Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

Migrating summer chum and chinook salmon swim on July 7, 2007, below the U.S. Bureau of Land Managment’s fish weir on the Tozitna River, Alaska. The Tozitna is a tributory of the Yukon River.

For Yukon River residents, salmon shortages have health consequences

Physical and mental health suffer when salmon, which is important to nutrition, culture, and identity, is no longer available, tribal representatives say.

Health

Syphilis infections a rising threat for Alaska newborns, health officials report

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

More Alaska babies were born infected with syphilis in 2025 than in any recent year.

A chinook salmon, also known as king salmon.

Science and Environment

Bering Sea heat wave cited as trigger for nosedive in Yukon River chinook salmon

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The heat wave was accompanied by a dramatic increase in deaths of older juvenile and adult chinook that, had they survived, would have returned from the ocean to freshwater spawning grounds, the NOAA study found.

Michael Ulroan and other members of the Qissunamiut Yurartet Dancers of Chevak lead participants in a walk along Providence Drive in the University of Alaska Anchorage campus on April 30, 2026, to call attention to Indigenous crime victims. They were participating in the third annual Walk for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People hosted held at UAA and hosted by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program.

Public Safety

Relatives, friends and supporters walk to bring attention to Alaska Indigenous victims

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

Relatives and friends of murdered and missing Indigenous Alaskans took their grief to the streets of Midtown Anchorage on April 30. The event was the third annual Walk for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People hosted by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

An invasive northern pike is shown to have its stomach stuffed with tiny juvenile salmon. Invasive northern pike are well-established on the Deshka River, where they are eating their way through the supply of salmon and other fish. As temperatures have risen, pike are eating more, a new study found.

Science and Environment

Higher temperatures spur Alaska’s invasive pike to eat more, a bad sign for salmon

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

A University of Alaska Fairbanks study focusing on the Deshka River found that the predators have become even more voracious as the climate has warmed.

Martin Paul, a University of Alaska Fairbanks student from Kalskag and Kipnuk, makes traditional dance moves on the catwalk at the seventh annual Far North Fashion Show, held on April 15. 2026, at the Anchorage Museum. Paul’s outfit incorportes the red handprint that symbolizes missing and murdered Indigenous people. The fashion show is a highlight of the annual Arctic Encounter Summit.

Arts, Culture & Community Features

Far North Fashion Show celebrates Alaska cultures

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

Attendees of the Arctic Encounter Summit, held this week in Anchorage, took a break from heavy discussions about climate change, national security, shipping safety and other pressing concerns on Wednesday night to enjoy something more fun: high fashion.

Mary Peltola poses for a photo with supporters at her Jan. 17, 2026, Senate campaign kickoff event at 49th State Brewing in Anchorage. Her campaign collected $8.9 million in contributions during the first quarter of the year; the campaign said it was a record total for any U.S. Senate race in Alaska.

Politics

Peltola announces big fundraising haul, signaling an expensive Senate race in Alaska

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

Peltola announced on April 13 that her campaign raised $8.9 million in the first quarter of the year, a record for any U.S. Senate campaign in Alaska.

Two brown bear cubs cuddle on a riverbank in Katmai National Park and Preserve while their mother fishes for salmon in August 2023. Critics of a state predator-control program aimed at boosting the the Mulchatna Caribou Herd say the Department of Fish and Game and Board of Game have failed to show sufficient scientific grounds for what could be more years of bear kills in the region.

Science and Environment

Critics of Alaska bear-culling program seek court order to block its resumption

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The motion stems from a lawsuit filed by the groups in November after the Alaska Board of Game reauthorized a Mulchatna predator control program that had previously been overturned by state court rulings.

The village of Kipnuk, largely submerged by the remnants of Typhoon Halong, is seen from the air on Oct. 12, 2025. Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel conducted search and rescue operations there, and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has worked with the Alaska Organized Militia and the U.S. Coast Guard in the response.

Public Safety

After the remnants of a typhoon wrecked their home, Alaska villagers consider possible move

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The tribal government in Kipnuk, one of the communities hardest hit by the October 2025 storm, is exploring sentiment and options for relocation to safer ground.

A helicopter delivers core samples to the Donlin Gold mine camp on June 23, 2025. The core sample is headed for analysis at the camp site. The mine, if built, would exploit one of the world's largest known open-pit but undeveloped gold resources.

Economy

Feds begin to look at the effects of a potential large spill at a proposed Alaska mine

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

As directed by a court ruling, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is starting to craft a supplemental environmental impact statement for the Donlin Gold mine.