Evan Erickson, KYUK - Bethel
Safety concerns prompt sudden closure of Kuskokwim Ice Road
Warm weather has left maintainers of the melting ice road recommending against all vehicle travel on the Kuskokwim for now.
USDA awards contracts for nearly $150M in Alaska salmon and pollock products
While the purchases have been characterized by some as a bailout, supporters like the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute say otherwise.
With massive federal funding, Western Alaska fiber optic projects prepare for rollout
Multiple Alaska companies have partnered with tribal entities to secure federal broadband funds under the Biden-Harris administration.
Kuskokwim Ice Road crew fights weather to keep river traffic flowing
The crew has established and marked more than 200 miles of roads along frozen rivers, during warm weather and intermittent snow storms.
Tribal groups applaud Alaska Native appointments to federal fisheries advisory panel
The groups hailed the naming of three Alaska Native members to the panel tasked with advising the top regional federal fisheries council.
New Alaska alcohol laws leave some rural customers temporarily high and dry
Alaska's new alcohol laws require cargo carriers to be registered to transport alcohol. Only a few have completed the process as the new year begins.
Feds seek public input on potentially opening millions of acres of Alaska wilderness lands
The protected “D-1 lands” were set aside after the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. They have been off-limits to development ever since.
Yukon-Kuskokwim communities seek answers about poor-performing Vitus Energy heating fuel
Vitus Energy says it's sending fuel additives to Kuskokwim River residents whose heating fuel gelled at low temperatures late last month.
Federal fisheries managers hold Bering Sea pollock quota steady
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will keep the total allowable catch for pollock at its current level of 1.3 million metric tons.
Bethel SAR urges caution for all Kuskokwim River travel
Ice on the river is only eight to nine inches thick, according to Bethel Search and Rescue. Travelers riding vehicles should not stop on the river.
St. Olga of Kwethluk to become first-ever Yup’ik saint
Olga will also become the first female Orthodox saint in North America, in a glorification strongly backed by the late Archpriest Michael Oleksa.
Russian Orthodox Archpriest Michael Oleksa dies at 76
Oleksa, who came to Kwethluk in 1972, served as a priest in more than a dozen Alaska Native villages across the state over his five decades in Alaska.
Bethel SAR warns against Kuskokwim River travel after aerial survey
Bethel Search and Rescue's annual Nov. 18 survey found open water along the Kuskokwim, which is freezing faster near Bethel this year but still unsafe.
U.S. Senate committee visits Bethel to hear about salmon crisis
Sen. Lisa Murkowski will lead the hearing, set for 1 p.m. Friday at Bethel's Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. offices.
5 passengers sue Yute Commuter Service over 2022 plane crash near Bethel
The passengers say in their civil suit that they have suffered emotional damage, and they're asking for more than $100,000 each.
Amid Western Alaska salmon crisis, data-driven strategies could reduce chinook bycatch
Each year, thousands of chinook that would otherwise make their way to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are intercepted at sea as bycatch.
Federal manager for Yukon River highlights resiliency in the face of salmon crashes
Holly Carroll, who spent the summer as the face of federal salmon fishing restrictions on the Yukon River, says she values keeping communications open.
Starlink connections among latest round of tribal broadband funding for Alaska
Alaska has received more than $400 million under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, with more projects announced this month.
Federal officials get firsthand look at Kuskokwim River erosion during visit to Napakiak
Residents say the erosion has been accelerating, and the village’s water treatment plant is now just 53 feet from the river's edge.
State opens Kuskokwim River commercial fishing to 1 person
Commercial fishing openers are only available to individuals registered as catcher/sellers. On the Kuskokwim, the only one registered is Fran Reich.