Western

Alaska is one of 29 states that allow at least some late-arriving ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked on or before election day. But a U.S. Supreme Court ruling could complicate that, especially for voters in the Bush.

Consumers across the country are contending with sharply higher fuel prices amid a supply crunch brought on by the closure of a key strait in the Middle East. But even residents of California, where $6-a-gallon gas prices are making headlines, would face sticker shock if they traveled to Hooper Bay, or any of the dozens of other villages and hub towns across Western Alaska.

Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica, and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13% of what school districts requested.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski held a roundtable in Anchorage with Interior Department officials Tuesday to hear from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok leaders about challenges the communities still face and ideas for how to move forward.

The enforcement action is against the Northern Eagle, a catcher-processor owned and operated by Seattle-based American Seafoods. The company disputes the allegation.

More than 92% of adult tribal members that the tribe was able to contact by phone in recent weeks voted to relocate. Of two potential relocation sites located between Kipnuk and Chefornak, two-thirds said they’d prefer an option closer to the historical settlement of Cicing.