Kotzebue has not had a state-licensed child care center since the last facility closed in 2011. It's considered a "child care desert," like much of the state.
President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dedicated billions of federal dollars to building better water and waste systems. In rural Alaska, the state promised to match those funds. The City of Bethel challenged the state in a letter, claiming the state isn’t evaluating applicants consistently and that its funding decisions are skewed to benefit communities that already have pipes.
Rural Alaska's Internet access is twice as expensive as it is in Anchorage and much slower. Federal grants are bridging that gap, but the most remote communities are still years away from access.