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Deering airport construction resumes after heavy rain halts work for five days

Rain stopped work on Deering's airport for five days. Crews are back, hauling fill from 6 pm to 8 am nightly, so residents can expect trucks after dark.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2h ago2 min read
Deering, Alaska
Cover image for article: Deering airport construction resumes after heavy rain halts work for five days

Nome council tables pull-tab tax change pending legal opinion on mayor's possible conflict

Nome's council put its pull-tab tax change on ice until a lawyer says whether the mayor, who leads the Chamber of Commerce, has a conflict of interest.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews15h ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome council tables pull-tab tax change pending legal opinion on mayor's possible conflict

Judicial Council tries again to fill Kotzebue and Nome superior court seats

Kotzebue and Nome are each without their only superior court judge. The Judicial Council is trying again to fill both, Kotzebue's for the third time.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Kotzebue and Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Judicial Council tries again to fill Kotzebue and Nome superior court seats

Kotzebue water system exceeds federal lead action level after two of 10 homes test high

Two of 10 Kotzebue homes tested above the federal lead action level. The city is testing more homes and says to run taps until cold before drinking.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News4d ago2 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: Kotzebue water system exceeds federal lead action level after two of 10 homes test high

Ten rural Alaska communities can now vote in person on Election Day

Ten villages with no polling place can now vote in person on Election Day itself. In August, 75 ballots from the region arrived too late to count.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
Region 4, Alaska
Cover image for article: Ten rural Alaska communities can now vote in person on Election Day

EPA proposes $21,618 penalty over Red Dog Mine spill into Red Dog Creek

EPA proposed a $21,618 penalty against Teck Alaska Inc. for a May 2025 leak of process water into Red Dog Creek near Kotzebue after a pump failure at the mine.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
Red Dog Mine, Northwest Arctic, Alaska
Cover image for article: EPA proposes $21,618 penalty over Red Dog Mine spill into Red Dog Creek

Nome utility board member says new housing project's septic units will need heavy upkeep

New Nome housing will run on above-ground septic units with grinders, pumps and UV lights. A utility board member says they will need a lot of babysitting.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome utility board member says new housing project's septic units will need heavy upkeep

Nome's utility is five years behind on audits and borrowing costs more

Nome's utility hasn't finished an audit since 2021, and its manager says the delay is probably raising the interest rate on its annual fuel loan.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome's utility is five years behind on audits and borrowing costs more

AIDEA's board takes six major projects into executive session in Kotzebue

AIDEA's board meets in Kotzebue with Ambler, Red Dog, ANWR and West Susitna on the closed agenda — listed by name, with nothing said about what's up.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: AIDEA's board takes six major projects into executive session in Kotzebue

Federal environmental review begins for the Arctic copper mine near Kobuk

The Army Corps is starting its environmental review of the Arctic copper mine near Kobuk, with a final decision targeted for September 2028.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Ambler mining district, Alaska
Cover image for article: Federal environmental review begins for the Arctic copper mine near Kobuk

Last Unit 22 bull moose hunt closes early as quota fills

The Seward Peninsula's fall moose hunt is over, closed area by area as quotas filled. One section shut three days in. The winter hunt opens Jan. 1.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 1w ago1 min read
Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Cover image for article: Last Unit 22 bull moose hunt closes early as quota fills

Kotzebue gets $1.5 million to keep growing food above the Arctic Circle

Kotzebue gets $1.5 million for Alaska Native food sovereignty work. The USDA calls it national security. The people doing it call it something else.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: Kotzebue gets $1.5 million to keep growing food above the Arctic Circle

Nome weighs what to do with the boats that never leave its port yards

Boats and dredges that haven't floated in years are clogging the Port of Nome's yards, and the Port Commission is weighing higher fees or clearing them out.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome weighs what to do with the boats that never leave its port yards

Spur demolition begins for Nome's planned Arctic deep-draft port

Kiewit has begun removing Nome's port spur. Phase 1A extends the causeway, while separate dredging will create the 40-foot basin.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Spur demolition begins for Nome's planned Arctic deep-draft port

Kotzebue's chum run beat the forecast; the state will not say by how much

Kotzebue's chum harvest beat the forecast, and the state will not say by how much. Nobody counted the fish upriver for the second year running.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: Kotzebue's chum run beat the forecast; the state will not say by how much

Nome cannot say whether a free shuttle van is a taxi

Nome's code does not say whether free shuttle vans count as taxis. The mayor says nobody has worked it out, and the sales tax turns on the answer.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Nome
Cover image for article: Nome cannot say whether a free shuttle van is a taxi

The federal stake in Trilogy Metals closes, terms made public

The federal government now owns about a tenth of Trilogy Metals, developer of Alaska's Ambler district, and the terms of the $35.6 million deal are now public.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Ambler mining district, Alaska
Cover image for article: The federal stake in Trilogy Metals closes, terms made public

AIDEA will discuss the Ambler road in Kotzebue, with the public out

AIDEA's board will talk about the Ambler road in Kotzebue next week, behind closed doors. The public portion covers meeting dates and a conference.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.Newsadded 1w ago1 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: AIDEA will discuss the Ambler road in Kotzebue, with the public out

A Tanana company will dig diesel out from under old BIA school sites

The government left diesel in the ground under old BIA schools in Western Alaska. It is paying a Tanana company $247,786 to dig some of it out.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Akiak, Eek, Napaskiak, and Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: A Tanana company will dig diesel out from under old BIA school sites

Repairs begin on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Merbok

Permanent repairs have begun on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Typhoon Merbok breached the road in 2022.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Repairs begin on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Merbok

Nome may add flowcharts to help residents navigate permits

Nome may give residents visual flowcharts to walk them through variance and rezoning applications. The Planning Commission backed the idea Tuesday.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome may add flowcharts to help residents navigate permits

Troopers identify two Savoonga men dead after capsizing near St. Lawrence Island

Two Savoonga men died when their boat capsized off St. Lawrence Island. A 15-year-old survived by clinging to the overturned hull until a search crew found him.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min read
Savoonga, Alaska
Cover image for article: Troopers identify two Savoonga men dead after capsizing near St. Lawrence Island

Teller woman indicted in embezzling more than $88,000 from tribe

A former coordinator for a Teller-based tribe was indicted on allegations she took more than $88,000 from the tribe's accounts.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Teller, Alaska
Cover image for article: Teller woman indicted in embezzling more than $88,000 from tribe

NWS forecasts water 5 feet above high tide at Golovin through Friday

Water is forecast 3 to 5 feet above the normal high tide line at Golovin through Friday, the third stretch of high water there in three weeks.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Cover image for article: NWS forecasts water 5 feet above high tide at Golovin through Friday

A remote Alaska village's firefighting enterprise lands more federal work

A firefighting company owned by the remote village of Nulato landed more federal fire work — part of a tribal enterprise that's grown to 200-plus local jobs.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Nulato, Alaska
Cover image for article: A remote Alaska village's firefighting enterprise lands more federal work

Alaska Supreme Court hears appeal over Kotzebue officer's immunity in 2022 shooting

Supreme Court heards Kotzebue case

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Kotzebue, Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska Supreme Court hears appeal over Kotzebue officer's immunity in 2022 shooting

Coast Guard finds 15-year-old alive on capsized skiff off St. Lawrence Island; two dead

Coast Guard found a 15-year-old alive on a capsized skiff 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island on Monday; two other boaters from the same vessel were recovered dead.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
St. Lawrence Island, Alaska
Cover image for article: Coast Guard finds 15-year-old alive on capsized skiff off St. Lawrence Island; two dead

Red Dog's port has carried a top-tier air violation for years with no penalty

The port shipping Red Dog's ore has carried a top-tier EPA air-pollution violation for dust for nearly six years, with no formal state enforcement.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Kivalina, Alaska
Cover image for article: Red Dog's port has carried a top-tier air violation for years with no penalty

Minor flooding possible at Golovin, with water 4 to 6 feet above high tide

Water could flood Golovin's lowest buildings Wednesday and Thursday as the National Weather Service warns of coastal surge 4 to 6 feet above normal high tide.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Golovin, Alaska
Cover image for article: Minor flooding possible at Golovin, with water 4 to 6 feet above high tide

Alaska Supreme Court bars Nome from taxing hospital staff housing

The Alaska Supreme Court says Nome cannot tax the building where its hospital houses doctors and nurses, a ruling that reaches every borough in the state.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago4 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska Supreme Court bars Nome from taxing hospital staff housing

Alaska got early frost and a heat advisory in the same week

Alaska's first week of September brought early frost to Anchorage and Yakutat and a heat advisory to Prince of Wales Island, where Friday hits 80 degrees.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Yakutat, Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska got early frost and a heat advisory in the same week

Nome to host 2030 Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly

Nome will host the Inuit Circumpolar Council's 2030 General Assembly, drawing 400 delegates from Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia to vote on Arctic sovereignty and food security.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Nome to host 2030 Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly

Graphite Creek permit decision pushed to September 2027

The Army Corps of Engineers delayed the Graphite Creek mine permit to September 2027 and upgraded the review to a full environmental impact statement.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min read
Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Cover image for article: Graphite Creek permit decision pushed to September 2027

Free school supplies and dinner at Nome's Back-to-School Bash

Nome families got free backpacks, school supplies and pizza at a community Back-to-School Bash — a welcome hand in a year of tight budgets and $10 milk.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 3w ago1 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Free school supplies and dinner at Nome's Back-to-School Bash

Washington bought into Ambler. The payoff depends on the road being built

The federal government will own about 10 percent of Trilogy Metals, but cannot cash in most of its stake until the Ambler road is built.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3w ago4 min read
Ambler, Alaska
Cover image for article: Washington bought into Ambler. The payoff depends on the road being built

The Nulato Hills Crew fights fire with hand tools, from five villages

BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises a second $495,000 contract to run a seasonal wildland fire crew through March 2031, drawing firefighters from five Interior villages.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Nulato, Alaska
Cover image for article: The Nulato Hills Crew fights fire with hand tools, from five villages

Red Dog is one approval away from a new corporate owner

Teck Resources, owner of the Red Dog zinc mine near Kivalina, awaits one final regulatory approval before its merger with Anglo American closes, likely between September 2026 and March 2027.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Northwest Arctic, Alaska
Cover image for article: Red Dog is one approval away from a new corporate owner

Unit 22C bull moose season closes 12 days early, after two days

Bull moose season in Unit 22C on the Seward Peninsula closes Sept. 2, twelve days early, after hunters are expected to fill the 30-bull quota in just two days.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: Unit 22C bull moose season closes 12 days early, after two days

A Nome jury convicted a 78-year-old man on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor

A Nome jury convicted Isaac Ozenna Sr., 78, on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor involving nine children abused in Nome between 1984 and 2014.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Nome, Alaska
Cover image for article: A Nome jury convicted a 78-year-old man on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor

Five Alaska bridges are getting new lights, above and below

Five Alaska bridges are getting new lights, for the aircraft passing above them and the boats passing below. The whole project costs $170,000.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Five Alaska bridges are getting new lights, above and below