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
Carol Seppilu: Running for Your Life and Hers
Within the last ten years, Seppilu has been actively running all over the Nome area. She loves to run, but she also runs for another purpose: to promote suicide prevention efforts
KNOM’s Tribute to Former Mayor Beneville
Nome Mayor James “Richard” Beneville reflects on a life of service in Western Alaska. In the fall of 2019 Richard sat down with KNOM to share his wisdom in this final interview.
Gambell Seamstress Keeps Knowledge of Traditional Siberian Yupik Sewing Alive
Published by Lydia Apatiki of Gambell, with support from Kawerak Inc., “Sivuqam Kelugwi: A St. Lawrence Island Traditional Sewing Curriculum” uses a symbiosis of technology and traditional knowledge to revitalize a forgotten art.
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
COVID-19 Found in Unalakleet Twice in One Week, Community Travel Ban In Effect
Roughly 48 hours after discovering the first case of COVID-19, Norton Sound Health Corporation has identified a second individual who tested positive for the virus in Unalakleet.
Norton Sound Resident Tests Positive for COVID-19 in Unidentified Community
While the identity of the resident’s village is not being reported at this time due to privacy concerns, NSHC’s Public Relations Manager Reba Lean did share that the positive test was administered within the region.
Unalakleet Sees First Case of COVID-19 From Non-Resident Traveling Into Community
A non-resident of the Norton Sound region tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on their way to Unalakleet. The reason for the patient’s trip to the region is unknown at this time.
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.