Bethel Census Area
RSSNews from the Bethel Census Area, Alaska
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Inside a bootlegging pipeline into dry Alaska
Troopers say they broke up a major bootlegging operation smuggling thousands of pounds of alcohol into the Bethel region — where booze is banned, so smuggling it is big business.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Bethel rewrites its animal code to fight the diseases that actually threaten its dogs
Bethel's animal code was built for rabies — but parvo and distemper are the bigger dog killers in rural Alaska. A draft ordinance would finally cover them.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
America's taxi capital is a roadless Alaska town
Bethel, Alaska has more taxis per capita than anywhere in the U.S. — because in a roadless tundra town, cabs are the bus, and this week the city's weighing what a ride should cost.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
One Bethel gym burns through $419,000 a year in energy. An audit says it doesn't have to.
A single Bethel fitness center spends $419,000 a year on energy, mostly heating oil at $5.77 a gallon. An audit found it could save $51,000 a year for almost nothing.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Nome man indicted on 47 counts of sexual abuse spanning 16 years
A Bethel grand jury indicted a former Nome foster parent on 47 counts of sexual abuse. State troopers believe more victims exist.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Moves to Keep One of the World's Last Fire Outposts
Alaska wants to keep the McGrath Fire Base — one of the last forward firefighting outposts on Earth, guarding 66 million roadless acres with a crew that's mostly temps.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
On the Kasilof, Alaska is opening the sockeye floodgates and holding the line on kings
On the Kasilof, Alaska is opening the sockeye floodgates and rationing the kings on the same water — a tidy snapshot of where the salmon stand. Grab a dipnet.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Smokejumpers were called to a fire near a Kuskokwim homestead — then couldn't jump
A fire near a Kuskokwim homestead hit 50 acres, so Alaska scrambled its smokejumpers — who found the terrain too dangerous to jump. Back to plan B.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
$2.2 million in federal trail money will fund 15 Alaska projects
Alaska handed trail money to its highway department, rebranded it ATLAS, and split $2.2M across 15 projects, from a new snow groomer to an Iditarod bridge.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kasilof River guide cited for fishing in prohibited People's Hole
A fishing guide was cited for fishing at People's Hole on the Kasilof River, where guides are prohibited but their clients are allowed.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Red Flag Warnings blanket Mat-Su and Susitna Valley for solstice weekend
National Weather Service issued Red Flag Warnings for Mat-Su and Susitna Valley through early Saturday due to lightning risk, dry fuels, and humidity as low as 25 percent. Burn permits are suspended across Delta, Tok, and Mat-Su areas.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Free disability-rights clinic comes to Bethel June 24
The Disability Law Center of Alaska brings a free clinic to Bethel on June 24 to help people with disabilities understand their education and employment rights under vocational rehabilitation programs.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska DOT&PF Awards $2.2M to 15 Trail Projects Statewide
Trail fail? No. Trail $2m bail out.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Red Flag Warnings span Interior Alaska as fire season intensifies
Delta didn't start a fire. But it could be burning, cause the wind is churning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
FAA adds navigation aids to Chefornak Airport under 18-year lease
The FAA is installing weather and navigation systems at Chefornak Airport in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta under an 18-year lease extension through 2044 at no cost to the state.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Kipnuk storm loan deadline hits Tuesday
Kipnuk residents and businesses have until Monday to apply for federal economic-injury loans from a 2024 storm. • Most of the village remains evacuated after a 2025 typhoon destroyed 90 percent of local structures. • Applicants can visit sba.gov/disaster or call 800-659-2955 to seek aid.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Peltola cites fuel costs as barrier to rural Alaska campaign stops
Democrat Mary Peltola wrapped a rural Alaska campaign tour by small plane and boat to reach villages where fuel costs exceed $6 a gallon, pressing affordability as her main message against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in the August primary.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska job centers promote tax credits for hiring ex-felons
Alaska's 13 job centers promote federal tax credits and bonding insurance to employers who hire people with felony records, offering employers up to 40 percent of first-year wages in tax breaks.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Aniak River closed to all king salmon fishing, including catch-and-release
Alaska closed the Aniak River to all king salmon fishing, including catch-and-release, from June 5 to July 25 to protect spawning numbers despite overall Kuskokwim escapement meeting targets.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska fire agencies open 11 wildfire investigations in four days
Alaska fire agencies opened investigations at 11 wildfire locations between June 1 and June 4, spanning the Kenai Peninsula to Interior and Western Alaska, as the National Weather Service issued Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Darren Morgan Deacon files for Alaska State Senate District S
Darren Morgan Deacon, a former tribal chief from Kalskag, filed as a Republican for Alaska State Senate District S on a platform of full Permanent Fund dividends and subsistence rights protection.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Troopers investigate domestic assault in Napakiak under attempted murder classification
Alaska State Troopers are investigating a domestic assault in Napakiak as attempted murder after a woman reported being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Saturday evening.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Senate Finance Committee: how do you analyze a $46.2 billion pipeline without the numbers?
Alaska Senate Finance Committee halted action on SB 2001 until the state gets the developer's actual cost data and gas sales contracts instead of relying on a model built on guesses.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Four new gold mining operations proposed near Central and Chicken
Four mining companies applied for permits to operate placer mines on Crooked Creek and Ptarmigan Creek near Central and Chicken, continuing gold extraction in a region that has supported Interior Alaska communities since the early 1900s.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska LNG could cost $70 billion; state's 25% stake faces dilution
Alaska’s LNG project may have just gotten a $24 billion “whoops.” The state has been planning around a $46 billion price tag, but lawmakers were told the real number may be closer to $70 billion — which is less of a budget update and more of a financial jump scare.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska DOT restricts truck weights on Central Region roads starting June 1
Alaska DOT limits truck weights on Central Region roads starting June 1 to protect roads during spring thaw. Most paved roads restricted to 75 percent of legal axle load, gravel roads to 50 percent. Six roads face strictest limits at 50 percent with no overloads allowed.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Seven Western Alaska typhoon evacuees graduate from Anchorage schools
Seven students evacuated from Western Alaska villages after ex-Typhoon Halong in October 2025 graduated Monday from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School after completing their senior year there.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate backs Kipnuk, Kwigillingok relocation after Typhoon Halong
Alaska Senate unanimously backed relocation of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after Typhoon Halong devastated the coastal villages last September, calling for full state and federal support though the resolution itself does not fund the move.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate passes bill letting pharmacists treat minor illnesses without a doctor's call
Alaska Senate passed bill letting pharmacists treat strep throat, bladder infections, and manage diabetes without doctor approval first. • Pharmacists cannot prescribe opioids or high-risk drugs but can give naloxone. • Rural areas and emergencies benefit most, with pharmacist visits costing $277 less than clinic visits.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate adopts final operating, mental health and capital budgets
Alaska Senate passed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on 17-3 vote, balanced at $75 per barrel oil without drawing from savings. • Mental health budget approved 20-0, adding $3.5 million for behavioral health treatment and $500,000 for crisis call center. • Capital budget concurred 18-2, including $32.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance and school and port projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate Passes Statewide Styrofoam Ban for Restaurants
Alaska Senate passed a statewide ban on polystyrene food containers at restaurants, effective January 1, 2027, citing health and environmental concerns.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska House expands pharmacist prescribing powers in 32-8 vote
Alaska House voted 32-8 to let pharmacists prescribe for minor ailments and chronic conditions, unlocking $272 million in federal rural health funding that requires the law by December 2027.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min readHouse panel backs call for federal help relocating storm-destroyed villages
Alaska House committee voted to urge federal help relocating two Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages destroyed by last October's typhoon, since no current federal law covers storm-driven community moves.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min readAlaska pauses behavioral health grant overhaul after provider pushback
Alaska paused a behavioral health grant overhaul for two years after providers said they weren't ready, keeping current addiction and mental health funding in place through 2028.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readHouse panel advances domestic violence protective order extensions
House panel advanced a bill letting judges extend domestic violence protective orders to five years instead of one, sparing victims from annual court renewals.
by Alaska News5mo ago4 min read
Donlin Gold targets 2027 investment decision on $10B Alaska mine
Donlin Gold plans to decide by mid-2027 whether to build a $10 billion gold mine near Crooked Creek, with construction running 2028-2031 and creating 2,000 to 3,000 jobs.
by Alaska News5mo ago4 min read
Rural Alaska faces fuel crisis as prices surge, shortages loom
Rural Alaska fuel prices could double this year, with gas hitting $17.50 per gallon in some villages and diesel potentially reaching $6 per gallon, threatening heating and power during winter.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readAlaska House bill to ban polystyrene food containers moves to Senate
Alaska House Bill 25, which would ban polystyrene foam food containers statewide, advanced to the Senate after testimony Tuesday on cost versus pollution concerns.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
House panel advances daylight saving time bill with Western Alaska carve-out
Alaska House panel advanced a bill to stop clock changes starting March 2028, but would split Western Alaska into a separate time zone if the state moves to Pacific Standard Time.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
Ice Jam Near Kalskag Threatens Flooding Along Lower Kuskokwim River
An ice jam near Kalskag, 90 miles upriver from Bethel, threatens flooding along the lower Kuskokwim River through May 7, with water already cutting off roads and forcing school closures in the region.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
