Krysti Shallenberger

Three public health nurses left Bethel in the past four months, and it’s taking a while to train and bring new ones up to speed.

The company that wants to build one of the world’s biggest gold mines is currently renovating a church in Chuathbaluk in the middle Kuskokwim River. Donlin says that investing in communities near the mine is being “a good neighbor.”

There haven’t been any public protests against the proposed Donlin Gold mine in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta since last summer. But one tribe broke the silence with a resolution opposing the mine this month.

Weekend storms battered the coast of Western Alaska. While they damaged some villages, others fared much better.

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.

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.

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.

The visit to Western Alaska continues Barr's tour of the state, meeting with public officials and Alaska Native leaders to discuss public safety, the lack of law enforcement in rural communities and how the federal government can help.

The agreement, which was signed in 2017 by then-Gov. Bill Walker, is being renegotiated by tribal organizations and the Dunleavy administration. The compact gives tribes more control over children’s welfare.

This week we're hearing from Maurice Nanalook of Bethel. Nanalook was one of several drummers at this year's Cama-i Dance Festival.