News

In their own words: Municipal candidates speak their mind

Next week on Tuesday, Oct. 4, voters are asked to the municipal ballot box to vote on two Nome Common Council seats, two NJUS board seats, two School Board seats and the Nome representative on the...

Mayor of Golovin Charlie Black talks with U.S. Coast Guard servicemen on Friday, September 23, 2022 during storm damage cleanup in the community.

Even before Merbok, Native villages were in harm’s way

By Jenni Monet Robert “Bobby” Amarok could see the storm building out his kitchen window. Through paneless glass, he looked straight out onto Golovnin Lagoon where his daughter Lisa used to...

FINDING THE ROAD— Local DOT and KNIK employees work to rebuild the seawall and re-establish the Nome-Council Highway east of Cape Nome.

Major repairs underway at Nome-Council Highway

By Megan Gannon At least 30 workers from the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities and Knik Construction are putting in long days to get the Nome-Council Highway open before...

IN NOME—Federal dignitaries came to Nome last week to survey the damage left in the wake of ex-typhoon Merbok, after Governor Dunleavy had toured the region. Congresswoman Mary Peltola addresses a large crowd at Old St. Joe’s in Nome on Saturday, Sept. 24. With Peltola on stage are (left to right) Bryan Fisher, Director of the Alaska Division for Homeland Security and Emergency Management; FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie Nunn; Nome Mayor John Handeland; Senator Lisa Murkowski and FEMA Administrator Dean

Dignitaries tour Nome, Golovin

By Peter Loewi Members of the Alaska Congressional delegation toured the region with state and federal officials last weekend, including Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management...

Much of Front Street in Nome was under water during the Sept. 17 storm.

Mega-storm hits region, causing massive destruction

By Diana Haecker “This storm is so big that it will take about three hours for the sun to fully set on.” This was the caption to a Facebook post by the National Weather Service Alaska Region,...

BERING SEA FIRE— In the midst of the storm, NVFD volunteers fought a fire that claimed the Bering Sea Restaurant and Bar entirely. Three people were treated for injuries, one dog perished in the fire.

Fire claims Bering Sea Restaurant

By Peter Loewi At around 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 17, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department got a call about smoke at the Bering Sea Restaurant. When NVFD Chief Jim West Jr. made it to the scene,...

MAYOR— Nome Mayor John Handeland driving around Nome to assess the situation during the storm on Sept. 17.

Nome declares disaster, region seeks state and federal help

By Megan Gannon City Hall still reeked of smoke when Mayor John Handeland walked into an emergency meeting of the Nome Common Council on Monday. He was wearing a reflective jacket and holding a copy...

GAMBELL— Huge waves created by the ex-typhoon Merbok crashed onto West Beach near Gambell.

Regional communities hammered by ex-typhoon Merbok

By Peter Loewi Villages around Norton Sound were hard hit by the massive storm raging through western Alaska over the weekend. As the wind subsided and water levels fell by Monday, residents began...

A house, only used for storage, was washed off Belmont Point and became lodged upriver at the Snake River bridge.

Remnants of typhoon Merbok pummel region

The past 24 hours, fierce winds and rising seas have wreaked havoc in western Alaska. The widespread destruction includes dislodged fuel tanks, failing seawalls, houses dislodged from their...

IPOP PERMIT DENIED— The Army Corps of Engineers denied IPOP to mine for gold at Bonanza Channel.

Army Corps of Engineers denies IPOP permit to mine

By Diana Haecker On Friday afternoon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its decision to deny regulatory permits for IPOP LLC, effectively nixing IPOP’s plans to mine for gold and dispose of...