Kyle, Bob & friends in Kwethluk.

From Kyle Hopkins in Bethel --

After a short boat ride downriver from Kwethluk -- see below -- photographer Bob Hallinen and I hope to spend the next few days in Bethel. In town? Be sure to say hello.

A couple of questions: I thought iqmik use was on the decline thanks to public health campaigns, so why is it we seem to see punk ash for sale everywhere we go?

And just how seriously are Bethel restaurants taking the citywide ban on plastic bags and foam takeout containers that city leaders approved back in 2009?

The bags at the Alaska Commercial grocery story say they're 100-percent biodegradable now, but Bethel restaurants appear to still be using disposable foam containers:

By the boxfull: Foam takeout containers at a Bethel restaurant, years after the city banned their use.

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The local Alaska Commercial store now bags groceries in biodegradable plastic.