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Politics

Stories about politics.

Voter Absentee Ballot Application Must Be Received By Aug. 8

By Johanna Eurich • Aug 3, 2020
Anna Rose MacArthur / KYUK

If you want to vote in the primary by mail with an absentee ballot, you have to get the application in right away. Under state law, the application for an absentee ballot must be received by the Alaska Division of Elections 10 days before the election. That means that to vote in the primary by mail, the division needs to receive your absentee ballot request by Saturday, Aug. 8.

It’s August; Primary Election Deadlines Loom

By Johanna Eurich • Aug 3, 2020
Dean Swope / KYUK

Because many voters may be afraid to go to the polls and vote during the pandemic, the state is expecting a large number of absentee votes this year. Both the state’s Democratic and Republican parties have sent out absentee ballot request forms to their members and independent voters. The state also sent them to elderly voters, and the forms are available online at the Alaska Division of Elections' website. 

Bethel City Council Passes Resolution To Wear Face Masks In Public Spaces

By • Jul 29, 2020
Katie Basile / KYUK

On July 28, the Bethel City Council passed a resolution strongly urging people to wear a mask in public spaces. Council member Alyssa Leary made the proposal.

Bethel City Council Votes To Limit Fili's Pizza's Curbside Alcohol Sales

By • Jul 29, 2020
Proposition 1 on the 2019 Bethel municipal ballot asks voters if they would like to return Bethel to local option status and limit alcohol licenses to restaurants and eating places. Fili's Pizza is the only Bethel restaurant with an alcohol license and wo
Dean Swope / KYUK

On July 28, Bethel City Council voted to limit curbside alcohol sales at Fili’s Pizza. Customers will no longer be able to purchase alcohol curbside without an accompanying meal, and the price of the food will have to be at least 50% of the price of the alcohol in the order, which is the same rules that the state already requires for delivery. 

Inequity In Alcohol Enforcement Between Mertarvik And Newtok Cause Frustrations

By • Jul 29, 2020
Newtok's relocation efforts are well underway, with one-third of the village now settled in at Mertarvik. Managing both communities is proving to be a struggle for the Newtok Village Council as they work to build more housing in Mertarvik.
Katie Basile / KYUK

This week, KYUK is looking at Mertarvik, a community that is being created by relocating residents of the village of Newtok, which is being eaten up by high tides. The move has to be phased in over time as funding becomes available. Mertarvik is the first community being created by climate change refugees.

In the first year at Mertarvik, the village council banished someone for selling alcohol. But 9 miles away in Newtok, residents say that bootleggers are being left unpunished. Some of the people left behind in the old village are asking if that’s fair.

Bethel City Council To Consider Facemask Policy And Limiting Curbside Alcohol Sales

By • Jul 28, 2020
Council member Mark Springer said said that Bethel City Council and its Public Safety Commission actually don’t have much purview over the Bethel Police Department, but he urged City Manager Pete Williams to look into alleged problems with rape kits.
Dean Swope / KYUK

Bethel City Council is considering new rules to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading in the city. In its July 28 regular meeting, city council will look at a resolution urging people to wear face masks in public spaces, and another resolution to limit alcohol sales. 

How Bethel Plans To Spend $8.4M In CARES Act Funding

By • Jul 16, 2020
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – Rocky Mountain Laboratories

How to manage the city's coronavirus response dominated much of the Bethel City Council meeting on July 14.

Bethel City Council Remembers David Berlin, Honors David Trantham Jr.

By • Jul 16, 2020
The Wall of Honor at the Alaska Territorial Guard Park in Bethel, which David Trantham Jr. was instrumental in creating.
Ben Matheson / KYUK

Bethel City Council recognized two men whose work over the years made a positive difference in the community and the region: David Berlin and David Trantham Jr.

Four Calista Board Members Retain Seats

By • Jul 13, 2020
Courtesy of Calista Corporation

Four familiar faces will keep their seats on the Calista Board of Directors: Margaret Pohjola from Chuathbaluk, Willie Kasayulie from Akiachak, Earl D. Samuelson Sr. from Napaskiak, and Nick P. Andrew Jr. 

Bethel Drafts $8.4 Million CARES Budget, Includes $2 Million In Grants For Businesses And Nonprofits

By • Jul 10, 2020
Katie Basile / KYUK

The City of Bethel has finished drafting an itemized budget for the $8.4 million in federal CARES Act Funding it received, which the city council still has to approve. The CARES budget includes $2 million in grants for Bethel businesses and non-profits that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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