KYUK’s Evan Erickson spoke with Northern Journal reporter Nat Herz, who traveled to Hooper Bay as part of a broader look at what leaders describe as an unfolding crisis that threatens barge-dependent communities in Western Alaska.

Bethel’s ONC tribe argued that the proposed mine’s removal of water from Crooked Creek, a Kuskokwim River tributary, would damage salmon spawning areas.

Consumers across the country are contending with sharply higher fuel prices amid a supply crunch brought on by the closure of a key strait in the Middle East. But even residents of California, where $6-a-gallon gas prices are making headlines, would face sticker shock if they traveled to Hooper Bay, or any of the dozens of other villages and hub towns across Western Alaska.

The increase would have been limited to disaster relief during the first 90 days after the storms. It would have covered the bulk of costs related to debris removal and emergency protective measures, costs that the state says reached $20 million in the first weeks after ex-typhoon Halong.

The Dillingham independent, currently the most senior member of the Alaska House of Representatives, has announced his bid to represent the sprawling Senate District S that includes Bethel. Edgmon said that there’s no substitute for experience, especially as other veteran legislators head into retirement.

Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica, and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13% of what school districts requested.

Last week, communities along the Yukon River experienced ice jam-related flooding. But as of the evening of May 26, significant ice jams close to the mouth of the river gave way and the water began to recede.

The project, made possible with the support of the Indian Health Service, will make the 49,000-square-foot facility more than one and half times larger. It will double the number of available beds, from 18 to 36.