Selawik Man Drowns While Swimming In River
![Selawik, Alaska](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Selawik-Village-712-2432px.jpg)
Alaska State Troopers report 45-year-old Chester Skin was presumed drowned Monday evening in the Selawik River. No foul play is suspected.
Alaska National Guard Turns Over Rural Armories for Public Use
![](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3182-1200x900.jpg)
The Alaska Army National Guard is handing over ownership of over 60 armories in rural communities, mostly to municipalities.
Story49: The Kobuk Comes to Ambler
![Kobuk 440 champion Nicolas Petit tries on a pair of fur mittens sewn by Myra Yupikson.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-04-13-07.53.01-e1527109684642-1200x900.jpg)
The village of Ambler, 45 miles above the Arctic Circle, is the main stop on the Kobuk 440 dogsled race. Volunteers at the checkpoint say it takes the whole village to make it happen.
Red Dog Mine Money Distributed to Improvement Fund; NAB Community Projects Being Determined
!["Northwest Arctic Borough" written on the side of a government building.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_2975-1200x896.jpg)
A group of representatives from each of the 11 borough communities met this week in Kotzebue to define criteria for the projects. “It can’t be directed toward one entity or one person. It has to be something that’s sustainable and is shared with all the community,” according to Hiram Walker, the capital projects manager for the Village Improvement Fund. Teck Resources will contribute $8 million to the VIF this year.
Northwest Arctic Borough to Purchase More Spot Trackers for Public Use
![Sea ice on Kotzebue Sound, April 2018 (Photo: Gabe Colombo, KNOM)](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_7454-1200x900.jpg)
Borough Public Safety Director Chris Hatch says the trackers can be life-saving and can help keep search-and-rescue volunteers from getting worn out.
U.S. Military Brings Free ‘Arctic Care’ to Northwest Arctic Communities
![Soldiers clear the landing zone after cargo is secured to a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Blackhawk-Helicopter-1200x800.jpg)
In “Operation Arctic Care,” around 100 U.S. and Canadian armed forces reservists deploy to 12 Northwest Arctic communities to provide free health care services.
Northwest Arctic Ice Road Will Not Open This Year
![The edge of Kobuk Lake (Hotham Inlet) and the Baldwin Peninsula (Photo: Gabe Colombo, KNOM)](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_7458-1200x900.jpg)
Sea ice has been too thin this year to make it safe to construct the ice road, which normally runs from Kotzebue to Noorvik and Kiana.
GCI Expansion in Noatak Means Faster Speeds — and a New Challenge
![In Noorvik, the GCI tower juts up into the morning air. It is silhouetted against blue skies and partial clouds.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GCITower1-1-of-1-1200x800.jpg)
People now have access to high-speed internet at Noatak and the Red Dog Mine, bringing a boost in service — and along with it, the risk of higher internet bills.
Alaska Native Leaders Imagine Divergent ‘Arctic Futures’
![Leaders of Arctic communities discuss possible scenarios for the future of the region at the Arctic Futures conference (Photo: Kenton Media, used with permission)](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC01214-1-1200x800.jpg)
A conference in Nome last week brought together leaders from Alaska Native communities to discuss the challenges — and opportunities — facing an evolving Arctic.
Six Entities File Petition to Supreme Court About Ruling on Bearded Seal’s ESA Listing
![A bearded seal, or ugruk, on the sea ice. Photo Credit: Kawerak Subsistence Program, used with permission.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Kawerak-Subsistence-2432px-1200x780.jpg)
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation has filed for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court and is joined by entities like the Northwest Arctic Borough, NANA Regional Corporation, and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.