Greg Kim, KYUK - Bethel

Greg Kim, KYUK - Bethel
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A TERRA network radio tower. (Photo via GCI)

Two projects compete to bring high-speed broadband internet to Bethel

Fiber vs. Satellites: There are two plans to bring high-speed, broadband internet to Bethel, but they’re competing against each other for the same funding.

Alaska school district will pay $3.8M to settle with victims of a predatory Bethel principal

KYUK’s Greg Kim spoke with Anchorage Daily News reporter Kyle Hopkins who published a story on the Lower Kuskokwim School District's settlement.
Two children walk through puddles on a muddy, empty street.

Bethel records wettest July in more than 90 years

Some people in Bethel have called this the dreariest, wettest summer of their lives, and they're right. Last month was the wettest July in Bethel in over 90 years.
A red building on top of an eroding river bank

Napakiak sets up temporary classrooms as river expected to reach school

There's concerns Napakiak's school could be partially underwater before the district has the money for a new building.
An Alaska Native man stands on the beach with bots seen behind him.

Akiak to become first in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta with high-speed broadband internet

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is the second largest region in the United States without access to broadband internet, but not for much longer.
A blue building with a ramp leading to the front entrance

Former Bethel elementary school principal gets 25-year state sentence

The judge imposed what he called a severe sentence because the former principal had abused the trust he cultivated in his victims and the community.
Three students in front of yellow lockers

Health authority recommends masking most Y-K community schools

Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is recommending that students and staff practice universal masking if less than 70% of the entire community is fully vaccinated or if there are any active local cases of COVID-19.
A dark red suc with a taxi sign on it parked in an icy road

Recent shooting of Korean cab driver in Bethel leaves community reeling

Myoung Keun Lee was shot in the face on July 5 and survived the attack. It's the third violent attack on Korean cab drivers in Bethel since 2006.
A woman smiles into a camera for a selfie in front of some snowy mountains

Here’s how a Bethel woman survived 2 nights on a mountainside after being charged by bears near Palmer

After getting lost on the trail, she said that she was charged by multiple bears and survived by eating last year’s cranberries.
A small airport next to a river as seen from above

Passengers safe after 18-year-old takes control of plane in Southwest Alaska

An Alaska State Troopers report says that Bethel resident and flight passenger Jaden Lake-Kameroff entered the cockpit of a Cessna Caravan on a flight from Bethel to Aniak. The 18-year-old took control of the yoke, causing the plane to nosedive.
A boat with two people in it

With fisherman caught in middle, state and feds promise more cooperation on fishing regulations

Six local fishermen called in to the state’s Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group meeting on June 30 to express frustration with the state opener.

With Power Cost Equalization program unfunded, electric bills could double in Y-K Delta

The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative delivers electricity to 58 communities in rural Alaska, 20 of which are in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. All of them rely on PCE.
A few buildings seen from above covered with water

Southwest Alaska community on Bering Sea coast experiences severe flooding

Kwigillingok, a community on the Bering Sea coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, is used to some flooding during high tides. But in recent years, that flooding has grown more severe, reaching a new threshold last week.
A persons arm is seen holding a salmon

State announces Kuskokwim fishing opening, but feds say it’s illegitimate

The state’s decision to announce an opener on June 28 goes against recommendations by the state’s own advisory group, which voted to oppose any openings announced by the state until the feds and a tribal commission review the king and chum salmon run on June 25.
A small town in a flat, marshy region

Hooper Bay has biggest COVID outbreak in Y-K Delta in months

The current outbreak began in May, and 63 individuals have tested positive since then.
A crane and backhoe put up a house in a green field

Soaring lumber prices worsen housing shortage in Y-K Delta

Lumber prices have been soaring across the country as demand for wood during the pandemic outstripped supply. In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, those high prices have been slowing down construction of new homes, exacerbating a severe shortage of housing in the region.
A man walks toward the camera on a gravel rod

Napakiak develops ‘first of its kind’ 50-year plan for erosion response

The Southwest Alaska village of Napakiak has created a comprehensive 50-year plan to navigate the complicated process of relocating its community, which some say is the first of its kind. This could provide a blueprint for other communities threatened by climate change.
A hawk in a nest on top of a telephone pole

Bethel birders demand answers after local utility destroys nest of federally protected hawk

Earlier this month, bird watchers in Bethel spotted some ospreys building a nest atop an electrical utility pole in Bethel. A few weeks later, the nest was gone. The utility company said that the nest was removed to prevent a bigger tragedy.
A woman stands in a winter jacket outside, holding a microphone.

Remembering Lillian Atmak Michael: Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s Yup’ik news announcer

Longtime KYUK colleague Lillian Atmak Michael died earlier this month at the age of 64. She died on the Russian Orthodox holiday Pascha, also known as Easter.
Steel boats on a grassy bank in a brown muddy river

Quinhagak child dead after being run over by tribal police officer, troopers say

A tribal police officer was leaving a home in a pickup truck when the officer drove over a young child who was near or under the front of the truck, according to a report from the Alaska State Troopers