Health

State Representative Tammie Wilson (R) of North Pole will travel to Bethel this weekend to hold a community forum on the status of the Office of Children's Services in Alaska. Wilson has called for a grand jury investigation into how the agency is performing, along with its entire parent agency, the Department of Health and Social Services. The meeting will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 11  at the Bethel Legislative Information Office. KYUK’s Adrian Wagner spoke with Wilson to find out more.

It’s the first winter in Bethel since a liquor store opened after almost 40 years of illegal sales. Alcohol is easier than ever to get, and Bethel Search and Rescue says the number of calls they receive, almost all alcohol-related, has spiked. KYUK reports that volunteers are getting worn out, resources are depleting, and the organization is asking the community for help.

Over the past decade in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, there were 982 reported dogs bites. More than half the victims were children under 10 years old. Many of the dogs were strays, and the outcome of some of these bites was death for the dogs and, in the worst cases, the humans. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium sees this situation as a public health issue.

After two weeks without water or sewer service, the Village of Alakanuk has thawed its frozen pipes. The pipes began to freeze during a sudden recent cold snap. Now the village wants to upgrade its system to avoid future freeze-ups, but wonders if frozen federal funds under a Trump Administration could be as damaging as the cold weather.