News

Mining and outside hunters cause concern for Western Arctic Caribou Herd

Development of roads and hunting permits for outsiders generated the most discussion among members of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group during their annual meeting held December 14 and...

Council rules out untreated sex offenders at Seaside Center

When the owners of Seaside Center halfway facility sought a permit from the City some years ago to operate on Front Street, the Nome Common Council responded to public sentiment by granting the...

ON THE LIST—This small house at 207 Bering Street, is one of four structures on the City of Nome’s current list for mandatory abatement or repair.

Planners select structures for demolition or fix-up

After motoring around the neighborhoods surveying ramshackle structures, Nome’s planners have drawn up a slate of three properties they have reported to Tom Moran, city manager, for the City’s...

SEE THE REINDEER FLY?— Santa explained to young Trevor White whence he came and assured him that he will take all Christmas present wishes of Nome kids’ to his elves. Santa made a special appearance at the City’s Christmas Extravaganza on Dec. 6, at Old St. Joe’s.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The 21st Christmas Extravaganza rang in the season with the traditional lighting of the city’s Christmas tree at Old St. Joe’s, on December 6. Emcee Mayor Richard Beneville brought out reindeer bells...

ROAD TO AMBLER— The Northwest Arctic Borough’s John Chase, in hat, makes a point at the Ambler Road scoping meeting Wednesday, Dec. 6 in Kotzebue. In foreground is Hiram Walker. The federal Bureau of Land Management is holding scoping meetings for an EIS in the region.

BLM holds scoping meetings on Ambler Road in Kotzebue

Before the arrival of the white people in the upper Kobuk River region, the Inupiaq prophet Maniilaq foretold the growth of a large city on the Ambler River where the village of Ambler now stands. He...

FISH SURVEY—In Nome to talk about their surprising findings in the biennial trawl survey are, from left, Bob Lauth, Jeff Napp, and Lyle Britt.

Scientists find dramatic increase in pollock in Northern Bering Sea

Three researchers from the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center completed a trawl survey of the Northern Bering Sea in 2017 and found a dramatic increase in pollock. The valuable fish normally...

WINNER— Daniel Buffas got lucky at Nome Firemen’s Carnival, bringing home a ham for dinner.

Firemen’s Carnival draws big crowd

An estimated 600 Nome and regional residents flocked to the annual Firemen’s Carnival put on by the Nome Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Rec Center. Inclement weather with...

NOW YOU SEE IT—Now you don’t. Charles Reader began to take bites of the burned out Polaris Hotel on Nov. 30. The City solicited accelerated bids on Nov. 28 for emergency abatement to begin ASAP with a deadline of Dec. 11. Reader worked through blizzards and high wind over the weekend. By Tuesday, the remains of the package store, hotel and bar complex had gone to the City’s monofill.

Q Trucking performs Polaris Hotel abatement

On Nov. 30 Charles Reader began the gargantuan task of removing the hazardous remains of the Polaris Hotel fire from the corner of Bering Street and Lomen Avenue. Using an excavator to load several...

THE POLARIS— The shell of the burned out Polaris Hotel, bar and liquor store will be removed in the near future. A fire on Oct. 31 burned the hotel down and cost the life of Nomeite Bette Ann Haugen.

Nome Common Council votes to tear down Polaris ruins

Remnants of the historic Polaris Hotel will disappear soon. A fire took one life and demolished the combination hotel, package liquor store and bar in the early hours of Oct. 31. The Nome Volunteer...

Aukongak sentenced for dealing heroin

In a sentencing hearing Nov. 27 in Nome, Judge Romano DiBenedetto handed down four one-year sentences to Rayne Aukongak. A jury of 12 found Aukongak guilty in July on four counts of misconduct with...