The Tundra Drums - CAUYAT - "The Beat of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta"

Tension on the Y-K Delta ratcheted up over the past month due to subsistence fishing closures in the Kuskokwim and Yukon river systems. Subsistence fishing on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers is an open fishery, but with the low chinook (king) runs...

Emergency Firefighter crews from Alaska board a jet headed to Utah on July 4 to work the wildfires burning there. Crews from Scammon Bay, Koyuk, Selawik, St. Michael, and Shageluk were on the flight....

The fast food restaurant franchise Taco Bell turned a hoax into a taco party for Bethel. The hoax came the second week of June in the form of flyers posted around Bethel saying that a Taco Bell franchise was coming to Bethel. Investigation by KYUK...

Local sled dog racing favorites Mike Williams Sr. and Mike Williams Jr. of Akiak, along with Pete Kaiser of Bethel have signed on to run the 2013 Iditarod. The Iditarod committee began taking applications on June 29 and the three racers joined the...

One-time emergency funding for Emmonak Women’s Shelter was made available by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on June 29 according to a press release from Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure made...

The U.S. Department of Justice approved Alaska’s new electoral map for use in the 2012 elections on June 27, according to the Alaska Department of Law. “Receiving federal approval today ensures that the state will be able to hold a normal,...

Gov. Sean Parnell on June 20 appointed Chuck Ray to the Bethel Superior Court, according to a governor’s office press release. Ray fills the seat left vacant by the passing of the Honorable Marvin Hamilton III. “Mr. Ray brings a great deal of exp...

Aniak troopers received a report on June 25 that 32-year-old Kevin Joseph Morgan of Upper Kalskag had threatened to shoot several residents, including a family who he chased with a shotgun. Trooper investigation revealed Morgan threatened many...

Alaska State Troopers received a report on June 20 that a 5-year-old female resident had been sexually assaulted. On June 22 troopers reported that the case was under investigation....

Bethel troopers received a report on June 21 of sexual assault that occurred in Atmautluak. Troopers report that no further information would be released while the investigation continued....

The Hooper Bay VPSO arrested 26-year-old David R. Hill just before midnight on June 25, according to Alaska State Troopers. Investigation revealed that Hill operated a watercraft after consuming alcohol with three minors (under 16) in the craft and...

Aniak-based troopers arrested 20-year-old Kalskag resident Clifford Evan for domestic violence assault on June 30. The trooper dispatch reports that Evan assaulted a 68-year-old male relative the night before by pushing him to the floor and kicking...

Public television viewers in Bethel saw changes on July 1, when KYUK-LD switches to a new service called Alaska Public Television. The service, originating from KAKM-TV in Anchorage, replaces Alaska One, the service Bethel viewers have watched since...

On behalf of Calista Corporation, I support and share the concerns of families and tribes in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region regarding recent subsistence closures on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. It was...

Who is responsible? 1) In the past few years there have been meetings and conferences addressing the issue of suicide and suicide prevention. I remember one of the possible reasons there are a lot of suicides in our region, as brought up from those m...

Word is out about a possible hydroelectric project at Chikuminuk Lake. The lake sits at the upper reaches of the Nuyakuk-Nushagak drainage in northern Wood Tikchik State Park. I want to share with you what is happening, and what is not happening. We...

The University of Alaska Fairbanks joined with Google June 21 in the launch of the Endangered Languages Project, a collaborative Website which will allow people worldwide to find and share the most up-to-date and comprehensive information about...

Beginning July 26 The Tundra Drums will publish on Thursdays. The next edition of The Drums is July 26. The schedule will be every other week until further notice....

USDA is accepting applications for grants to help promote sustainable economic development and job creation in rural communities, according to a June 12 press release from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Cooperative enterprises often lead...

The 13th Annual Calista Golf Classic, held on June 20, raised $222,380 for Calista Heritage Foundation, Calista Heritage Foundation. Since 2006, more than $1.6 million in scholarships have been...

A first ever accounting of bycatch in U.S. fisheries has been achieved by federal scientists in a user friendly report that aims to set a baseline for the accidental takes of fish, marine mammals, seabirds and other creatures by fishing gear. The...

Federal and state agencies sat down last week to make a new map of Alaska, one that meets the mapping standards that have been provided to 49 other states for years. Federal agency executives joined to discuss collaborative funding strategies for Ala...

Those interested in helping advance the state’s veterans issues have the opportunity to participate in the fourth annual state-wide Veterans Summit July 19. The 2012 Alaska Veterans Summit, hosted by the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs,...

Nonprofit and tribal leaders are eligible for sabbatical awards from Rasmuson Foundation, according to a press release from the foundation. The awards are offered because an extended leave can lead to new perspectives for the leader, the board and...