Yakutat officials wary of state’s PFAS double standard
The EPA recommends testing for more than a dozen different PFAS compounds. Which is what DEC did when it first tested in Yakutat back in February. But in the months between the two tests, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration directed DEC to change its regulations.
Igiugig’s hydropower launch a major step toward independence from diesel
In Igiugig, a first-of-its-kind hydrokinetic generator is getting a year-long trial. The launch last week marked a major step in the community’s quest for independence from diesel.
It’s back: Interior signs new land swap for King Cove road
Alaska Public Media has obtained a copy of the new agreement, signed earlier this month by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and the CEO of King Cove Corporation.
Northern Valley food pantry director discusses potential veto impacts
If the cuts stand as they are, Louanne Carrol-Tysdal is not sure what the ultimate impact will be, but that the area’s elders and working poor could face increased food insecurity as the winter approaches.
Rural Alaskans brace for impact as Power Cost Equalization funds disappear
As legislative gridlock continues over funds included in an annual sweep into state savings, rural Alaskans soon could see more expensive electricity bills.
Record warm water likely gave Kuskokwim salmon heart attacks
Never-before-seen temperatures in the Kuskokwim River likely sent salmon into cardiac arrest.
How hospital ERs in Alaska are helping patients with opioid use disorder
A trip to the emergency room can be a crucial window to assist people in their recovery. Now some providers are giving patients a medicine to ease the transition so they can seek additional care. Recently, a hospital in Juneau completed one year of this program with encouraging results.
Alaska heat wave hits Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
People living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta felt something unusual this past holiday weekend: a heat wave. Temperatures crept close to 90 degrees in many parts of the region, including Bethel, but a malfunctioning thermometer and not enough data could prevent this summer from making it into the record books.
LISTEN: How do we improve law enforcement in rural Alaska?
Rural Alaska communities suffer some of the highest rates of violence and lawlessness in the country. Recently AG Barr visited southwest Alaska communities and pledged millions in emergency funds to begin addressing the problem. We'll ask what else is needed on the next Talk of Alaska.
In Arctic Village, Gwich’in leaders say the fight to stop drilling in the Arctic Refuge isn’t over
Until recently, Gwich'in tribes were on the winning side of battle over over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then, in late 2017, Congress opened the coastal plain to oil development So Gwich'in tribes are now taking unprecedented steps to try to protect the caribou herd they depend on.
In the Alaska village where ANWR is the backyard, many see drilling as an opportunity
Many of the Alaska Native residents of Kaktovik, the one small village inside the refuge, see oil development as an opportunity -- though some remain deeply skeptical.
Justice department pledges $10.5M in emergency funds for public safety
U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared a law enforcement emergency in Alaska on June 28. The announcement follows a visit to the state where he saw firsthand how many rural communities have little to no public safety.
With 12 gray whale deaths in Alaska waters, biologists race to find the cause
Biologists in Southeast Alaska are racing to examine a wave of whale carcasses to try and find what’s killing gray whales up and down the Pacific Coast. Nearly 170 have been reported triggering NOAA Fisheries to launch an investigation.
Homes near Akiak’s eroded riverbank need to move, but some people choose to stay
Akiak lost a mile-long stretch of riverbank to erosion last month. Six houses are now within 100 feet of the riverbank and need to be moved as soon as possible, but some people don’t want to move.
Fishing regulations on the Kuskokwim: Do they restrict Yup’ik culture or preserve it?
The Kuskokwim River has now had three fishing openings for drift gillnets, but many people in Akiak are not happy. KYUK went fishing with the mayor of Akiak to find out more about why people’s nets aren’t as full as they want them.
Rain a respite for Southeast water conservation measures
“If you've got to wash your car, wash your boat, please feel free to do that while the reservoirs are spilling over right now,” Wrangell City Manager Lisa Von Bargen says.
In rural Alaska, school districts deal with a legacy of unaddressed contamination
Typically, when a contaminated site is discovered it’s up to the landowner — or the person responsible for making the mess — to clean it up. But there are dozens of sites where this process has broken down.
For Quinhagak, climate change means they may have to move
In Western Alaska, accelerating erosion is forcing several villages to consider moving. In Quinhagak, a village on the Bering Sea, erosion is threatening the sewer lagoon and the building that houses its washeteria and health clinic.
Senior living in Alaska
Alaska’s senior population is booming. Meanwhile, the state is experiencing what experts call a housing "crisis." How are communities working to meet the growing need for senior housing and long-term care options?
Unusually high number of seal deaths reported along the coast of the Bering and Chukchi Seas
“We don’t know if it’s lack of sea ice, or if there was a harmful algal bloom,” said Julie Speegle with NOAA Fisheries. “There’s quite a range of factors.”