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Kuskokwim River breakup floods roads, impacts drinking water for some communities
Ice jams from breakup on the Kuskokwim River are causing high water to inundate many lower river communities. As of Thursday, there had not been any reported flooding impacts to structures like homes or businesses, but some roads are covered with water and it’s affected at least two villages’ drinking water.
Dunleavy declares disaster amid historic breakup flooding on the Kuskokwim River
Amid historic breakup flooding on the Kuskokwim River, Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday issued a disaster declaration for lower Kuskokwim River communities. The declaration allows eligible communities and individuals to access state funds for emergency-related costs and it also activates other public assistance programs. The declaration comes as icy water...
Widespread high water and flooding continues for lower Kuskokwim communities
Kwethluk remains on flood warning, while Bethel and lower Kuskokwim communities are on flood advisory as the river swells over its banks. National Weather Service Hydrologist Johnse Ostman said on KYUK morning show Coffee at KYUK on Thursday (May 9) that high water is widespread throughout the lower Kuskokwim region.
Bethel ice tripod trips the clock at 8:40 a.m., May 8, 2024
Bethel’s Kuskokwim Ice Classic tripod tripped the clock at 8:40 a.m. on May 8, 2024. The winner of the full Ice Classic hasn’t been announced yet. Ice Classic managers wrote in a post on their website that certifying a winner can take up to two days. But three...
Bethel residents march for MMIP justice
The 2024 MMIP March for Justice walks along the Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway in Bethel. May 3, 2024. Around 90 people, most dressed in red, walked about 1.5 miles through Bethel last Friday (May 3) in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s (MMIP) Awareness Day (May 5). The...
Former Yute Commuter Service business manager charged with felony fraud and theft
A former Yute Commuter Service business manager is facing criminal charges for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 in company funds, nearly four years after he was named in a civil suit seeking damages for the same alleged theft. Forty-year-old Nathan McCabe faces four counts of scheme to defraud and one...
Bethel Freestyle Wrestling Club takes state championship in Wasilla
The Bethel Freestyle Wrestling Club pinned their way to an Alaska USA Wrestling state championship over the weekend in Wasilla, beating out the Anchorage-based Alaska Battle Cats in a tie-breaker to claim the title. At a packed Menard Sports Center, Bethel wrestler and Gladys Jung Elementary School sixth-grader Maya Iverson...
GCI mobile customers in Bethel demand answers after weeks of call issues
Following a weeks-long interruption that affected incoming calls for an unknown number of GCI mobile customers across Alaska, the telecommunications company says the issue has been resolved. Customers say the issue seemed to involve incoming calls to GCI mobile numbers. The incoming caller would hear ringing, get a generic voicemail...
Tuluksak and Akiak under flood advisory, lower Kuskokwim communities under flood watch
The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Tuluksak and Akiak and canceled the flood advisory for Kalskag as the breakup front moves downriver. As of Sunday morning (May 5), officials said they plan to issue a flood watch for Kwethluk, Akiachak and Bethel in anticipation of the continued slow march of breakup and potential ice jams as the front hits the sturdier ice below Bethel.
A utility room under Mertarvik’s public school is full of raw sewage
Two of the only flush toilets in the village of Mertarvik are in the temporary public school building, but their use is limited. All day long, kids come and go from the building, crunching through slushy spring snow on their way to their houses so they can use the “bathroom” at home.
For one Utqiaġvik family, spring bowhead whaling marks an important milestone
For the Aaluk Crew, last Wednesday (April 24) was cooking day. The night before, the whaling crew, captained by Bernadette and Quincy Adams, had landed the first bowhead whale of Utqiaġvik’s spring season. The crew flag, featuring a harpooned bowhead tail framed by a sunset, waved above the Adams’ two-story home, signaling the successful hunt.
Bethel hires new chief of police
At its May 14 meeting, Bethel City Council appointed James Harris the new Bethel Chief of Police. He is scheduled to begin on July 1. Harris spoke to KYUK in early May, prior to his hiring, while on a five-day visit to Bethel. “I've met with a lot of a...
GCI president travels to Bethel to deliver update on regional fiber internet project
As early as this fall, Bethel internet users will be among the first with the chance to to tap into a new fiber optic network that promises urban speeds and pricing for customers in a vast swath of Western Alaska. Technicians recently found a late winter window to lay the...
Listen: Bethel’s emergency housing shelter closes for the summer
Bethel Winter House, the local emergency winter housing shelter, closed on April 30. It was open for seven months, beginning October 1. But while Winter House is shuttered, the new Atsaq Place Permanent Supportive Housing project is just getting started. Winter House Executive Director Jaela Milford sat down with KYUK’s...
McGrath ice tripod falls as breakup inches down the Kuskokwim
The Kuskokwim River at McGrath, where the 2024 Ice Tripod fell at 1:55 p.m. on May 1, 2024. Breakup continues to inch down the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers. On the Kuskokwim, the McGrath ice tripod fell on Wednesday (May 1) at 1:55 p.m. – around three days earlier than its recent breakup average. Downriver, ice has shifted in several communities, including Crooked Creek, Sleetmute and Napaimute.
Culvert washout prompts Tundra Ridge Road closure
In response to a washed-out culvert, the City of Bethel and state transportation officials urge travelers to steer clear of Tundra Ridge Road, informally known as Polk Road, until construction of a new gravel road is completed, likely around the end of summer. On Monday (April 29), pooling meltwater had...
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