Northwest Arctic Borough
RSSNews from the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska
Juneau's city-owned ski area has an unresolved drinking water violation
EPA records show a March drinking water violation at Eaglecrest Ski Area in Juneau, in the agency's most urgent category, with no resolution recorded.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Why the Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company to reach roadless villages
The Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company $345,000 to fly inspectors to roadless Alaska villages to reach the fuel facilities it regulates.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard cutter Stratton changes command at anchor off Kotzebue
A change of command aboard the cutter Stratton took place at anchor off Kotzebue. The Coast Guard keeps no permanent presence north of the Bering Strait.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Moose in Gates of the Arctic are up 48 percent, and researchers point to shrubs
Moose in the Gates of the Arctic survey area are up about 48 percent since 2015. Researchers tie the Arctic's moose expansion to taller shrubs.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A village-based fire crew from Nulato gets federal funding through 2031
BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises $495,000 to staff a Type 2 wildland fire crew through March 2031, continuing a pattern of federal contracts that bring seasonal cash to rural Alaska villages.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska's development authority again takes ANWR and Ambler to closed session
Alaska's development authority will again discuss two divisive projects — ANWR oil drilling and the Ambler mining road — in closed session this week.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Kotzebue chum fishermen got a second buyer for the season's last week
Kotzebue chum fishermen had two buyers for the season's final six openings, after weeks with one. The regulatory season closes Aug. 31.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Eight Alaska fishery disaster requests are past the deadline federal law sets
Eight Alaska fishing communities are owed federal disaster relief the law says is already overdue, and until the decisions come, no one gets paid.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Ambler district copper mine nears its first public comment period
A copper mine proposed 22 miles from Kobuk is moving through federal permitting. Residents could get their first chance to comment as soon as September.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
The fate of the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine is now in a federal judge's hands
A federal judge is deciding whether the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine survives, a fight over Bristol Bay salmon with Alaska Native parties on both sides.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
The state gave Red Dog another decade of eased water limits as the mine looks to run longer
Alaska extended Red Dog's wastewater permit 10 years, to 2036, past the mine's own expected ore life, citing thawing permafrost with no available remedy.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
An Iñupiaq firefighter from Noorvik died fighting a Minnesota wildfire, and two states lowered their flags
Leslie R. Washington, a 41-year-old firefighter from Noorvik, died Aug. 11 during a medical emergency while fighting the Bear Trap Fire in Minnesota.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
$1.54 million in federal rent aid for Kotzebue's four subsidized elder apartments
HUD awarded $1.54 million to Tupqich Elder Apartments in Kotzebue to cover operating costs for very-low-income seniors, who pay 30 percent of their income toward rent.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Heat advisory covers Noatak, Kobuk and Seward Peninsula zones until 8 p.m. Saturday
Oh, it's gonna be hot… Best of luck with the bugs. Hopefully there's wind.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Erosion is forcing Alaska to move the Noatak airport two miles west
The Noatak River has eroded to within about 160 feet of the village's airport — its only lifeline — so Alaska is moving the whole airport two miles west.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
State proposes five-year lease extension for Noatak school site at airport
Alaska is proposing a five-year lease extension for Noatak's school and fuel tank farm on airport land, even though the airport itself is scheduled to close once a replacement facility opens.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kotzebue chum fishermen get a better price but have just one buyer left
Kotzebue chum fishermen are getting nearly 20 cents more a pound this season, but with only one registered buyer left, their market now hinges on a single company.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Peltola's energy platform draws fire from both sides in the race
Mary Peltola rolled out an energy platform in her Senate race against Dan Sullivan, drawing rebuttals from his campaign and from Alaska environmental groups.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A retiring Arctic judge's cases are in limbo, with no one scheduling hearings
A retiring Arctic judge's caseload has been moved to an unassigned docket with no one scheduling hearings, and the court hasn't said how the region's cases proceed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Ambler advances, but the U.S. stake in its developer hasn't closed
Ambler Road permits are back in force and the project is advancing, but the U.S. government's planned stake in developer Trilogy Metals still hasn't closed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
NANA's fall payout works out to about $1,687 for an original shareholder
NANA's fall payout is $16.87 a share — about $1,687 for an original shareholder with 100 shares. Update your information by Nov. 6 to be paid on time.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Judge declines to block 1.4 million-acre Alaska land transfer
A judge won't freeze Alaska's claim to 1.4 million acres of federal land, pushing the state past 96 percent of its 1959 statehood entitlement. The lawsuit lives on.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Retiring judge's Arctic caseload lands in an unassigned court queue
A retiring Arctic judge's entire caseload but eight cases now sits in an unassigned queue, with no new judge named and no word on hearing dates across three hub communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
The water keeps coming back to Kotzebue Sound
Kotzebue Sound is getting its second high-water warning in two days — small rises on a coast where the flooding keeps getting worse.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Minor Chukchi surge hits Kivalina and Red Dog Dock
A minor Chukchi surge Sunday is small by 2022 standards, but it hits Kivalina and Red Dog Dock, where erosion and flooding are already permanent problems.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
High surf and minor flooding for Alaska's west coast through Thursday
A Bering Sea low is pushing high surf and minor flooding into Alaska's west coast through Thursday night, with water 1 to 3 feet above the normal high tide line.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A permitting bill could open the federal fast lane to Alaska projects
A bill would drop the federal fast-track permitting threshold to $50 million — opening the program to Alaska projects too small to qualify until now.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Kotzebue chum fishery opened Sunday, but only one buyer is registered to purchase fish
Kotzebue chum fishery opened Sunday with five fishing windows, but only one buyer is registered to purchase fish this season.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
PRC benefits cover hearing aids, vision care, and travel for eligible Noatak residents
Noatak residents can use Purchased/Referred Care to cover hearing aids and vision care, plus travel help for specialty referrals. • Must get prior authorization and submit bills quickly to avoid delays or uncovered costs.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
ADF&G issues four commercial salmon emergency orders across Alaska Peninsula, Kuskokwim, and Kotzebue areas in three days
ADF&G issued four emergency orders in three days for salmon fisheries. • Sand Point and Port Moller openings target sockeye and mixed stocks. • Kuskokwim Bay and Kotzebue Sound orders adjust chum salmon harvest rules. • Fishermen must track shifting schedules as run conditions dictate changes.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kotzebue Sound fishing ban near airport runway takes effect with July 10 commercial opening
Kotzebue's first commercial salmon opening July 10 now runs under a permanent fishing ban near the airport runway that blocks both commercial and subsistence nets to keep birds away from planes.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Peltola puts numbers on rural fuel crisis: $21 a gallon in Noatak, $15 coming for St. Mary's
Senate candidate Mary Peltola cited fuel prices of $21 a gallon in Noatak and $14 to $15 expected in St. Mary's, calling for Congress to investigate price gouging.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Frier vs. Chase: a rematch for Alaska's northernmost House seat
Alaska's biggest, coldest House district is a 2024 rematch: Rep. Robyn Frier vs. Kotzebue Mayor Saima Chase, both running hard on public safety.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A gravel permit for the pipeline, and a question about what Alyeska pays
A routine permit lets Alyeska pull gravel from the Sag floodplain for pipeline upkeep — but not what the private pipeline giant pays the public for it. A senator's been asking.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The fight to keep Red Dog alive past 2031
A routine nine-acre lease along the Red Dog haul road opens onto a much bigger question: how one of the world's richest zinc mines keeps going after its main pit runs dry around 2031.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Why an Arctic fiber company needs 30,000 yards of Dalton gravel
Quintillion wants 30,000 yards of Dalton Highway gravel to build a land backup for the Arctic's only fiber line — the one sea ice has cut twice, knocking whole communities offline.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A wildfire came within a mile of Kaltag — then crews stopped it
A lightning fire pushed within a mile of Kaltag before smokejumpers and scooper planes held it at 55 acres, with the threat to the village easing.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers parachuted into a roadless village to save its solar array
A landfill fire jumped to the tundra and got within 100 yards of Selawik's solar array, so smokejumpers parachuted into the roadless village to save it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Selawik landfill fire smoke poses distinct health risk beyond wildfire haze
A landfill fire near Selawik is sending toxic smoke into the air, posing greater health risks than typical wildfire smoke for elders and children.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Selawik fuel tank farm, solar array threatened by landfill fire
A tundra fire that escaped Selawik's landfill Monday grew to 20 acres and now threatens the village's fuel tank farm and solar array, its only source of heating fuel and diesel power.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
