Yukon River

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.

Those located in the Iditarod Regional Education Area and the Lower Yukon Regional Education Area can now apply for individual and public state disaster relief.

In the community of Holy Cross, flooding has entered two households. Residents have been evacuated to the local lodge.

The River Watch team will be back in full force this year, working directly with communities on the Yukon and Kuskokwim and closely monitoring impacts as the ice goes out after a historically cold winter.

Higher than normal snowpack and ice thickness, among other factors, have created heightened risks in 2026 for much of the Yukon River, the Tanana River, and the lower Kuskokwim River, according to the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.

Aside from a possible brief opening to harvest summer chum, 2025 will be the sixth consecutive year of total salmon fishing closures on the Yukon River.

Arthur Heckman Sr. was sentenced in Bethel Superior Court to five years of probation for violations of state election laws in 2022 and 2023, while an outcome is expected soon for city clerk Ruthie Borromeo for her role.

The Trump administration has directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to remove protections for millions of acres as part of an effort to maximize resource development in Alaska.

The total loss of the main administrative building for the lower Yukon River community comes a little more than a month after a fatal fire destroyed the jail attached to the building.

As the lower Yukon River community awaits clean drinking water and a new pump, the city says residents are currently using the river as their main source of water.