Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story from Utqiagvik? Send a tip
June 2026
Mt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Chase filing sets up Kotzebue, North Slope rematch in House District 40
A rematch up north between the sitting House Representative from HD40 and the Mayor of Kotzebue
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
May 2026
State identifies man, officers in fatal Utqiagvik police shooting
Police in Utqiaġvik shot and killed 46-year-old Gordon Killbear Jr. on May 23 after he emerged from a barricaded room with a knife during a domestic violence call.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Person dies after officer-involved shooting in Utqiaġvik
A person died Saturday after an officer-involved shooting in Utqiaġvik. Alaska State Troopers are investigating.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Hopson 1 crew strikes Utqiaġvik's first whale of spring season
Hopson 1 crew struck Utqiaġvik's first bowhead whale of spring 2026 season Saturday, marking an important catch for the Alaska Native community after a late start.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Utqiaġvik tribal college buys land for permanent campus
Iḷisaġvik College, Alaska's only tribal college, has purchased land in Utqiaġvik to build a permanent campus after operating without one.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
April 2026
Alaska Special Education Crisis: 200 Teaching Positions Unfilled Statewide
Alaska school districts cannot fill 200 special education teaching positions, forcing some schools to operate without a resident special education teacher.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago1 min readAbout Utqiagvik
Utqiagvik, also known as Barrow, Ukpeaġvik or Ukpiaġvik, is the northernmost city in the United States, on Alaska's Arctic coast in the North Slope Borough. It is an Iñupiat hub community and the seat of borough government.
Bowhead whaling by local crews is central to community life, and the city lives through long polar night and midnight sun. Its city council sets local taxes, including a sales tax on marijuana that voters decide, and seeks funding for city operations from sources such as NPR-A revenue. Public safety and rescue capacity, banking, fuel supply at its airport and internet connectivity are recurring questions.
Its tribal government receives cultural items returned by museums, and Iñupiat-owned businesses such as the village corporation UIC are based there. Development in the National Petroleum Reserve and sea ice in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas shape the surrounding region.