Sign In Subscribe Now An Instagram influencer known for producing outdoor-related content was sentenced on May 1 at the Yukon Territorial Court for illegally hunting three bears and obtaining Yukon hunting licences using misleading information between October 2022 and May 2023 relate to offences committed under the Yukon Wildlife Act Justice Katherine McLeod ordered Hamm to pay a $10,500 fine and an equal amount in contributions to the Yukon conservation fund for illegally hunting three bears within a five-day period in May 2023 McLeod fined Hamm $2,750 and $1,750 for obtaining hunting licences using misleading information on two separate occasions between 2022 and 2023 She also ordered him to contribute a total of $3,500 to the conservation fund for both counts of obtaining Yukon hunting licenses as a non-resident McLeod prohibited Hamm from hunting in Yukon for two years McLeod ruled that Hamm must complete an online hunter education and ethics development course before he can obtain a Yukon hunting licence again She also ordered him to forfeit pelts from the bears he hunted Defence lawyer Kevin Drolet told the court that Hamm could make the payment immediately and that the necessary funds were held in a trust account Hamm attended the proceedings virtually from outside the territory Crown prosecutor Kelly McGill presented submissions on sentencing noting that the Yukon Wildlife Act authorizes the courts to impose a fine of up to $50,000 or up to one year in custody for the offences on the indictment McGill and Drolet agreed upon sentencing recommendations for the offences on the indictment that Hamm pleaded guilty to including an equal amount in contributions to the conservation fund as well as a two-year hunting ban and a three-year prohibition on joining groups out on hunts McGill and Drolet noted in their submissions that Yukon hunting licenses are reserved for Yukon residents and that Hamm had obtained one despite being a non-resident McGill argued that Yukon wildlife is a public resource and that non-residents can only hunt through a third party adding that Hamm’s non-compliance with Yukon’s licensing laws was an aggravating factor in sentencing McGill said Hamm hunted a grizzly bear near Kluane Lake in May 2023 and that he also hunted two black bears approximately a three-hour drive north of Haines Junction and another at Bove Island on Tagish Lake’s Windy Arm McGill also noted that conservation officers recovered two black bear hides a grizzly bear hide and a bear skull from a taxidermist in the Yukon Drolet argued in mitigation that sustainable harvest numbers for grizzly bears in 2022 were less than one-quarter of the annual sustainable harvest He also argued that Hamm submitted all the required harvest and biological reports to Yukon Conservation Officer Services after hunting the bears Drolet added that Hamm has family connections to Yukon despite the defence’s characterization of his residence as unusual due to the nature of his employment said in sentencing that the nature of Hamm’s employment should help serve as a deterrent against future offences untamed landscapes make enforcing wildlife and conservation laws difficult leaving the territory vulnerable to violations She emphasized that denunciation and deterrence should play a role in sentencing for the offences to which Hamm pleaded guilty Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines A Yukon restaurant is stepping up to support the family of 23-year-old Katelyn Callahan who was killed in a three-car crash early Friday morning on I-44 near Western Avenue The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says three others were critically injured in the crash To help the couple's families during this time and proceeds will support medical expenses and funeral costs The restaurant says community members are encouraged to attend or donate to show their support Graham joined the News 9 team in February of 2025 He is dedicated to sharing the diverse stories that have shaped his country and his community and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox The minority Yukon Liberal Party government’s $2.36-billion main budget for 2025-26 passed and the confidence and supply deal between the Liberals and Yukon NDP remains intact as some MLAs in the Yukon Legislative Assembly turn to campaign mode ahead of territorial elections that have yet to be declared.   Premier Ranj Pillai suggested the opposition hit the campaign trail during the question period in the chambers the final day of the 2025 spring sitting on May 1.  The three party leaders with seats in the House looked ahead to elections while speaking with reporters in their respective private offices within the legislative building on May 1.  Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon doesn’t feel like his side typically gets answers from the government anyways He noted that the final day was a bit more fiery than normal given it may be the last time the 35th assembly convenes.  Pillai indicated polls won’t open in territorial elections until after the summer Elections Yukon is working on bringing two pieces into place: the electoral boundary shift from 19 to 21 ridings and a plebiscite on ranked ballots Despite the uncertainty around the election timeline cabinet communications confirmed it will be the last time this version of the Liberals put forward a territorial budget since Yukon elections must occur on or before Nov Pillai looked further back than March 2025.  Pillai said a couple of weeks into being sworn in following a leadership contest in early 2023 (since former premier and outgoing Klondike MLA Sandy Silver announced his resignation as premier and party leader after a new leader was found) the Yukon Party leader told CEOs and business leaders that “the government’s over the government had already pulled through peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was busy dealing with signing a Canadian health-care agreement unknown aerial objects being shot down by NORAD over the Mayo area and building a budget That’s also around when the second iteration of CASA was signed with Yukon NDP Leader Kate White.  White told reporters she’s confident the outstanding items in the agreement will get done before elections are held Pillai and White each suggested most Yukoners asked them to put division aside to make positive things happen for them.  the Official Opposition Yukon Party has been waiting for the partnership to fail so that elections could be called and they could “I know that the opposition will say they're focused on the future but the Yukon Party of the past is the Yukon Party of the future It's 103 years of sitting over there,” Pillai said He was referring to his math on the total number of years Yukon Party MLAs have already spent in the legislative assembly.  The Yukon Party’s new slogan appears to be “Change Starts Now,” according to a photo the party posted to Facebook of a sign outside the party’s campaign headquarters Dixon said his party is focused on presenting a vision for the Yukon that’s forward looking while the Liberals focus on the past.  “We want to present an alternative to what we've seen over the past nine years and present a positive vision for the future for Yukon,” he said.  Dixon often hints to reporters to watch for his party’s upcoming election platform to be released While the premier criticized the party for a lack of a plan Dixon said Yukoners can decide if they want change or more of the same.  The Yukon NDP leader advised there are three different parties with three sets of values and perspectives.  “This is the beginning of how each will lay that out,” White said.  White said she will be proposing solutions gleaned from experts and people around them.  While the Yukon Legislate Assembly expects May 1 to be the final day of this legislative assembly it is possible that another sitting be called before the government dissolves ahead of elections according to deputy clerk Allison Lloyd by email to the News.  The premier must give sufficient time to Speaker Jeremy Harper to give two-weeks' notice for the House to meet the start day for sittings can be moved around in an election year.  “Or the Fall Sitting may be shorter than normal in an election year In 2006 and 2011 the Fall Sitting lasted 12 sitting days and nine sitting days During what will likely be her last day on the floor of the legislature surprised her rivals when she gave credit to NDP Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for taking action that his opponents in the losing Progressive Conservatives had actively campaigned against using billboards.  “His campaign promise to search the Winnipeg landfill to find missing loved ones was honoured and they were found — amazing courage shown by this leader,” Van Bibber said.  Van Bibber cited Education Minister Jeanie McLean speaking at a Red Dress Day event several years ago to mark missing and murdered Indigenous women please come look for me.’ Thank you for that as it struck me that our women have to continue saying this,” Van Bibber said.  “We don’t just up and leave our comfort zone We don’t just decide one day to leave our families The stories we think we know may not be so Given it was potentially the final sitting day things also got a bit feisty on the floor.  McLean accused the NDP of calling her homophobic and transphobic over a textbook that the minister has told the House isn't currently being used in Catholic school classrooms. White said the textbook breaches the Education department's sexual orientation and gender identity and I will never accept it," McLean said about the allegations White denied making the allegations.  “I've never once called her homophobic or transphobic she has not enforced the SOGI policy,” White said “She has not protected queer kids or educators homophobic textbook that's available in our Catholic high school but she does have a responsibility as the department Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com   “Significant repairs” to washout are ongoing as the North Klondike Highway has reopened for travel near Dawson City.  high water and erosion caused the road to be shut down at kilometre 682 which a health department spokesperson describes as between the Dempster Highway cutoff and Henderson Corner Yukon Highways and Public Works posted the closure notice to Facebook at around 6 p.m There was no timeline for reopening at the time.  Yukon government departments provided updates by email and on social media noting the road is no longer closed Photos provided by the health department showed water lining and damaging the highway and work being done on the damaged road.  The road connects the Klondike region to the southern Yukon and Whitehorse Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters The DJs at the Kopper King played disco and the lines at the Yukon Theatre stretched around the block for the new science fiction phenomenon Star Wars The Yukon News was still the new newspaper in town and its headlines were about oil embargos and geopolitical crises Oil had just started flowing through the recently completed pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez and onto the tankers headed to Bellingham welders and man-camp chefs were available for another big project it was obvious what needed to happen next: a big gas pipeline to get Alaska’s gas — sitting there in vast quantities under the tundra right beside the North Slope oil — to markets in the Lower 48 But liquefied natural gas tankers were an impractical novelty at the time The gas would need to go the same route as the Alaska Highway The latter had been built just 30 years before Putting a gas pipeline along the route was a no-brainer to many of the men — they were mostly men — on both sides of the border who had worked on the highway earlier in their careers Canada and the United States signed a treaty The detailed engineering work started and the right of way was mapped something that still startles homebuyers in Mary Lake if they take a close look at how the land on the other side of their new back fence is labelled Over two billion cubic feet of gas per day which if it was operating today would make Alaska a bigger gas producer than some Middle Eastern countries Major resource companies like Dome went bankrupt No one was ready to risk billions in a pipeline who had bought a welding truck to cash in on the boom parked it in his yard to wait for conditions to improve Realtors in Mary Lake felt pretty safe telling clients the massive pipeline in the backyard was never going to happen Conventional gas fields in Alberta and the Lower 48 were dwindling Alaska needed more cash as oil production declined The Yukon government salivated over construction jobs and millions in annual income Homeowners looked forward to cheap natural gas heat Environmentalists mobilized to block the project Then the project got hit by something even more unexpected than the 1981 recession: fracking Thanks to a remarkable technological revolution previously uneconomic gas in the Lower 48 became cheap and abundant They didn’t need Alaska gas or a pipeline facing a lot of costly Canadian mountains even if Lower 48 gas ran out today they still might not build a pipeline from Alaska It would probably stop in northeastern B.C Canadian drilling is one of the most innovative parts of our economy Among the most efficient in the world thanks to geology and relentless improvements in technology and operational efficiency gas producers can make money even at the low local prices caused by Canada’s lack of export pipelines And they have huge amounts of gas left to frack and the opportunity involves shipping gas west backed enthusiastically by the new administration in Washington The massive $44-billion Alaska LNG project would involve a pipeline from the North Slope to the Kenai Peninsula where gas would be chilled and loaded onto tankers.  Thailand and Korea to seek buyers for the gas Taiwan’s government-owned energy company signed a “non-binding letter of intent to buy one-third of the LNG produced by the Alaska project” and is considering investing as well Committing to buying a lot of Alaskan gas is also a smart move for Asian countries in the middle of fraught trade negotiations with the United States The New York Times reports that American officials are pushing for announcements involving Japan and Korea as early as June Alaska (and British Columbia) are also more secure sources of energy for East Asia than Russia or the Middle East the Yukon will find itself in a gas infrastructure no-man’s land And the realtors of Mary Lake will continue to reassure their clients there is little chance of economic activity along the Whitehorse right of way Clarification: in my recent column, "A debt-fueled pre-election budget," I referred to this fiscal year’s $88-million deterioration in the Yukon’s Net Financial Assets by the shorthand phrase “cash deficit.” To be clear it also includes some non-cash items such as actuarial changes to employee benefits environmental liabilities and land inventory.  Keith Halliday is a Yukon economist and the winner of the Canadian Community Newspaper Award for Outstanding Columnist The audiobook version of his most recent book Moonshadows High water and erosion have closed the North Klondike Highway near Dawson City for an unknown period Yukon 511 indicates a washout as the reason for the road closure at kilometre 682 between the turnoff to the Dempster Highway and Rock Creek A senior communications advisor in the territorial Department of Health and Social Services provided photos that show water lining and damaging the highway.  READ THE LATEST: Yukon's North Klondike Highway reopens as 'significant repairs’ go on near Dawson Yukon Highways and Public Works posted to Facebook about the closure this evening at 6 p.m Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com  An alleged bear spray attack in downtown Whitehorse has changed a Watson Lake man’s view of safety in the Yukon capital for the worse — much worse.  Byron Holbein was in Whitehorse ahead of a medical appointment on April 14 when he says he was bear sprayed in the face and robbed by two men He described the men approaching him as he was walking back from a pharmacy to the motel he was staying at near the corner of Jarvis Street and 4th Avenue He says the men demanded he give them what he had and one said he was armed before promptly producing a can of bear spray and spraying Holbein in the face and they grabbed my gold chain and my gold bracelet from my wrist and I went across the street to try and get away but I couldn't see,” Holbein said.  He says one of the two men was affected by the bear spray and was still in the area when police arrived following a call by a bystander but was not arrested Paramedics gave Holbein baby shampoo and water to flush away the bear spray He was still in pain when speaking with the News the morning after the incident.  Holbein uses a cane and is undergoing treatment for heart trouble and cancer Along with what he says was stolen from him Holbein is dealing with the effects of having to reschedule the medical appointment he was in Whitehorse for.  “I just had heart surgery down in Vancouver and I was up there [in Whitehorse] for a follow up appointment at the hospital and I didn't even make it to my appointment,” he said.  The RCMP have confirmed they are investigating the April 14 incident but have shared few details Holbein says he was told police would be seeking his help identifying the perpetrators but he says he hadn’t been shown a promised photo lineup as of May 1.  Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com that pesky parking ticket will cost you a whole lot more councillors adopted a raft of changes to parking and traffic fines This includes the fine for most meter-related fines hopping up to $40 per violation parking tickets were supposed to be raised to $50 given it’s been at least 18 years since city council touched ticket prices Paolo Gallina at April 14’s council meeting parking fees for parking more than one metre away from the parking meter parking for three hours at a 2-hour parking meter even if you’re plugging the metre throughout) and parking in the same block for longer than the prescribed period were set at $40 a pop Reduced fines for earlybird payers will still be available The new ticket prices will go into effect July 1 Parking fees are also set to rise across the city that very day With the passing of the operations budget earlier this year the cost to get 15 minutes at a meter was set at $0.50 instead of $0.25 The fee for using the parkade at 6th and Main was set at a dollar an hour Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com  Raymond Douglas Mickelson of Five Mile Road passed away peacefully at the age of 73 years in his home on November 11th His surviving family include his 95 year young mother Connie Creighton (Mickelson)(Alfie) of Mabel Lake We use cookies to analyze user behavior in order to constantly improve the website for you. 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(TSXV: BYN) (OTCQB: BYAGF)https://banyangold.com/ BTV has been a capital markets focused TV production and Digital Marketing Agency BTV helps companies increase their brand awareness to a national retail and institutional investor audience combining unique content creation and major distribution services on top tier networks including Bloomberg The BTV suite of strategic products include: BTV- Business Television Show Social and Direct Email Marketing Campaigns that reach investors where they research and live on-air and online www.b-tv.com/theagency About CEO Clips:CEO Clips - are short company video profiles broadcast to a large audience of investors on TV and 15+ financial sites including Reuters Contact: Trina Schlingmann (604) 664-7401 x 5 trina@b-tv.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/250502 SOURCE: CEO Clips Sign Up Company Profile Here we showcase the latest makes and models We also report on other significant announcements in the automotive industry Sometimes we go in-depth and analyze something or we talk about car history or motorsports or maybe we’re just giving our thoughts on something in the automotive industry The 2025 GMC Yukon remains part of the fifth-generation model that debuted in 2021. Following the inside-and-out retooling of its Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade platform mates General Motors has given the Yukon a similar facelift and some trim model reshuffling and an eight-inch rear screen for the climate controls GMC ditched the SLE and SLT for the 2025 Yukon The Elevation takes its place as the newest base model while the first-ever AT4 Ultimate joins the lineup The Yukon AT4 Ultimate commemorates the fifth anniversary of GMC’s AT4 sub-brand “We’re raising the bar on what our customers expect from GMC’s flagship and the addition of the AT4 Ultimate trim fuses ruggedness and capability with craftsmanship and refinement,” Aldred said The Elevation and AT4 have a standard 5.3-liter V8 with 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft and Denali Ultimate have a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft The burlier 6.2 V8 is optional for the Yukon AT4 Key features of the 5.3 and 6.2 V8 engines include a cast aluminum block and cylinder heads and direct high-pressure fuel injection with GM’s Dynamic Fuel Management All Yukons have a 10-speed automatic transmission and a rear-wheel drivetrain but all-wheel drive is available across the board The 3.0-liter Duramax turbo diesel inline-six is now available for all Yukon trim grades more grunt than a comparable 2024 GMC Yukon with a Duramax (277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft 2025 Yukon models with the Duramax will arrive at dealerships later than the gas-fed V8s The GMC Yukon is a towing champ among full-size family SUVs The 2025 GMC Yukon can tow up to 8,400 lbs when properly equipped the longer Yukon XL can pull up to 8,200 lbs The 2025 Yukon has many available trailering technologies to make pulling heavy loads a breeze. Available features include blind zone steering assist, transparent trailer view, trailer reverse trajectory, trailer tire health, and jackknife alert. Aftermarket options, including 360-degree camera systems the Yukon’s cavernous seven or eight-seat interior offers loads of room The standard-wheelbase Yukon has up to 122.9 cubic feet of cargo space when the second and third rows are folded full-grain leather seating across all three rows and open-pore Ash Burl wood trim with wilderness-approved hardware AT4 Ultimate models have 20-inch wheels wrapped in chunky all-terrain rubber and an adaptive air ride suspension (that can raise the ground clearance by two inches) If the AT4’s outdoorsy style is too much for your refined nature the Yukon Denali Ultimate is worth considering It has custom features like gigantic 24-inch wheels (with laser etchings) and a 22-speaker Bose Performance Series audio system The Bose stereo even includes stainless steel and head restraint-mounted speakers the luxury theme continues with laser-etched open-pore wood appliques The 2025 GMC Yukon is brimming with advanced safety technologies and intersection automatic emergency braking The 2025 Yukon has an available night vision system that uses thermal object detection to alert the driver of pedestrians and animals via the digital instrument cluster and the heads-up display the 2025 Yukon is available with Super Cruise With an attentive driver and under the proper conditions Super Cruise can permit the hands-free operation of the 2025 Yukon on compatible roadways in the United States and Canada the network of compatible roads is expected to increase to 750,000 miles in 2025 Two-wheel drive models of the 2025 GMC Yukon start at $69,395 (5.3-liter V8) and $73,660 (Duramax) while 4WD models begin at $72,395 (5.3-liter V8) and $76,835 (Duramax) a Denali Ultimate 4WD with a 6.2-liter V8 starts at $103,995 Alvin Reyes is an Automoblog feature columnist and an expert in sports and performance cars and accountancy in his younger years and is still very much smitten to his former Lancer GSR and Galant SS A former private school principal and boys’ basketball coach in Yukon is formally charged in a child pornography investigation that continues to uncover disturbing evidence was arrested after a cyber tip was sent to the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office Cobbs served as principal and boys' basketball coach at Southwest Covenant School for 15 years The Canadian County District Attorney formally charged him on April 9 with two felony counts: Court documents reveal Cobbs had a sexually explicit image of a young Investigators say he also secretly recorded videos of boys in a locker room from the chest down These videos were found stored on his Google Drive A probable cause affidavit shows Cobbs admitted to sharing some of the photos through Snapchat Cobbs has now been charged with two felonies stemming from those alleged incidents involving minors The charges include possession of child sexual abuse material and peeping tom offenses using electronic equipment Investigators: Predators Often Seek Access to Kids “People who want to prey on children often end up in professions where guess what—they have access to children,” said Canadian County Sheriff Chris West last month following the arrest A cyber tip was sent to the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) An investigation began by the county’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit sometimes five or six a week,” said Major Adam Flowers “It just blows our mind how prevalent this is.” Flowers says the unit can respond quickly to credible leads Cobbs was booked back into the Canadian County Jail last week after the person who initially posted his bond withdrew their support Investigators are still working to determine how many individuals may be impacted Additional search warrants have been filed and officials are currently waiting on those results “This is just a sad situation for the school and the families involved,” Flowers said Cobbs remains at the Canadian County Jail on a $275,000 bond and received her journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma Deanne Stein became a reporter at News 9 in 2023 after working in Clarksburg and Charleston Anna is the Lead Digital Producer at News 9 and has been creating and managing social media content and online articles for the newsroom since October of 2024 The Yukon River ice has broken in front of Dawson City and vast floes have spent the day heading north which runs a fundraiser in which people can stake a bet on the time the ice will begin to move, posted an announcement on Facebook on the afternoon of April 30 after the time was confirmed They explained it took a little longer this year.  “We are pleased to announce that the river has broken in Dawson City," the post reads.  “OFFICIAL ICE BREAK UP TIME FOR 2025 is: 10:56 a.m ‘We have TWO WINNERS this year — both Dawsonites — who will split the record-breaking pot broken pencils on countless books of tickets and chances literally flushed down the river with the ice I (and one other lucky contestant) correctly chose the 2025 IODE Dawson Yukon River Ice Breakup time and all those who put on this fundraiser.” The other winner had not been identified as of this writing a tripod fixed to the ice stops a clock by pulling a cable when the ice begins to move but due to a malfunction this year eyewitnesses were required.  “We had a little hiccup with our set-up this year… the cable really didn’t want to let go of its grasp of the shore to stop the clock BUT we had a bunch of eyewitnesses that were able to help us pinpoint the time the tripod broke free we didn’t have to worry too much — the next closest guess was a full 7 minutes off at 11:03," IODE's announcement reads “Thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s ice pool or bought a ticket Noted assistance this year came from Integraphics Ltd in Whitehorse — our trusted ticket printers in Whitehorse!” Later on the afternoon of the April 30 Yukon Protective Services was reporting on the movement of the ice: the breakup front is approximately 50 kilometres downstream of Dawson and pushing through the ice nicely while the ice remains intact from below the open stretch to the Forty Mile River While water levels could rise further in Dawson “The Klondike River has broken up and mostly cleared of ice Moderate flood risk remains for freshet (snowmelt peak flow which is expected in the next few weeks) “Stay away from the riverbanks and be careful during breakup you should prepare to deal with flooding on your property Sandbags and gravel are available at the Mammoth Statue in Dawson and the Klondike Valley Fire Hall for anyone to use to protect their property.” news and commentary for the Whitehorse Star and What’s Up Yukon In 1989 he helped to found the Klondike Sun and remains on its board of directors.  You are currently viewing GMC.com (United States) Close this window to stay here or choose another country to see vehicles and services specific to your location Learn how OnStar®* gives you piece of mind and keeps you connected for the road ahead.   Soak up new adventures this summer and get up to 25% off* with minimum purchase Yukon offers available advanced trailering-assistance tech to help streamline the hitching and towing process Experience a heightened sense of security with new Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking,* Rear Cross Traffic Braking,* Blind Zone Steering Assist,* Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking,* and High Definition Surround Vision.* Be among the first to receive the latest updates and info about the New 2025 Yukon large SUV Thank you for your interest in GMC and/or other GM vehicles please visit your country-specific GM website and/or your local dealer for further information Sometimes Mother Nature gives us a moment that stops us in our tracks which was the case for an Oklahoma family who had some surprise visitors in their backyard Katie Tippens captured cell phone video from her back porch in Yukon of a mother opossum making her way across a fence in the rain while carrying a whole bundle of babies on her back It looks like as many as 10 baby opossums were hanging on to the mom as she carefully scaled the fence with one on her tail hanging on for dear life Tippens had a sweet sentiment about seeing it and keep going no matter what," Tippens said "That little opossum made me think about the kind of mama I want to be-one who shows up with love Tess Maune is an Oklahoma girl through and through she always dreamed of one day working as a reporter and keep going no matter what,\" Tippens said \"That little opossum made me think about the kind of mama I want to be-one who shows up with love and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox In either standard-wheelbase form or as a supersized long-wheelbase SUV the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL make luxury a deciding factor on its largest SUV and Denali—the latter two now have Ultimate upgrades available—the 2025 Yukon rivals the Cadillac Escalade and Ford’s Expedition and Lincoln Navigator It’s been a player in the large-SUV niche thanks to its Cadillac-quality features and its impressive towing and hauling ratings. The 2025 Yukon nets a 6.5 out of 10 here; it's supremely comfortable and powerful, if ponderous and thirsty. (Read more about how we rate cars.) The Yukon wears some freshly tailored duds this year with mild updates to its front and rear styling and tastefully cloaked slab sides remain its hallmarks where a restyled dash factors in a 16.8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto an 8.0-inch touchscreen in the rear for climate controls Powertrains include the excellent base 5.3-liter V-8 rated at 355 hp; a 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8; and a turbodiesel 3.0-liter inline-6 now rated at 305 hp and a stout 495 lb-ft of torque and now offered on every model All three pair with a 10-speed automatic with either rear- or four-wheel drive falling to 16-17 mpg combined; the diesel has been rated at 23 mpg combined the Yukon sports front and rear independent suspensions that work best when shod with the available air suspension and magnetically controlled dampers Wheel-and-tire combinations increase in size from standard 20-inchers to 22s to the massive 24s on the Denali Ultimate Towing ratings for the Yukon peak at 8,400 pounds GMC fits the Yukon with all sorts of systems to aid that use from trailer-reverse assistance to an auxiliary camera for use on the rear of trailers to maintain that view once hitched With a wheelbase of 120.9 inches for the Yukon and 134.1 inches for the XL these SUVs are among the most spacious on the road Up to nine passengers and cargo can be accommodated the third-row seat’s good for even the largest passengers—though access to it remains a stretch Cargo volume maxes out at 122.9 cubic feet behind the Yukon’s front seats and at a gargantuan 144.7 cubic feet behind the front seats in the Yukon XL The Yukon comes with automatic emergency braking that detects pedestrians It also can be equipped with GM’s excellent Super Cruise driver-assistance system which maintains safe driving hands-free on what GM says will be a network of 750,000 miles of Canadian and U.S If only the Yukon’s crash-test scores were better as the NHTSA has given the current vehicle just four stars overall in crash tests leather seats that are power-adjustable and heated in rows one and two A better set of amenities and tech come with the Denali but the most equipment is offered in the $95,795 AT4 Ultimate and $101,795 Denali Ultimate The AT4 Ultimate features a front skid plate This year’s mild styling tweaks don’t move the needle much outside but the Yukon’s new interior makes a strong impression—if not necessarily a great one The 2025 GMC Yukon rates a 7 out of 10 for its styling adding a point each for its interior and exterior GMC sells the Yukon in two basic styles: the 210-inch-or-so Yukon and the 15-inch-longer Yukon XL This year’s new headlights retain the now-familiar C-clamp design except with a bit more fussiness around the lighting elements themselves AT4 versions have a front bumper that improves the angle of approach plus a pair of big red tow hooks Elevation and Denali models are trimmed in more chrome though rolling stock as big as 24 inches can be added for a fee Lording over the center console is a huge 16.8-inch infotainment screen mounted portrait-style on the center of the dash A volume knob and a smattering of toggle-style switches sit toward the bottom GMC dresses up its swankiest models with real wood trim and black-dyed wood in some versions is just too coal bin-like for us both in terms of its presence and its power It’s a 7 out of 10 here since it rides well and is a solid towing rig Four-wheel drive is optional on the base Elevation and the top Denali trims The off-roady AT4 versions come only with a 2-speed transfer case They also add a slightly higher suspension and an electronic limited-slip differential The AT4 Ultimate tosses in an air suspension that can be raised or lowered from the cabin The Yukon is simply too large to be genuinely useful off-road We haven’t driven one with the base 5.3-liter V-8 in a while Its 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque are tasked with lugging at least 5,600 pounds of SUV the base engine has the top towing rating: 8,400 pounds we suggest opting for the 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 and yet we suspect it’s the more confident choice of the two GMC also offers a turbodiesel 3.0-liter inline-6 that musters 305 hp and 495 lb-ft since it lacks the big V-8’s power and diesel is generally pretty expensive GMC has recast it as a more affordable engine choice in some configurations so it might make sense if you plan to put on a lot of highway miles A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard across the line it slips through the gears quickly and quietly Only around town does it occasionally fumble The Yukon rides on a separate ladder chassis with coil springs and a multi-link rear suspension Most versions now have magnetic dampers that help take the edge off of the very big wheels GMC likes to bolt onto its biggest SUV especially if you want big wheels or live where roads are rough It also hunkers down to make the Yukon a bit easier to get into the AT4’s ride can be a bit nautical in its motions That model also leans considerably into corners though we wouldn’t exactly say that any Yukon is athletic The open road is where the big Yukon is at its best especially with the optional Super Cruise system engaged While it’s still not as spacious as a minivan It’s a 9 out of 10 here thanks to its good front seats and its ability to seat at least five passengers in comfort Top-end Ultimate models are almost swanky enough to score a perfect 10 but a few hard plastics on the door panels and center console feel too Chevy Suburban for their six-figure price tags All Yukons—even the top ones—have eight-way power-adjustable front seats You’ll generally find heated and cooled seats as you work your way up the lineup and the top Ultimate versions include massagers as well The seats lack the kind of seemingly infinite adjustments that sets some competitors apart Rear-seat riders have up to 42.0 inches of legroom in longer Yukon XL form Most Yukons have individual second-row captain’s chairs The third row can accommodate two adults in either configuration the standard Yukon’s cargo area grows from about 26 to 123 cubic feet with the second and third rows down The Yukon XL amps those figures up to roughly 41 and 145 cubic feet We’ll update this space when the NHTSA or the IIHS first tests one Last year’s model scored a concerning four stars overall from the NHTSA but we suspect GMC made some structural changes for 2025 for standard safety equipment and optional safety technology Standard fare includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection rear cross-traffic and pedestrian alerts with brake support GM’s Super Cruise system is widely available It uses various sensors including a driver-attention monitor to view the road ahead to allow the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel while keeping their eyes on the road The system works as advertised on hundreds of thousands of pre-mapped major highways across North America and we were even pleased to see that it handled the knobbier tires on the AT4 well enough SUVs with all-terrain tires tend to wander a bit more on the road than those with street-oriented rubber The standard surround-view camera system is helpful since outward vision is The big roof pillars and high belt line make it easy to lose sedans in the Yukon’s numerous blind spots The 2025 GMC Yukon doesn’t exactly know what it wants to be though the Yukon nonetheless scores an 8 here thanks to its lengthy standard feature set its big touchscreen with a generally agreeable Google built-in infotainment system The new-for-2025 Elevation moniker combines last year’s SLE and SLT trims It comes well equipped with leather upholstery a mechanical limited-slip rear differential Step up to the Yukon XL 4WD and GMC will charge at least $74,895 we’d look to the Chevy dealer for a Tahoe LT or Suburban LT which is outfitted about the same for $2,000 or so less And Chevy doesn’t charge as much for extra-cost paint colors We think the Yukon makes the most sense in mid-range Denali form where you’ll get magnetic dampers Figure $81,995 for one with four-wheel drive and the 6.2-liter V-8 and then budget around $88,500 for one with the air suspension The Yukon XL Denali Ultimate costs upward of $103,000 with the V-8 It comes with most of the optional extras found on the regular Denali plus a few interior dress-up bits various interior and exterior lighting upgrades it’s possible to build one up to nearly $120,000 though at upward of 6,000 pounds by the time you’ve added four-wheel drive and a few options The 2025 GMC Yukon rates a mere 1 out of 10 here short-wheelbase models with either V-8 check in at just 15 mpg city or a combination of the two generally nudges at least one of those figures downward The thirstiest models are four-wheel-drive Yukons in either configuration with the 6.2-liter V-8 They’re estimated to return just 14/18/16 mpg The turbodiesel has yet to be rated for 2025 though previous models were rated as high as mpg combined An official website of the United States government Open Search  Mobile Menu < All Press Releases The new RMP is the product of more than a decade of discussion and input from the public It emphasizes important habitats for several fish and wildlife species and other subsistence resources that are vital to rural Alaskans “This updated plan conserves public lands and resources that are most important to local communities and Tribes It also supports Alaska Native veterans and their heirs positioning us to manage these lands for the public benefit today and into the future,” said BLM Alaska State Director Steve Cohn “We are grateful to everyone who took the time to engage in this planning process and look forward to working with Tribes and stakeholders as we implement the plan.” 746,000 acres as caribou core habitat areas for two non-migratory herds and 4,600 acres as Dall sheep habitat areas.  It will also help guide appropriate development identifying areas across more than 8.3 million acres that remain open for the location of mining claims and 12 million acres where saleable materials The plan replaces several outdated management plans and provides guidance for areas west of Fairbanks that previously did not have management plans. The new plan covers all BLM-managed public lands within the jurisdiction of the Central Yukon Field Office The new plan is available on the BLM National NEPA Register. In addition, hard copies will be available for viewing at various Alaska BLM public rooms The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations An official website of the Department of the Interior General Motors is recalling 721,000 SUVs and trucks worldwide due to engine issues that could lead to a loss of power and boost the risk of a crash The Detroit automaker is recalling 2021 through 2024 model-year Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Yukon XL vehicles with 6.2L V8 gas engines GM said the connecting rod and crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage or failure. The recall includes nearly 600,000 vehicles in the United States GM said it identified 12 crashes and 12 injuries in the United States that may be related to the recall issue Vehicles that pass inspection will be provided a higher viscosity oil which will also require a new oil fill cap and an oil filter replacement GM: GM's plan for Orion Assembly Plant could pivot from EV-only production More: GM reports lower first-quarter profit after production hurdles hit full-size pickups, SUVs The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation in January into 877,710 GM vehicles over reports of engine failures involving vehicles with the V8 engine The company subsequently opened an investigation and announced the recall on April 29 GM previously closed three prior investigations into the issue since 2022 based on available safety field information It identified 28,102 field complaints or incidents in the United States potentially related to failure of the engine due to crankshaft including 14,332 involving allegations of loss of propulsion A network of correspondents providing impartial news reports and analysis in 33 languages from locations around the world Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world and in Chicago Hosted by WBEZ's Mary Dixon and NPR's Steve Inskeep Newshour is the award-winning flagship program of the BBC World Service the world’s largest news gathering operation 1A convenes a conversation about the most important issues of our time smart reflection on world news as it’s happening innovators and artists from around the globe with news from Chicago from WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz Reset digs into how the news has moved since you left the house discussing and unpacking the biggest stories and issues in Chicago and beyond right in the heart of the day Fresh Air is a weekday “talk show” that hardly fits the mold Fresh Air Weekend collects the week’s best cultural segments and crafts them together for great weekend listening The show is produced by WHYY and hosted by Terry Gross and features from Chicago and around the world Hosted by WBEZ’s Melba Lara and NPR’s Ailsa Chang A daily take on business and economics news for the rest of us hosted by Michael Barbaro and powered by The New York Times’ journalism 7pm Hour -- A focus on what’s changed here in the U.S since President Trump was inaugurated -- looking at everything from the culture to the shape of the federal government From tariffs to the downsizing of the Department of Education how has Trump made good on his campaign promises From shifting alliances to trade agreements to changes at the U.S we’ll ask how President Trump has altered international relations since January 20 Covering everything about science and technology — from the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies — Science Friday is your source for entertaining and educational stories and activities From their humble beginnings on Chicago’s radio airwaves to their evolution through television and today’s streaming platforms "Stories Without End" unpacks how soap operas have shaped popular culture and told intergenerational stories that continue to resonate a new theme and a variety of stories on that theme Sound Opinions is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot In-depth interviews with brilliant creators A mix of live performances and interviews from WXPN Philadelphia’s daily program featuring important established and emerging artists Weekly film podcast and radio show from Chicago featuring in-depth reviews The first 50 years of modern advertising was based on hard-sell The next 50 years was persuasion through creativity and media tonnage But as advertising squeezed into the 21 century it was forced to shed its elbowing ways and become a delicate dialogue The goal is no longer to triumph by weight CBC's Under the Influence is hosted by Terry O'Reilly A wrap up of the week's news and a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics Have a laugh and test your news knowledge while figuring out what's real and what we've made up It's Been a Minute features people in the 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dedicated to investigative reporting A weekly program presented by the New Yorker magazine’s editor killer beats and the edgiest new talent in storytelling come together for a weekly show that straps audiences into an audio rollercoaster Radiolab is known for its deep-dive journalism and innovative sound design Created in 2002 by former host Jad Abumrad the program began as an exploration of scientific inquiry Over the years it has evolved to become a platform for long-form journalism and storytelling Radiolab is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser features windows that were quite modern in 1898 A downtown Chicago building — meant to be temporary when completed 127 years ago — remains standing but recent indications suggest it might not stand much longer The family that’s owned the Yukon for more than half a century put it up for sale the property taxes are delinquent and at least three tenants have vacated their spaces in recent months John Bakovich said his family is trying to get the empty spaces rented so they can pay their tax bill The low-rise building has no landmark status that would prevent demolition and Bakovich said a new owner most likely “is going to have to develop it,” meaning build something taller on the site on the southwest corner of Clark and Van Buren streets because it’s overshadowed by the Metropolitan Correctional Center the triangle-shaped high-rise jail built in 1975 But from one particular vantage point (two stories up on the exit stairs from the elevated CTA stop at LaSalle and Van Buren) with carved corbels and other orders of detail stretching from the corner along the facades on Clark and Van Buren some frilly ornamentation hugs the building’s corner and within the layers of cracked paint sits the letter Y The top of the Yukon building features a cornice with carved corbels and other details that stretch from the corner along the facades Below that is something difficult to take in from sidewalk level thanks to the cacophony of storefront signs: the long bands of windows that run from the corner along the Clark and Van Buren facades Those windows were quite a modern move in 1898; at the time The Chicago Tribune wrote the building would be “unique in construction,” built “principally of plate glass you can also see just how empty the second floor is Bakovich said the primary tenant moved out overnight without notice sometime in the past several months He said his family is trying to get new tenants for the Clark Street restaurant space once home to Cocina and the Van Buren space of his family’s former restaurant The owners of The Yukon building are trying to find tenants for the former Boni Vino space Some tenants remain, including Americana Submarine, the Vivian Ellen hair color salon and the legendary dive bar Sky-Ride Tap The Sky-Ride Tap is one of as few businesses left in the Yukon building at 400 S But even if they get all the space rented again the property taxes on the building for 2023 (billed in 2024) were a smidge over $210,000 which were sold in the county’s delinquent tax sale if somebody doesn’t buy the building outright first There’s a huge historical irony to the Yukon’s current tax situation since it was originally built as what was known as a “taxpayer building.” Tim Samuelson who retired as Chicago’s cultural historian in 2020 said these were “built inexpensively to generate just enough income to cover real estate taxes and expenses until the time when the real estate value of an area improved to merit its replacement with a permanent Bostonian Peter Brooks invested heavily in Chicago real estate during the rebuilding effort after the 1871 fire He bought the L-shaped site at Clark and Van Buren in December 1884 for $175,000 according to historical Chicago Tribune articles That’s the equivalent of paying $5.67 million today extant on Jackson Street and given the developer’s name when he was 87 years old Brooks wasn’t the first to envision a highrise for the Clark and Van Buren site: The man who sold him the site once announced plans to build something “that would compare favorably with the tall office buildings that now grace LaSalle Street,” the Chicago Tribune reported at the time of the sale The Brooks brothers “saw the new phenomenon known as skyscrapers as a good way to invest their money,” Samuelson said the Brooks brothers planned skyscrapers in the south area of downtown Chicago These were to house a steady stream of tenants from the financial community around the Board of Trade which opened at Jackson and LaSalle in 1885 in a building later replaced by today’s 1920s edifice the Brooks brothers announced plans for a 12-story tower on the Clark and Van Buren site; it would have had a skylit atrium The site had become a “taxpayer,” something to keep revenue coming while they waited to put a tall building there The Yukon building still has the sign for the now-closed La Cocina resturant In a 1980 landmark nomination for a different Brooks building the city’s department of planning and development described Peter Brooks as “want[ing] utilitarian structures that cost as little as possible.” It suggested his budget-consciousness might have driven architects to make some of the choices that now characterize historical Chicago skyscrapers because they didn’t need a bulky frame to support a tall building Holabird & Roche “reduced framing to a bare minimum opening the entire building for maximum glass,” Samuelson said “It pushed their experiments in glass to the extreme making it one of their most striking buildings on the path to glass-filled The glassiness is still there 127 years later but it could soon be gone if a new owner — following two from the 19th century that never materialized — proposes a high-rise for the site Preservation Chicago is going to introduce an effort to get the Yukon building’s facade considered for landmark designation Dennis Rodkin is the residential real estate reporter for Crain’s Chicago Business and Reset’s “What’s That Building?” contributor. Follow him @Dennis_Rodkin K’Von Jackson is the freelance photojournalist for Reset’s “What’s That Building?” Follow him @true_chicago A forensic audit of the City of Yukon has uncovered decades of governance North American Forensic Accounting LLC (NAFA) conducted the investigation to assess financial operations NAFA’s report found that Yukon has suffered from years of poor leadership and mismanagement creating a culture where employees felt that “as an employee you don’t question anything.” This lack of accountability extended to serious allegations including inappropriate relationships on city property during work hours which NAFA said were dismissed without proper investigation NAFA noted that “critical city services are being provided without risk of interruption,” attributing this to the dedication of the majority of city employees the report warns that “these critical findings and unmitigated risks continue to put the city at risk financially.” The city was found to lack fundamental governance policies This absence created an environment where employee concerns were ignored The city also discontinued its employee “Concern Line,” removing an essential avenue for whistleblowers to report misconduct One discovery was Yukon’s failure to implement past audit recommendations A concerning finding was the diversion of $185,000 in city funds to the Yukon Community Support Foundation (YCSF) without proper authorization was being financially supported by the city without oversight the report found that a city contract for leasing advertisement space on a water tower had its revenue diverted to YCSF instead of being recorded as city income NAFA identified an internal city email directing this diversion raising concerns about transparency and accountability One case involved allegations of an inappropriate relationship between a senior city official and a subordinate When complaints about this relationship surfaced a memo from the city’s mayor was found in electronic records stating that a “pre-investigation” had determined that no further investigation was necessary—effectively closing the matter without any formal inquiry NAFA auditors could not find supporting documentation for the alleged "pre-investigation" and suggested that leadership ignored the issue Evidence of inappropriate behavior came from explicit materials found in city storage Handwritten notes detailing sexual encounters between city employees were discovered in old storage boxes The forensic auditors determined that these notes and employee interviews provided enough evidence to warrant a full investigation—one that was never conducted More Details: Yukon audit: a closer look at sexual misconduct found in report The report also highlighted payroll discrepancies including the overpayment of $34,895 in vacation benefits to a former city manager This overpayment resulted from undocumented practices that ignored the city’s policies the city lacked a formal investigative process for employee complaints allowing issues like misreported work hours and personal use of city assets to go unaddressed NAFA noted that complaints against senior management were often dismissed or investigated by the very individuals accused The report found significant anomalies in the FuelMaster logs indicating that city fuel was likely used for personal vehicles One senior official reported using a city vehicle for only “5% personal use”—but analysis showed fuel usage patterns inconsistent with that claim Employees also reported witnessing city fuel being used in personal vehicles Another major issue was the city’s long-standing relationships with certain vendors some spanning over 30 years without competitive bidding a vendor was paid $28.9 million over two decades without clear evidence of a bidding process NAFA said these long-term vendor relationships raise concerns about favoritism and lack of transparency Yukon’s record-keeping practices were found to be incomplete and outdated increasing risks of financial mismanagement NAFA provided extensive recommendations to help Yukon restore financial integrity and accountability NAFA warned that there is “no quick fix” for the deep-rooted problems in Yukon’s government stating that the “impact on the organizational culture and the real or perceived harm from past misdeeds” will take time to repair View it here: Yukon audit: how the city's mayor is responding NAFA auditors could not find supporting documentation for the alleged \"pre-investigation\" and suggested that leadership ignored the issue More Details: Yukon audit: a closer look at sexual misconduct found in report View it here: Yukon audit: how the city's mayor is responding In its new AT4 Ultimate trim, the 2025 GMC Yukon tries hard to do a lot of things many of which seem to cancel out one another Meaty all-terrain tires wrap 20-inch alloy wheels that are awfully big for real-world off-road use The distinctive red tow hooks projecting from a bumper carved inward to improve the approach angle contrast with underbody lighting that illuminates when you approach the vehicle Even the upholstery sends a mixed signal with its buttery soft leather contrasting with rubbery textured inserts What exactly does the Yukon AT4 Ultimate want to be? A rough-and-tumble off-roader or a genuine Land Rover Range Rover rival with an eye-popping six-figure price tag After driving the revamped Yukon for a week I learned that it can be both—though it spreads itself thin in the process space-robbing push/pull transmission control panel on the dash wasn’t that the way SUVs were shifted once upon a time?)  It’s a big step to climb into the Yukon’s cabin though the power-deploying running boards with the Ultimate package help out Blame my test vehicle’s all-black leather upholstery though the oversized dash and center console manage to make the front seating area feel surprisingly confined The seats themselves have just eight ways of adjustment even in the top Ultimate trim All trim levels from the Elevation (which combines last year’s SLE and SLT grades into a single trim) up to the top AT4 and Denali versions get a big 16.8-inch touchscreen on the center of the dash A big volume knob sits in the lower center of the screen while a handful of toggle switches are nestled below I had to lean forward to access anything on the right side It is programmed with a good overlay of Google built-in tech Access to the Google Play store and Google Maps means some users may not bother with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto More pixels are displayed on the big digital instrument cluster as well as the optional 8.0-inch rear-seat climate control touchscreen Ultimate models—the package is available on both the off-roady AT4 and the Escalade-lite Denali—include rear-seat entertainment screens for outboard middle-row passengers the Yukon leverages Google’s connectivity via streaming services like YouTube The AT4’s newly optional Ultimate package swaps in more Bose speakers power release for the second-row bucket seats and the excellent Super Cruise hands-free/eyes-on driver-assistance tech At nearly $20,000 more than a standard AT4 My test vehicle was loaded up to about $102,000 with the aforementioned underside lighting and the Enhanced Trailering Technology Package that can work with trailer-mounted cameras the Yukon has more in common with a pickup truck than it does competitors like the Range Rover Its separate ladder frame connects to the wheels and tires via an independent front suspension and a solid rear axle though they’re augmented by magnetic dampers on the AT4 though they’re optional on the standard AT4 They’re worth it for as low as $2,060 in the Premium Trailering Package Between the tall tire sidewalls and the cossetting nature of an air suspension the Yukon AT4 canceled out lousy pavement below The electric power steering has little in the way of feedback and the Yukon leans considerably into corners but this big SUV makes no effort to be sporty Tapping Sport mode makes the ride surprisingly hard and jittery; I can only imagine what it would be like with the Denali Ultimate’s available 24-inch alloy wheels wrapped in a mere rubber band of rubber even with the limited rough-road use I was able to sample thanks to a big snowstorm during my evaluation period The standard Yukon stretches 210.1 inches between its bumpers and measures a gargantuan 81.0 inches wide Add another 15.1 inches to make the Yukon XL which has more legroom for riders in rows two and three plus an even bigger cargo area Even the short one is simply too big to be genuinely useful off-road though it did a perfectly fine job plowing through deep snow It will almost certainly get you to your cabin I never encountered enough fresh powder to need to raise the Yukon’s air suspension though GMC says it can hike itself up by about two inches It also hunkers down a bit ostensibly to improve stability and aerodynamics at highway speeds Elevation and AT4 models come with a 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 a version of which GM has been bolting into its big SUVs and trucks for a generation but it is hard to imagine how it will provide blistering performance given that the fleetest Yukon in the lineup still weighs north of 5,600 pounds the 5.3-liter has the highest maximum towing rating: 8,400 pounds which puts out 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and probably a better choice for most than the curiously positioned 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6 That engine is an expensive $9,305 upgrade in the AT4 and the Denali ($6,810 more than the 6.2) yet it costs $1,500 less than the 6.2 in Ultimate guise V-8 models are estimated to return 15 mpg city 17 combined at best; the 6.2-liter slices 1 to 2 mpg off those figures Estimates for the late-introduction diesel have yet to be posted All Yukons use the 10-speed automatic transmission that GM developed with Ford though it occasionally fumbled through gears in low-speed stop-and-go city driving It’s yet another reminder that the gargantuan Yukon is best-suited to the open road—or the Yukon’s gearbox fades into the background only revealing itself when smoothly swapping down a few cogs for highway passing or when climbing long grades Putting the Yukon in Sport mode tightened up shifts though it also delayed upshifts to the point at which I was beginning to wonder when the big V-8 would settle down at highway speeds There’s also an Off-Road mode that dials back throttle response and remaps the traction control system and the electronic limited-slip rear differential the Yukon’s huge roof pillars and tall dash make it hard to see traffic below That makes the Yukon a chore to pilot in town though it’s of limited consequence on the highway with Super Cruise engaged The system activates with a few bings and bongs and then it does a very good job keeping the Yukon centered in its lane and away from traffic while the driver’s hands rest away from the steering wheel and eyes stay on the road I was particularly surprised to see that Super Cruise worked just fine even accounting for the Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires’ knobby tread pattern The system seems to be capable of accounting for the inevitable wander from knobby tires The AT4 Ultimate might seem like the Yukon you want—it’s in the name But at $95,795 to start with the diesel engine and $97,295 with the 6.2-liter V-8 its Tahoe roots show through too much in the way of hard plastics on the door panels and so-so front seats The 6.2-liter V-8 is also strong and powerful but it’s not as strong as the forced-induction engines in most rivals With starting prices ranging from $68,895 to almost seven figures the best way to build a Yukon may be to select the Denali trim level GMC charges $5,630 to add a series of packages including its top trailer-tow tech That’s a lot more than the base Yukon Elevation and yet the Denali mostly justifies its price tag It’s arguably the most focused version of the Yukon now you might as well stick with the Chevy Tahoe the Cadillac Escalade delivers legitimate six-figure dazzle A year after being struck down in Oklahoma City the Sunset Amphitheater could have a new home in Yukon the project received preliminary approval from the Yukon City Council giving it a second chance after its initial rejection "We have land out on Frisco Road that is underdeveloped We are just trying to get business out there and so we thought this is a wonderful opportunity for our community," said Yukon City Councilmember Shelli Selby The Yukon City Council explained that the live music venue would bring jobs to the community and boost local sales tax "We're hoping it brings people to our town that are going to shop and eat but it will also create jobs to have people that are out there working," Selby continued  People living across the street from where the venue would be built expressed concern about the noise and traffic “I don't like it — not if it's going to be a lot of music [at] all hours of the night,” said neighbor Tommy Arthurs resident Eric Nichols shared concerns of his own We have an 8-year-old daughter and I don't want to be kept up late I don’t want her to be kept up late because of noise," said Nichols The Yukon City Council confirmed that there are residents in the area it is hoping to build "What was explained to us is the way the sound will go that it's not going to affect our residents because we're right there by the Interstate they have — where they don't build unless they can get the entire venue exited in 40 minutes," said Selby even if they direct it in a different direction It's a terrible idea this close to the neighborhood," Nichols stated Amphitheater proposal faced past opposition in OKC The 12,000-seat Sunset Amphitheater was first proposed in 2023 as part of the Mustang Creek Crossing development The original site was near Interstate 40 and the Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City Many residents in the area opposed the venue saying it was too close to residential neighborhoods and would disrupt their daily lives The Oklahoma City Council rejected the proposal in 2024 with a 7-2 vote the amphitheater would be built near the Frisco Road and Interstate 40 interchange in Yukon The timeline of development on the new venue remains unclear The City of Yukon said it would first send a letter of intent to Oklahoma City then eventually get the land assessed for what it would need The city council added that it could be three years before the first concert Destini Pittman is a digital content producer at News 9 She joined the team in June 2024 after graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Professional Media Elizabeth graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor's degree in News Reporting and Editing Elizabeth joined the News 9 team in October 2024 \"We have land out on Frisco Road that is underdeveloped this is a wonderful opportunity for our community,\" said Yukon City Councilmember Shelli Selby \"We're hoping it brings people to our town that are going to shop and eat but it will also create jobs to have people that are out there working,\" Selby continued I don’t want her to be kept up late because of noise,\" said Nichols \"What was explained to us is the way the sound will go they have — where they don't build unless they can get the entire venue exited in 40 minutes,\" said Selby It's a terrible idea this close to the neighborhood,\" Nichols stated April 11, 2025 by Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal barges of heavy equipment will pull away from a launch on Alaska’s road system and begin a journey up the Yukon River The equipment’s destination is along that creek on remote property owned by Alaska Native corporations in a huge basin called the Yukon Flats an oil company will set up a specially designed rig to drill the basin’s first-ever deep wells which the landowners hope could lead to the discovery of the state’s next big oil field If found, petroleum could create well-paying jobs for Yukon watershed residents and generate big dividend payments for the 20,500 shareholders of Doyon the for-profit Native corporation for Alaska’s Interior region Doyon’s leaders describe the drilling effort as a rare opportunity — one that could deliver a lucrative resource sought from its lands for decades But the campaign has engendered a broad backlash from tribal governments in the region Much of the opposition stems from the track record of the business that will be doing the drilling: Hilcorp privately held oil company founded by a Texas billionaire Hilcorp has substantially increased its holdings in Alaska in recent years and now operates the massive Prudhoe Bay field on the state’s North Slope where it partners with major firms like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips But it also has a history of leaks and accidents prompting fears from Yukon watershed residents about the risks of its new drilling program that these big corporations come in and they take and take They say they’re going to reinvest and it never happens,” said Rhonda Pitka a Yukon River village some 20 miles downstream of the Birch Creek confluence “What will we end up with at the end of all this?” Whether the Yukon Flats will support commercial fossil fuel production remains highly uncertain More exploratory drilling will almost certainly be needed to better define a deposit even if Hilcorp finds evidence of petroleum this summer and the infrastructure to extract and move it to market would require an array of environmental permits Even at this early stage, opponents are aggressively fighting the drilling plans. At a meeting last month, Interior Alaska’s consortium of 42 tribal governments, Tanana Chiefs Conference, approved a resolution against oil development by Hilcorp in the Yukon Flats saying it’s too risky for the “ecologically and culturally significant region.” the tiny Indigenous community closest to the drilling sites saying it could produce desperately needed jobs Birch Creek’s Native village corporation also owns some of the land where the drilling will take place “Without the economic activity this exploration project could create, Birch Creek and the other Yukon Flats villages may simply cease to exist, and our way of life will be lost forever,” the community’s tribal government said in a 2020 resolution endorsing the program Birch Creek’s population is now just 30 people and its school closed more than two decades ago because it had too few students The support from Birch Creek has given Doyon and Hilcorp the “social license to operate in that area,” Doyon’s chief executive Doyon’s agreements with Hilcorp would require the company to hire shareholders and local residents chose to claim land in the Yukon Flats specifically because of its potential to yield oil and gas We can’t undo those deals that were done by our leaders 50 years ago,” he said “We’re stuck with the hand we were dealt from 1972 to 1975 And we have to balance all of these various constituencies and opportunities and concerns Hilcorp released its own prepared statement saying it’s “excited to work with Doyon and community stakeholders to advance this meaningful exploration project in the Yukon Flats.” we are developing a tailored program to responsibly evaluate the region’s energy and resource potential,” said spokesman Matt Shuckerow The Yukon Flats basin covers more than 10,000 square miles bounded by the Brooks Range mountains to the north and the White Mountains to the south The Yukon River sweeps across from east to west and the trans-Alaska pipeline snakes over the land from north to south The basin began forming at least 60 million years ago, according to Marwan Wartes a veteran geologist with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources petroleum-rich regions of the state have experienced uplift producing rocky outcroppings that give glimpses of their geologic histories — but those clues aren’t present in the flats Experts suspect that the area contains sedimentary deposits that could produce natural gas But no one has drilled deep wells to confirm those theories so the flats’ subsurface remains something of a geologic enigma and I always am frustrated that we know so little about it — because it’s mostly burying itself,” Wartes said and I think most geologists would agree to that.” home to the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is important habitat for as many as 2 million migratory ducks Its salmon and moose have long sustained the region’s Native people who now live primarily in seven Indigenous villages within or near the refuge the Yukon Flats have also been the source of global commodities — starting in the mid-1800s with furs and continuing with the 1893 discovery of gold in Birch Creek The region has never produced oil; nearly all of Alaska’s petroleum comes from the other side of the Brooks Range But Doyon and oil companies have long eyed the flats for its potential dating back to the years after the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act That federal legislation terminated Indigenous land claims in the state by transferring some 10% of Alaska’s land to newly formed owned by Alaska Natives with ties to the Interior region became the state’s largest private landowner Working at the time with smaller Indigenous-owned corporations connected to the region’s villages Doyon selected additional land in the Yukon Flats The idea was to capture areas with oil potential while also leaving room for the region’s residents to continue their subsistence-based lifestyles in agreements with five village corporations A 1974 agreement with Beaver’s Indigenous-owned corporation refers to the “potential for oil and gas” in the area around the village “the development of which would benefit all of the shareholders of Doyon.” said that oil was not the driving force behind the village’s participation in the Doyon agreement “The village corporations picked land for subsistence,” Pitka said major oil companies prospected for oil in the Yukon Flats; Exxon even signed an exploration agreement with Doyon But Exxon pulled out of the region after its major 1989 oil spill near Valdez with a smaller chance of as much as 600 million barrels “This has been a basin that’s been on everyone’s radar as having potential for a long Hilcorp’s involvement began in 2019, when it signed an exploration agreement with Doyon covering some 2,500 square miles of the Native corporation’s land Hilcorp has flown airborne surveys to gather geologic data and it’s also drilled more than a dozen shallow test wells signing oil and gas leases with Doyon that cover 94 square miles near Birch Creek This kind of remote oil and gas exploration work is not Hilcorp’s specialty; the company is better known for buying aging oil fields and making them more productive “They must see something that really captivates them because there’s no shortage of oil on the North Slope,” said Phil Wight an energy and environmental historian at the University of Alaska Fairbanks said he’s not sure exactly what’s driving Hilcorp’s interest “I actually don’t know the answer to that,” he said Hilcorp plans to drill two exploration wells on separate sites The company has not publicly announced its plans, but some details have trickled into public view through documents submitted to the state. Hilcorp’s drilling effort requires an array of permits, among them a contingency plan that includes how the company would respond to a blowout The locations of the company’s two planned wells are 10 and 15 miles from the Yukon River and the village of Birch Creek The sites will be supported by a worker camp staffed 24 hours a day The area is along a lower branch of Birch Creek and is accessible only by barge Schutt said the work will leave a light footprint those lands will be indistinguishable from the lands next door in 10 years,” he said Opponents of the plan have focused their efforts on a pending Hilcorp request to state land managers to pump water from Birch Creek and a nearby lake for its drilling operation The company says it will take a maximum of half of one cubic foot per second from the creek according to their comment letters released by regulators in response to a Northern Journal public records request Allowing Hilcorp’s proposed withdrawal “would degrade water quality and jeopardize the ecological integrity of Birch Creek,” said one comment letter from the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council the Indigenous Tribes and First Nations from the headwaters to the mouth of the Yukon River urge the department to join us and put all of our future generations first,” the letter said the discovery would likely be just the start of more intense environmental battles to come Given the large cost of building a new oil field construction would only make financial sense if it contained at least 200 million barrels of oil Tying a development into the trans-Alaska pipeline would entail crossing federal land and require environmental permits that would face stiff opposition But for Doyon, the effort is worthwhile because of its big upside, according to Schutt. The company is already invested in the oil and gas industry; it owns a drilling subsidiary that maintains some of the largest rigs on the North Slope A new field in the Yukon Flats could produce a “massive royalty check” each year much of which would be shared with Alaska’s other Native corporations under federal law Doyon’s subsidiaries would be in line for contracts to work on the development and Yukon Flats villages likely could save money by tapping into newly available natural gas for heating “It would economically support the whole subregion and Doyon for generations,” he said “Those are the types of opportunities that don’t come along very often for us.” Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week Copyright © 2025 KTOO Public Media Tlagóo! We\'re rolling out some improvements to the layout and design of KTOO.org. Read more “Following the all-new GMC Acadia and next-gen GMC Terrain the addition of the updated 2025 GMC Yukon completes GMC’s reimagined SUV lineup,” said Duncan Aldred “We’re raising the bar on what our customers expect from GMC’s flagship and the addition of the AT4 Ultimate trim fuses ruggedness and capability with craftsmanship and refinement.” Underpinned by an available 6.2L V8 engine2 the 2025 Yukon offers 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission including on AT4 and AT4 Ultimate for the first time a 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine option offers customers 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque.3 the 2025 Yukon sets a new bar for GMC’s distinctive and premium design language The Yukon’s interior blends a precisely crafted mix of luxury and technology for a world-class driver and passenger experience while the elevated exterior design exudes a muscular yet refined character The centerpiece of the cabin is a 16.8-inch-diagonal Premium GMC Infotainment Center4 with a vertical interface which allows users to customize the integration of maps vehicle diagnostics and more into a diagonal screen display The addition of an available 8-inch-diagonal rear climate control touchscreen also helps ensure a comfortable cabin environment for passengers The 2025 GMC Yukon exterior also commands attention with the application of unique grille patterns and an available panoramic sunroof delivers an open-air cabin experience Representing the ultimate mixture of sophistication and functionality the 2025 Yukon provides customers with even more design options and upgraded technology on both the Denali Ultimate and first-ever AT4 Ultimate trims The 2025 Yukon delivers an enhanced suite of advanced technology including available Night Vision1 – enabling customers to drive more confidently in low-light environments Thermal object detection helps identify pedestrians and animals by alerting drivers via the head-up display and driver information center The 2025 Yukon also features an expansive list of new standard advanced safety features and available driver assistance tech Intuitive technologies that just make life easier include an available presence based hands-free liftgate that automatically opens the liftgate in the presence of the key fob. The 2025 Yukon also features available Super Cruise8 — the industry’s first true hands-free advanced driver assistance system with the largest operating domain that is expected to grow to ~ 750,000 miles of roads in the U.S Yukon owners with Super Cruise will be able to experience the industry’s first and only hands-free trailering technology The 2025 Yukon is engineered for effortless towing and offers a variety of available cutting-edge trailering technologies9 Offering a towing capability of up to 8,400 lbs. the suite of available trailering technologies includes1: The 2025 GMC Yukon will be produced at Arlington Assembly in Texas13 and is expected to be available by the end of 2024 Additional details, including pricing, will be announced closer to the start of production. More information is available at www.gmc.com Direct high-pressure fuel injection with Dynamic Fuel Management common-rail direct injection; electronic throttle valve Independent coil-over-shocks and stabilizer bar; available four-corner air control and Magnetic Ride Control Independent multi-link with coil-over shocks and stabilizer bar; available four-corner air control and Magnetic Ride Control Four-wheel disc with ABS; vented front and rear DuralifeTM rotors 41.5 / 1054 [Yukon Den Ultimate with Exec Seats];  30.8 / 783 [Yukon Den Ultimate with Exec Seats]; Latest Earthquakes Adult Chinook salmon in Alaska and Canada are in trouble and USGS WFRC scientists are in a race against the clock to find the cause behind their disappearance and a viable solution this salmon species is considered a lifeblood of the region A mysterious phenomenon has scientists searching for an explanation salmon returning to the Yukon River are dying before they reach their spawning grounds in Alaska and Canada causing an international fisheries management issue This adult “en-route” mortality is of particular concern in the Yukon River system where salmon provide many cultural and commercial needs and account for over 75% of diets among many indigenous groups.  Yukon River Chinook are counted with sonar technology in the lower portion of the river and the data are used to divide the total adult Chinook salmon returns among all resource users the returning salmon are allocated among commercial and traditional A proportion is also left in the river to reach Canada and/or spawn and produce the next generation of fish the numbers of fish reaching the Canadian border have been well below the anticipated numbers projected by the sonar counts The discrepancies between the sonar-based anticipated returns to the Canada boarder and the actual numbers most likely result from en-route mortality that occurred somewhere between the lower river sonar location and the Canadian border subsistence fishermen began reporting an unusual condition in some Yukon River Chinook and throughout the fillets The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Disease Diagnostic Laboratory determined the cause was Ichthyophonus a parasite that is common among marine fishes throughout the northern hemisphere the parasite and resulting disease have cycled through the Yukon River Chinook salmon population and the fish are currently experiencing a period of several years with very high Ichthyophonus prevalence.  During periods of high Ichthyophonus prevalence the adult Chinook salmon generally enter the mouth of the river with low-level infections.  However as the fish swim up the river preparing to spawn their immune systems shut down and the low-level infections can progress to disease.  When accompanied by elevated water temperatures in the Yukon River the pace of this natural senescence and disease progression becomes accelerated into an ecological arms race whereby the infected Chinook salmon are trying to reach the spawning grounds before the disease kills the fish fish processors in the middle section of the Yukon River reported that up to 20% of the Yukon Chinook they purchased from fishermen had to be discarded because of unsightly lesions in the muscle tissue that were caused by advanced Ichthyophonus disease fishing for Yukon Chinook was ordered to come to a halt in what became known as a federal fishing disaster The federal government provided disaster relief funding for Native Alaskan and Native American groups along the river who were unable to meet their subsistence requirements Because of the low returns and the elevated en-route mortality an international panel decided again in 2024 to curtail harvest of Chinook salmon in the Yukon River while providing limited harvest opportunities for ceremonial harvest use has effectively ceased subsistence and commercial harvest for the next seven years While Ichthyophonus infections are believed to be a  contributing factor its currently thought that a combination of stressors including warming waters and habitat degradation interact to affect the health and survival of Chinook adults as they migrate up the Yukon River to ultimately spawn and reproduce Geological Survey's (USGS) Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) is working in partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and others  to unravel the mystery.  Using resources that are unique to the WFRC we are attempting to develop tools that can be used to forecast whether Chinook salmon in the lower Yukon River will be healthy enough to survive the 1,700-mile freshwater migration and successfully spawn Our team of WFRC scientists engaged in this effort are among the global authorities on Ichthyophonus are experts in understanding changes in infection severity as the fish swim up the Yukon river and are mathematical modelers who will integrate and forecast Ichthyophonus disease change under current and forecasted climate scenarios laboratory experiments are being performed at WFRC’s Marrowstone Marine Field Station to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between Ichthyophonus infection prevalence and severity and the swimming performance of Yukon River Chinook salmon.  Understanding the interplay between these stressors is critical information for managers they will be able to better isolate problems and predict the number of adults that will survive through Alaska and enter into Canada thereby providing food and cultural resources to the Native Alaskan and Athabaskan communities in the U.S while still facilitating the passage of enough salmon to achieve escapement and spawning goals for the Yukon River watershed These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics You can install and RSS reader browser extension or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added they may look strange because they are simply XML code An RSS reader can easily read this code and push out a notification to you when something new is posted to our site Northwest-Pacific Islands Region News United States of America News Western Fisheries Research Center News The Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL are pure America These full-size three-row SUV provide plenty of everything The 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2025 GMC Yukon are cousins that share their underpinnings The chrome-laden GMC Yukon Denali meets its match in the new Suburban High Country edition The general difference between the two comes down to how much you want to spend and how strong you like your vehicle’s snout. Both earn strong TCC Ratings The Suburban LS has a sticker price of just over $63,000 and a 17.7-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto We like the Suburban LT for about $67,000 (plus $3,000 for four-wheel drive) and Z71 trims to get to the most expensive Suburban High Country and you’ll pay about $90,000 with a few options the Yukon XL comes with a 16.8-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto If you can stomach that—and don’t need the light off-road gear-up in the $78,695 Yukon XL AT4—opt into the Yukon XL Denali for about $81,995 you’ll save money over the fabulous but very pricey $104,795 GMC Yukon XL Denali Ultimate which piles on equipment that’s optional elsewhere and adds black-out trim and 24-inch wheels Most versions can be had with four-wheel drive It’s standard on high-end versions like the Denali Ultimate and available electronic limited-slip differential helps with traction in snow Knobby off-road tires and skid plates can be fitted Base versions of both vehicles sport a 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 with plenty of pull teamed to a sometimes fiddly 10-speed automatic For more expensive but stronger towing power the 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6 gets better fuel economy The top-line 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 has tremendous acceleration and a great soundtrack An excellent ride in either vehicle belies a big an independent suspension can be improved with air springs and adaptive damping that can raise or lower the vehicle for better off-road performance or highway efficiency—a good thing—and can offset the ride impacts generated by big 22-inch wheels (less so the 24-inchers available on the top Yukon XL) Neither SUV handles like a well-tuned crossover but their mass dissolves at highway speeds thanks to precise steering In either the Yukon XL or Suburban, towing can be a cinch—though ratings are far lower than some full-size pickup trucks The Yukon XL with a trailer-tow package can pull up to 8,400 lb The Suburban checks in at 8,300 lb when it’s configured with rear-wheel drive and the 5.3-liter V-8 but vehicles with the more powerful V-8 and turbodiesel may feel less strained than the still-strong base V-8 Both the Yukon XL and Suburban can be configured to seat up to nine passengers while still carrying a massive amount of gear in their cargo spaces Utility’s no question—the main question is whether it’s too much space for some who’d be better served by a crossover SUV instead Most of these SUVs come with a pair of front buckets seats a set of captain’s chairs or a three-person bench in the middle row and a fold-away bench seat in the third row An option for a front bench seat brings the total capacity up to nine but adults shouldn’t count on more than two riding in the wayback—and getting back there will require some gymnastics the Yukon XL and Suburban can fit more than 41 cubic feet of stuff behind their third-row seats Small items will find a home in the dozen or so pockets No one’s going to call these large SUVs fuel efficient Base models match up with EPA fuel economy ratings of 17 mpg combined The most efficient versions get the turbodiesel and its EPA combined ratings of 22-23 mpg—but those versions cost extra not just for the powertrain the big V-8 models tip the EPA scales at about 16 mpg combined the GMC Yukon XL Elevation has Champagne tastes even in base versions with cloth seats and 18-inch wheels and gets a bigger screen than the 16.8-inch touchscreen in the Yukon Both screens deliver wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which costs about $82,000 and has 22-inch wheels It’s possible to spend almost $100,000 for a Yukon XL Denali Ultimate and its Super Cruise adaptive cruise control The $63,495 Suburban LS’s cloth upholstery is fine and so is its touchscreen interface and power front seats bigger 17.7-inch touchscreen sports GM’s new Google-based operating system the $66,695 Suburban LT gets a power tailgate and Z71 trims to land on the Suburban High Country which bundles a luxurious interior with a few features like a rear camera mirror and 22-inch wheels All versions of both carry a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty that comes with one free service appointment The Yukon XL has a 15-inch stretch in its rear doors which doesn’t affect the way it carries itself It’s a simple look but done well—and the extra length of the XL offsets the massive front end and its C-shaped accents AT4 models wear some off-road cues that might appeal to those who use it as a tow appliance Inside the Yukon has a soothing and sedate look with luxurious touches of metallic trim and leather The sharp details on the Suburban’s front end don’t upset the balanced and streamlined shape it delivers from the sides and the rear even in the blacked-out RST and high-riding ZL1 specs but has a well-organized functionality that cleans up nicely in High Country trim The Suburban and Yukon both carry standard automatic emergency braking, but both share a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA that’s below par Options range from blind-spot monitors to active lane control and a surround-view camera system; there’s also a rear camera mirror and Super Cruise GM’s marvelous driver-assist setup that permits hands-free driving on about 300,000 miles of mapped North American roads It’s not “self-driving”—it’s better than that misleading misnomer Either SUV remains a strong choice for any driver that needs lots of space and lots of tow capacity. We give the GMC Yukon a TCC Rating of 6.5 out of 10, with a standout score for styling that only gets more convincing in its most expensive Denali models. (Read more about how we rate cars.) The Suburban equals it at a TCC Rating of 6.5 out of 10 That tells the whole story: what’s premium about the Yukon when nearly all of its equipment can be had with a lower price the Suburban can be less expensive—and could be the better choice would affect the majority of Yukon and parts of OKC not just the nearby neighborhoods like mine and most of our visitors staying in local hotels are going to be negatively affected by each and every event held This is not a problem for only the neighborhoods near the proposed site Want the latest Viewpoints? Sign up for the Public Square newsletter. Visualize your mother at the tender age of 67 who has been blessed to work until retirement and the time to collect Social Security has come This is a commonality amongst the customers that I serve at First Security Bank & Trust Co but the important takeaway remains consistent There is not enough money to make it through the month with our bank’s overdraft privilege program is the only Black-owned minority depository institution in Oklahoma we reach and proudly serve a predominantly Black demographic overdraft protection provides a vital lifeline to ensure essential expenses are paid Overdraft privilege for our customer base is often times their only option to make ends meet Small dollar loans are not an option at our institution and some of our customer base might not qualify for a loan we offer an overdraft privilege as an option so that our customers think of their bank as their first option for small dollar liquidity Instilling trust in the banking industry will always be a top priority of our institution customers do not want ― or need ― a $1,000 loan that comes with repayment obligations that the customer must manage — or risk a hit to their credit score ― Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra ― issued a regulation that could end our customers’ access to overdraft Chopra’s regulation declared overdraft protection services to be “credit” regulated by a statute designed to regulate credit cards and other consumer loans unless the overdraft fee is below a $5 price cap or below the institution’s “breakeven” costs to operate its overdraft program Chopra’s rule applies directly to banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets But don’t be fooled; First Security is a community bank but we compete for the same customers as larger banks that also serve Oklahoma City If the large bank down the street reduces its overdraft fee to Chopra’s $5 price cap we will need to respond or risk losing many of our customers If we determine that we cannot offer overdraft services at $5 per overdraft we will be compelled to limit or end this valuable service Our customers may then turn to higher-risk products such as payday and vehicle title loans offered by less regulated non-bank lenders Consumers ― not a government official ― should make decisions about the financial products and services they want to use We live in a state where our state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters wants to put Bibles in every classroom at a cost of $3 million As the Oklahoma Supreme Court decides if this is even legal and the state Legislature decides if they want to fund this serving Crown Heights United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City The initiative to have a Bible in every classroom is galling to me as a parent having only the Bible in classrooms shows a bias toward Christianity Hindu and atheist student should question if we are pushing our faith on them In a country where we have the freedom to practice any or no religion and we say we adhere to a separation of church and state I studied Christianity for seven years of higher education I cannot imagine why every classroom needs a Bible Why would we pay money for a book that is not on grade level or not even remotely close to the subject material being taught if a high school literature class wants to read a historic portion of the Bible That is one classroom in every high school More: I'm a Christian. Don’t force educators to teach the Bible. | Opinion I do not want public school teachers talking to my children about Christianity I am very careful about what my kids learn about religion and who teaches them Teaching from the Bible is begging for teachers to cross the line into teaching matters of faith Let parents religiously educate their own children if we are banning books for having inappropriate content I am very curious how the Bible made it past the screeners The rape scenes in Judges 19 or 2 Samuel 13 the laws on sexual intercourse and menstruation the dated understandings of women and slavery ― gosh if John Steinbeck or Alice Walker wrote this stuff I am trying to say that I am one of many in this state who do not support this initiative I so want our state to focus on what it takes to educate every child a forensic audit of the City of Yukon has identified significant problems related to prior administrators the diversion of $185,000 to an unusual nonprofit the sharing of “hardcore” pornography an avoided investigation of inter-office sexual encounters and an overpayment of nearly $35,000 in vacation benefits to a former city manager at the heart of the examination Retained by the Yukon City Council in September, North American Forensic Accounting prepared the 82-page audit which comes amid ongoing changes in the 27,000-person city’s leadership Michael Breon of the Pennsylvania-based firm said his team identified significant concerns regarding the city’s “organizational tone” and expanded the audit’s scope as more matters came to light “The governance aspect was one of the worst I’ve ever seen if not the worst,” Breon told the Yukon City Council on Tuesday night in that there weren’t any investigations that people were afraid of retaliation — afraid of bringing this up — and that nothing was done for that period of time Breon spent an hour outlining the audit’s findings and another 30 minutes answering questions from members of the council He said Yukon’s city managers exhibited “poor leadership” for decades and that city employees were unempowered to discuss concerns “We believe that prior senior-level management simply failed to lead by example,” Breon said in our review of former senior-level management we found emails that contained hardcore pornographic material as well as what I’ll refer to as normal — if it can be normal I apologize — general pornographic material And that was transmitted to various other city employees because as I talked about the importance of tone at the top — leading by example — transmitting the photos that I’ve seen is a complete breakdown of that.” After Mayor Brian Pillmore took office in May 2024 the council terminated City Manager Tammy Kretchmar While Crosby and Kretchmar are only named in appendixes the audit report makes references to “senior officials” during their lengthy tenures with the city Pillmore said the audit examined concerns raised by former council members city employees and lifelong residents of the Canadian County community “Many had tried to raise these issues before but were ignored Their courage helped confirm the need for a forensic review,” Pillmore said “What we’ve found through this process is disappointing but not surprising: breakdowns in governance controls and accountability that allowed serious issues to persist Some of the most troubling findings include the inappropriate ‘on the job’ sexual relationship between a city leader and an employee the misdirection of city funds into a nonprofit organization city facilities and employees being directed to perform personal errands “These incidents occurred within a governance and control environment that was woefully inadequate — enabled by those who either failed to report what they saw or whose concerns were ignored Such behavior not only violated trust but also left the city vulnerable to further harm.” Starting with a city council resolution and under the leadership of our city manager accountability and transparency,” Pillmore said “Transparency is not always comfortable We have a duty to seek the truth and hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards steal or harass others have no place in this city our children and our legacy to lead with integrity Facebook | X | Text or Email While not named in specific findings of the Yukon forensic audit the tenure of former City Manager Jim Crosby appears to be the focus of many findings Crosby served as Yukon’s city manager from 1994 through 2011 A national search followed Crosby’s second departure and the council promoted Kretchmar from within a change carrying its own community controversy The city’s 2015 audit had found “inadequate accounting for and tracking of assets,” but Breon told council members Tuesday that many issues identified in that audit remain unaddressed “Those findings need to be followed up on and my recommendation is that any future findings be remediated immediately,” Breon said “These repeat findings are critical in my mind.” Crosby, who was hired as city manager of Chickasha in November did not respond to requests for comment prior to the publication of this article the audit released Tuesday said cash donations citizens may have thought they were making to the city were sometimes diverted to YCSF large payments from INTEGRIS Health for advertisement on Yukon’s water tower ended up with YCSF instead of the city “It was discovered that this advertising money did not go to the city but was deposited into the YCSF bank account,” Breon wrote “We also obtained an internal city email that directed the diversion to take place we identified $185,000 of diverted INTEGRIS advertising funds.” Breon called the situation “peculiar” and said it “raised some questions in our minds.” Councilman Rodney Zimmerman asked Breon if he had ever seen similar arrangements between cities and nonprofit organizations led by city managers Breon expressed similar concern about how contracts were awarded over a period of decades “We found that at least two of the high-dollar vendors had not been bid since back in the 1990s,” he said “One had never been bid (…) and we found another vendor that continues to win the bid year after year after year Why can these other bidders not win?” Yukon’s mayor is selected among council members and Pillmore was selected to succeed Selby in that role last year When auditors reviewed “rumors” of the relationship and how the city handled the allegation Breon said they found handwritten documentation of the situation Saying she personally conducted a “pre-investigation review” of the allegations as mayor Selby unilaterally deemed them “unfounded.” “The allegations are years old and occasionally resurface and get repeated I further find that the city has taken reasonable steps to investigate the allegations and to determine if there is any truth to the allegations I further find there is nothing to support or substantiate any of the allegations no evidence of favoritism shown or any other evidence of any kind unsupported allegations that without some facts to support the allegations could be unfairly damaging to other employees’ reputations and careers,” Selby wrote “As a result of this pre-investigation review and the finding of no evidence to support the allegations I will not authorize a full investigation and expose the city’s valuable hardworking employees to public humiliation embarrassment and criticisms that could and would result.” Shriver called Selby “under-qualified” to investigate the allegations and suggested she was “ethically obligated” to make a report to law enforcement Saying she believed she was qualified to review the situation herself Selby insisted the relationship was “not sexual harassment” and instead involved “sexual encounters of two mutual adults.” Despite saying she did not want to speak about the situation without an attorney present Selby suggested that someone was terminated following her review “There was reprimand,” she said “The vice mayor asked for it to be investigated and there were consequences that came out for that individual.” Shriver noted that “the report doesn’t show any of this.” “I think that is as unethical as that possibly gets with that kind of allegation,” Shriver said and I bet a lot of these women feel the same way.” Breon said his review of the situation found that “a lot of folks knew about this and about this taking place on city property and on city time.” based upon the interviews that we’ve conducted and based upon our finding of these handwritten notes we believe there would have been sufficient evidence to actually undertake an investigation in that case,” Breon said “The failure to adequately investigate them put the city at risk (of) lawsuits and it’s also a great example of how leadership — poor leadership — can destroy an organization.” During closing remarks of Tuesday night’s meeting Selby said she appreciated the “good conversation” about city leadership all of the things we’ve heard tonight happened over many many years many city managers and many city councils,” she said “But Yukon will come out stronger.” Vice Mayor Jeff Wootton, who was censured by a 3-2 vote of the Selby-led council a year ago for alleged involvement in labor negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 173 said the city needed sunlight on the situation to see how to move forward “There’s a lot of things in Yukon’s recent past that have been brought to light and it was time for us to acknowledge those things,” he said “It’s time for us to turn that corner Pillmore said after the meeting that “both state and federal prosecutors have been made aware of the details underlying the report,” although he said it’s unclear whether the Yukon Police Department OSBI or the FBI will conduct a criminal investigation Canadian County District Attorney Tommy Humphries declined to comment on the Yukon audit but he did say “a criminal investigation has not been given to us to review.” Key findings in the City of Yukon forensic audit include: (Update: This article was updated at 11:45 a.m Brendan!" at the Liberal supporters' gathering as the next Yukon MP enters.  his vote total is almost 1,400 more than Ryan Leef's.  Brendan Hanley was all smiles listening to his wife Lise Farynowski introducing him She credited his "shameless" ability to corner federal ministers and described his ability to build relationships across party lines as a superpower.  Conservative Ryan Leef is conceding the election for Yukon MP and plans to go congratulate Liberal Brendan Hanley He offered his concession in a speech to a gathering of supporters Hanley was up 1,349 votes with 83 polls reporting as Leef made his announcement Liberal candidate Brendan Hanley's lead over Conservative Ryan Leef has stretched to more than 1,200 votes Seventy-five of 105 Yukon polls have reported their results.  Although Hanley has led throughout the evening attendees of the gathering held by the Conservatives aren't counting their man out As the results from the 55th poll came in, Ted Laking who pivoted from federal to territorial politics under the Yukon Party banner ahead of the federal election campaign Laking said there’s still lots of night left with just over half of the Yukon’s polls reporting.“Without knowing where it’s possible that we could see some significant shifts,” Laking said Yukon Liberal Association chair Mike Pemberton reports to the crowd at the Liberal gathering that Brendan Hanley took all five of the Yukon's advanced polls With 55 polls reporting Hanley has 4,155 votes to Ryan Leef's 3,193 The gathering held by the Liberal Party is packed Their candidate is up by just under 1,000 votes but attendees are glued to the T.V There was a pop of applause when Yukon Liberal Association chair Mike Pemberton announced that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was down by about 1500 votes in his own riding.  "This man could be gone by the end of the night so keep your fingers crossed," Pemberton said.  Brendan Hanley is up 927 votes over his nearest competition with 3,107 votes over Ryan Leef's 2,180 Katherine McCallum has 419 votes and Gabrielle Dupont has 130 The Liberals are up 13 seats over the Conservatives nationwide.  At the Liberal gathering a hush fell over those assembled as CBC TV announced the Liberals and Conservatives are nearing a tie nationwide Elections Canada presently has the Liberals leading in 154 electoral districts and the Conservatives in 151.  Brendan Hanley is still holding a lead in the Yukon Katherine McCallum of the NDP has picked up 214 votes while Gabrielle Dupont of the Greens has 67.  With just 22 of the Yukon's 105 polls reporting Leef said he is feeling “great” after running a “really good” campaign alongside his fellow three candidates from the other parties Leef said the outcome so far at the national level isn’t what his campaign had hoped for at this point but he’s confident there will be strong Conservative representation in Ottawa and we put up a hard fight throughout the campaign,” he said McCallum is at the NDP gathering greeting supporters and that people trusted me with the stories which was unexpected and delightful and sometimes sad and tragic and I feel I feel really privileged that people felt that they could share those with me on the doorsteps,"  McCallum said of her campaign.  they're followed by the Conservatives with 93 The Liberals will need 172 seats to form a majority government.  With 1,658 votes after 21 polls had reported their counts Brendan Hanley is sitting on 54.2 per cent of ballots counted This represents a lead of 521 votes over Ryan Leef whose name has been counted 1,137 times so far This is from the Elections Canada site that seems to have resolved the technical issues experienced earlier in the evening.  Govindaraj Murugaiyan  said he voted for Hanley because he was impressed with the work he has done He noted the number of federal government ministers who have visited the Yukon on the incumbent Liberal MP's watch Among the roughly 18 people at the NDP gathering are Yukon NDP MLA Lane Tredger and Whitehorse city councillor Jenny Hamilton.  Liberal Association Chair Mike Pemberton announced Liberal candidate Brendan Hanley leads with 48 per cent of counted votes drawing cheers from the crowd.  The vote count published by Global News has Hanley up by 409 votes with 12 of 105 Yukon polls reporting Elections Canada's results page and the one hosted by CBC are still down.  is calling the nationwide election picture an incredible turnaround for his party He spoke favourably of Justin Trudeau's leadership but acknowledged the "shelf life" that all politicians are subject to He says it was good news that Mark Carney's decision to step up into leadership.   clearly the choice for the liberal leader and for the Prime Minister of Canada and his his ability to in economics he is definitely the right person at the right time to make the changes in the country that we need," Pemberton said.  Former Kwanlin Dün First Nation Chief Doris Bill who calls herself a longtime Liberal Party supporter is among those on hand at Hanley's gathering She says her continuing support is driven by a variety of issues including health care and defence but that First Nations issues are at the top of her agenda.  “We’ve made progress I think on the First Nations front and I didn’t want to see that progress go away.” She noted that the last time a Conservative government came into power in Canada they cut Indigenous programs and those cuts stayed in place for the duration of their term.  Bill expressed cautious optimism that the Yukon will remain a Liberal riding when all the votes are tallied based on conversations she has had and the national trend.  among those at Ryan Leef's gathering said he has voted Liberal since he was 18 he marked his ballot beside Leef’s name in a last-minute decision at the poll His decision was made after a decade of observing that “things have not been getting any better.” “I’ve been very on the fence through this entire election It was kind of a tough one for me,” Peters said.“I think even if Carney wins he’s going to be a better prime minister than Trudeau but I think Poilievre would be the best man,” Peters said.  The News is attempting to obtain poll results for the Yukon but Elections Canada's webpage seems to be encountering technical errors.  Black Press Media is projecting a win for Mark Carney and the Liberals. It's not clear yet if it will be a Liberal majority or minority government but the Liberals currently sit at 133 seats The crowd at the Conservative gathering in Whitehorse has grown to about three dozen People are starting to file into the Liberal gathering.  Supporters of Conservative candidate Ryan Leef are starting to trickle into Ricky’s All Day Grill and Lounge Blue balloons are hanging and blue Leef signs are posted around the room Among those on hand are Patrick Rouble who ran against Leef for the Conservative nomination and Yukon Party MLAs Wade Istchenko and Patti McLeod At the NDP gathering held at Joe's Woodfired Pizza in Whitehorse there are about eight campaign staffers and volunteers present.  The Liberal gathering at Tony's Pasta and Seafood House is also quite quiet with about half a dozen people watching results come through on T.V the Yukon News will be providing live updates on this page and sending our reporters to speak with candidates and their supporters There were four names on the ballots Yukoners marked today and in early polling: Gabrielle Dupont of the Green Party Conservative Party candidate Ryan Leef and Katherine McCallum representing the NDP.   A forensic audit of the city of Yukon has uncovered widespread leadership failures Yukon Mayor Brian Pillmore discusses the audit findings and the city’s plan to restore accountability and trust Q: Why did the Yukon City Council decide to move forward with a forensic audit A: The decision was based on three concerns: ordinances not being properly recorded an overspent budget where spending exceeded authorized limits and $30 million of the city’s $54 million in bank accounts earning only 0.15% interest A: The Yukon City Council officially authorized the forensic review on September 4 Q: How did Mayor Pillmore react to the audit findings A: "It was extremely disappointing," Pillmore said "It's definitely some of the worst compliance and governance breakdowns I've ever seen certainly the worst leadership I've seen from the top really spanning 30 years It wasn't just one person; it was a culture that was pervasive in the city from a leadership standpoint." Q: What raised concerns about the city’s financial practices A: Mayor Pillmore said that after spending 500 hours asking questions about city administration he was denied access to bank account balances because the treasurer had abruptly quit two months earlier "I was told I couldn't have the bank account balances because the treasurer had quit abruptly two months earlier That told me that something's really broken," he said Q: What were some of the most shocking findings in the audit A: "Most shocking to me is on city time and in city facilities there was a leader of the city sexually harassing and having sexual encounters with an employee Q: How did Mayor Pillmore address the argument that the relationship was between consenting adults it's inappropriate regardless of the nature.. Q: What other misconduct did the audit reveal A: The audit found that a former city leader was sending pornography through the city’s email system and that $180,000 was improperly diverted to a nonprofit organization where the former city manager served as treasurer Q: Were there issues with the city’s budgeting process a budget amendment for $780,000 was approved by the council but what was entered and acted upon was twice that amount Q: How did Mayor Pillmore describe the overall leadership culture A: "Whether it's inappropriate sexual relationships sending pornography through the city's email system those items rise to a level of materiality that tells you this was a broken leadership culture," Pillmore said A: "There was something that was broken at the highest level This was not pervasive through all 250 employees 'Mind your own business.' That's a broken leadership culture," Pillmore said Q: How did the city handle employee concerns in the past A: The city previously shut down its ethics hotline turns out those rumors weren't just rumors," Pillmore said Q: What steps is the city taking to correct these issues We developed a 14-section resolution that lays out 150-plus points of action and we've authorized and directed the city manager to make changes," Pillmore said Q: Who is leading the city's reform efforts and former administrator in five municipalities has been appointed as the new city manager or steal or tolerate anyone who does,'" Pillmore said Q: What immediate changes are being implemented A: The city will soon reinstate the employee hotline and hire a new financial director Q: Has law enforcement been notified about the audit findings A: "We as the Yukon City Council are not a law enforcement organization I will say that the necessary and appropriate state and federal officials are well aware of this report's findings and they will have to review and assess on their own," Pillmore said A: \"It was extremely disappointing,\" Pillmore said \"It's definitely some of the worst compliance and governance breakdowns I've ever seen It wasn't just one person; it was a culture that was pervasive in the city from a leadership standpoint.\" \"I was told I couldn't have the bank account balances because the treasurer had quit abruptly two months earlier That told me that something's really broken,\" he said A: \"Most shocking to me is on city time and in city facilities there was a leader of the city sexually harassing and having sexual encounters with an employee A: \"Whether it's inappropriate sexual relationships those items rise to a level of materiality that tells you this was a broken leadership culture,\" Pillmore said A: \"There was something that was broken at the highest level 'Mind your own business.' That's a broken leadership culture,\" Pillmore said dismissing it as the \"tattle line.\" \"Oh turns out those rumors weren't just rumors,\" Pillmore said and we've authorized and directed the city manager to make changes,\" Pillmore said or steal or tolerate anyone who does,'\" Pillmore said A: \"We as the Yukon City Council are not a law enforcement organization and they will have to review and assess on their own,\" Pillmore said A blog of the Polar Institute On December 13th, the US Department of Defense and Canadian government combined to award a total of up to $25M US in grant funding to Fireweed Metals to advance the Mactung tungsten project toward a final investment decision and enable Fireweed to build some necessary project infrastructure By funding specific requirements of the mine – permitting work and infrastructure – that are among the most important for Arctic critical minerals projects and the least financeable by private capital the US and Canada’s support for Mactung can be seen as a model for how to best advance critical minerals production in the Arctic.  Mactung one of the world’s largest tungsten deposits sits east of the Continental Divide on the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories It is remote even by the standards of the Canadian Arctic; the closest human settlement the 355-person First Nation community of Ross River one on either side of the provincial boundary The deposit (known as Mactung) was first discovered in 1962 near the MacMillian Pass despite its world-class size and high grade That may change in the coming years.  calling the metal “a critical input for military-grade steel production The Mactung grant can arguably be seen as a blueprint for US polar leadership with respect to critical minerals as well as highlighting the priorities of US leadership in the Arctic Mactung is far from the only current or potential source of ex-China tungsten nor is it likely to be one of the first new ones developed the joint grant is not necessarily a difference-maker for the project has been steadily advancing Mactung with private market funding for several years what is interesting about Mactung is that DOD is willing to support a non-US-based Arctic mining project at this crucial pre-construction stage in its development.  companies often lament an “orphan period” after the excitement of discovery of a new resource has faded and the long work of economic studies A disproportionate number of Arctic mining projects languish indefinitely in the orphan period held by small junior companies with little hope of building the mines on their own The deposit was discovered sixty-two years ago and is arguably the best undeveloped tungsten project on earth today – yet its location has ensured that it has remained unmined The last project owner before Fireweed went bankrupt in 2014 The Mactung funding grants are important because they address some of Fireweed’s actual biggest current needs – funding in this pre-construction phase of advancing economic and engineering studies and permitting. On the Canadian government side the funding will also specifically target crucial infrastructure “improvements of approximately 250 kilometers of road upgrades to an existing transmission line between Faro and Ross River and the construction of a new transmission line from Ross River” to the project site This approach to funding Mactung is distinct from many previous government efforts to help Arctic projects advance. The US EXIM Bank, for instance, issued a Letter of Interest for a loan for the construction of the Citronen Fjord zinc project in northeast Greenland relatively early in its diligence process but then conducted further diligence over multiple years without actually providing any project funding EXIM ultimately withdrew its LOI for Citronen Fjord at the project owner’s request largely because of unfavorable movements in both interest rates and zinc prices.) The EXIM approach of only offering funding at the time of a construction decision does not work well for many Arctic projects because it neglects to fund projects during their long pre-construction orphan period when companies are most likely to fail EXIM and the government of Greenland also assumed in the case of Citronen Fjord that the company would bear 100% of the costs of constructing a port and other transport infrastructure something that most would-be Arctic miners would struggle with as well as an investigation of “broader issues surrounding mineral management in the territory.” Bi-national support for the mine will mean little if the First Nations groups that host it are not active and supportive participants and stakeholders.  DOD’s grant decision for Mactung has the hallmarks of a successful US approach with respect to financing critical minerals projects in the Arctic It has “crowded in” additional host government investment; it is supporting a project that is undeniably relevant to US national security interests; it is made at the lifecycle stage at which the mining company is most in need of non-dilutive funding to continue advancing the project and where every dollar counts most (and thus the grant can be small in terms of absolute dollars) the Canadian grant recognizes the two paramount realities of Arctic economic activity One is that even world-class projects may be uncompetitive without initial direct government support for project infrastructure The second is that buy-in from Indigenous Arctic communities as the subsequent infrastructure funding plan calls for This latter principle in particular will be tested in the coming years; Fireweed will have to conduct detailed environmental and other studies to mitigate any concerns that the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and other First Nations groups have The joint grants are an important step to help advance these The Yukon government’s Education department has disclosed how much it spent on Yukon Catholic schools in 2023-24: a total of $16.9 million across three schools.  The department also provided the actual spending on three similar sized non-Catholic schools to show how public schools across the territory are funded in line with long-established practices.”  The cost per student ranges from $16,377 at Christ the King Elementary School to $21,911 at Holy Family Elementary School Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School had 409 students at a cost of $17,111 per student.  Two chaplains provided by the Catholic Diocese to “support religious education and offer spiritual guidance” are fully paid for by the Catholic Diocese Education Minister Jeanie McLean had indicated she was happy to share this information with the News but didn’t have it handy back in late March The data was released to the News in late April by the department ahead of a mid-May deadline to release the information under access-to-information Publicly funding Catholic schools has been a key item for debate at the legislature this spring since Yukon NDP Leader Kate White took a stance: defund Yukon Catholic schools The Education department’s total estimated budget is $282 million for all schools and education-related spending in 2024-25.  Public school spending is determined using a formula-driven approach department spokesperson Michael Edwards said by email The actual costs vary based on factors outside enrolment: the size of the school and the grades it teaches since different funding levels exist for different grades, utility costs and vacancies in non-instructional positions With funding allocated by school authority the Yukon government’s budget doesn’t break down spending by individual school or by Catholic versus non-Catholic schools Catholic schools fall under Yukon Education as opposed to the First Nation School Board or the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon Enter your email to connect to 30 more days worth of stories by journalists living & working in Yukon Thank you for supporting local journalism The city of Yukon has indicated support for the development of an amphitheater that was rejected by Oklahoma City's government last year the outdoor amphitheater and entertainment district would be near the intersection of Interstate 40 and Frisco Road on the west side of Yukon This location would be about 5.5 miles northwest of the previous attempt At a meeting of the Yukon City Council last week the council voted to authorize negotiations that could lead to the city selling 20 acres to Venu Holding Corp Venu has developed similar properties in other states and has begun construction on a Sunset Amphitheater in Broken Arrow the amphitheater will house 12,500 seats and host dozens of shows each year A major selling point for investors is the inclusion of private luxury "fire pit" suites The amphitheater would also include general admission seating for thousands of people it will anchor the development of Yukon's entertainment district squeezed between I-40 and State Highway 66 offer entertainment and cultural opportunities that will enhance the quality of life for our residents and visitors," Yukon Mayor Brian Pillmore said during a March 4 city council meeting "Our goal is to build a district that is self-sustaining and capable of generating long-term economic benefits while providing families in our community and beyond with exceptional local entertainment options." Yukon previously annexed the land from Oklahoma City OKC will receive half the sales tax revenue generated there for 15 years Venu, previously known as Notes Live, originally had plans to build a Sunset Amphitheater near the intersection of SW 15 and Sara Road and adjacent to the recently completed John Kilpatrick Turnpike extension in Mustang As a part of the Mustang Creek Crossing development the $100 million project would have sat on 51 acres of land near homes and schools More: Developers pitched billion-dollar dreams for Oklahoma, but so far haven't followed through. Why? organized a successful campaign to fight against the project in front of a packed crowd of residents wearing pins and shirts showing their opposition the Oklahoma City Council overwhelmingly rejected the company's rezoning request lining up investors and searching for a new location Yukon City Councilor Adam Shriver said he thought the Mustang Creek Crossing location was a "bad area" for this kind of development but lauded the new plans last week "I think our Frisco and I-40 interchange offers a much better location for this venue I think it’s going to be very fortunate and a blessing to our city," Shriver said "I think it’s going to bring economical growth that we’ve been looking and long-yearning for for a very long time."