780AM / 96.1FM - We're KNOM. Yours for Western Alaska.
KNOM Update News
For more stories from Nome or your community, tune in to 780 AM / 96.1 FM weekdays at 7am, 8am, 9am, noon, or 5pm to hear KNOM Update News.
Top News
Profiles
Profile: Update from Senator Lisa Murkowski on COVID-19, State of the State Economy, and Rural Alaska
Last week, Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke with KNOM Radio about COVID-19 stimulus money, the coronavirus pandemic, and issues relevant to the Bering Strait region.
Profile: ‘Unserviced’ Communities Part 2 – Adapting to the Coronavirus Pandemic Without Water and Sewer
The Centers for Disease Control has recommended washing your hands regularly throughout the day to prevent the spread of germs. Many in rural Alaska, without running water, are left asking: how?
Profile: ‘Unserviced’ Communities Part 1 – Why Five Bering Strait Villages Don’t Have Basic Sanitation
Aging water systems, climate change, and federal and state bureaucracy continue to threaten the public health of Alaska Native villages across the Bering Strait region.
Public Safety
Results From 2019 Audit of Nome Police Not Yet Released, No Reason Given for Delay
Russell Consulting LLC visited Nome on November 5th, 2019 to externally review policing procedures, evidence collection, and other issues. Nearly ten months later, nothing from the audit has materialized.
Stebbins Teacher Arrested for Explicit Messages Had License Previously Revoked for Other Offenses in Oregon
65-year-old Lon Dean Gillas allegedly used his Bering Strait School District Google account to discuss sex and ask for explicit photos from a minor. The underage girl did not live in Alaska.
Department of Public Safety Asks for Community Help With Domestic Violence
The Department of Public Safety is reminding Western Alaskans that they have resources to get help following reports of domestic violence related incidents that resulted in the death of five people in late June.
COVID-19
Three “Secondary COVID Cases” Appear in Nome Following Two Travel Related Ones
Three Nome residents have contracted the disease caused by the coronavirus through their contact with two other COVID-19 cases that were confirmed on Tuesday.
Two New COVID-19 Cases in Nome Found in Traveling Norton Sound Employees
A pair of positive COVID-19 cases were identified in Nome today. Norton Sound Health Corporation announced that both patients are NSHC employees who live in town.
City Council To Award COVID-19 Grants Based on Income of Nome Businesses
Nome business and non-profit owners who have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic now have another option for help. The Nome Common Council has approved a small grant relief program worth $750,000.
Environment & Climate
IPOP Proposes “Complex” Gold Mining Project Within Bonanza Channel Near Nome
IPOP LLC, the mining company associated with Rivers of Gold, has applied for a permit to mine gold using a 36-inch cutterhead dredge in the Safety Sound, about 25 miles east of Nome.
Cod Tagging Project Suggests Fish Don’t Overwinter in Northern Bering Sea
Susanne McDermott, a fish biologist with NOAA Fisheries, says that after tagging 38 cod last year, none of them stayed under the ice in the Northern Bering Sea over the winter.
Mystery Of Dying Seabirds: More Starving Birds Found in Bering Strait Region for Fourth Consecutive Year
Reports of dead seabirds found on the shores of Western Alaska are being documented again this summer. If numbers continue to rise, this would mark the fourth year in a row the Bering Strait region has seen a seabird die-off.