Greg Kim, KYUK - Bethel
Toksook Bay receives federal grant to connect all 4 Nelson Island communities
The idea is that the Nelson Island trail system would span over 50 miles, linking all four villages on the island: Tununak, Toksook Bay, Nightmute, and the newly-constructed Mertarvik. It would also connects those communities to Umkumiute, a traditional fishing location.
Trucks are traveling by river from Bethel to Napaskiak, but some dangers remain
There are cars and small trucks traveling on the frozen Kuskokwim River around Bethel, but don’t call it an ice road yet.
All safe after plane catches fire and burns on the ground in Bethel
A Yute Commuter Service airplane caught fire over the weekend at the Bethel airport. The pilot and passengers are uninjured, according to the airline, but the plane and the luggage on board went up in flames.
Kuskokwim River working group tackles trawler salmon bycatch
It is still a mystery to state biologists why king and chum salmon numbers are decreasing in Western Alaska. But ask any local fishermen on the Kuskokwim, and they’ll likely tell you commercial fishing trawlers in the Bering Sea are the problem.
Troopers: Russian Mission shooting suspect went on another rampage after evading authorities for months
A suspect in a shooting in Russian Mission had been on the loose for months when state troopers say he went on another rampage last week, allegedly assaulting, threatening and attempting to rob members of the community. Alaska State Troopers finally arrested him five days later.
After years of waiting, Akiak turns on high-speed internet
It’s the first community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to bring broadband to all its residents.
Alaska Logistics is leaving two barges to freeze in the Kuskokwim River
A company is once again leaving its barges in the frozen Kuskokwim River over the winter. Two years ago, Alaska Logistics abandoned a gravel barge near Aniak during freeze up and retrieved it after breakup in the spring. The company is preparing to do the same with two more barges this year.
A Western Alaska village is finally getting high-speed internet, thanks to the pandemic
Many people moved their lives online because of the pandemic, but that wasn’t always possible in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
A digital revolution arrives in rural Alaska, thanks to the pandemic
Rural Alaska communities have largely been left behind in the digital revolution -- until now. Akiak will be the first community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to bring high-speed broadband internet to all its residents later this month on November 15.
There’s a shortage of troopers in Western Alaska and it comes with serious consequences, study says
“At least one of the sergeants told us that some types of crime were just not being investigated due to lack of staffing. So, for example, alcohol- and drug-related crimes, and some property crimes," said one of the study's authors. "They also talked about delayed response times, or sometimes no response at all to requests for service."
A Western Alaska village is installing wind turbines that will power half the community
By turning to wind energy, Kwethluk will burn 50% less diesel and reduce residents’ electric bills by up to half.
Toyostoves are scarce this year. That’s bad news for keeping homes in rural Alaska warm.
Step into any home in rural Alaska and there’s a good chance that a Toyostove is what’s keeping it warm. Toyostoves are heaters that run efficiently on stove oil. But the supply of Toyostoves in Alaska is running low, and it’s yet another symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2 men rescued after their boat overturns in Southwest Alaska
“I had to make a quick decision to go get them before the storm hit,” said Kongiganak Search and Rescue member Roderick Phillip. “I don't know if they would have survived a second storm.”
Canadian company explores potential gold mine near Donlin
The mine project is called “Flat Gold.” It consists of 92,000 acres of land located in Flat, between Holy Cross and McGrath, 25 miles north of the Donlin Gold project.
Faced with dozens of open jobs, Lower Kuskokwim schools look outside the U.S. for teachers
This year was the first time the Lower Kuskokwim School District recruited and hired teachers from outside of the United States. It had dozens of open jobs in the months leading up to the school year, and the pandemic made a tough hiring market even more difficult.
Storms, high winds projected to be more frequent in Western Alaska
A University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist said that the reason why Western Alaska is getting windier is that it will soon inherit the Aleutian Islands’ storms. In today’s climate, the Aleutian islands are the windiest area in Alaska.
Lower Kuskokwim School District requiring indoor sports spectators to be vaccinated
The school district is requiring that everyone attending indoor sports events be vaccinated and masked at all times. Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination at the door.
How COVID-19 is slowing down the relocation of a Southwest Alaska village
With Newtok continuing to erode at alarming rates, the urgency to move grows by the day. But construction in Mertarvik, the new village that will replace the eroding one, has been slow the past two summers, and COVID-19 is a big reason why.
Bethel suspends criminal jury trials due to rise in COVID-19 cases
Criminal jury trials in Bethel are suspended for two weeks in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the region.
Searchers look for unknown plane that sent distress signal near St. Mary’s
State troopers are looking for an aircraft that emitted a distress signal near St. Mary’s over the weekend. On Sunday night, troopers received a signal from an emergency locator transmitter activated about 40 miles northwest of St. Mary’s.