By KATHIE KLUNDER
Gambell summer school teacher

During Gambell’s summer school we had Ms. Linda Lyons, an Alaskan artist, came in to assist students in designing and painting a mural. They chose the theme of “Our Community”. Students were taught basic skills in planning, drawing and painting a mural.

From Kyle Hopkins --

A $40 million hotel opened this week in Kotzebue following two years of construction.

The new 78-room Nullagvik Hotel is owned by NANA Development Corp. and stands near the old Nullagvik hotel along Shore Avenue. The old hotel had 74 rooms and first opened in 1975, according to NANA. A spokesman for the company said the fate of that building is still being decided.

From Kyle Hopkins --

A 23-year-old Pilot Station man was found dead in the Yukon River Wednesday after his fish tender was reported overdue near St. Marys, troopers say.

Searchers discovered the body of Gerald Richardson Minock at about 12:45 p.m. below Mountain Village. About 10 boats and 30 people had been looking for Minock, who had failed to appear as expected at the Boreal Fisheries dock roughly 10 miles south of St. Marys.

Another fisherman told troopers that Minock's boat had appeared to be overloaded the night before, troopers said.

Here's the trooper report:

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

An Alaska couple has purchased three rural newspapers and two specialty publications from the Calista Corp., the company announced today.

Calista previously announced it planned to shutter the Alaska Newspapers Inc. newspaper chain that serves communities across the state.

Check back for a full story tonight. Meantime, here's today's announcement:

Five ANI Publications to be Sold by Calista Corporation

Entrepreneurial Husband-Wife Team Assumes Ownership Late August

Calista Corporation and Alaska Newspapers, Inc., a wholly-owned Calista subsidiary, welcomes Jason Evans and Kiana Peacock as the new publishers of three weeklies and two specialty shoppers, effective late August. The newspapers are The Arctic Sounder, The Dutch Harbor Fisherman and The Bristol Bay Times. The specialty publications are The Equipment Shopper and The Bush Shopper.

Evans, an Inupiat born and raised in Nome, is vice president of consulting for Alaska Growth Company and owner of Financial Alaska. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alaska Pacific University. Kiana Peacock, born and raised in Kotzebue, works for Alaska Airlines and has a B.A. degree from Notre Dame University.

Both Evans and Peacock are active in community service roles.

Evans serves as a board member for Alaska Community Foundation; chairman of Sitnasuak Native Corporation; Bering Straits Native Corporation board director; community Advisory Member for KNBA Radio; and former board member for Ryan Air, Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska.

Peacock is the president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 601. She also serves as chief shop steward for employees of Alaska Airlines.

“Calista has been honored for the past 19 years to have provided a voice to communities across Alaska, many of which are hundreds or thousands of miles off the road system,” said Calista Corporation Senior Vice President Margaret Nelson. “We look forward to Evans and Peacock continuing that tradition.”

“I am very proud to be an owner of my local hometown paper and excited to be a part of its new life,” said Peacock.

“It is important to ensure the stories and experiences of our communities are shared,” said Evans. “The next few weeks will be spent evaluating the publications. We hope to announce soon afterward the expected publication dates.”

Management and employees of ANI have made great strides to make the subsidiary profitable in the past few years. However, the increasing costs of fuel, paper and print technology prevented the subsidiary from contributing to Calista’s long-term financial interests and service to Shareholders. At a quarterly meeting on July 22, Calista’s Board of Directors voted to shut down and liquidate ANI after 19 years of ownership.

Since the announcement ANI has been entertaining offers for the publications. The final publications by ANI will be the week of August 15, and the ANI offices will close August 31.

From David Hulen in Anchorage --

Caleb Pungowiyi, a longtime Alaska Native leader from northwest Alaska, has died of cancer at the age of 69.

Originally from the St. Lawrence Island village of Savoonga, Pungowiyi was a former president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the international organization that advocates for indigenous people of the North.

He held a number of leadership positions through the years with various Alaska Native organizations. According to this online biography, he was president and CEO of the the Robert Aqqaluk Newlin Sr. Memorial Trust of Kotzebue and served on a long list of organizations and panels, among them the Bering Straits Regional Commission, the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs Advisory Committee, the Alaska Native Science Commission, the Polar Research Board Committee on Bering Sea Ecosystems and the Advisory Panel on Arctic Impacts from Soviet Nuclear Contamination. He was the federal Marine Mammal Commission’s special adviser on Native affairs.

He also worked as an adviser to the environmental group Oceana.

We received this from NANA Regional Corp. this afternoon:

Caleb was the beloved husband of our Chief Operating Officer, Gladys Pungowiyi as well. Marie N. Greene, NANA president and CEO sent a message to staff relaying the death and stating the following: “Caleb was a humble man who worked quietly, but tirelessly, to make a positive difference in the lives of the Iñupiat. His leadership and friendship will be greatly missed in our region and in indigenous communities around the Arctic.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church of Anchorage at 10th Avenue and L Street.

In 2001, he gave a lecture on climate change in the Arctic at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. UAF's Oral history project archived the lecture, along with an interview and photos.

In April 2009, he spoke at a federal hearing on offshore leasing in Alaska:

UPDATE: Read our full story here.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Calista Corp., the Native corporation for the Bethel region, is shuttering and liquidating a chain of newspapers that serve rural Alaska.

Here's an announcement the Anchorage-based corporation just sent reporters. We'll update with more information as it becomes available:

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press

JUNEAU — The Alaska Supreme Court has reversed a judge's finding that a Kotzebue police officer who used a stun gun on an 11-year-old should get immunity in the case brought by her mother.

In a ruling Friday, the justices said the lower court erred in granting Lee Virg-In qualified immunity. It ordered the case against him and the city of Kotzebue returned to trial court.

An attorney for the city said he's prepared for trial.

From Kyle Hopkins --

A 23-year-old man died Saturday in St. Michael when the snowmachine he was trying to “skip” across a pond stalled and sank, troopers say.

Johnny Prince, of Kotlik, had been visiting family in the Norton Sound village, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Prince and a small group of friends were trying to drive the snowmachine across a pond behind a village school, troopers said. When the snowmachine stalled, Prince was unable to swim to shore, troopers say. He disappeared beneath the water.

The practice of “water-skipping” snowmachines -- or bouncing over the surface of lakes and ponds like a skipping stone -- is a common, if dangerous, pastime across Alaska. YouTube is peppered with homemade videos like this one, filmed in Buckland:

In 2008, a 25-year-old man drowned while trying to skip his snowmachine across the Colville River, according to reports at the time.

The St. Michael incident was reported to troopers at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Prince’s body was recovered at 10:43 p.m., said Joseph Katchatag, a St. Michael Village Public Safety Officer. Health aides tried to revive him, but Prince was pronounced dead by Norton Sound Health Corp. employees, according to troopers.

"We received information to suggest he was consuming (alcohol) prior to the incident," trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters wrote in an e-mail.

I'm hoping to report more on the accident later today.

From the Associated Press:

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is holding two public hearings in Barrow this week over air and water permits the agency is preparing to propose for oil and gas exploration in Alaska's Arctic.

EPA officials say the goal of the meetings is to present information about the permits before a formal public comment periods begin.

One of the meetings is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Inupiat Heritage Center.

The other is set for 9 a.m. Friday at Barrow High School.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Troopers reported this accidental shooting today. I've asked for more information on the boy's condition.

Location: Koyuk
Type: Accidental shooting
On 6-8-11 at 1445 hours the Alaska State Troopers received a report of an accidental shooting in Koyuk. Investigation shows that a 7 year old child accidentally shot a 6 year old child in the head with a hunting rifle while the children were playing. The 6 year old victim was transported to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. No criminal activity is suspected.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Troopers reported this accidental shooting today. I've asked for more information on the boy's condition.

Location: Koyuk
Type: Accidental shooting
On 6-8-11 at 1445 hours the Alaska State Troopers received a report of an accidental shooting in Koyuk. Investigation shows that a 7 year old child accidentally shot a 6 year old child in the head with a hunting rifle while the children were playing. The 6 year old victim was transported to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. No criminal activity is suspected.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage –

Some stuff you may want to do this weekend:

-- Remember Guillaume Leduey, the French language student who has been studying the extinct Eyak language?

He’s back in Anchorage this month, leading a couple weekend workshops aimed at revitalizing the language.

From Kyle Hopkins --

On Wednesday, another six communities across Alaska are scheduled to begin serving free bag lunches to anyone younger than 18 years old. The effort is part of a growing push by the Food Bank of Alaska to extend the free meals students get during the school year into the summer.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

So, if you booked a ticket online tonight from Bethel to the nearby village of Chevak -- a roughly 140-mile trip -- you'd pay $245.

That's for a one-way ticket, on a May 30th flight.

If you wanted to fly the more than 2,000 miles from Anchorage to Los Angeles on the same day, it'd cost only $157.20.

Sure, Bush flights are always expensive. But in this season of staggering fuel costs, I'd like to hear if you're seeing any big increases in your hometown.

Along with burglary, one of the teenagers arrested is also charged with making homebrew and selling it for $50 a gallon to juveniles.

Today from troopers:

Location: Selawik
Type: Burglary I, Criminal Mischief III, Arrest Warrant, Manufacture/Sale of Alcohol without Permit in Local Option Dry Community

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

From the people who brought you "Major League Eating: The Game" comes "Remington Super Slam Hunting Alaska" for the Nintendo Wii.

Brace yourself:

Somebody's going to need a big meat freezer. That's, what, 27 animals blasted in 60 seconds?

From the company website:

Shoot fast, move quick and be ready for anything as you experience the wilds of Alaska! Set your signets (sic) on trophy Deer, Caribou, Elk, and Moose - but don't forget that predators like Wolves, Bears, Cougars have their signs (sic) on you.

... Post your scores to the Online Leaderboards and climb your way to the top- be the greatest hunter in Alaska!

I sent these guys a couple e-mails and never heard back.

The game was scheduled for release last month, according to metacritic.com. Either that didn't happen, or no one has ever actually played it.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Troopers out of Nome say children playing with a lighter and an aerosol can started a fire at the Saint Michael school that "burned the school shop to the ground," a trooper report says.

Today was the last day of school residents said. The trooper wasn't immediately available for comment.

The incident was reported last night and the investigation continues.

National Weather Service photo.

From Casey Grove in Anchorage --

High water in the village of Buckland caused the National Weather Service to extend a flood warning until noon Friday. Multiple ice jams on the Buckland River diverted water into the village during the spring breakup.

Water came up two feet from Wednesday night to this morning, but no damage had been reported by afternoon.

Have pictures of flooding or high water you'd like to share with the rest of the state? Send them to Kyle Hopkins at khopkins@adn.com.

Alaska Airlines Capt. Bob Porter reacts as he carries a 45 lb. Copper River Salmon from a cargo plane today that arrived with the first shipment of Copper River Salmon from Alaska at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. The prized salmon is known for it's rich color and taste. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Check out the rest of the photos here.

The Associated Press

SEATTLE — The first planeload of fresh Copper River salmon from Alaska arrived this morning at Sea-Tac Airport where chefs were waiting eagerly.

The Alaska Airlines pilot carried the first 45-pound fish off the plane and handed it to Frank Ragusa of Ocean Beauty Seafoods who gave it a kiss.

Wes Perkins is a longtime member of the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. (2003 photo by Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News)

MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Read the final version of this story, including an interview with Perkins' son and the helicopter pilot who flew him to safety, here.

2 P.M. UPDATE: Wes Perkins, 54, is in critical condition at the intensive care unit of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a spokeswoman said.

Meantime, Alaska State Troopers just sent this description of the attack, saying Perkins was with a group that had been tracking the bear on snowmachines just prior to the attack:

Yesterday Wes Perkins went on a spring bear hunt with two other men. The three had spotted a large brown bear and were tracking it via snowmachines.

Perkins was riding ahead of the two other men when he passed the bear, which had gone down by a creek and laid down in the deep snow. He drove about 70 feet further then turned his snowmachine around. The bear charged Perkins.

Perkins was still on his snowmachine handling gear and was not able to get out of the way. The other men in his hunting party were able to shoot the bear. It wandered away and died.

The men contacted help via a hand-held they had with them. The incident occurred sometime around 3 p.m. and was reported to troopers at approximately 3:45 p.m.

A helicopter retrieved Perkins and transported him to the hospital. He is receiving further treatment from a hospital out of state. The brown bear died and was salvaged. The other two men were able to return to Nome yesterday evening. Today an AWT trooper conducted interviews and flew out to survey the scene.

ORIGINAL POST:

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Alaska State Troopers are investigating a bear mauling reported Sunday east of Nome.

The victim, Wes Perkins, was attacked near an area called Skookum Pass, trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

Peters did not know Perkins' condition. He was taken to the Nome hospital following the attack, then flown outside the city for treatment, she said.

As of 10:30 a.m. today he was out of surgery and has been placed in an induced coma, said Maryjane Sipes, Perkins' co-worker in Nome.

"His wife and kids are with him," Sipes said.

Perkins is the former chief of the Nome volunteer fire department and now works for the telecommunication company TelAlaska. A spokeswoman said Perkins was not on the job at the time of the attack.

A member of his party shot the bear, which has been skinned and salvaged, Peters said.

Troopers had few details about the mauling this morning.

A wildlife trooper in Nome was unavailable. No one at the Nome Police Department or emergency services was available to talk about the incident.

Perkins works as Nome area supervisor for TelAlaska. He graduated from Nome Public Schools and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, according to a TelAlaska news release that announced his hire.

He has worked for the school district, the Department of Transportation and Nome Joint Utilities, the company says.

Perkins has served on the Nome Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years, including a seven-year stint as fire chief that ended in 2007, according to TelAlaska.

He is also a training officer for the Nome Volunteer Ambulance Department, the company says.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates. If you live in the Nome area and would like to talk to a reporter about this incident, email Kyle Hopkins at khopkins@adn.com or call me at 257-4334 or 1-800-478-4200 ext 334.