Matthew Smith, KNOM - Nome

Just two weeks after the strongest earthquake in the region in more than 30 years, residents of Noatak and others near the far western edge of the Brooks Range felt another series of powerful quakes over the weekend. Download Audio

A series of earthquakes rattled Northwest Alaska about 40 miles northeast of Kotzebue on Friday morning. The tremors began with a strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake at 10:44 Friday morning. Download Audio

Statoil is inching closer to exploratory drilling in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, although the company says not before 2015.

The Brooks Range Council is a grassroots movement opposing Governor Sean Parnell’s plan to develop a road to the Ambler Mining District. The governor’s office has proposed nearly $29 million next year to advance his “Road to Resources” program, which includes $4 million for the planned road to Ambler. That money will be used for permitting and environmental work on the proposed roads, which the governor says will eventually allow access to resources near Umiat, Tanana and Ambler. The Ambler mining district is the proposed terminus of a 220-mile road from the Dalton Highway.

Senator Mark Begich was in Bethel Monday for a roundtable discussion with subsistence fishermen about the record low king runs on the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers. Representatives of state and federal fisheries managers were also in attendance. Begich says the state needs to do more for managing kings.

This year’s Chinook salmon run on the Yukon is poor, and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game is preparing subsistence closures to meet escapement goals. The closures begin today, but with so few fish in the river, it’s unknown how long subsistence fishermen will be unable to fish.

Two Alaska State Troopers were injured during a prolonged standoff with an armed man in Kotzebue who ultimately took his own life Sunday. The end of the incident came when officers approached the vehicle of Arvid Nelson Junior, 50 of Kotzebue, hours after the initial shooting, and found he had taken his own life.

Two Alaska State Troopers were shot during a prolonged standoff in Kotzebue on Sunday. The incident ended when officers approached the vehicle hours after the initial shooting and found the suspect, Arvid Nelson Jr. of Kotzebue, had taken his own life.

Wildfires are burning in Western Alaska. The past two months have seen warm, dry weather in much of that part of the state and with several thunderstorms last week, conditions have been ripe for wildfires. Doug Gibbs is the Alaska Fire Service’s assistant fire manager for the Galena Zone: an area that spans most of western Alaska above the Yukon River, including the Seward Peninsula, all the way up to Barrow.

After spending $5 million on dozens of mining leases off the coast of Nome, AuruMar Alaska Inc. will begin a two-year feasibility study next month to decide if their leases warrant large-scale gold mining operations. The company revealed its plans for the study at a public meeting last night in Nome.

Three-hundred military personnel are in communities throughout the Norton Sound region this week, and next, for Operation Arctic Care. Arctic Care has been happening in Alaska for several years. This year, it’s a partnership between Norton Sound Health Corporation and several branches of the military.

Alaska Community Action on Toxics, or ACAT, was in Savoonga last week offering workshops on advancing environmental justice and human rights.  KNOM's Matthew Smith was there and has the story. Listen for Full Story Download Audio

The diseased seals that began appearing along the North Slope last summer, and were found in the Bering Strait and YK Delta in October, have suffered from a range of symptoms. Scientists are still working to figure out what’s causing the illness.

The Kotzebue Regional Jail has been closed since Dec. 1 to all prisoners arrested by state agencies. This is the result of a funding dispute between the City of Kotzebue and the Department of Corrections.