Dear Friend… (March 2021)
When mushers break trail with dog teams in deep snow, new trails are created that sometimes are more efficient than the old ones. After a year of adaptation amid the fear of illness, with travel restrictions that severely impacted bush life in Alaska, Western Alaskans have together forged new trails. Some of them are burdensome […]
Virtual Native Youth Olympics Highlight Athleticism, Historical Connections
Nome’s Native Youth Olympics (NYO) team is utilizing new technology to garner interest in the ancient games, despite being kept from competing in normally crowded gyms. The team, with the help of the tribal nonprofit Kawerak, will be mailing NYO at-home kits for students in the region to practice the games in their homes. “The […]
Nomeite Wins 26-Mile Dog Race As Iditarod Shortens Route
As pandemic-related travel restrictions remain active in rural Alaska, this will be another unusual March in Nome. The 2021 Iditarod is following a drastically shortened route: no dog teams will be visiting the Norton Sound region this year, but rather turning back in interior Alaska. In lieu of the excitement the Nome finish normally brings, […]
New Radar Sites, Ocean Floor Mapping Chart Arctic Waters
In Wales and Shishmaref, two new high-frequency radar sites are collecting important data about the Bering Sea’s ocean currents. That data could help track debris, improve weather forecasts, and even save lives. By transmitting radio waves that bounce off the ocean, the measurements show not only the direction of ocean currents, but also the speed. […]
Internet Speeds Promise Greater Access for Nome
Alaska internet providers Quintillion and GCI recently announced faster internet speeds are coming to Nome and Kotzebue. GCI says the 1 Gigabit service should bring the two towns’ internet connectivity on par with speeds in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Alaska’s bush residents have long contended with little connection to the outside world. A […]
Radio Giveaway Update
To date, KNOM’s benefactors have designated more than $20,000 for radios for village residents – enough for around 400 radios. With the help of a listener in Shishmaref, KNOM’s engineers found a cost-effective radio and antenna booster-combination that will catch KNOM’s signal. The staff is eager to start mailing them out later this spring, just […]
Remembering Father Chuck
Last Christmas, Western Alaska lost a good friend. Father Charles Jon (Chuck) Peterson, SJ, died on December 24, 2020, at 82 years old, in San Jose, California, from complications of Covid-19. His memorial Mass was broadcast on KNOM, live from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Fairbanks. Fr. Peterson served most of his vocation in Western Alaska. […]