News

FREE— Father Alphonsus Afinas has been released on Monday, July 21, after having been held hostage for 51 days by Boko Haram.

Father Afina released from Boko Haram capture

By Diana Haecker | Father Alphonsus Afina, a Catholic priest who has served parishes in western Alaska, has been released by Boko Haram captors, the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks announced on Monday...

TIME CAPSULE— Library Assistant Janet Steppe holds the 1990 Time Capsule, which will be opened on July 17 at the Kegoayah Kozga Library.

1990 Time Capsule to be opened this week

By Diana Haecker | In the absence of Mayor John Handeland, who is still nursing a bout with pneumonia, Councilmember Mark Johnson presided over Monday’s Nome Common Council meeting, passing the...

RESEARCH— Feces from the bowels of a bowhead whale sampled for harmful algal bloom toxin analysis after being harvested for subsistence purposes.

Whale poop links toxic algal blooms to climate change

By Anna Lionas | After nearly 20 years of bowhead whale poop data collection, scientists were able to draw a direct line between warming oceans and an increase in harmful algal blooms resulting in...

The King Island tribe honored a harvested polar bear with a celebration.

King Islanders honor polar bear with celebration

By Laura Robertson King Island tribal members celebrated the harvest of a polar bear on July 8. For generations, King Islanders have been polar bear hunters, honoring the harvest of a polar bear with...

CELEBRATING— Mackenzie Cabrera waves to familiar faces from a Fourth of July parade float with her daughter, Bianca Raleigh Cabrera, during Nome’s Independence Day celebration on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Nome celebrates Fourth of July

By Sarah Manriquez With blue skies overhead and balmy temperatures of 77°F on the thermometer, Nome residents lined Front Street on Friday to celebrate the Fourth of July with an all-day celebration...

FACING REPRIMAND— Superior Court Judge Romano DiBenedetto in two incidences violated the canons and the Alaska Court System’s policy and procedures for a healthy work place, the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct found.

Panel recommends public reprimand for Nome judge

By Diana Haecker Nome’s Superior Court Judge Romano DiBenedetto is facing a public reprimand after the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct found probable cause that his conduct violated canons...

The bear was shot in town at the corner of Spokane and West King Place on July 8.

Bear wandering through town killed by authorities

A young brown bear that wandered into town was shot Tuesday morning at the intersection of Spokane and West King Place. The Nome Police Department received calls about the bear roaming the streets of...

SOAK TIME— Many people enjoyed the hot spring pool last weekend during the Pilgrim Hot Springs Mini Festival, held June 29.

Soaking in the summertime at Pilgrim Hot Springs

By Anna Lionas It was a busy day on the Kougarok Road last Saturday, as caravans of vehicles were visible for miles by the dust plumes they left in their wake. They were headed for Pilgrim Hot...

Bypass mail rate to increase soon

By Anna Lionas In less than two weeks the price for the Alaska Bypass Mail Service will increase by 9.4 percent, with grocery bills expected to increase because of it. This price change is...

Norton Sound Health Corporation interns (from left) Cash Arrington, Kaitlyn Johnson, Dorothy Callahan, Guadalupe Callahan and Aries Bioff hold their favorite bird cutouts inside the NSHC Operations Building on Thursday, June 26, 2025, after four hours of priming work.

Birds on Parade set to replace Nome’s painted sled dog art

By Sarah Manriquez The sled dogs are coming down, and birds are about to take their place. Norton Sound Health Corporation is launching its 2025 community art contest, Birds on Parade, inviting...