Utqiagvik

Blizzard conditions possible near Utqiagvik under Arctic Coast advisory through Wednesday

Advisory warns of blizzard conditions, 50 mph gusts and more snow near Utqiagvik through 4pm Wednesday. Visibility may drop below one-half mile.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

UIC approves a second 2026 payment for its shareholders

UIC shareholders get a second payment this year. The Utqiaġvik corporation now shares amounts only with shareholders. Much of its revenue is federal work.

by Alaska News2w ago2 min read

Official results confirm Utqiagvik voters raised marijuana sales tax to 10%

Utqiagvik voters approved raising the city's retail marijuana sales tax from 8% to 10%, final results confirm, 473 to 303.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read

North Slope Assembly backs next step for roads linking three Slope communities

The North Slope Assembly backed moving roads to link Utqiaġvik, Atqasuk and Wainwright toward review. The mayor wants them paid for alongside an oil-area road.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Utqiaġvik lagoon death prompts questions on rescue training

After a young man died in an Utqiaġvik lagoon, an assembly member questioned fire training and equipment. The mayor said training is being rebuilt.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

North Slope Borough adopts eminent domain policy reaching beyond the seawall

The North Slope Borough adopted an eminent domain policy Tuesday, its first its lawyers could find, and cut the seawall name so it can reach other projects.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Utqiagvik voters approve 10% marijuana tax in unofficial count

Utqiagvik voters approved a marijuana tax increase from 8% to 10% on Tuesday, 433 to 272, pending final canvass in October.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Utqiagvik's council can pause the sales tax five more years without a vote

FAA keeps plowing roads to Alaska navigation beacons as it retires others

The FAA pays local crews to plow roads to Alaska's radio navigation beacons each winter, even as it retires more than a dozen others in favor of GPS.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read

North Slope Borough mayor candidates clash over roads and litigation

Mayor Josiah Patkotak and challenger Harry Brower Jr. faced off ahead of the Oct. 6 North Slope Borough election. • Brower pushed for immediate road construction to cut costs. Patkotak touted $600 million in projects and a property tax waiver starting in 2027. • Both emphasized local control over oil and gas development and tackling drugs in villages.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

State lifts Kaktovik do-not-drink water order

Kaktovik residents can drink their tap water again. The state lifted its do-not-drink order Saturday after three weeks of antifreeze-chemical contamination.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Much of the Beaufort Sea's ice melted out in August after a cold, late start

A cold, cloudy spring slowed the melt off Alaska's north coast. Then August opened a hole north of Utqiaġvik, and much of the Beaufort's ice was gone.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Utqiagvik's council can pause the sales tax five more years without a vote

Utqiagvik's council can pause the city sales tax five more years on its own. The marijuana tax increase, meanwhile, has to go to the voters.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Three virtual hearings this week will take comments on BLM's Arctic fast-track

Three virtual hearings begin Tuesday on a 60-day Arctic permitting rule that BLM says could roughly double development.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 8

Alaska's tribal college wins federal money for students and food knowledge

Alaska's only tribal college won $352,000 from the USDA to help students stay in school and to teach Iñupiaq food systems on the North Slope.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

BLM Rule Would Cut NPR-A Pad Approvals to 60 Days, Limit Hunting

The BLM's own analysis found a proposed drilling rule would significantly restrict subsistence hunting for three North Slope villages. Hearings begin Monday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 8

Follows: BLM rule would let NPR-A operators waive subsistence conditions without public notice

High surf advisory holds until 10 p.m. Saturday as Utqiaġvik logs record September rain

A storm brought high surf to Alaska's Arctic coast and set a September rainfall record in Utqiagvik, the wettest day there in records going back to 1920.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

NOAA is paying $735,000 for more cleanup at a site Alaska will not close

NOAA is paying $735,000 for another year of cleanup at a former weather office site, where the state has refused to close out one building yet.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read

Minnesota hunter cited for wanton waste of a caribou near Sagwon

Minnesota hunter cited for leaving edible meat unsalvaged on a bull caribou near Sagwon and removing antlers before finishing the salvage.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 22

Two Arctic climate-data sources lose federal funding, kept alive by others

Two Arctic climate-data sources Alaska relies on lost their federal funding this past year. Both are now kept alive by universities and private groups.

by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 1

Grants target Medicare aid Alaska seniors often leave unclaimed

Federal grants of about $271,814 will help low-income Alaska seniors sign up for Medicare programs many never claim, as the state's older population grows.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Former mayor Harry Brower Jr. files to run against Patkotak for North Slope Borough mayor

Harry Brower Jr. ran the North Slope Borough for seven years and wants it back. He and the incumbent are both from Utqiagvik, in a borough of eight villages.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 31

North Slope Borough Assembly raises lot density to four homes in zoning code rewrite

North Slope Borough Assembly voted 9-0 to allow four homes per lot instead of two, aiming to address a shortage of 637 housing units across the region.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Chukchi coastal waters expected to become ice free within days, NWS says

Chukchi Sea navigational waters off Alaska will become ice free within days, the National Weather Service said Monday, though Arctic-wide sea ice remains near record lows for this time of year.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Utqiagvik council weighs finance and executive director appointments

The Utqiagvik City Council will vote Thursday on new appointments for two top administrative offices, a finance director and an executive director, with no explanation given in the agenda for the changes.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Utqiaġvik hears a marijuana tax rise from 8% to 10% tonight, and voters decide Oct. 6

Utqiaġvik City Council hears a proposal tonight to raise the marijuana sales tax from 8% to 10%, with voters deciding Oct. 6.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Follows: Utqiagvik weighs a change to how it taxes marijuana

Two seats open on Utqiagvik scholarship committee, letters due Sept. 17

Utqiagvik is seeking two volunteers for its scholarship committee, with applications due Sept. 17.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Alaska Native-serving schools vie for $10 million in training money

Alaska Native-serving colleges and trade schools have until Aug. 24 to compete for up to $10 million in federal money to train skilled workers.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read

Utqiagvik weighs a change to how it taxes marijuana

Utqiaġvik might tax your weed. The council won't say how much, and neither will the packet.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 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 3mo ago1 min read

The North Slope's fuel farms sit on thawing ground

The state is renewing spill plans for eight North Slope fuel farms sitting on ground that is thawing and eroding out from under them.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

North Slope Police shooting in Utqiagvik under state investigation

North Slope Borough police shot and killed a 25-year-old Utqiagvik man early Thursday. State investigators say he pointed a rifle at officers.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Gale winds, 8-foot seas off Utqiagvik through Thursday

Gale winds and 8-foot seas off Utqiagvik make Chukchi waters dangerous for small boats through Thursday evening, with rough water returning Sunday.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Utqiaġvik gets a new credit union branch, the northernmost in the world

Global Credit Union opened the world's northernmost branch in Utqiaġvik on July 9, offering home and vehicle loans to residents who previously had limited in-person banking options.

by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo 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 AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Starlink claims 10 Gbps in Utqiagvik, but maybe... not so much

Starlink says it hit 10 Gbps in Utqiagvik — but that's the firehose into town, not what reaches your house. A rooftop dish still gets about 200 Mbps.

by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read

54 years of the North Slope Borough

Fifty-four years ago, Iñupiat leaders founded the North Slope Borough to tax the oil built on their land and govern their own homeland — an anniversary the mayor marked this week.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

At America's northernmost airport, the fuel is Iñupiat-owned

A dull fuel-lease notice at Utqiaġvik's airport hides a good story: the company keeping the northernmost airport supplied is an original ASRC business, built to serve the Iñupiat.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read

Nalukataq season carries Alaska whaling traditions into summer

Nalukataq celebrations honoring bowhead whale hunts move across five northern Alaska communities from mid-June through early July, distributing whale meat and muktuk to mark the tradition.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

UIC just crossed $1 billion in revenue — a milestone almost no village corp reaches

UIC just crossed $1 billion in revenue. Almost no Alaska Native village corporation gets there.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom Jun 15

Utqiaġvik records second-coldest May high in 105 years

Utqiaġvik recorded its second-coldest May high in 105 years at 29°F while most of the Arctic ran warm, triggering river ice jams that flooded Holy Cross and its airstrip in late May.

by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom May 31