UP HERE IN THE NORTH 

About 4,000 people have been affected by severe flooding in Hay River and the Kátł’odeeche First Nation. Yellowknife has added hundreds of beds to the multiplex while local residents are offering up spare rooms for those who have had to evacuate. (Cabin Radio)
 

The flood risk for Fort Simpson, however, has been declared “officially over” by the Emergency Management Organization. The organization said the river may continue to ebb and flow but that they are confident the risk is over. As of Wednesday morning, the water level in Fort Simpson was 9.3 metres and dropping. (CBC)
 

Yellowknifer Miranda Currie is releasing her second children’s album May 15, which teaches Indigenous languages to kids. Tickling the Taiga features the Wıı̀lıı̀deh and Cree languages through multiple genres including jazz, hip hop and electronica. She says the album is best suited for ages three to nine. (Cabin Radio)
 

This July will mark 65 years since the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line was first built during the Cold War, but it hasn’t been used for years. Now people are asking, why are the radar stations still there? (CBC)
 

It’s springtime in the North and for many, that means brightening up one’s wardrobe and incorporating floral patterns. For Dene designer Vashti Etzel, she is incorporating nature into her jewelry. Through beading and tufting, Etzel has created a pair of earrings that look like the furry catkins on a willow plant. You can find her work through Golden Eye Designs. (CBC)
 

A new TV channel featuring all Inuit content has just launched on Shaw Direct. Inuit TV currently offers 10 hours of programming, including children’s shows, a play and documentaries. Later this summer, it will be available on Taku.tv as well as a smartphone app with the same name. (Nunatsiaq News)
 

Podcast service Audible is offering an Indigenous Writers Circle for emerging writers. In its second year, the program will select 21 participants to work with one of seven mentors—including Fort Smith’s Richard Van Camp. It is a free six-month program that offers a $1,500 bursary. The deadline to apply through Audible is May 31, 2022. (Cabin Radio)
 

The inaugural flight from Whitehorse to Yellowknife took off earlier this week. Air North announced that the direct flights between the two Northern cities and Toronto would happen twice weekly, making it easier for southerners to experience the North. (Press Release)
 

With a little courage, a lot of grit, and a taste for simple pleasures, there’s nothing quite like houseboat living. (Up Here)
 

From pleasing the Budweiser crowd to craft brew lovers who crave the newest and punchiest beers, Northern brewers face the tall task of making everyone happy. (Up Here)

Hundreds of U.S. soldiers parachuted out of a plane in northern Norway this week  arriving directly from Alaska. “In May, forces will be deployed in a series of different countries, the purpose of which is to practice quick deployment of larger forces across long distances,” Major and Spokesperson Eirik Skomedal of the Norwegian Army said to High North News. This is the first time the division from U.S. Army Alaska exercised in Norway alongside the Norwegian army. The focus was to train in an Arctic environment. (High North News)
 

It’s day 79 and the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. So far, there have been estimated 46,000 deaths and at least 14 million have been displaced. Finland has recently announced it would join NATO “without delay” to protect its security against its neighbour, Russia. Finland has traditionally been militarily neutral, but the war has the country rethinking its stance. (NBC News)
 

It’s been two months since Russia paused the Arctic Council meetings, but the seven other member states are working on a plan forward regardless. “We have a responsibility as Arctic states to continue this important work,” James DeHart, coordinator for the Arctic Region Office at the U.S. Department of State told an public. “Our senior Arctic officials are working very hard on this and how to do that without damaging the Council in the long term. Understanding that the greatest value of the Council is with the eight Arctic states and with all Peoples of the region in the long term, we can’t do that now.” The Arctic Council is an international forum that includes eight Arctic countries and six Arctic Indigenous groups. Founded in 1996, the groups work together on environmental protection and sustainable development. (The Barents Observer)