Joaqlin Estus, KNBA - Anchorage
Joaqlin Estus is a reporter at KNBA in Anchorage.
Presbyterian Leaders Issue Apology To Gambell Residents
Last week, national and regional Presbyterian leaders traveled to the village of Gambell for a two-day reconciliation ceremony on St. Lawrence Island, which is located about 165 miles northwest of Nome in the Bering Sea.
Conservation Professor Says Bear Spray More Effective Than Guns
A wildlife conservation professor says guns don’t deter bear attacks as well as bear spray.
Tlingit Master Artist Mabel Pike Passes Away
Tlingit Master Artist and Elder Mabel Pike has passed away. Pike was born in Douglas and spent her early years in Juneau. She and her husband Joe lived in Tanana and Bethel in the 1960s before moving to Anchorage, where she soon became active in Native community activities. Her son Jan See says she’s perhaps best known for her beadwork and as a teacher.
Lack of Rural Veterinary Care Addressed In Legislature
The lack of veterinary care in rural Alaska is a public health issue, but the solution isn’t to lower standards for veterinarians. That was the message the House Labor and Commerce committee heard earlier this week on House Bill 251.
Birth Defect Rate Lowering In Alaska
January is National Birth Defect Prevention month. For Alaskans, the good news is that the rate of birth defects is going down. The bad news is that in 2008, Alaska’s rate of birth defects was twice the rate for all Americans. And the rate of birth defects among Alaska Native infants is even higher.
Committees Begin Overview Of Budgets
House and Senate Finance Committees have begun their overviews of the budgets Governor Parnell introduced last month.
Subsistence Board To Review Rural, Non-Rural Status Decision Process
The Federal Subsistence Board last week voted to review the process for deciding a community’s rural or non-rural status, which determines eligibility for subsistence priority on federal lands.
Storms Knock Out Power For 38 Northern Alaska Homes
Storms have knocked out power in a few northern communities. 22 homes are without power in Nuiqsut, and 16 in Atqasuk. Emergency responders have opened a shelter in Atqasuk.
Newtok Prepares to Move Residents to New Site
In 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted that in 10-15 years, the village of Newtok would be lost to erosion. Villagers were concerned about erosion as early as the 1980s and started the process of relocating despite a projected cost of $80-125 million.
Alaska Natives Voice Concern Over National Tribal Consultation Policy
A 2000 executive order directs federal agencies to consult with tribes on actions affecting them, and in 2009, President Obama directed federal agencies to work out how to carry that out.
1,500 Alaska Natives Attending BIA Providers Conference
About 1,500 representatives of Alaska's 229 federally recognized Native tribes are attending the Bureau of Indian Affairs Providers Conference in Anchorage.
Court Rules in Favor of Tribes in Child Support Case
A Superior Court judge in Juneau ruled in favor of Southeast tribes last week in a case over whether the state has to honor tribal court orders on child support.
Murkowski Holds Suicide Prevention Hearing
At the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage Saturday afternoon, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski held a hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on suicide prevention.
Over 1,000 Attending Elders and Youth Conference
More than 1,000 people are attending the Elders and Youth conference that started Monday at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
Poll Finds Support for Mid Level Dental Providers
A concept based on an Alaskan program to make dental care more accessible is gaining support across the nation.
Diabetes Program Shows Success
Diabetes is epidemic among Native Americans and rates have continued to increase since the 1960s. At the National Indian Health Board annual conference in Anchorage last week, participants discussed ways to convince Congress to keep the Special Diabetes Program for Indians going, in an era of tight federal budgets.
Accountability Office Says IHS Program Flawed
Most facilities funded by the Indian Health Service can’t afford to have specialists on staff in areas such as heart disease or intensive care for newborns.
National Indian Health Board Convention Underway
The National Indian Health Board convention is underway in Anchorage and many of the workshops will focus on funding issues.
Probe of Arctic Slope Native Corporation 8a Contract Requested by McCaskill
U.S. Senator Clare McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat and Chair of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, has asked the NASA inspector general to investigate a contract between NASA and an Arctic Slope Regional Corporation subsidiary.