Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The Yukon-Kuskokwim hub of Bethel is seen from the air on July 13, 2015. It is the biggest community in sprawling Alaska House District 38, where voters are deciding whether to keep the current incumbent or return a previous lawmaker to office.

Politics

Western Alaska voters asked to weigh familiar state House candidates with similar stances

In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, the state House election is a rematch between two Democrats: incumbent Rep. Nellie Jimmie and the person she beat two years ago, Conrad "CJ" McCormick.

Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel conduct a search and rescue mission in support of storm response operations over Western Alaska on Oct. 13, 2025. The villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were evacuated in the aftermath of ex-typhoon Halong, and other communities suffered damages as well. The region's residents worry about more storms like ex-typhoon Halong in 2025 and ex-typhoon Merbok in 2022.

Science and Environment

After successive damaging ex-typhoons, Western Alaska considers future storms

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

It is unclear whether more southern tropical storms are transforming into damaging storms up north, but they are hitting a more vulnerable Alaska landscape.

A water treatment plant and washeteria in Eek is seen in 2024. Eek is a Yup'ik villlage of about 400 people located in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Federal agencies, led by the Indian Health Service, have invested in water and wastewater infrastructure construction. They could save money in the long run if they assist in system operations and maintenance, a report from the Governmental Accountability Office says.

Public Safety

A focus on maintenance and administrative fixes would improve tribal water service, report says

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

A GAO report makes recommendations about ways to help ensure dependable access to water for tribal residents in Alaska and elsewhere.

Fired federal workers formerly with the U.S. Forest Service based at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau speak at the Alaska State Capito; on March 21, 2025, about their experiences. The Forest Service was among the federal agencies in Alaska most heavily affected by job cuts.

Politics

Federal job cuts in Alaska among the deepest in the nation, analysis shows

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

By the end of 2025, Alaska’s federal workforce was 10.5% smaller than it had been at the end of 2024, according to the analysis published in Alaska Economic Trends.

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.

Science and Environment

For Yukon River residents, salmon shortages have health consequences

Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

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.