From The Editor

by Greg Lincoln The Alaska Coastal Conference girls division has a brand new champion – the Akiuk Lady Grizzlies. This is the first time in the history of the 35 year tournament that the Lady […]

by Greg Lincoln The 35th annual 1A Coastal Conference Basketball Tournament is underway here in Bethel at the WarriorDome. Girls varsity teams from the Island League: Chefornak, Toksook Bay, and Newtok/Mertarvik; the Midcoast League: Kipnuk, […]

by Greg Lincoln March Madness is here and we always look forward to this time of year after a long winter. Basketball fires up fans from all over our YK delta home. Here are the […]

by Greg Lincoln The Village Police Academy #40 graduated its class of 10 new officers last Thursday at the completion of the Rural Law Enforcement Training at Yuut Elitnaurviat in Bethel, Alaska. Special guest speakers […]

by Greg Lincoln The VFW Post 10041 and the Bethel Regional High School Warriors hosted the 2023 VFW Invitational Basketball Tournament this past weekend, February 2-4, 2023 at the WarriorDome. The Kwethluk Lady Carayiit and […]

by Greg Lincoln Pete Kaiser of Bethel is the 2023 Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race Champion! He crossed the finish line at 12:26pm on Sunday, January 29, 2023 with 11 dogs after racing up to […]

by Greg Lincoln The 44th Annual Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race begins Friday, January 27th 2023 at 6:30 pm on the river in front of Bethel. Mushers will travel up the Kuskokwim River to Aniak, […]

by Greg Lincoln Kwethluk’s Raymond Alexie, who is 19 years old, is the new reigning Bogus Creek 150 Sled Dog Race Champion. He crossed the finish line early Sunday morning to win 27 minutes ahead […]

Congratulations to Randy Hanson who was awarded the 2022 Wrestling Coach of the Year Division I award at the State Wrestling Championships held December 16-17, 2022 in Anchorage. He is the head coach for the […]

by Greg Lincoln We have been loving this Christmas holiday, spending it with friends and family, the church services and holiday programs, the gifts, and being able to get together instead of being isolated one […]

by Greg Lincoln The 2022 Wrestling State Champions for high school boys and girls teams is concluded and new state champions have been crowned. The State wrestling finals took place last Friday and Saturday at […]

by Greg Lincoln Four local students are now Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) who completed the first LPN Program offered through the Alaska Pacific University and Yuut Elitnaurviat People’s Learning Center in Bethel. Congratulations to newly […]

by Greg Lincoln by Delta Discovery Staff The Aniak Halfbreeds Mixed 6 volleyball team is one of the best in the state. They took home the third place trophy after battling their way to the […]

by Greg Lincoln The final count numbers are in as of November 23rd and we would like to congratulate our Representative-elect Mary Peltola of Bethel! Congratulations for running a positive campaign through this election. Good […]

by Greg Lincoln Thank you to all who voted in the General Election. Voting is an exciting and fulfilling way to help support our state and local governments. When we vote we connect with our […]

by Greg Lincoln The folks at the Spirit of Youth have been working to promote and empower our young people by helping to recognize and celebrate their volunteerism and accomplishments. Do you know of a […]

by Greg Lincoln The Association of Village Council Presidents hosted their 58th annual convention this past fall and awarded several tribal members with the annual President’s Awards. Their names and bios are below, courtesy of […]

by Greg Lincoln Every year, AFN honors those who have made outstanding contributions to their families and the Native community. Awarded the Roger Lang Youth Leadership award is Golga Oscar of Kasigluk. Congratulations! The 2022 […]

by Greg Lincoln The initiative for a package liquor store in Bethel for selling beer and wine did not pass during the October 4th, 2022 municipal election. Nearly 60% of Bethel’s voters said that they […]

by Greg Lincoln Runners from school districts in the Yukon Kuskokwim delta region traveled to the state cross country finals this past weekend to run at Bartlett Trails, the venue for the 2022 State Cross […]

by Greg Lincoln Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks was established in 1972 by state legislation to research and teach the 20 Native languages of Alaska. It is now an internationally […]

by Greg Lincoln The worst storm in recent times hit our homeland this past weekend – the coastal regions bore the brunt. Reports and photos of homes collapsing off their posts, extensive coastline erosion, extreme […]

by Greg Lincoln Bethel rolled out the red carpet for Representative-elect Mary Peltola last Thursday, with a grand welcome at the Bethel airport and then celebrating with a homecoming reception at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural […]

by Greg Lincoln Bethel’s Mary Peltola made history during the August 16th, 2022 special election for the U.S. House of Representatives by becoming the first Alaska Native to be elected for a seat in Congress. […]

by Greg Lincoln The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced the students named to the deans’ and chancellor’s lists for the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters. The lists recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements. Students […]

2022 SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION Summary Report August 16, 2022 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS *** U.S. Representative (Special General) Precincts Reported: 395 of 402 (98.26%) Candidate Party Total Begich, Nick REP 44,065 28.56% Palin, Sarah REP 49,262 31.93% […]

by Greg Lincoln The filing deadline of August 5th, for the 2022 REAA (Regional Education Attendance Area) Election has come once again and here are the candidates for this year. Thank you for being an […]

by Greg Lincoln July 28, 2022 was a historical day for Alaska’s people when Alaska’s state government formally recognized all of Alaska’s 229 federally recognized tribes. Governor Mike Dunleavy signed House Bill 123 (HB 123). […]

by Greg Lincoln The skies cleared up last Saturday, making it a beautiful day as the family of David Trantham Jr. laid their beloved father to rest at the Bethel Veterans Memorial Cemetery – the […]

by Greg Lincoln The 2022 World Eskimo Indian Olympics is in the books. Congratulations to all of the participants and to the event organizers for a successful event. WEIO showcases our native cultures, arts and […]

by Greg Lincoln Yup’ik singer Byron Nicholai of Toksook Bay is on a mission. He just recently released his new album “Ayagnera (The Beginning)” – his second one, and to help promotion he returned to […]

by Greg Lincoln Hello everyone, I hope you all had a good 4th of July weekend. We are happy to see the festivities back once again in Bethel after these past couple of years. Quyana […]

by Greg Lincoln H ello to Conrad McCormick of Bethel. He is running for the State House of Representatives seat soon to be vacated by Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky who will not be seeking re-election. Conrad […]

by Greg Lincoln Last week we featured the Yukon/Kuskokwim adventure canoers 22 year old Thomas Dyment and 23 year old Luke Wenger from Bethel who paddled all the way from Fairbanks to Bethel via the […]

by Greg Lincoln Two Bethel men made an epic journey from Fairbanks to Bethel on a single canoe, traveling approximately 850 miles while paddling their way down the Tanana, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers. Thomas Dyment […]

by Greg Lincoln The hardworking leadership of the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation invited all the stakeholders, lenders, politicians, business partners, construction crews, designers, board members, staff, and community members to the grand opening celebration of […]

by Greg Lincoln Memorial Day in Bethel was one of the most beautiful days of summer thus far, and families and friends of those who have passed on in service of our country joined the […]

by Greg Lincoln The graduation class of the Bethel Regional High School honored 34 graduates at a much-anticipated commencement ceremony at the WarriorDome, home of the Warriors on Saturday, May 21st, 2022. Wearing their blue […]

by Greg Lincoln The Kuskokwim Learning Academy graduated six seniors this past Friday at the KLA 2022 commencement ceremony. Receiving their new high school diplomas are: Adu Wassillie, Calvin Samson, Chelsea Gilman, and Shawnti Finch […]

by Greg Lincoln The Kuskokwim Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Rural and Community Development celebrated their Forty-Eighth Commencement on April 29th, 2022. The graduates clad in their graduation gowns, mortar boards, […]

by Greg Lincoln The Phillip family of Kongiganak is strong in Native Youth Olympics here in the coastal region of southwest Alaska. Their founding father is Tommy Phillip who has coached NYO for many years, […]

by Greg Lincoln Congratulations to the Lower Kuskokwim All Star team who came in first place at the 2022 Native Youth Olympics Senior Games hosted by the Cook Inlet Tribal Council. The long-awaited live event […]

by Greg Lincoln Happy Easter everyone! The Association of Alaska Basketball Coaches hosted an All-Star game for 1A/2A and 3A/4A senior boys and girls last Saturday in Anchorage at Grace Christian School. The games are […]

by Greg Lincoln A new book featuring one hundred images of Alaska Natives has been released by the Curtis Legacy Foundation – Unpublished Alaska. This project showcases previously unpublished photos including some from Nunivak Island, […]

by Greg Lincoln The Cama-i Dance Festival has returned after a couple years break due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a two-day event at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel and folks are happy […]

by Greg Lincoln The Nelson Islanders of Toksook Bay are the new 1A State basketball boys champions! They defeated the Golden Heart Conference winners and the top seed Tanana Wolves last Saturday in a nailbiter […]

by Greg Lincoln The Dunleavy Administration today (February 25th, 2022) announced the appointment of Alaskans to various councils as part of his People First Initiative announced in December of 2021. Several appointees are from the […]

by Greg Lincoln Congratulations to the 34th Annual 1A Alaska Coastal Conference basketball tournament champions as of this Saturday, March 5th, 2022 – the Chefornak Lady Shamans and the Toksook Bay Islander boys. These teams […]

by Greg Lincoln March Madness is here folks, and conference tournaments are underway this week for most of our region’s local teams. For our smallest schools, the 1A teams, tournaments are going on in host […]

by Greg Lincoln Pete Kaiser of Bethel is the 2022 Bogus Creek 150 sled dog race champion! He crossed the finish line at 5:12am on Sunday morning, February 20th, 2022 with his 10-dog team. In […]

by Greg Lincoln The Hooper Bay Warriors hosted their annual Bering Sea Classic, an invitational basketball tournament this past weekend following their winning first place at the Nenana Invitational Tournament, or the NIT. The Hooper […]

by Greg Lincoln Hello everyone! It is time once again for the annual Arctic Innovation Competition (AIC) sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Business and Security Management. The contest is now accepting […]

by Greg Lincoln The Kuskokwim 300 crown has returned to Bethel with Pete Kaiser’s sixth win in a field of sixteen mushers. Kaiser raced up to Aniak and back down the Kuskokwim finishing with a […]

by Greg Lincoln The Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race is happening this weekend, starting on Friday January 28th, 2022. We have 16 contestants signed up for this year, the 43rd running of the K300 – […]

by Greg Lincoln For the past few days we have been venturing out on the Kuskokwim River to see if anyone was ice fishing for pike or working on their set nets. Quyana to the […]

by Greg Lincoln The Bethel Warrior boys hosted the Tanana Wolves on Friday night, January 7th, 2022 – the first game played at the WarriorDome since March 2020. Excited fans cheered for the return of […]

by Greg Lincoln Alusistuami Kinurayagarluting Agayutlerkaat The Bethel Moravian Church held their annual Yup’ik Candlight Service on Christmas Eve in Bethel to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. The beautiful service was led by […]

by Greg Lincoln This year’s Convention theme is “ANCSA at 50: Empowering Our Future.” to commemorate the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act fifty years ago. The 2021 AFN Convention was all virtual […]

by Greg Lincoln Last week on Friday, the community of Bethel came together to celebrate the Lighting of the Christmas Tree. Local dignitaries, organization members, community members, children, and students came together to commemorate the […]

by Greg Lincoln The Kalskag Grizzlies are one of the top Mixed 6 volleyball teams in the state. They took home fourth place honors overall in a field of twelve teams at the 2021-22 State […]

by Greg Lincoln The folks at Spirit of Youth are asking you to make a nomination for the next cohort of youth awardees and we are due for some new winners for 2021. Several YK […]

by Greg Lincoln Mixed 6 volleyball has returned to the court after a yearlong gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Alaska Coastal Conference. The Toksook Bay Islanders Mixed 6 volleyball team is the […]

by Greg Lincoln On November 4th, 2021 history was made as the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Land Management completed the first federal land allotments under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era […]

by Greg Lincoln Thank you to all of the candidates who ran for a school board seat. The State of Alaska conducted the REAA elections on October 5, 2021 for the purpose of electing local […]

by Greg Lincoln Five communities are working to preserve and maintain their Yup’ik language through native language preservation grants. Each village has their own unique language needs. The Villages of Kotlik, Napaimute, Kwinhagak, Chuathbaluk, and […]

by Greg Lincoln Our athletes from the Yukon Kuskokwim delta region are deeply talented in Native Youth Olympics (NYO). This region has produced champions and record holders year after year. These athletic events encourage involvement […]

by Greg Lincoln At the 57th Annual Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) Convention held on September 22, 2021, the Executive Board passed Resolution 21-09-08: Support of Legislation for State of Alaska Recognition of Federally […]

by Greg Lincoln Congratulations to Bethel’s Rachel Sallaffie, recipient of the First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Rachel and six other recipients were honored by First Lady Rose Dunleavy who congratulated the awardees at […]

by Greg Lincoln The Association of Village Council Presidents 2021 Awards have been announced, congratulations to the award recipients. The awards were recently announced following the 2021 AVCP Annual Convention which took place virtually on […]

by Greg Lincoln The Bethel Cross Country Invitational took place at the Sand Pit after taking a few years off, to the delight of race fans. The last Sand Pit race was in 2017. From […]

by Greg Lincoln The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced the students named to the deans’ and chancellor’s lists for the spring and summer 2021 semesters. The lists recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements. Students receiving […]

by Greg Lincoln The villages of Kotlik, Napaimute, Kwinhagak, Chuathbaluk, and our hometribe Nunakauyarmiut Tribe (Toksook Bay) were awarded Emergency Language Preservation grants from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) on September 8th, 2021. “The […]

by Greg Lincoln Dolena Fox is on her way to fulfilling her dream – a dream that involves flying all over the Yukon Kuskokwim delta region and serving the people of her homeland. She earned […]

by Greg Lincoln With school in session and kids in sports, fall time is always an exciting time of year. Kids have been running and they are doing great! In Bethel we have the Mamterilleq […]

by Greg Lincoln Do you dream of owning your own business? Here is some inspiring encouragement for you to help you get started – check out this year’s awardees for the Best in the West […]

by Greg Lincoln Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF), the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, and the Office of the Governor are seeking nominations for the annual Governor’s Arts and […]

by Greg Lincoln The Rasmuson Foundation announced that it is awarding grant funding to the Bethel Winter House and the Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association – two Yukon Kuskokwim projects that will benefit the people […]

by Greg Lincoln The best part about the World Eskimo Indian Olympics aren’t the gold medals, or winning a spot on the podium – it’s the comradery, the sportsmanship, the encouragement and support that each […]

by Greg Lincoln The Bethel City Council passed an ordinance that removes the Bethel residency requirement for senior citizens sales tax exemption cards. Any senior citizen, even if they are not from Bethel, who are […]

by Greg Lincoln Another year is in the books for this journey, the trek up Mount Marathon in Seward that we take each year. Thank you to the good Lord for another year of health […]

by Greg Lincoln The 60th Anniversary year for the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, or WEIO, is coming up later this month, to be held in the interior city of Fairbanks. After being put on hold […]

by Greg Lincoln Congratulations on your future success as students – this is to the forty Alaska students from 29 communities across the state that will each receive a scholarship for the 2021-22 academic year […]

by Greg Lincoln It’s so good to see everyone in person, said Nicole Johnston – head judge and volunteer for the 2021 Traditional Games that were held in Anchorage this past weekend, which were hosted […]

by Greg Lincoln Thank you to the folks at the Kuskokwim River InterTribal Fish Commission who gave this June 11th salmon catch update on fishing in the Kuskokwim (from the Mouth to Aniak). More fishing […]

by Greg Lincoln For the past two years – 2020 and 2021, we have missed the live, in-person Native Youth Olympics statewide event that is usually held every spring in Anchorage. This year, the Sealaska […]

by Greg Lincoln Monday, May 31, 2021 is Memorial Day – a day to remember and honor the heroes of our country who died while serving in the U.S. military. On this day, the Veterans […]

by Greg Lincoln This past weekend we had the opportunity to see some of our local wrestlers compete at the 2021 State Wrestling finals. It was the first Division II wrestling tournament since 2019 and […]

by Greg Lincoln Forty-five mortarboard and gown clad Warriors graduated May 15, 2021 in the Bethel Regional High School commencement ceremony to the cheers of their family and friends. The graduation took place outside at […]

by Greg Lincoln The Lower Kuskokwim District School Board voted to approve indoor and outdoor athletic activity practices and in and out of region travel for competition. The decision took place during the Board’s April […]

by Greg Lincoln The ninth annual statewide Yup’ik spelling bee championship and the first annual statewide Iñupiaq spelling bee championship took place on Saturday, April 17th. The spelling bees were held at the Arctic Rec […]

by Greg Lincoln Congratulations to our honor roll students for your outstanding academic achievements, we are very proud of your accomplishments. The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced the students named to the deans’ and […]

by Greg Lincoln Seven teams of kids and rookies (who have never mushed a sled dog team before) got a chance to race this past Saturday, April 10th. The K300 Race Committee hosted the event, […]

by Greg Lincoln The Hooper Bay Lady Warriors are the 2A State Basketball champions, it is the girls team’s first state title. They defeated the Talkeetna Susitna Valley Rams 36-32 in an exciting neck-and-neck game. […]

by Greg Lincoln This week will be seeing several of our YK delta area teams traveling to the State 1A and 2A Basketball championships. Games start on April 1st and will take place at the […]

by Greg Lincoln Part of life here in the YK delta is having the choice to participate in extracurricular activities that supplement your schooling when you’re in grade school and high school. Since covid happened, […]

by Greg Lincoln Here in Alaska we follow the same Daylight Savings Time schedule as the rest of the country. Our clocks “spring forward” on the second Sunday in March by one hour and then […]