Alaska Native Corporations

Tribal leaders backed a House bill Wednesday that would give tribes the ability to control more of their land, instead of having to get federal approval for virtually any use. The American Indian Empowerment Act would let tribes shift federally controlled trust land to “restricted fee land,” a move that could save millions of dollars that tribes now spend on “burdensome regulation,” while restoring a level of tribal sovereignty.

A longtime Alaska political and business leader is fighting prostate cancer. Former Sen.Albert Kookesh of Angoon spent 16 years in the Alaska Legislature and 14 years heading up Sealaska’s governing board.

Rural health aides have a long, successful history of improving access to health care in Alaska. Now, dental a program based on that model is improving oral care in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Several weeks ago, the financing fell through on a plan to bring the “Akutan,” a floating fish processing vessel, to Kuskokwim Bay. Fishermen in the coastal community of Quinhagak have nowhere to sell their catch for the second summer in a row. Many in the village are now struggling to make ends meet.

Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon spent Friday morning in Bethel touring local facilities and meeting with local business owners and CEOs at Yuut Elitnaurviat.

The Alaska Tribal Conservation Alliance held a regional conference in Kodiak recently. Organizers flew in to promote local communities coming together to preserve their natural resources.