Economy

For the first time ever, the ice road on the frozen Kuskokwim River has been plowed to Sleetmute, a village north of Bethel. According to Mark Leary, who helped lead the effort, the ice road now stretches about 355 miles from Tuntutuliak, located south of Bethel, to Sleetmute.

Bethel’s second marijuana store is almost open for business. On Feb. 13, the state’s Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office conducted its final inspection of Kusko Kush. Store co-owner Naim Shabani said that it “passed with flying colors,” and he plans on opening in early March.

After a year of searching, The Kuskokwim Corporation has named a new President and CEO: Andrea Gusty, who will step into the responsibilities immediately.

There are no injuries following a minor Grant Aviation incident in Hooper Bay on Tuesday. One pilot and seven passengers were on board the Cessna 208 when the plane’s propeller apparently struck something. Little information about the incident is known at this time.

Three Lower Kuskokwim River communities lost power around 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 during extreme subzero temperatures and severe wind chill. Alaska Village Electric Cooperative CEO Meera Kohler confirmed that the outage shut down power across Bethel, Oscarville, and Napakiak.