Y-K Delta
RSSY-K Delta region news
Murkowski: War-price fuel barges lock rural Alaska into costly winter
Rural Alaska villages are paying $9 to $14 a gallon for fuel locked in at peak war prices and cannot wait for global prices to fall, Senator Murkowski warned
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Yukon River gillnet ban hits lower river villages through July 5
Alaska closed all gillnets in lower Yukon River villages from mid-June through early July to protect Chinook and summer chum salmon stocks forecast well below average. • Closure affects Chevak, Hooper Bay, Emmonak, Alakanuk, and other communities that rely on gillnet fishing for food. • Fishers may still use dip nets, beach seines, and other gear; Chinook and chum must be released alive if caught.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 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
Begich bill would let the Indian Health Service fund rabies shots and spay/neuter in rural Alaska
Rural Alaska has rabid foxes biting dogs biting kids — and the IHS technically can't fund the shots. Begich's bill would change that.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Red Flag Warnings hit Southwest Alaska three days running
Red Flag Warnings covered Southwest Alaska on June 3 and 4 as hot, dry conditions and 20 mph winds created rapid fire spread risk in remote communities from the Kuskokwim Valley to Bristol Bay.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 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
DOT proposes 20-year FAA deals at three rural airports, no rent
You know what they say, everything good in this life is free
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Nanwalek man on domestic violence charges
Alaska State Troopers arrested Terence P. Swenning, 27, of Nanwalek on charges of assaulting his partner in front of three children.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Supreme Court leaves federal subsistence authority intact
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Alaska's challenge to federal subsistence protections, leaving federal authority intact over hunting and fishing on federal lands statewide.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 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
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
Okitkun files for Alaska House District 39 seat
Reynold Okitkun filed Tuesday as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska House District 39, focusing his campaign on restoring fishing and subsistence rights to rural communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 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
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 Native children under 10 had double the national rickets rate during 2001–2010, state report shows
Alaska Native children under 10 had rickets at double the U.S. rate from 2001 to 2010, driven by high latitude and vitamin D deficiency. • 91 percent of newborns in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta had vitamin D deficiency at birth. • Alaska now recommends 800 IU daily vitamin D for breastfed infants, double the national guideline. • Alaska Medicaid covers the higher supplementation doses.
by Maggie 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 5mo 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 readDonlin 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
Alaska House doubles bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million
Alaska House unanimously raised the bulk fuel loan cap for rural communities from $750,000 to $1.5 million, responding to soaring energy costs and supply shortages in remote villages.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 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 readHouse panel advances Alaska Native language task force bill
House panel advanced a bill to create a task force reviewing Alaska Native language preservation, with lawmakers calling the state's language situation a crisis.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
Rural Alaska fuel prices could hit $25/gallon, lawmaker warns
Rural Alaska fuel prices could reach $20 to $25 per gallon this year, potentially costing western Alaska up to $500 million in additional costs, state Sen. Lyman Hoffman warned Friday.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Board Cuts Area M June Salmon Fishing Time 30% to Protect Yukon-Bound Chum
Alaska's Board of Fisheries voted 4-3 to cut June salmon fishing time in Area M by 30 to 39 percent, removing industry catch limits to protect chum and kings bound for Western Alaska rivers.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
House panel advances tribal victim advocate confidentiality bill
House committee unanimously advanced a bill adding two words to Alaska law to give tribal domestic violence advocates the same confidentiality protections as other victim service providers.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
State employee per diem frozen since 2010 despite 40% inflation
House Bill 300 would raise state employee per diem rates frozen since 2010 from $60 to $82 per day, with automatic adjustments every three years starting in 2029.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
3-Year-Old Dies After Falling Through Ice in Goodnews Bay
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday after falling through thin ice on the Goodnews River in Goodnews Bay, a remote village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta about 400 miles west of Anchorage.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readLegislative Council approves $70,200 Bethel office lease renewal
Alaska Legislative Council voted unanimously Tuesday to renew the Bethel office lease for one year at $70,200, with four more one-year options available through 2031.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Toksook Bay documentary on suicide prevention screened for Alaska lawmakers
Lawmakers watched a documentary on youth suicide in Toksook Bay. The film highlights the need for mental health support in rural Alaska.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
Alaska Advances Mental Health Education Guidelines Without Mandates
The House Finance Committee advanced a bill to create voluntary mental health guidelines for schools to address Alaska high youth suicide rates.
by Alaska News5mo ago4 min read
