Olivia Ebertz

An Akiachak teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting minors. According to State Troopers, John Mark Hammonds was arrested at his residence in Akiachak on Oct. 17. This marks the fourth time the Yupiit School district has seen allegations like this in the past decade.

When the vaccine mandate took effect, the city had 17 unvaccinated employees. Since then, two of those employees quit, one got a religious exemption 10 got vaccinated and the rest are on administrative leave.

The city of Bethel’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate took effect on Sept. 27, and five city employees are set to be fired for refusing to get vaccinated. One unvaccinated police officer received a religious exemption.

City of Bethel employees have a week to either get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose or get fired. Most city employees are already vaccinated; less than 15% are not. Part of the unvaccinated minority is demanding more time and more education to learn about the vaccine.

The six unvaccinated police officers don't live in Bethel full-time. Instead, they fly in and out — working two weeks on, two weeks off.

The City of Bethel has mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for all city workers. All Bethel city employees, consultants, contractors, and volunteers must receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27. City administrators announced the new policy on Sept. 13 in an email to city workers.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation does not have its own intensive care unit, so it depends on transferring critically ill or injured patients to hospitals around the state. But the recent surge in COVID-19 cases means that most ICU departments are at or near capacity. There aren’t enough beds for new patients.

Why are the chum numbers so low? The short answer is that no one really knows for sure. But there are a lot of theories.

For decades, Kwik’Pak Fisheries in the Western Alaska village of Emmonak has provided reliable summer employment in one of the state’s most unemployed regions. But with salmon runs low and commercial fishing closed, it’s offering few jobs this summer. Commercial fishermen and women are feeling the economic stress, and those who are still working at the plant have had to transition to new roles.

Subsistence fishing on the lower Yukon River is closed for both king and chum salmon. Residents who usually depend heavily on the fish are pivoting toward other ways to get meat.