News

TO BE TESTED—A pair of murres, a glaucous gull and a spectacled eider are prepared to be sent out to a lab to be tested for avian influenza.

Regional birds sent to lab to be tested for avian flu

By Megan Gannon Last Friday morning, Gay Sheffield was packing a cooler in the science lab at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Northwest Campus in Nome. She was not preparing for a weekend at...

COVID cases on the rise again

By Peter Loewi Active cases in the region rose to 23 last Friday, the highest in over two months. Cases appear to go down over the weekend because less testing is done but tend to rise towards the...

PARADE—Warm and sunny weather graced Saturday’s Midnight Sun Parade, drawing a large crowd looking for fun, games and candy.

Midnight sun shines on Nome’s solstice festivities

By Peter Loewi and Megan Gannon When the day lasts forever, why shouldn’t the festivities? The 2022 Midnight Sun Festival ran from Wednesday, June 15 through Sunday, June 19, and featured food, bank...

Council passes budgets, ok’s MOU for 3D housing printing

By Diana Haecker The Nome Common Council swiftly and without much comment from the public passed in second readings the fiscal year 2023 budgets for the city’s general fund, the school debt service...

City manager reflects on lessons learned from COVID-19

By Peter Loewi Over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration released briefing documents saying that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines safely produced immune responses in children under the age...

The Nome Court sentenced John Aluska to 10 years of incarceration related to a “parade of horrors” he committed against his family at a remote riverside fish camp near Stebbins two years ago.

A ‘horrific day’ of violence at fish camp leads to 10 years in jail

By Megan Gannon Last week, the Nome Court sentenced a Stebbins man to 10 years of incarceration related to a “parade of horrors” he committed against his family at a remote riverside fish camp near...

two Nome moms, Krystal Hensley and Renee Joyce, stepped up to organize a new event, called Mizuktata, which means “Let’s drink juice!” in Iñupiaq as the official Lemonade Day was cancelled for Alaska..

Without an official Lemonade Day, Nomeites will drink juice

As Midnight Sun festivities get underway, kids will set up stands throughout Nome this Saturday, June 18 to sell beverages and baked goods as part of a new event called Mizuktata, which means “Let’s...

PROTESTING—Left to right, Michael Thomas (of Utqiagvik), Pangaanga Pangawyi (Sivungaq), Aklaasiaq Ahmasuk (Sitnasuaq) and Bivers Gologergen (Sivungaq) joined protesters in Menlo Park, CA to voice their concerns over potential health impacts on humans and marine life, and a lack of meaningful consultation with those who rely on the ice for subsistence activities.

A ‘reckless’ Arctic geoengineering project draws local criticism

By Megan Gannon An Alaska Native delegation, including a handful of Nomeites, stood outside a country club in Menlo Park, California, last month with a banner that resembled a red road sign: “Wrong...

Graphite One fields questions as mine exploration progresses

By Megan Gannon Graphite One continues exploratory work this summer for its proposed graphite mine near the Imuruk Basin on the northern slope of the Kigluaik Mountains, which contains the largest-...

Researchers investigate Yukon Delta bird deaths amid avian flu outbreak

By Megan Gannon An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to infect wild birds in Alaska, and in the last few weeks, the Yukon Delta has seen a rise in reports of birds “loafing...