "business as usual" report but the crowd of hundreds delivered their own message of comfort and support.
More than two dozen resolutions pass at AFN with minimal debate or disagreement
Debate over previous years' resolutions, on issues including subsistence fishing and climate change, has been heated and contentious.
AFN attendees urge unity at convention as underlying tension simmers
With former members visibly absent, the Alaska Federation of Natives highlighted strategic planning and spoke with convention attendees.
Hooper Bay families displaced by Merbok could lose housing this month
Two of the three families who lost their homes and most of their possessions during Typhoon Merbok are still trying to find a permanent solution.
A year after Typhoon Merbok, some coastal Alaskans struggle to find subsistence foods
A massive storm in 2022 brought flood waters to this part of Alaska, and the tundra was inundated with salt water for days.