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
Richard and Debbie Atuk on Iñupiaq preservation
Richard Atuk and Debbie Atuk, father and daughter, are on a mission to revive Iñupiaq culture through language learning.
Shaktoolik community and archaeologist collaboration uncovers the past
Ongoing research is digging into the history of one of Alaska’s oldest archaeological sites.
Meet the Three Candidates Vying to be Nome’s Next Mayor
Nome’s 2020 Municipal Election is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6th. Although there are several seats up for grabs, only one has multiple candidates running for the same position: Nome’s Mayor.
Public Safety
Nome police ask community for help identifying burglar
Two months after a burglary at the Subway sandwich shop in Nome, police are seeking community assistance identifying the burglar.
Drop in sexual assault reports might not indicate less violence
Reports of sexual assault in Nome are down about 50% in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. But it’s difficult to determine what exactly that means.
Coast Guard rescues overdue boaters on Sinuk River
The watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th district command center received a call, at 11 p.m. on Oct. 28, informing them of overdue boaters in need of aid on the Sinuk River near Nome, Alaska. The watchstanders directed the launch of an aircrew, Oct. 29, to bring the boaters survival supplies, and a helicopter crew to rescue the boaters later in the day.
COVID-19
CDC reports racial disparity in COVID impact
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (coauthored by a Department of Health and Social Services employee) found that Alaska Native people face disproportionate risks from COVID-19, compared to white residents in Alaska.
“We’re past the worst of it,” NSHC medical director says of COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has entered its endemic phase in the Norton Sound and Bering Strait region, NSHC Medical Director Dr. Mark Peterson said. That’s where the virus exists at a fairly consistent level within a population as a part of everyday life.
Nome Common Council votes to keep current rules for sale of alcohol
The Nome Common Council at Monday’s meeting voted down a proposed ordinance that would have changed the legal hours to sell alcohol in the city.
Environment & Climate
Subsistence fishers request a decrease of salmon bycatch
As chum and chinook salmon numbers dwindle in Western Alaska, salmon bycatch in the pollock industry was a main concern addressed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, or NPFMC, from June 6 to 14.
New NOAA technology to study changing ocean ecosystem
NOAA plans to debut the Oculus Coastal Glider summer 2022 to study the Bering Sea.
Federal Subsistence Board makes regulation changes to Units 22 and 23
The FSB’s teleconference in April covered issues relevant to Units 22 and 23. Those topics included a decision to conserve Alaska hare in Units 22 and 23, a redefinition of Alaska hare, closures and rescinded closures in moose hunting, and a special action for musk ox permits.