Evan Erickson

1 week ago | kyuk.org | Samantha Watson |Evan Erickson

The Bethel airport buzzed with activity on June 18 as Orthodox pilgrims from around the world prepared for the last leg of their journey to the nearby community of Kwethluk to witness the canonization of the first-ever Yup’ik saint, St. Olga. Matushka Olga Michael, a local midwife and healer who died in 1979, will also officially become the first female Orthodox saint in North America.

1 week ago | kyuk.org | Evan Erickson

Nine passengers who were aboard an airplane that experienced a windshield blowout mid-flight in March are now suing the air carrier for emotional suffering. According to a civil complaint filed in Bethel Superior Court on June 12, negligent actions by Anchorage-based Trygg Air placed passengers aboard a March 7 charter flight from Scammon Bay to Anchorage in imminent fear of death.

1 week ago | kucb.org | Evan Erickson

In its most recent meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council said that funding and scheduling concerns could delay final action on chum bycatch until April 2026. The potential delay has been criticized by those who say that chum salmon crashes across Western Alaska, especially on the Yukon River, require swift action. The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association advocates for dozens of communities now in their sixth year of near-total salmon fishing closures.

2 weeks ago | kyuk.org | Evan Erickson

In it most recent meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council said that funding and scheduling concerns could delay final action on chum bycatch until April 2026. The potential delay has been criticized by those who say that chum salmon crashes across Western Alaska, especially on the Yukon River, require swift action. The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association advocates for dozens of communities now in their sixth year of near-total salmon fishing closures.

2 weeks ago | kyuk.org | Evan Erickson

In the spring of 1975, Captain Oddmund “Ole” Sumstad packed his 160-foot ship – the Husky II – tight with soda pop, candy, and lumber as he had done in prior years in preparation for his journey from Seattle up to Bethel. That year, he also hauled another type of freight: hippies from San Francisco. "We arrived with, really, 35 cents," said Beverly Hoffman, one of five friends who took passage on the Husky II that year.