The Nome Nugget

OPENING— HomePlate Apartments, in the planning since 2009, is opening its doors to its first tenants.

HomePlate Apartments host community open house

HomePlate Apartments, a Housing First project for Nome’s chronically homeless, opened its doors and held three open houses on Tuesday November 14 for neighbors, investors and community members to tour the 15-unit project off Greg Kruschek Ave.

BURNED— A suspicious fire consumed Randy Oles’ shed and partially burned the wall of his house on Steadman, on Tuesday night. The police are investigating a series of suspicious fires that occurred in the area over a span of a few weeks.

NPD investigates suspicious fires

Nome police are investigating four suspicious fires that occurred in the same general vicinity in Nome over the course of the past month, with the latest fire consuming a storage shed and leaping to the adjacent residence of Randy Oles on Steadman

VETERANS — Army Sergeant William Smith and Air National Guard Staff Sergeant Wanda Solomon-Parsons salute each other after the veterans’ walk at AFN on Thursday morning.

Major subsistence fishing rights case looms over AFN convention

The Alaska Federation of Natives met last week for its annual convention, and on Saturday, delegates gathered to consider resolutions that would set their political agenda for the next year.

FAMILY — Chris Apassingok (center) stands with his brother Chase (left) as well as his partner Ina and their baby Gracelyn during the screening of “One With The Whale.”

Documentary about young Gambell hunter screens at AFN

On a windy, cloudy day among floating chunks of sea ice off the coast of Gambell, young hunter Chris Apassingok races toward a bowhead with his family’s whaling crew. So begins the new documentary “One With The Whale.”

HONORED — Etta Tall, a tribal healer at NSHC, was give the Della Keats “Healing Hands” award at AFN this year.

Etta Tall, Hoogendorn brothers pick up AFN President’s Awards

By Megan Gannon

The Nome Common Council and the School Board met in a joint session to discuss the problem of vaping in Nome schools.

School Board and Common Council discuss youth vaping

The Nome Public Schools Board of Education and the Nome Common Council met on Monday in a joint work session to discuss the issue of vaping in schools.

The City of Diomede building, pictured in the center, slid off its foundation and rests against the green school house.

Little Diomede city building slides off its foundation, leaving community vulnerable for more damage

On Sunday, about 11:30 a.m. the city building at Little Diomede slid off its aged, wooden foundational stilts and is leaning precariously against the school building downhill. The suspected cause of the stilt failure is rotten wood that gave way....

Army Corps drafts call for bids on port expansion

During its regular meeting last Thursday, Nome’s Port Commission heard that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finalizing its call for bids from contractors to work on the first phase of the port’s expansion. The Corps released a draft...

Board of Game to consider proposed changes to regional moose hunt

The fall moose hunt around Nome has been ultra-competitive in recent years. Hunters in Game Management Unit 22C know that each September they have only a short window to find a bull. For the last five years, about 100 hunters have received permits...

ERODED— During last week’s storm, the Chukchi Sea facing shoreline of Sarichef Island was pounded by high waters and eroded into the sea.

Storm erodes shoreline at Shishmaref

High winds that pushed water high up on south facing shores of the Seward Peninsula cause shoreline erosion on the Chukchi Sea coast of Shishmaref, last week. Videos posted on social media showed waves washing over the newly installed seawall...

International teachers’ winding road to Nome’s schools

Five international teachers were set to begin the 2023 school year at Nome Public Schools, but three months later their arrival date is estimated for December, pending the approval of H1-B visas. The process of bringing the teachers to Nome began...

White House climate assessment paints a challenging picture for Alaska’s future

The White House on Tuesday released the latest version of its National Climate Assessment. The report outlines the increasing threats the country faces due to rising temperatures and the gaps that still exist for addressing those problems. Northern...

Norton Sound proposes to take over ambulance service

Norton Sound Health Corporation is in talks with the City of Nome to take over the city’s volunteer ambulance service and bring it under the health corporation’s umbrella. The City of Nome has provided the ambulance service staffed by volunteers...

A snow storm caused delays in flight traffic.

Winter storm causes flight cancellations

A winter storm last Sunday with peak winds at 46 mph as reported by the National Weather Service, blanketed Nome with snow, but rising temperatures and wind-driven rain turned the snow into slush. The icy conditions and snow wreaked havoc on travel...

Woman died of exposure in Nome

A 27-year-old woman was found unresponsive behind the shuttered Nugget Inn hotel at the seawall, on Sunday, November 5 in the early morning hours, and was later pronounced dead at Norton Sound Regional hospital. According to acting Nome Police...