News

A community online forum asked residents for their opinions about the future of the Carlson Center. The contract with the current management company is ending. The Fairbanks North Star Borough will review options for the big arena and convention space on the riverbank in Fairbanks.

The dominant user of the Carlson Center has been the University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey team, whose scheduling of the ice for practices and games has determined much of how the facility has been used. That dominance turns out to be a common gripe among folks who participated in the community forum.

On July 27, the U.S. Department of Interior announced it will open its first office dedicated to investigating cold cases in what has been called an epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People. There will be seven of these offices nationwide.

At a time where virtual platforms are largely becoming the norm, many Alaska Natives are entering a new era of content creation. I recently sat down with Alice Qannik Glenn and Jenna Kunze to talk about their new Indigenous-centered project on climate change.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut much of the country down in mid-March, domestic violence shelters saw fewer people seeking sanctuary from abusive partners. In Southeast Alaska, trends have varied by community.

The 2020 annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives will go virtual out of safety concerns over coronavirus. The decision was announced Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, in a news release from AFN.

According to a statement from AFN president Julie Kitka, “It was a really tough decision -- but the health and safety of our delegates, participants, and attendees comes first. The high risk factors of holding a large, indoor meeting, with lots of Elders and delegates coming in from across Alaska, far outweigh the benefits of gathering in person.”

It’s been almost a year since a third of Newtok's residents moved away from their eroding village. Nine miles away in Mertarvik, they’ve gained more than just stable ground. Many say that they are healthier, and living a more traditional Yup’ik lifestyle. 

A slight breeze blows in Mertarvik most days, carrying fresh air from the Bering Sea. Katherine Charles, who moved here last October, says that her kids are breathing easier.

In Washington State Supreme Court, an Alaska Native Tribe and others are challenging a decision in a child custody case. 

Katherine Gottlieb will resign as president and chief executive of Southcentral Foundation, one of the state’s largest medical providers and a hub of the Native health care system.

The news was announced Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, two weeks after Southcentral fired three dentists, including Kevin Gottlieb, the CEO’s husband, who was also a senior executive at the organization.

The Pebble Limited Partnership is one step away from a federal permit for the proposed Pebble Mine, a deeply controversial development that would tap large copper and gold deposits at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. 

Pebble CEO Tom Collier thinks the finished Environmental Impact Statement shows the mine can be built without harming the environment.

It’s getting late in the season and Yukon River king salmon passage remains very weak at the U.S.-Canada border.

Holly Carroll is the State Yukon River summer season manager. The run was estimated to be a well below average 160 thousand fish entering the river. She says the run is tracking to fall short of the minimum objective for escapement into Canada.

“That escapement goal is a range 42,500 to 55,000,” Carroll said. “At this point we may not meet the lower end of that goal.”