Katie Basile / KYUK
At times it felt like 2020 would never end, but now the year is finally coming to a close. Before we move into 2021, here’s a look back on KYUK’s top stories from the year we’ve just survived.
Bethel began the year with a unique distinction. It became one of the few places in the nation where you can buy marijuana, but not liquor. Bethel’s only liquor store closed following a vote to enter a more restrictive local option status. Shortly after, Bethel’s first two marijuana stores opened.
Bethel musher Pete Kaiser won the Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race for the fifth time in six years.
AFN applauds Biden choice for Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior anchoragepress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from anchoragepress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Climate change underscores the need to protect our salmon and rainforest Author: Eric Jordan
Share on Facebook
Print article I am a lifelong Alaska fisherman, and I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Their pledge to tackle climate change was a big part of why I voted for them, as climate change is the issue that has had the most impact on the ecosystem I depend on, and it is an existential threat to the future of Alaska’s fisheries and communities. We need our elected leaders to act now to mitigate the impacts we are already experiencing and protect future generations. How we go about that is key and will determine whether or not we are successful in the end.
On Dec. 20, 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act into law, which has had a profound effect on Alaska for the past 49 years. Here is a News-Miner editorial from Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1971, as Congress was still considering the measure.Â
Â
Day claims came down
The air surrounding the Alaska Native land claims has never been fresher than it is today.
It is quite likely the two houses of Congress will act on the committee compromise today, maybe tomorrow, and the measure will go to the President for signature before the Congress recesses for the holidays.
The position of the claims bill is a tribute to the efforts of the Alaska delegation to Congress and the, leadership of conference Chairman Wayne Aspinall, D-Colo.
Falling through census cracks could hurt tribes By Michael Macagnone, CQ-Roll Call
Published: December 14, 2020, 6:05am
Share: The Blackfeet Nation, hit hard by the pandemic, allowed census takers on the reservation. (Dreamstime/TNS)
WASHINGTON When the Blackfeet reservation in northern Montana locked down in July due to the coronavirus pandemic complete with curfews, quarantines and limits on outside visitors it made the door-to-door counting process of this year’s census that much harder.
Alaska Native and Native American communities across the country faced a difficult decision this year: open their lands for the in-person census count and risk infection or keep closed and prepare for another undercount that could choke off federal funds vital to their communities.