Posts by Ava White

A Canadian-based mineral exploration company is one step closer to developing the Graphite Creek Deposit – that USGS said could be the nation’s largest graphite deposit. That’s thanks-in-part to a 2 million dollar investment by Bering Straits Native Corporation. Even though the project is in the preliminary stages, Bering Straits said they are prepared to…

From Jennifer Hudson to Carrie Underwood, the television show ‘American Idol’ is known for launching the careers of successful performers. Four musicians were in Nome (September 6) in hopes of being selected to audition live in front of celebrity judges in Los Angeles, California. This year, ‘American Idol’ hosted virtual open calls in all 50…

Representative Mary Peltola held her inaugural tele-town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 29th, focusing on the exorbitant energy costs across the state and addressing public concerns regarding energy. The meeting, initially announced on August 9th, was recently updated to be exclusively phone-based, expanding accessibility to all Alaskans. Rural communities in Alaska contend with some of…

Representative Mary Peltola is holding her first tela-town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 29th at 6:30 p.m. The telephone-only conference will focus on the high costs of energy throughout the state and is open for registration.  Rep. Peltola announced her town hall meeting earlier this month (August 9th) but announced just days ago the conference…

Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden, visited Nome on Thursday, August 24th, to tour the Port of Nome, highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in the city. His trip to Alaska occurred days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced nearly $100 million in broadband grants to be distributed to three areas: the Yukon-Koyukuk,…

Administrator Isabella Guzmán of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) visited Nome on Wednesday (August 23) to tour the future port expansion project site. Administrator Guzmán visited Ketchikan, Anchorage, and Nome over the course of three days to meet with small business owners. A media advisory published on Monday (August 21st) announced the SBA visit…

Teacher turnover in the United States has been rising in recent years, significantly impacting rural communities in Alaska. Nome Public Schools hired six international teachers to address vacancies this school year. A study by George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research revealed that immigrants comprise 11% of all teachers in the United States. According to…

While all University of Alaska (UA) institutions offer unique traditional Alaska Native courses on languages and arts, the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ (UAF) Northwest Campus (NWC) offers an atigi, or a traditional King Island parka making course.   Among the three UA colleges, UAF, University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), and University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA),…

Quintillion, the Alaska-based communications company, announced in a statement Saturday (August 19) that sea ice conditions have halted travel and repair operations in repairing the damaged fiber optic line. Quintillion planned to begin repair operations August 9th-22nd, and now estimates to restore broadband access August 28th-30th. In early June (June 13th) the company announced the…