Latest news with #Inupiaq
Mint
2 days ago
- General
- Mint
Banned baby names in the US: Why you can't name your child King, Nutella, or 1069 in certain American states
Several US states have laws that restrict what parents can legally name their children, with a number of unusual names making the banned list. Among the names that have been rejected by authorities are King, Queen, Jesus Christ, and others to name a few. Check out the full list of banned names here: While the US gives parents broad freedom in naming their children, state laws vary widely. In California and New Jersey, obscene or offensive names are not allowed at all. In other states, like Illinois and South Carolina, names with numbers or symbols — such as '1069' or '@' — are surprisingly allowed. Some rules are shaped by cultural protections. For example, Hawaii and Alaska permit special characters in names that come from indigenous languages, such as the Kānaka 'Ōiwi and Inupiaq communities. North Carolina allows tildes (ñ), but neighbouring Virginia does not. Many states also set strict limits on the number of characters allowed in names. In New York, each part of a name has a specific limit — 30 characters for first and middle names, and 40 for last names. Massachusetts limits each name to 40 characters, while Arizona allows a combined total of 141 characters across all parts. There are also rules around surnames. In Mississippi, a child is automatically given the father's last name unless the parents request otherwise. In Louisiana, if the mother is unmarried and gives birth within 300 days, the baby receives her surname. In Florida, if parents don't agree on a name, a court will choose one. As naming rules shift from state to state, parents are urged to check local laws before picking anything too creative.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Homer pilot and Anchorage photographer killed in small plane crash in Nanwalek
Apr. 29—Authorities say the crash of a small commercial flight on the Kenai Peninsula on Monday killed the pilot and a 37-year-old Anchorage resident, a well-known artist and photographer originally from Nome. Another male passenger was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital with serious injuries, Alaska State Troopers said in an update Tuesday. Troopers on Tuesday identified the passenger killed in the crash as 37-year-old Anchorage resident Jenny Irene Miller. The pilot, 48-year-old Homer resident Daniel Bunker, made a last-minute decision not to land so he could avoid a dog on the community's short runway just before the plane crashed, officials said Tuesday. Nanwalek is a small village just under 30 miles southwest of Homer. Residents called 911 to report the crash just before 2 p.m. then rushed out to provide help. It was over an hour before authorities and medevac helicopters arrived. The operator of the scheduled flight from Homer to Nanwalek was Smokey Bay Air, a Homer-based air service. Bunker was on approach to land when he radioed another company plane behind him, said Clint Johnson, Alaska chief for the National Transportation Safety Board. Bunker told the other pilot there was something on the runway, so he was going to go around and try for another landing, Johnson said. Witnesses said there was a dog on the airstrip, he said. Bunker initiated the "go-around" and appeared to be turning back toward the airport when the plane crashed, Johnson said. "What happened from there is what we refer to as a 'loss of control consistent with a stall,'" he said. Investigators will examine the plane's wreckage to check for any mechanical issues. Local residents said a few dozen people ran out to help after the crash, which followed what one described as a sharp banking turn over the water. The injured passenger was taken to the local clinic, said resident Jerry Demas. Volunteers hauled the wreckage up and away from the incoming tide and carefully removed Miller and Butcher, he said. People came down from the school, including staff trained in CPR, Demas said. Those administering medical aid took turns, he said. "They were performing CPR for at least a good hour." State park rangers assisted and a Maritime Helicopters pilot saw the crash and landed, Demas said. Some volunteers hauled packages out of the aircraft, which was making a mail run, said Katrina Hetrick, tribal administrator for Nanwalek IRA. Miller was flying into town to take photographs at the school's Sea Week event, Hetrick said. Bunker was the kind of pilot who put nervous flyers like her at ease, she said. "He was amazing ... He made you feel safe. He made you feel comfortable." Miller was a photographer and artist born in Nome who preferred the name "Jenny Irene" and whose work incorporated Inupiaq traditions and LGBTQ+ activism. Miller's pieces have been exhibited internationally, including at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Haus Kunst Mitte in Berlin, the Portland Art Museum, SITE Santa Fe and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Her photography is on display at the Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer through Wednesday, the gallery said in a Facebook post. Miller was also a "committed, thoughtful, and very intentional" board member of Native Movement, a nonprofit Indigenous advocacy group, said the group's executive director, Enei Begaye. "She took her role seriously and made sure LGBTQ and two-spirit rights and safety were at the heart of our work," Begaye said in a message Tuesday. "As a friend, she was one of the most kind and caring. She had a sense of humor all her own, one that only an artist introvert could really hone and deliver." "I am so lucky to have known her," she said. "I will miss her deeply." Princess Daazhraii Johnson, a Neets'aii Gwich'in writer, actor producer and director, served with Miller on the Native Movement board. Johnson on Tuesday called Miller, who used the pronouns she/they, a "true luminary in every sense of the word" who saw the beauty in others. "Through their photography, they amplified understanding and compassion to a broad audience," Johnson said in a message. "They touched many lives with their love, humor, and generous support of those around them. We are all so heartbroken to hear of this great loss to our community." Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday expressed condolences to the families of Bunker and Miller and said he and his wife, Rose Dunleavy, are "praying for the recovery of the injured passenger." Bunker was certificated as a commercial pilot in 2021, according to FAA records. He held single- and multi-engine as well as instrument flight ratings. Bunker, in a video posted earlier this year by eyewear company Randolph USA, said he got into aviation after coming to Alaska and guiding for film crews. Bunker grew up in California and moved to Alaska in 2009 before working at Hallo Bay Bear Camp and guiding a Disney Nature camera crew filming "Bears" in Katmai National Park in 2013, according to a 2014 story in the Homer News. His experience among the brown bears, one injured bear in particular, inspired Bunker to write a children's book called "Limpy Chesterton" for his two sons. Melody Hall, a Seldovia resident, had high praise for Bunker. She said her children fly Smokey Bay Air to and from their community on the south shore of Kachemak Bay. Residents of Seldovia, Port Graham and Nanwalek get mail, groceries and other items from the company's planes. "I just think that Smokey Bay Air is essential to survival in our rural community," Hall said in a message. "They are reliable and skilled. Their pilots are friendly and caring. This is such a huge tragedy for the community and it breaks my heart."
CBC
26-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Biden administration lacked authority to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska refuge, judge rules
A federal judge in Alaska on Tuesday ruled the Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel seven oil and gas leases that had been issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said terms of a 2017 tax law that set the stage for the first-ever lease sale in the refuge's coastal plain in early 2021 suggested that leases could only be cancelled by a court order. She sent the matter back to the Department of Interior for further action. President Donald Trump upon his return to office in January signed an Alaska-specific executive order that among other things had sought to rescind the lease cancellation. The tax law called for two lease sale offerings by late 2024 in the refuge's coastal plain, a roughly six-million-hectare swath of the vast refuge that borders the Beaufort Sea and is home to such wildlife as polar bears, caribou and birds. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state corporation, was the major bidder in the first sale, which was held in the waning days of the first Trump administration. Small companies won two other leases but gave them up. Gleason in 2021 had rejected calls by drilling opponents to halt that first lease sale until underlying lawsuits were resolved. The second sale, held shortly before Biden left office, drew no bids. It was criticized by Alaska political leaders as too restrictive to attract interest, but environmental groups pointed to a lack of interest from oil companies as a reason to put the long-running debate over whether to allow drilling to rest. Tuesday's decision, in a case brought by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority against the Interior Department and federal officials, is the latest twist in the decades-long fight. Gwich'in leaders have opposed drilling on the coastal plain, which they consider sacred, citing its importance to caribou they rely upon. Leaders of the Inupiaq community of Kaktovik, which is within the refuge, have expressed support for drilling, as have Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state's congressional delegation. Dunleavy in a statement lauded the decision: "Now the leasing program can move forward and could result in more safe, secure energy production right here in Alaska." Gwich'in leaders and environmental groups vowed to keep fighting. "While we are deeply disappointed by today's ruling, we want to be clear that this decision does not diminish our determination to protect these sacred lands," Raeann Garnett, First Chief of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, said in a statement.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Federal funding released for this year's operations of Alaska research vessel; future undetermined
The Sikuliaq, a National Science Foundation research vessel operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is docked in its homeport of Seward on July 4, 2024. The National Science Foundation and UAF have a new four-year cooperative agreement made effective in December. The agreement calls for the National Science Foundation to provide $54 million for Sikuliaq operations over four years. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) The National Science Foundation has provided funding for the first year of activities in a four-year agreement concerning a research vessel operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The funding will pay for this year's operations of the Sikuliaq, the ice-capable research vessel operated by UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and homeported in Seward, the university said on Monday. The National Science Foundation owns the vessel. The four-year cooperative agreement, signed in December, includes nearly $54 million in funding for Sikuliaq operations through 2028. This year's share of that is about $11.4 million, according to the agreement. Whether the remaining money will be released for the following three years of operations is yet to be determined. 'NSF signed a four-year cooperative agreement with UAF to continue operating Sikuliaq, but only funds for the first year have been appropriated. The intent is to continue the partnership for four years, but NSF can't guarantee or obligate funding that hasn't been appropriated yet,' Jeff Richardson, a spokesperson for the UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, said by email. A federal law, the Antideficiency Act, bars obligation of funding not yet appropriated by Congress, Richardson added. The Sikuliaq, commissioned in 2014, is used for annual research cruises in the Gulf of Alaska and in the Arctic. This year, three Arctic cruises are planned, Richardson said. One will study Bering Strait ocean conditions that are causing erosion, flooding, permafrost thaw and other risks, with the goal of better understanding storms that affect Alaska coastal communities, he said. Other cruises will continue past years' monitoring work in the Chukchi and Northern Bering seas, and the final cruise will be used to help study how landfast ice — a term of ice attached to the coastline or shallow sea floor — forms on the Arctic Alaska coastline, he said. The Sikuliaq is the only ice-capable research vessel in the U.S. academic research fleet, according to the university. Its name comes from the Inupiaq word for 'young sea ice,' and the Sikuliaq was designed to travel in and through the edge of the Arctic ice pack. The ship's operations support 39 permanent full-time employees and 25 to 30 temporary crew members, according to the university. News about the National Science Foundation's support for the Sikuliaq comes as the Trump administration has been slashing jobs and funding from numerous federal science programs. There have been deep cuts at the National Weather Service and other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration divisions, resulting in interruptions to research functions like fish stock assessments and weather data collecting used for global forecasting. Among the operations identified as vulnerable earlier this month by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, are the research cruises conducted on two NOAA ships, the Oscar Dyson and the Fairweather. The Oscar Dyson, homeported in Kodiak, is used by NOAA to gather information needed for commercial fisheries management in waters off Alaska. The Fairweather, homeported in Ketchikan, is used for surveys mapping coastal waters, gathering ecosystem information and conducting other ocean research. At least half of the crew members of both ships are 'probationary' employees, with less than a year's experience in their current positions. The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency project, or DOGE, has fired probationary employees en masse. A spokesperson for NOAA was not available Monday to comment on the Oscar Dyson and the Fairweather. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jessie Holmes wins the 2025 Iditarod
Richard Arlin WalkerICT Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes won the 53rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday, March 14, ending a run that was as commanding as the race was long. Holmes and his dog team crossed the finish line in Nome at 2:55 a.m. Alaska Time, finishing the 1,128-mile race in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes 41 seconds. It was the longest race in Iditarod history after the trail was revised because of low snowfall totals on the usual route. Ryan Redington, Inupiaq, the only Alaska Native in the race, was on track to a top 10 finish. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. Holmes said the race was a 'magical' experience: crossing the Blueberry Hills to the Norton Sound coast, the Northern Lights dancing in the night sky and the moon shining on the snow, the thoughts of race legends who've inspired him and the anticipation of joining them in the exclusive club of Iditarod champions. And so he has. 'It's been 10 quality days. I definitely got my money's worth,' Holmes told race officials at the finish line. 'I damn sure ain't tired.' He shared the spotlight at the finish line with two of his dogs, Hercules and Polar, calling them 'the brains behind the operation.' Holmes, an Alabama native who moved to Alaska in 2004, is perhaps best known for his regular appearances on NatGeo's 'Life Below Zero' from 2015-2023. He is not a newcomer to the Iditarod, having previously finished third in 2022 and 2024, fifth in 2023, ninth in 2020, and seventh in his first Iditarod in 2017, garnering Rookie of the Year honors. He also won the 2017 Kobuk 440, a highly respected mid-distance race in Kotzebue. Holmes works as a carpenter and lives in Nenana in the Alaska interior, where conditions were ideal for training this season. The musher and team's experience, discipline and training showed in their performance. Holmes, Matt Hall and Paige Drobny leapfrogged for the lead for much of the race, but Holmes outpaced and out-rested them to widen a lead that became unsurpassable by White Mountain, where all mushers and teams are required to take an eight-hour rest. Holmes left White Mountain for Safety and Nome three hours before Hall and six hours before Drobny. At the time Holmes crossed the finish line, Hall was leaving Safety at mile 1106 on his way to a second consecutive second-place finish. Drobny was 22 miles behind Hall and on her way to finishing third. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the top 10 was expected to be rounded out by three-time past champion Mitch Seavey, Michelle Phillips, Bailey Vitello, Travis Beals, Redington, Mille Porsild, and Matt Failor or Ryan Dyche. Holmes received a check for $57,200. On his charge to Nome, Holmes also won awards for being the first musher to reach White Mountain, the Bering Sea coast, the halfway mark of Grayling, and the checkpoint at Kaltag. His winnings from those awards total $4,500 in cash, $4,500 in gold nuggets, 25 pounds of fresh Bristol Bay salmon and multiple trophies to commemorate each achievement. Commentator Bruce Lee, an Iditarod veteran, said Holmes' team seemed energized by the cheering crowds as they neared the finish line under police escort. The energy they displayed after the finish seemed to be a testament to their pre-season training and care during the race. Holmes showed 'remarkable strategic thinking' throughout the race, the Iditarod Race Committee said in a statement issued after the finish. Holmes made 'well-timed decisions in response to the unpredictable challenges that the Iditarod is known for. His careful balance of speed and caution allowed him to maintain a lead in the final stretch, with his sled dog team displaying exceptional endurance and teamwork.' After the finish, Holmes snacked his dogs on beef steaks and walked over to greet the crowds and take selfies with fans. The celebrity energy and crowd reaction prompted Iditarod Insider commentator Greg Heiser to quip, 'Jessie Holmes for president!' Holmes, 43, was born in Alabama and moved at age 18 to Montana, where he worked as a carpenter for three years. He made it to Alaska in 2004, running dogs on a remote trap line on the Yukon River, and has lived in the Last Frontier since. His love of the wilderness and sled dogs eventually led to his competing in sprint and distance races. Redington was set to claim his fifth top 10 finish. He won the championship in 2023 and finished ninth in 2022, seventh in 2021, and eighth in 2020. He's also a two-time champion of the Kobuk 440 in Kotzebue and the John Beargrease Memorial Sled Dog Marathon in northern Minnesota. Redington's grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., who was non-Native, founded the race in 1973 to celebrate the heritage of the Alaska sled dog. The race was won by Alaska Natives in 1974, 1975, 1976, 2011, 2019 and 2023. The top three finishers in 1974 and 2023 were Alaska Natives. And 2011 champion John Baker, Inupiaq, is the sixth-winningest Iditarod musher of all time, with a total of $602,658 in earnings in 22 races. Throughout the race, Redington seemed to enjoy being on the trail with his dogs. 'The team is doing good. They're a little frisky yet,' Redington told Iditarod Insider on March 12. 'They're having fun and it's an enjoyable team to mush. … We had a really nice run last night. It seemed like almost a full moon. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Northern Lights to go with it.' Thirty-three mushers and teams left the starting line in Fairbanks on March 3, one of the smallest fields in the race's history. Some 23 mushers and teams were still in the race on March 14, believed to be the smallest field of finishers in the race's 53 years. From Fairbanks, mushers and dogs traveled 456 miles along the Yukon River to Kaltag, then turned south on a 329-mile loop to Shageluk and back. Upon returning to Kaltag, mushers and dogs turned west on an 81-mile run to Unalakleet, then traversed the Norton Sound coast on the 262 miles to the finish line in Nome. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter. ICT, formerly Indian Country Today, is a nonprofit news organization that covers the Indigenous world with a daily digital platform and news broadcast with international viewership.
