Emily Schwing, special to Alaska Public Media
In Tanana, Alaska, ‘a way of life’ comes to a bittersweet close
The team narrowly missed the state title, and it will be years before the village sees another team step onto a court.
In one Interior Alaska village, ‘a way of life’ comes to a bittersweet close
“There’s not going to be basketball here,” said high schooler John Erhart Jr. “This is like a basketball community.”
Iditarod will require COVID vaccines this year, its third pandemic-altered race
While the Iditarod is returning to a more normal 1,000-mile route this year, many other things about the sled dog race will be different due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Tribes aim to ask voters for state recognition
Across the US, only 10% of Indigenous tribes with federal recognition also have recognition from their respective state governments. In Alaska, tribal members aim to change that.
Last year, they organized to collect tens of thousands signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would ask voters to decide. Supporters say the recognition opens up doors for more resources and symbolizes a respectful government-to-government relationship.
State tribal recognition initiative surpasses signature goal
Officials with the effort say they’ve collected more than 53,000 supporting signatures.
After smashing records and destroying roads, rain continues to fall in Girdwood
By Monday morning, just under 14 inches of rain had fallen in three days in Girdwood — the most rain since the National Weather service started keeping track in the ski town, in 1955.
Ancient tracks lead to better understanding of how Arctic dinos lived
This summer, three scientists ventured to the foot of the Aleutian Mountain range to collect evidence that dinosaurs once roamed the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula. They hope to reconstruct the ancient ecosystem that allowed dinosaurs to thrive here for tens of thousands of years.
As lumber prices climb, Alaskans increasingly mill their own
A year and half ago, Rittgers said he was taking orders for one sawmill a week. Now, he and his daughter take deposits for three or four sawmills a day.
Tiny beetles threaten spruce trees and homes in Alaska
https://youtu.be/JanC26BhtAw
Take a flight over the Mat-Su valley, the Anchorage Bowl, or the Kenai Peninsula and you may notice areas that were once evergreen, but have now turned a rusty reddish brown. All of those...
Alaska Native pilots fly with hometown values
https://youtu.be/lFbyE7-XH9A
Many of the pilots who fly for smaller commercial airlines in the state didn’t grow up in the remote communities they serve. Recruiting local Alaskans to become pilots for their home communities is at...
What’s up with that igloo by Denali and also the tallest building in Fairbanks?
https://youtu.be/AyXEiQecad8
A giant, artificial igloo marks the halfway point between Fairbanks and Anchorage along the Parks Highway. It was supposed to be a roadside hotel, but it never opened for business. Our field producer Emily...
Weekend storms pummel Arctic coastal villages
Over the weekend, much of the state saw snowfall, icy roads and the first wintery conditions. Photos from Shishmaref, a small village along the Bering Sea coast, show a large swath of road that leads from the community to the sewage lagoon has been completely washed away by waves. A number of other villages were also battered by high seas and gusting winds.
Alaska Federation of Natives stays mum on Climate Change Task Force progress
A year after a contentious resolution was passed at AFN declaring climate change an emergency, a planned task force that would address the issue hasn't been created.
Kivalina on the Coast: how an Arctic community is responding to climate change
https://youtu.be/3QI7SplPviM
The rapid pace of climate change is affecting the arctic region at a more accelerated pace than anywhere else in the world. In 2003, the federal Government Accountability Office delivered a report to Congress....
Why a baby dinosaur bone in the Arctic could change what we know about dinosaur habitats
The find of a baby dinosaur bone in a stream bed on Alaska's North Slope says a lot about dinosaur migration - or lack thereof - say scientists who made the discovery.
Alaska Regional Hospital opts out of state directive to halt elective surgeries, for now
Alaska health officials issued a directive Monday asking hospitals statewide to postpone non-essential surgeries for 90 days. But, It’s not a mandate.
As coronavirus concerns grow in Alaska, officials warn shoppers not to overdo it
Zidek said it’s unlikely the coronavirus outbreak will cause a disruption to the delivery of goods from out of state.
Two former Jesuit officials resign from Gonzaga University after revelations about abusive priests
Two priests in high-level positions at Gonzaga University resigned today. Both previously held leadership roles in the Jesuits’ Oregon Province while it sent Jesuits accused of sexual abuse to live in a home on campus.
These priests abused in Native villages for years. They retired on Gonzaga’s campus
Gonzaga University served as a retirement repository for Jesuit priests accused of sexual abuse in Alaska Native villages and on Indian reservations.
AK: The crafty side of AFN
People have come to Fairbanks from all over the state to sell their handmade goods during the Alaska Federation of Native Conference this week. At the craft fair, you can find everything from ivory carvings and hand-made masks to mukluks, kuspuks and even kippered salmon. With few available jobs in the villages, these handicrafts and homemade foods are one of the few ways people pay their bills. Listen Now