LATEST NEWS
Kuskokwim breakup starts in Nikolai
Downriver from Nikolai, pictured the afternoon of April 20, 2024. Water reportedly started flowing in the area the previous day. Breakup on the Kuskokwim has begun in the upper-river village of Nikolai, while some other communities report snowmelt and thinning river ice. Johnse Ostman is a hydrologist with the National...
Southcentral Foundation to place a school nurse and counselors in 3 rural schools
Three rural Alaska schools will soon have a school nurse and behavioral health consultants as part of an effort by Southcentral Foundation to improve student wellness. The staff, funded by a federal grant, will serve children in McGrath, Nikolai and Takotna. Currently, there is not a school nurse or counselors available at the small schools.
Iditarod mushers care for dogs, sleep, eat and repeat during their 24-hour breaks
TAKOTNA – Take care of the dogs, sleep, eat and repeat. That’s the mantra for mushers on their 24-hour breaks during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The 24’s, as they’re called, are mandatory and a welcome reset for the weary teams. They can be taken at any checkpoint, although it makes the most sense somewhere near the middle of the race. Many Iditarod mushers opt to take their 24 in this village of about 50 people, at race mile 329, due to the outsized amenities it provides.
An angry moose and bare ground mark a brutal first quarter for Iditarod teams
NIKOLAI — Frontrunners in the 2024 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race pulled into the checkpoint here Tuesday morning saying bare ground had torn up the plastic covering their sled runners and slowed their progress at times. Closer to the village, about a quarter of the way into the 1,000-mile...
Team 33 the first to McGrath as Iron Dog enters home stretch
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Just under a week ago, the town of McGrath represented the first stopping point for many of this year’s Iron Dog teams as they progressed along the 2500-mile course. On Friday, the small city now represents the last major checkpoint before the Big Lake finish...
Teams 19 and 40 scratch in McGrath as the 2024 Iron Dog wraps up second day
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After some home-cooked meals, showers and a good night’s rest, early Sunday morning Iron Dog teams revved their engines and continued their journey to Nome. Squads started pulling out of the Innoko Lodge parking lot in McGrath just past 7:45 a.m. Team 14 was the...
Racers arrive at first major checkpoint along Iron Dog Trail
MCGRATH, Alaska (KTUU) - The village of McGrath has been anticipating the arrival of Iron Dog racers since teams took off from Big Lake Saturday morning. Just before 6 p.m. Sunday, they got their wish. Veterans Mike Morgan and Bradley Kishbaugh, of Team 6, proved to be the ones to...
February in Alaska History
On February 21, 1924, Carl Ben Eielson flew Alaska’s first official air mail service. The 280-mile flight from Fairbanks to McGrath took just a few hours, compared to 18 days or more by dog sled. Eielson used a de Havilland DH-4 open cockpit biplane to carry the 164 pounds of mail, and he bundled up in caribou-fur socks, moccasins, a reindeer parka, a marten-skin cap, a wolverine-skin hood, and multiple wool layers, as well as goggles.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.