Daysha Eaton, KMXT - Kodiak
Attorney: Yup’ik Fishermen Wrongfully Convicted
Attorneys argued before the Alaska Court of Appeals in downtown Anchorage today about whether Yup’ik fishermen, who fished for Chinook or king Salmon during a closure on the Kuskokwim River in 2012, were wrongfully convicted.
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Lower Kuskokwim Schools: New Leaders, New Changes
Students returned to classes recently across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Lower Kuskokwim School District Superintendent Jacob Jensen says change is on the horizon for the district with the largest number of rural students in the state.
Anchorage Attorney Hired in Cases Against Bethel Police
Interim Bethel city manager Greg Moyer confirms the city has hired Anchorage law firm Ingaldson, Maassen & Fitzgerald to represent the city in cases involving allegations of police brutality and an officer-involved shooting.
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Bethel Man Recovering From Gunshot Wound After Altercation With Police
A 31-year-old Bethel man is recovering after being shot by a police officer during an altercation Friday. The man, Aaron Moses, was stabilized in Bethel and medevaced to Anchorage. One officer was also treated for minor injuries.
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Regulators Issue Trespass Notices for Kuskokwim Vessels
State regulators are issuing dozens of trespass notices for old vessels sitting in the Kuskokwim River. Some of the barges and boats pose navigational and safety hazards, while others are just tied up on state land without a permit. Officials say it’s the first step toward getting owners to take responsibility for vessels that are causing problems.
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Tribal Leaders Speak Out on Police Brutality Allegations
Bethel’s tribe, ONC, wants people to come forth regarding allegations of city police mistreating Native people. In addition, the Association of Village Council Presidents released a letter that they sent to Bethel mayor, Joe Klejka about the matter.
Troopers Find Body of Missing Bethel Man
Alaska State Troopers found the body of Nick Cooke near Tuntaltuliak Friday. They received a report from the tribal police officer from Tuntutuliak that a body had been located on the bank of the Kuskokwim River just south of the Kialik River.
Bethel Investigating Police Brutality Charge
A woman from Arizona who works as a professor doing seasonal research in the Y-K Delta says she witnessed an arrest of a citizen by a Bethel Police Officer and she alleges police brutality. City leaders say they're investigating.
Alaska Dispatch News to Open Bureau in Bethel
The Managing Editor of the Alaska Dispatch News says a Western Alaska Bureau should be up and running by the end of the month. The new bureau will be based in Bethel and will be staffed by veteran reporter Lisa Demer.
Children’s Home Featured at Bethel Cultural Center
A multimedia show on the Moravian Children’s Home near Kwethluk is on display at Bethel’s Cultural Center. The show profiles the demise of the orphanage which was home to many of the regions Native children after epidemics of the early and mid- 20th century and captures oral histories of the people who remember growing up there.
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Aniak Youths Rescue Bald Eagle
An Aniak woman came across an injured bald eagle earlier this week. With help from her community in remote Southwest Alaska, she gave the bird a second chance and brought it to the care of veterinary experts.
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New UAF Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community & Native Ed
Evon Peter has been selected to run the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ rural campuses. He will serve as the new vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education.
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Kuskokwim Fishers: Stop Commercial Openings, Call in Feds
The Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group wants the state to end to all commercial openings for the remainder of the summer. The say despite unmet subsistence needs the state has allowed commercial salmon openings. Some upriver fishermen are fed up with the state, and want the Federal Subsistence Board to manage the river from here on out.
Services Held for Bethel Woman
A Bethel woman who had a baby while in a coma, then passed away was laid to rest over the weekend. The young woman was clinically brain dead for most of her pregnancy.
Sunken Barge Irks Kuskokwim Residents
Residents of fish camps along ‘Steamboat Slough’ near Bethel are calling for an abandoned barge to be removed. The barge has been sitting half submerged in the middle of the slough for more than a year.
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Y-K Delta Residents Struggle To Put Up Fish
Fish camp is an annual tradition going back thousands of years for Yup’ik people living along the Kuskokwim River. But fishing restrictions this year, have hit many families hard.
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Smokejumpers Deploy to Southwest Alaska
Fire Danger is up in Southwest Alaska. Mike Roos, a Fire Management Officer with the Alaska Division of Forestry says fuels, especially tundra grasses, are drying out.
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Salmon Signs Appear And Disappear In Bethel
Brightly colored wooden fish signs have been posted along Bethel roads this summer. The signs, with conservation messages, come in a year of king salmon closures never seen before on the Kuskokwim River. But just as quickly as the signs went up, they’ve been disappearing.
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ONC Cancels ‘Cultural and Social Harvest’
The social and cultural harvest of king salmon for Bethel and a subsequent community dinner have been cancelled. The events are sponsored by Bethel’s tribe, Orutsararmiut Native Council, and supported by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.
Public Comment Open on ‘Land Into Trust’ Until June 30
The U.S. Department of Interior is asking for public comments on a new policy that will allow it to take land into trust for Alaska Native tribes. Alaska Native leaders say the change, after years of litigation, brings them one step closer to self-determination.
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