Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
‘A wake up call’ COVID-19 cases in Maniilaq service area doubled in October
Residents of Kotzebue made up a large majority of the cases, with 96 residents testing positive. The villages of Buckland and Noatak also saw spikes.
Black teacher sues North Slope district for not addressing students’ racist threats in Nuiqsut
The lawsuit alleges students threatened the teacher using racist language and symbols, but were never disciplined.
Operators of AC grocery stores fined $20K for child labor violations
Federal investigators found that in the AC stores in Alaska, there were 30 workers between the ages of 14 and 15 working outside of the legal amount of hours allowed by the government.
Pandemic dominates discussions as AFN convention goes virtual
With no booths to browse hand-crafted art pieces and attendees having to settle for virtual hugs, the 2020 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention was a drier affair than usual.
‘We need you for the future’: Elders and Youth conducts virtual conference
This year’s meeting was a little different, conducted mostly through pre-recorded messages and live Zoom calls. However, both keynote addresses highlighted the desire to keep thousands of years of Native culture moving forward, pandemic or not.
Kotzebue sees cluster of COVID-19 cases
10 Kotzebue residents have tested positive over the last week, including 2 employees of the local healthcare provider.
Alaska Airlines could suspend passengers from future flights for violating new face mask policy
The Seattle-based company said it will start issuing formal warnings to any passengers who don't wear a face covering, though there will be exceptions.
Shuttered for months, Kotzebue churches slowly reopen to parishioners
While in-person ttendance is still lower than before the pandemic, churches have added an online component to their services.
State investment agency approves $500K for summer work on Ambler Road project
The Ambler Road project has been a lightning rod for controversy for years, pitting the desire to expand business and mining interests in the state against the concerns over impacts to the environment and subsistence
State investment arm seeks approval to put up to $500K towards controversial Ambler road
If approved, the $500,000 would go to aerial photography of the proposed route, public outreach and the hiring of program manager, among other items.
Six lightning-caused fires burn tundra in Noatak National Preserve
While the area is made up of tundra, lake core studies show that naturally-occurring fires happened fairly regularly.
Officials suspect community spread of COVID-19 in Kotzebue, as new case is reported
A Kotzebue resident has tested positive for COVID-19, Maniilaq Association officials announced Friday night. That marks the third case in the city and fourth in Maniilaq’s service area, which covers the Northwest Arctic Borough and the village of Point Hope.
As test demand increases, Northwest Alaska officials say their supply can’t keep up
Maniilaq says that with increased testing in Kotzebue and in smaller villages, the regional health corporation says that demand for testing has gone up.
First coronavirus case reported in North Slope Borough
A resident from the North Slope Borough has tested positive for COVID-19. This is the first positive case in the region.
Pilot dead, passenger survives after North Slope charter plane crash
The pilot of a charter plane is dead after crashing near Teshekpuk Lake southeast of Utqiagvik Thursday night.
Long-serving state senator faces young challenger supporting statutory PFD
It's only the second time Donny Olson (D-Golovin) has faced a challenger in his two decades.
Beaver numbers have exploded in Northwest Alaska with some striking effects on the environment
In 2002, scientists counted two active beaver dams in the region of the Baldwin Peninsula. Now there are 98, which scientists and locals say is contributing to climate change and affecting salmon spawning.
Under Dunleavy’s new CARES Act distribution, rural boroughs will get more funding
Three rural boroughs will get considerably more funding than Dunleavy originally proposed.
Sullivan defends inclusion of Alaska Native Corporations in CARES Act funding
Tribal governments, including some in Alaska, say that CARES Act funding should not be going to for-profit Alaska Native Corporations.
Dunleavy vetoes $150K in funding for rural REAL ID assistance
The veto comes after the state previously solicited donations from the public to fund DMV staff travel to rural villages to implement the federally-mandated REAL IDs.