Olivia Ebertz

The three people who died in the fire at Bethel’s AVCP Housing townhouses were Elder Sophie Engebreth, 15-year-old Melissa Engebreth, and 13-year-old Brianna Engebreth. Melissa and Brianna were Sophie’s granddaughters by birth and daughters by adoption.

On Alaska's Yukon River, residents usually depend on catching salmon to eat all year. This year, a disruption in the supply of fish, in addition to inflation, is galvanizing a food crisis.

Early on Aug. 12, a fire in Bethel killed three people and burned two units of an affordable housing apartment building. Residents awoke to the smell of smoke.

Three people died early this morning in a fire in a low-income rental unit in Bethel according to Bethel Fire Chief Daron Solesbee.

In an unprecedented move, the federal government has announced plans to take over management of silver salmon in the federal waters of the lower Kuskokwim River for the first time ever. That’s if the silver run stays low.

People along the Yukon River are facing food insecurity in the wake of chinook and salmon crashes for the second year in a row. But this year, sky-high costs of groceries due to inflation has made the situation worse.

In Hooper Bay, public safety officers are cutting back on patrols. In Aniak, the city is spending twice as much for the same amount of bulk fuel as last year. In Bethel, folks are paying hundreds of dollars to fill up their tanks at the gas station.

In 2016, a mid-air collision between two small commercial airplanes near Russian Mission resulted in the death of both pilots and all passengers. Following the crash, the pilot's employer, Renfro's Alaskan Adventures, and his widow pursued a lawsuit against the other company.

For the first time in two years, there will be no commercial salmon fishing in Kuskokwim Bay. That’s because there’s no fish processor available. The Independent Fishermen of Quinhagak Cooperative says that the lack of commercial fishing income is hurting communities.

The state has chosen to relax restrictions since most of the chinook and chum run has passed through the lower river. So has the sockeye run.