Bringing Water to Lower Kalskag

Imagine living in a town where only some of the residents have running water. Everyone else has to fetch...

Low teenage turnout for vaccine increases COVID case rate in Alaska

We’re a month into the school year and Alaska is experiencing peak Covid-19 cases and a hospital system at max capacity. Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen looks at how low teenage turnout for the Covid vaccine increases case rates in Alaska.
Duke Russell by his Subaru

Duke Russell couldn’t keep walking away from Anchorage’s neediest people. Now he’s feeding hundreds a day.

“Once you see stuff happen, you just can’t walk away anymore, you know?” the Spenard artist said.

For Alaska’s rural children, distance learning exposes gaps in internet equity

https://youtu.be/L_Z4Hm3JRX4 The new school year is underway in Alaska and the majority of the state's students are attending school online. While online education is a...

A traditional Unangax̂ boat sails for the first time in over 200 years

https://youtu.be/_Ka9-tBUweg It’s been about 200 years since Russian colonizers demolished the last remaining examples of large Unangax̂ boats called a niĝilax̂. The wooden framed boats...
A man with a newborn and other children.

Training child care providers in Southeast Alaska

Quality child care is in limited supply across Alaska, but especially so in rural parts of the state.

With knowledge of his ancestors, young leader looks to ANCSA’s future

Aaron Tolen has tribal and ANCSA regional corporation affiliations across the state. He aims to balance a modern education with the values and traditions of his people, so he can continue to feel grounded in his culture and also experience success in a contemporary way.
Dr. Elizabeth Bates runs through protocol with a YKHC employee at the COVID-19 drive-thru test site in Bethel.

How Bethel and other rural Alaska villages are preparing for COVID-19 | Alaska Insight

With the first case of COVID-19 confirmed in Southwest Alaska, state and tribal health officials are working to provide adequate supplies for...
A 50th anniversary copy of the Alaska State Constitution sits on the top of a table.

What you need to know about the constitutional convention question

Questions about the permanent fund dividend, Alaska’s fiscal woes, and abortion access have some advocating to vote "yes" on the once a decade ballot question: "Shall there be a Constitutional Convention?"

Kivalina on the Coast: how an Arctic community is responding to climate change

https://youtu.be/3QI7SplPviM The rapid pace of climate change is affecting the arctic region at a more accelerated pace than anywhere else in the world. In 2003,...

Alaska legislature returns with COVID-19 precautions, but no clear enforcement for lawmakers

https://youtu.be/qnV9kV2-enE There are more than 130 legislators and staff in Juneau for the legislative session. The legislature is taking steps to limit the spread of...

ANWR on hold: Decades-long uncertainty over Arctic refuge drilling continues

When Joe Biden took office, he immediately slammed the brakes on oil drilling in the Arctic refuge. So how did we get here? And, what’s next?

How immigration transformed the 49th state

Over the course of little more than a century, Alaska communities transformed from primarily Indigenous to some of the...

Metlakatla adapts to drought with grassroots conservation efforts

When you think of extremely dry conditions, California wildfires probably come to mind. But in 2018, some parts of...
A sign on the side of the road that reads "Alaska Grown" - courtesy of John Whipple, Alaska Division of Agriculture

State hopes upcoming agricultural land sale near Nenana will bear fruit

Alaska is working on its next big effort to promote agriculture -- a large-scale land auction in the Interior.

New report shines light on Alaska’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

https://youtu.be/XYizUj2PrYk Alaska Native women experience disproportionate levels of violence, but it’s difficult to know exactly how bad the problem is. Mistrust of the legal system...
Youth dance at AFN conference in Anchorage.

Tribes aim to ask voters for state recognition

Across the US, only 10% of Indigenous tribes with federal recognition also have recognition from their respective state governments. In Alaska, tribal members aim to change that. Last year, they organized to collect tens of thousands signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would ask voters to decide. Supporters say the recognition opens up doors for more resources and symbolizes a respectful government-to-government relationship.
An empty downtown Skagway, Alaska in a summer of no tourism.

The summer that wasn’t; Skagway businesses struggle to survive a season of no tourism

https://youtu.be/_CdxwPKmFy4 In Southeast Alaska, tourism drives the summer economy. In Skagway, it’s critical. But this year, COVID-19 means tourists are mostly non-existent in the town...
A view of 4th Ave in Anchorage from a rooftop.

2022 Destination Assessment proposes ways to make Anchorage more appealing

Destination development consultant Roger Brooks presented eight initiatives on how to make Anchorage more appealing to visitors and residents.
Three young Chinese men hold a fish in front of an Alaskan Cannery

Cannery workers document the Chinese history of Alaska’s fishing industry

Chinese immigrants arrived before statehood and helped grow Alaska's wild salmon industry into the international, multi-billion-dollar economy that it is today.