News

Temperatures in the Norton Sound region have come back down to normal following several days of 80 to 90 degrees. But scientists say the heatwave could return later this summer, especially in coastal areas.

It’s that time of year when the U.S. Coast Guard spends more time in Western Alaska, whether at its forward operating location in Kotzebue, or onboard vessels like the cutter Healy. But this month, the Coast Guard plans to visit specific Bering Strait communities for inspections.

If Governor Mike Dunleavy’s line item vetoes to the state budget are not overridden by the Legislature, all state funding for the Head Start program will be eliminated. That means Kawerak’s regional Head Start program would be forced to make its own cuts.

Nome now has a full-time Guardsman working at the local armory following more than a decade without the National Guard’s presence in Western Alaska.

Norton Sound residents have reported salmon die-offs in unusually large numbers during the last week. According to NSEDC, dead pre-spawned pink salmon were found in multiple river systems over the weekend.

It’s been ten months since Nome’s former City Manager, Tom Moran, offered his resignation to the City Council. In the meantime, the application period for City Manager has been closed and re-opened three times while the City seeks to fill that position permanently.

Bilingual schools for early child learning have long been a priority of those pushing for Alaska Native language revitalization. As debates over public education funding rage across the state, privately-funded learning initiatives — such as an Inupiaq immersion school in Nome — push forward with their plans.

The Nome City Council passed one resolution on Monday night from an already minimal agenda. Emergency repairs will be made to the Port’s Westgold Dock at almost double the originally estimated cost.

Governor Mike Dunleavy’s line item vetoes have resulted in the closure of the Nome Youth Facility. The fourteen-bed facility will be forced to relocate its youth, after it was de-funded in the Governor’s effort to balance the state budget.

Throughout the month of June, dead marine life was being reported on a weekly basis in the Bering Strait region.