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What's new

OlenHub keeps getting better. Here's what's changed lately.

The water notice now shows it is still in force

September 2026
  • The Kaktovik water notice says “in effect now” with a live marker, so you can tell at a glance that the order still stands — Same guidance from the Borough — shorter, and easier to read at arm’s length.
  • Where to pick up free water is now a button instead of the last line of a paragraph.
  • On the home screen the water notice is one short line, so the newest posts start closer to the top.

Services gets to the point faster

September 2026
  • The Services page no longer asks who you are helping first — you go straight to what you need — Programs for children, elders and veterans are all still there, under the need they belong to.
  • That takes a screenful off the top of the page.

Nome: you can see who is behind each listing

September 2026
  • Nome's calendar and feed now show each organization's own logo — the school district, Norton Sound Health, Kawerak, the City, KNOM, PAWS and the rest — Before, most Nome listings showed a plain icon, and a few showed Facebook's blank grey head.
  • Where we could not confirm an organization's logo, the listing stays plain rather than borrowing someone else's.

One line for one story

September 2026
  • When several notices are about the same thing, the top of the home screen now shows one line for the whole story instead of stacking them — Tap it to see what is being done, and how many updates it stands for.
  • The posts themselves stay in the Feed, gathered under one story so you can still read every one.
  • That makes the home screen shorter again — the newest posts start closer to the top.

Kaktovik water: what’s being done, in one place

September 2026
  • A Kaktovik water page shows the work to bring back safe water step by step, and what the Borough and its partners are doing now — Put together from the North Slope Borough Joint Information Center’s public notices and the September 11 town hall.
  • Ask it a question — it answers only from those notices and the town hall, and shows where each answer comes from.
  • You’ll find it under the radio on the home screen. The Feed shows the newest water notice once; the rest are one tap away.

A shorter home page, and Food & Deals

September 2026
  • Deals is now Food & Deals — today's menus, the dining hall, Senior Lunch and the free food box are all under Food — Tap a menu to see the flyer.
  • The home page is shorter, so the latest posts are closer to the top.
  • KBRW and its announcements are one card now; games show only what we know for sure.

Fixes and polish

September 2026
  • Small fixes behind the scenes.

Ask suggests questions about the post you’re looking at

September 2026
  • Tap Ask on a post and the suggestions are now about that post — “When is the meeting?”, “Which streets are closed?”, “What’s the email to excuse my child?” — Tap one and the answer from the post shows right away.

Post once — we keep it updated

September 2026
  • New under the Add button: Sync my page — Send us your Facebook page, website or calendar link one time, and your future events and posts show up here on their own. Free.
  • Also under Add: update an event when the time or place changes, list your business for free, or post a deal.
  • Phone buttons on urgent notices are smaller, so the notice itself is easier to read.

The day's big things come first

September 2026
  • Each day on the Calendar now opens with up to three things not to miss — a public meeting, a game, a community event — Each one says why it is up top. Everything else stays in time order.

Ask shows up where it can really help

September 2026
  • The Ask button now appears only on posts Ask Olen can actually help with — notices, jobs, deadlines, closures — not on photo recaps or one-line posts
  • When a post comes from an organization whose programs we’ve checked, Ask suggests “What else do they offer?” and shows their programs.

List your business, and a simpler Calendar

September 2026
  • The + button now has three choices: add an event, list your business, or post a deal — Listing a business? You can mark it as Native-owned.
  • The top of the Calendar is shorter, so today's events are closer to the top.

A calmer Feed, and Ask without leaving it

September 2026
  • Ask now opens over the Feed — ask about a post, read the answer with the post’s own words, close it and you are right where you were
  • Call, Ask and Share sit in one row at the bottom of each post. If a post has two phone numbers, Call lets you pick.
  • Posts that belong to a running story say it once: one bar on the newest post, a small “Part of…” line on the others.
  • Tapping a topic (Jobs, Health…) starts at the top of that topic, with its local programs first. Tap All to go back to where you were.

Add an event from anywhere

September 2026
  • A + button now floats at the bottom right of the Feed, Calendar and Deals — Tap it to add an event or list your business — no need to scroll back to the top.
  • This week's big events are now three short rows at the top of the Calendar — tap one to open its flyer.

Ask about any post

September 2026
  • Every post in the Feed now has an Ask button — tap it and Ask Olen answers about that post, with the post’s own words shown right under the answer — Try it on a notice: “Which streets are closed?” or “Who do I call about this?”
  • For some organizations you can send your question on to them if the answer wasn’t what you needed. The OlenHub team passes it along.

A calendar that's easier to look through

September 2026
  • Events with a flyer now show it big, all the same size — tap to see the whole flyer — Events without a flyer are short rows, so you can see more of the day at once.
  • Clinic visits, classes and church services on the same day are listed together — tap "Show all" to see every one.

Follow a running story without leaving the Feed

September 2026
  • Posts about the Kaktovik water notice now show “more updates on this” — tap it to see every post about it, newest first — Tap any one and the Feed jumps to that post.

Local programs show up where you are already looking

September 2026
  • Tap a topic above the Feed — Housing, Jobs, Health… — and the local programs for it appear right above the posts — Each one says how to reach it: call, a form to print, or fill it out on your phone.
  • Partway down the Feed, “Looking for help with something?” takes you straight to a topic.
  • An organization’s page now groups its programs by what they help with, and the back arrow brings you back to that page.

A dot shows which topics have new posts

September 2026
  • The topic buttons above the Feed (Jobs, Safety, Health…) now wear a small red dot when something new was posted since your last visit — Tap the topic and the dot goes away.

A page for every organization, and a calmer feed

September 2026
  • Tap an organization's name on a post to see everything it has coming up, its notices, and its programs in one place.
  • When one page posts several times in a row, the extra posts tuck into one row you can open, so other voices stay on screen.
  • Nothing is removed, and closures, cancellations and close deadlines always show.

Nome's weekly grocery deals are here

September 2026
  • Nome Deals now shows the current Alaska Commercial flyer and local public offers — The flyer is tied to Nome's own store; personal buy-and-sell groups are not copied into OlenHub.

School dates read like the school's own calendar

September 2026
  • School Calendar now lists dates in a compact table — the date on the left, what's happening on the right — Tap any row to open the flyer, save it or add it to your phone's calendar.
  • When a school's calendar lists the same date two different ways, you see both on one line with a note to confirm with the school.

Nome forms are in one place

September 2026
  • Nome now has a Forms tab with official applications, permits, registrations and requests — Search 158 actions from the City, Kawerak, NEC, local health, housing, schools and Native corporations.

Clearer answers as you keep asking

September 2026
  • Ask follow-up questions about a tournament or program without repeating its name.
  • Registration details stay tied to the right event, and missing daily game times are clearly marked.
  • Recent updates, past-season forms, and uncertain service schedules are easier to tell apart.

Better answers when you follow up

September 2026
  • Ask about tournament registration, age groups, fees and contacts without repeating the whole question.
  • Organizer updates show their source dates, and missing daily game times are clearly marked.
  • Older application forms now show their year so you can distinguish them from a new season.

Find your next game

September 2026
  • Upcoming games and tournaments now appear on your Feed.
  • Use Games & tournaments in Calendar to see home and away fixtures.
  • Ask Olen understands more ways to ask about tournaments and follow up about an event.

Community posts are easier to act on

September 2026
  • A post can now give you a direct Register, Apply, Call, Email, or Join online button — The original announcement stays in Feed, with program details shown separately when there is a verified match.

Videos stop when you scroll away

September 2026
  • A video you started now pauses when most of it leaves the screen — Scrolling back does not restart it; press play when you want to continue.

An important app update is harder to miss

September 2026
  • If your installed app has old offline safety information, OlenHub now explains what needs updating and takes you straight to the store — Choosing Not now keeps the reminder for tomorrow instead of hiding that update forever.

Meetings that run two days say so

September 2026
  • A meeting that runs two days now shows on both days, with the time it starts — The Fish & Game committee sits 9:30 AM Thursday and again Friday.
  • A group of listings no longer names one village when they are in different places

"This week" on the Calendar really means this week

September 2026
  • The three events at the top of the Calendar now lead with what is happening before Sunday — Saturday's Talk to the Tundra and the Free Family Bingo Night in Wainwright were being pushed out by next week's bigger events.
  • When nothing is left this week, the row still shows you what is coming next

The Summit leads Services, with its real poster

September 2026
  • The ICAS Tribal Summit is now the first thing in Services, and shows its real flyer — You have to register weeks ahead because the organisers book the travel, so it no longer waits behind dates that fall sooner.
  • Tapping it opens the full flyer and the details first, with Register as the next step — You can see what it is before anyone asks you for your name and date of birth.
  • Links on an event now say what they do — "Register", "Apply" — instead of showing a web address

Ways to put your name forward

September 2026
  • Open council and committee seats now show up with their filing deadline — School advisory council seats in Barrow, Nuiqsut and Point Hope close September 29.
  • The NPR-A comment period is listed with how to comment and when it closes
  • Sign-up forms schools and the Borough already run open straight from Have Your Say

Applying just got easier

September 2026
  • What you can apply for is now at the top of the Services tab
  • Little Dribblers and Clean Up Crew take about two minutes, right on your phone — No printing, no drop-off.
  • The Third Annual ICAS Tribal Summit's registration opens from there too

Every card says where it is

September 2026
  • Your home screen shows the whole Arctic Slope again — and every card now names the community it's in — Choosing a village used to hide everything else. Now nothing is hidden, and nothing from another village can look like it's next door.
  • The pin at the top says your community, not just "Arctic Slope"
  • An event a Slope organisation holds off the Slope now says so — "Held in Anchorage" — wherever you see it — On the calendar, in the weekly text, in a reminder, and in the entry you add to your own calendar.

Local food stays on screen

September 2026
  • Local food no longer folds itself away once you've seen it — the places are always there — The elders' lunch, the dining hall and the food box don't change, and that's the point of them.
  • Food cards no longer show scanner text like "[page 1]" in front of the description

Videos play right here

September 2026
  • A post that is a video now plays inside OlenHub — no more jumping out to Facebook
  • A clinic flyer for your village is the one on your village's listing — Two villages on one poster used to swap places.
  • The City of Utqiaġvik logo is back on the calendar header
  • Services now leads with what's open now and due soon, right under Ask Olen — So a closing deadline doesn't get missed further down the page.

Dates that keep up with the day

September 2026
  • A clinic or class that runs for weeks now reminds you on its LAST day, not only when it starts — So a visit that ends Friday still shows up under Friday.
  • A multi-day visit shows the days it covers instead of just "All day"
  • A notice about "tomorrow" stops saying Today once that day has gone by — Safety alerts about something still happening stay up as long as they matter.

You can see there's more to swipe

September 2026
  • A group of listings now shows the next one peeking in from the edge — So it's obvious there's more to slide through — no more guessing whether a card is the only one.
  • Tap a flyer to see it full screen and keep swiping through the rest of the group
  • A listing without a flyer now opens too when you tap it, with a link to its full details — No more tapping and nothing happening.

Your school's next seven days

September 2026
  • Choose a local school to see its published dates, activities and games for the next seven days.
  • From the weekly text, reply 0 for School Calendar, then choose a school by letter or name.

Same-height cards, and two more kinds of group

September 2026
  • Every card in a group is now the same height, so the Previous and Next buttons stay in the same place — No more surprise — a short listing and a big flyer line up the same way, and the buttons never disappear off the bottom of the screen.
  • A listing without a flyer gets a clean text poster so every card in a group is the same size — Instead of empty space, you get the organization's logo, the name of the event and the village — same look, just no picture.
  • Public meetings and Sports & competitions now group together too — Same idea as clinics and classes — when there are two or more, they share one spot you can swipe or tap through.
  • A "Program Visit" is no longer filed under classes — Those are outreach visits, not something you can sign up and attend, so they show up as their own regular listing again.

School dates from the Text Line

September 2026
  • Reply 0 for this week's school dates — Utqiagvik's weekly text has a Schools entrance. Ask about a school by name, or open the calendar for more dates.
  • Get the details behind a weekly event — Reply with its number to see the listed host, location and available phone numbers. A confirmed start time also lets you set a one-hour reminder.

A day full of clinic visits reads in one place

September 2026
  • Clinic visits, classes and church services stack into one row — When a day has three or more of the same kind, they share one spot instead of filling the screen one after another. Swipe or tap Next to look through them, or View all to jump straight to the village you want.
  • Nothing is hidden and nothing changes — Every listing keeps its own flyer at full size, its own village, its own phone number and its own Save button.

School activities have their own place

September 2026
  • Find school sports and school activities in Schools — Local home games and public activities also appear in Community. Away fixtures and school business stay in Schools.
  • Text us about a school game and you'll get the away games too, not just the ones at home.
  • Ask what time something is and the answer comes from today's calendar.

A school race shows up whatever the school called it

September 2026
  • One race, not half a race — When the schools posted the same cross country regionals, the one that said "Race" quietly dropped off the Community calendar while the one that said "Meet" stayed. The wording no longer decides whether you see it.

See what is on today, tomorrow, or this weekend

September 2026
  • Today, Tomorrow and This weekend sit at the top of the Calendar — Tap one to see just what is on then, and tap Upcoming to come back to the whole list.
  • The Calendar always shows the whole Slope now — It no longer narrows to a single village, so a quiet week in one village never looks like an empty app. Every event still shows which village it is in.

A district no-school day says so once

September 2026
  • When the whole district is closed, the Calendar says "All NSBSD schools" once — It used to name whichever school posted it, and could repeat for each village. A single school's own closure still names that school.

Share news from the Feed

September 2026
  • Share news opens a form made for news — Tap + Share news on the Feed to send a notice, a closure, a lost dog or a thank-you. A photo is enough. We check it before it goes up.
  • Suggest a service or a fix — At the bottom of Services, tell us about a program we are missing or something that needs fixing.

School days on the Community Calendar

September 2026
  • No school and early release show as one row at the top of the day — Tap it to see the details in Schools. Games, meets, concerts and homecoming still show as events.
  • School business moved to Schools — Testing, practices, parent meetings and staff days are only on the Schools page now, where parents look for them.

This week on the Slope

September 2026
  • The week's biggest events sit at the top of the Calendar — Up to three public events with a flyer, hosted by a public or regional organization or by several groups together. Nobody can pay to be here. Tap one to open it.

New means new to you

September 2026
  • A blue New dot marks events added since you last opened the Calendar — It only shows on events your phone has not seen yet, and it is gone the next time you open the Calendar after scrolling past them. The yellow Just added label is gone.
  • Each day stays in time order — An event announced at the last minute now sits at its start time instead of jumping to the top of the day.

Posts you have seen stay full size

September 2026
  • The Feed no longer shrinks posts you have already seen — New posts still come first, with a line that says what is new since your last visit. Everything below the line keeps its picture and details, so the Feed never turns into a list of titles.

See the village on every event

September 2026
  • Each event shows its village in the top corner — On the whole-Slope calendar the village sits in the same spot on every card, so you can tell where an event is while you scroll. Pick a village and the label steps aside, because every event on the page is from there.

Choosing your region is simpler

September 2026
  • The region list says what each place has — Tap the region name at the top of the screen. Bethel and Ketchikan now say Feed and calendar, without the colored labels.
  • Partner with us opens a short form in the app — Want OlenHub for your organization or community? Leave your name and an email or phone number, and our team gets back to you.

List your deal

September 2026
  • A shop owner or neighbor can list a deal in one line — Tap List your deal on Deals, tell us the deal, what it costs and until when — add a photo or a link if you have one. We check it before it goes up.

Calendar stays put when you switch

September 2026
  • Community, Schools and Saved share one header — The Calendar title, the sponsors and the Community · Schools · Saved buttons stay in the same place when you switch. Only the list below changes.
  • Submit event sits next to the sponsors — Tap + Submit event from any of the three views to send us an event.

A calmer Schools page

September 2026
  • Today at your school is easier to read — Your school's name, whether there is school today, the next two dates to plan around, and lunch on one line. Tap the lunch line to see breakfast.
  • Phone numbers are one tap away — Tap Contact to see the office line, the address and the principal. While district phones are down, the temporary number the district posted is listed first.
  • The radio player sits on the tab bar — When KBRW is playing, the player and the tabs at the bottom of the screen are one bar, so less of the page is covered.

See your reminder when you save

September 2026
  • A bell appears next to Saved — In the OlenHub app, an event you save shows 🔔 1 hr before, so you know your phone will remind you. Tap the bell to turn that reminder off. The event stays saved.
  • Saved shows which reminders are on — Each event in your Saved list says 1 hr before or Reminder off.

KBRW on your lock screen

September 2026
  • Your lock screen shows KBRW while the radio plays — The station's logo and KBRW AM 680 appear on the lock screen and at the top of your iPhone, with a pause button. The skip buttons that did nothing on live radio are gone.

New since your last visit

September 2026
  • The Feed opens on what is new to you — Posts you have already looked at on this phone move below a line that says when you were last here, and shrink to one line. Nothing is hidden — tap one to open it again.
  • Today means today — A safety post stays at the top of the Feed for a day, then moves down with the rest. Standing notices — closures, water, weather, outages — stay in Heads up until they are lifted.
  • One line when two schools say the same thing — When schools in the same district post about the same day off, Heads up shows one row and names them all — with the day, the district, and who posted it.

One Feed. Everything on it.

September 2026
  • Everything the Slope posted is on the first screen — No second page to open. Today, this week, then everything earlier — keep scrolling and you have seen it all.
  • Tap a topic to narrow it, tap All to come back — The Jobs · Safety · Health row stays at the top of the screen while you scroll.
  • Heads up is one short list again — Closures, weather and water notices in one place, three at a time. Application deadlines moved down to This week, where you can act on them.
  • Today at your school, on the home screen — Is there school, what is for lunch, and the next day off — one line, tap it for the full schools view.

No school? You'll see it first

September 2026
  • When a school posts that there's no school, it now shows on the Feed's Heads up — up to a week ahead, not just the day before
  • Today at your school says “No school” when the school itself said so, and opens the post it came from
  • Heads up is one calm list now — one line each, a coloured dot, and job deadlines moved down to This week where they belong
  • The topic row is one line again, with a “+N” for the rest

One row of topics, everywhere

September 2026
  • The Feed's topic row is now the same set of chips as All posts — including Government and Memorials when there's enough to show
  • Money now includes heating help

Schools opens on your child’s school

September 2026
  • Pick your child’s school once — or more than one — The first time you open Schools, a short list asks which school; we remember. Two kids in two schools is one tap each.
  • Today at your school — Is there school today, what’s for lunch, the next day off or conference — and the office number — in one block at the top.
  • Every school’s official year calendar — The district’s year-at-a-glance for all 11 NSBSD schools, one tap to open under Today.

Every school’s official year, lunch today, and the office number

September 2026
  • No-school days, breaks and inservice for all 11 NSBSD schools — Straight from the district’s official school-year calendars — for every village school, not just Barrow High.
  • Lunch today — The district lunch menu for today, right under the school chips.
  • Call the office — Pick a school and its official office number and address are one tap away — with the district’s temporary lines while the phones are down.
  • Bulletin folded into the Feed: tap All on the topic row — The Bulletin was the Feed with a different name. Everything it held — every notice, every village, newest first — is now one tap from the Feed itself.

Schools follow your village

September 2026
  • Your village’s schools, together — Open Schools and see every school in your village at once. Tap one to narrow, + Add for schools elsewhere.
  • Saved is a list now — One line per event with the flyer, the time and the place — tap to open, tap the bookmark to remove.

Save any event

September 2026
  • Save any event — Tap Save on any event and find it under Calendar → Saved. Private — no sign-up, nothing sent to the organizer.
  • Schools you follow — Pick your schools once; their dates show together, with the school and place on each card.
  • One Calendar, three views — Community · Schools · Saved sit at the top of Calendar. I'm going is retired.

Who do I call? Two taps to the right number

September 2026
  • Tap what’s going on and your village, and get the number to call first — plus who else can help and what happens when you call.

The Borough’s wellbeing resource guide, in your pocket

September 2026
  • Read the North Slope Borough’s Social & Emotional Wellbeing Resource Guide — who to call and what each program does, village by village.
  • Ask Olen now knows every number in the guide, plus what happens after you call for help and simple ways to calm down when things feel heavy.

Barrow High’s official calendars, close at hand

September 2026
  • In Schools, choose Barrow High to view the school’s official schedule, month and school-year calendar.
  • The official view opens while community flyers and announcements load below.

School dates, together

September 2026
  • Find Schools inside your community Calendar in the Arctic Slope, Bethel and Ketchikan.
  • Choose a school to see its dates and recent announcements, open the original flyers, and share the page with your family.

A simpler regional layout

September 2026
  • Bethel and Ketchikan now put community content first, with the same calendar header as Arctic Slope.
  • Ask Olen entrances are temporarily hidden in these two regions. Find the regional overview in More.

From an announcement to program help

September 2026
  • Selected program announcements now link to their Services guide, with a way back to the original Feed card.
  • Keep reading the full flyer and sharing the original post while checking program details.

Clearer service forms and contacts

September 2026
  • Find utility connections under Heating & utilities, and police records under IDs & paperwork.
  • Separate DMV license and vehicle forms, clearer city permit instructions, and Medicaid application links.
  • Call the right hospital department or village office directly from its service guide.

Clearer routes to family and household help

September 2026
  • Find SNAP, WIC, childcare and heating forms alongside program instructions and contacts.
  • Shared applications appear once in Forms, with links to each related program. Provider applications and family assistance are now separate.

The right form for the right program

September 2026
  • Housing and school support now separate applications, renewals and reference guides.
  • Find program requirements from the forms library, with direct rental and tuition-waiver application links.

Find help by what you need

September 2026
  • Find food, housing, tuition and childcare support in their own service categories.
  • Browse related support for children, elders and veterans from Services.

One familiar layout for services

September 2026
  • Money and other service categories now share the same expandable cards and organization icons.
  • Money focuses on programs, with a link to Feed for community announcements.

A clearer path to financial help

September 2026
  • Find Money now puts programs before announcements, with expandable ways to get help.
  • Heating has its own Services page with the program contact and official resources.

Find the service before the form

September 2026
  • Food, housing, children, IDs and elder services now group help and paperwork by service.
  • Open a service to find its official pages, documents and available phone contacts.

A clearer Feed and Services

September 2026
  • Browse more posts as full-size flyers, and filter messages with Topics in Feed.
  • Find help first in Services, with Ask Olen and all forms close at hand.
  • The radio player sits together with the bottom navigation.

"See all" at the bottom of the feed actually opens now

September 2026
  • "Around the Slope · See all" opens the whole list — At the foot of Home, the last row gathers everything that didn't fit a topic. Tapping "See all" — or the "+83 more" card at the end of the row — used to do nothing at all. Now it opens every one of them, and the number you tapped is the number you get.
  • A way back from any list — Every topic list now has a back arrow next to its heading, so you can return to the feed you were reading instead of hunting for the tabs.
  • The husky sits still — Olen no longer hops when you scroll. He's still in the corner whenever you want to ask him something.

Listen to KBRW without leaving the app

September 2026
  • KBRW AM 680 is now on Home, right under the topic buttons — One tap starts Top of the World Radio. The station's own logo, the right dial — AM 680, the way the station asked for it.
  • It keeps playing while you read — A small player sits above the tabs so you can move between Home, the calendar and services without the radio stopping. Tap the ✕ on it when you're done.
  • The station's own page is still one tap away — kbrw.org — schedule, news and weather — has its own row in the menu.

Every notice shows who said it

September 2026
  • Notices from an organization's own website now carry its seal — The City of Utqiaġvik's public notices wear the City seal, the same way Borough notices wear the Borough's. Before, only announcements posted on Facebook had a face.
  • State politics stays out of the Slope bulletin — Statewide election and Anchorage-area stories were arriving through the radio station's news feed and showing up as community notices. They are gone unless the story is actually about the Slope.

Deadlines you can still make

September 2026
  • The date you have to act by is now at the top of Home — "Apply by Sept 29" sits in the same amber group as a water notice or a school closure — one place for everything you should not miss.
  • It stays up until the deadline, not for a week — Before, a notice faded a few days after it was posted, even when you still had three weeks to apply. Now it waits with you and leaves the day after the deadline passes. Something months away stays in the bulletin until it is close.
  • Absentee voting made it in — The City of Utqiaġvik's absentee ballot deadline is the kind of window you cannot re-open. It shows up like a housing or heating deadline does.

How to vote absentee, and the right dial for KBRW

September 2026
  • The absentee voting notice now tells you what to do — It was on the app as a headline with nothing under it. It now carries the City's own flyer, the September 29 deadline, where to apply, and the Clerk's number for Elders who want to vote from home.
  • A voting deadline can hold the pinned spot — Deadlines about housing, school and heating could be pinned near the top. Elections could not. Now they can.
  • KBRW is AM 680 — We were showing the wrong dial. Corrected with the station, and their logo is on the row.

Jobs: the flyers, not a card about jobs

September 2026
  • Every posting on the Slope, as a wall — Ten openings this month, each with its flyer, its village, and the one thing the flyer itself gives you — Apply, Email, Call, or the post.
  • Filter to your village — Chips appear only where work was actually posted.
  • And the help getting there — Where the big employers post, and what to do if getting hired is the hard part — vocational rehab, college training, short-term awards.

Slope jobs first

September 2026
  • This week's postings lead — Asking who is hiring now opens with the jobs posted here this week, then the application page of every big local employer.
  • Statewide is shown as statewide — An Anchorage-based organisation no longer speaks first for the Slope. It still answers when it is the best we have.
  • Outages ride at the top — When an office, school or utility says its phones, power or internet are down, that goes to the top of the Feed like a water advisory.

Ask Olen opens on work and money

September 2026
  • Jobs first — “Right now on the Slope” now leads with who is hiring and what money was posted this week — the two things the most people come here for.
  • The front door stays neutral — Election and voter-campaign items are kept off the opening shelf. Ask about one and Olen still answers.

84 forms, one line from Services

September 2026
  • The forms library has a front door again — Applications, permits, registrations and sign-ups — each with the link, or the office to pick it up. One row under Open now; the need tiles keep the screen.

Where to apply, not “go look”

September 2026
  • Every local employer's application page — The Borough, the School District, ASNA, Iḷisaġvik, UIC, ASRC, the City, TNHA and the rest — each one a tap, from the list someone checked. Asking who is hiring used to answer “check with major local employers” and show none of them.
  • A month of postings, not a fortnight — Jobs stay open until filled, so the answer now looks back 30 days instead of 14.
  • Phone buttons came back — Numbers were reaching the answer and getting dropped on the way to your screen.

This weekend means Saturday and Sunday

September 2026
  • Ask about the weekend, get the weekend — Saturday Market, the Whalers game and Sunday services were being pushed out by Friday's events and a semester-long college class. Now the two days you asked about are the answer.
  • A number never appears under the wrong name — A page that posts about a clinic is not the clinic. If we know whose number it is, nobody else can be shown holding it.

Every number comes with a name

September 2026
  • One tap per contact, not per card — A village page names the tribal council and the school. Ask Olen now shows each number under the name it belongs to, instead of showing none because there was more than one.
  • Numbers that were on the page but not on the screen — Nearly a hundred more answers can now be dialled straight from the card.
  • Three wrong numbers fixed — A clinic was showing the city office's line, and a tribal council's card was titled with its own phone number.

Every topic, one flick away - and More you can actually browse

September 2026
  • The topic row scrolls sideways now, Jobs first — Every topic with posts is on the row - slide it, or tap the arrow. No more 'More' button hiding the rest.
  • More is shelves, not a pile — Past 'You're caught up', each topic gets its own row - Jobs, Education, Health, Money... - with See all.
  • Updates happen by themselves — A new version now installs when you open the app or switch tabs. No banner to tap.

When a notice is lifted, Heads up says so

September 2026
  • Lifted means lifted — When an office posts that a water notice or a weather warning is over, the Heads up row turns into a green 'Lifted' line that opens that post - and leaves the next day.
  • No stale orders — An advisory never outlives the post that ended it.

If you say you need help, you get a number

September 2026
  • "I need help" now answers with someone to call — Behavioral Health, Careline, 988 - a person, at the top, instead of a list of categories.
  • Follow-up questions keep the thread — Ask about the food bank, then "what are their hours?" - Olen knows who you mean now.
  • 988 shows its number — The crisis line card used to have no number on it.

Heads up, without the nagging

September 2026
  • One Heads up box, not two — A safety advisory and a weather notice now sit together in one box, the advisory first.
  • Seen it? It shrinks — After the first day a notice becomes one line - 'Still in effect' - until the office posts an update.
  • Tap ✕ to put one away — It stays away on your phone unless the post changes.
  • Notices leave on their own — A weather watch ends when the Weather Service says so; a water notice stays a week; a closure ends on its day.

Ask about the weekend, get the weekend

September 2026
  • "This weekend" now means Friday to Sunday — It used to answer with whatever was running that month - a sleep clinic, a driving course - while Saturday's market never showed up.
  • "Coming up" starts tomorrow — Not things that finished today.
  • The right program comes first — Ask an office about one thing and you get that thing, not everything else that office has posted.
  • A news page is never listed as the office — A card no longer tells you to call a Facebook page to get tribal assistance.

Ask what comes back every year

September 2026
  • "What comes back around this time?" — Olen answers from the programs it has watched across more than one year - the choir that starts every September, the classes that come round each fall.
  • It names the years, not a promise — Seen 3 seasons - 2024, 2025, 2026. If the years agree on a month it says so. It never tells you a date for this year that nobody posted.

Olen tells you what it has actually seen

September 2026
  • Real history instead of a disclaimer — A program now says "seen 2 seasons - 2025, 2026" or "3 posts about it, the newest Aug 27" - instead of the same not-sure line on every card.
  • And names the one thing it doesn't know — No closing date posted. Nothing new since February. Specific, or nothing at all.
  • Job listings and flower shows stopped showing up as programs — Four kinds of post that were slipping through are now filed where they belong.

Every button now does what it says

September 2026
  • No more copying a link back to us — When an office has no online form, Olen tells you where to go and who to call - instead of offering a link that led back into this chat.
  • Tap a program, it opens right there — It used to ask the question again and hand you the same list fifteen seconds later. Now it just opens.
  • The button says the real next step — Fill it on your phone, open the form, apply online, or where to go - whichever one the office actually offers.

Topics at the top of your feed

September 2026
  • Jobs, Money, Education and more - right under Heads up — Tap a topic and the feed becomes that topic. Tap All to come back. The row stays put while you scroll.

One thing to do, and the rest tucked away

September 2026
  • A program card now asks you to do one thing — The name, when it closes, who it's for, and the button. Everything else waits until you want it.
  • The posts behind an answer fold away — One line - Seen 3 times since Aug 7 - and it opens if you want to check us.
  • No more [page 1] — When a post's first line was scanner output, the card said so instead of showing it to you.

A calmer top of your feed

September 2026
  • Closures open in a quick list — Tap the closed-today card to see every office, grouped by village, with yours first.
  • Only a real safety advisory is orange now — Holiday closures are a plain card, so the colour means something again.
  • Topic filters stay put — Jobs, Money, Food and the rest stay at the top while you scroll through More. Tap More for every topic.

Answers you can read in one glance

September 2026
  • One fact per line — Who a program is for used to be a paragraph with four things crammed in it. Now it's four short lines, in the office's own words.
  • The name and the deadline come first — What it is, when it closes, who runs it - then everything else, quieter.
  • One next step, not five — A program used to end with five buttons in two different shapes. Now there are at most three, and they fit on one line.

Real deadlines, and no badge when we don't know

September 2026
  • Deadlines the flyer stated now show up — NVB's Homeowner Assistance Fund says the work must be done before September 30 - so the card says Closes Sep 30, and it's first in the list.
  • Nothing says Closed unless a date passed — A crisis line that nobody posted about lately is not closed. When we don't know, the card says nothing and shows you when we last saw it instead.
  • Ask an office and the nearest deadline comes first — The things you can actually apply for, soonest deadline at the top.

Ask about an office and get its programs, not its calendar

September 2026
  • Marathons and job postings stopped showing up as programs — Ask what an office has for people and you get the things you can actually use or apply for. Races, meetings and job openings live on the calendar and the jobs list where they belong.
  • Bethel and Ketchikan now answer from real records — Ask about a program in your town and Olen answers from what that organization has posted over the seasons - the food bank, the crisis line, the scholarship.

Olen remembers programs in every community, not just the Slope

September 2026
  • Bethel and Ketchikan get it too — Ask about a program in your own town and Olen answers from what that organization has posted across the seasons - the same cards, wherever you're pinned.
  • The initials work — Type the short name your community uses for an office and Olen knows which one you mean.

Ask about a program, start its form in the same tap

September 2026
  • The sign-up form opens straight from the answer — Ask when Little Dribblers opens and "Fill it on your phone" is right there - about two minutes, your details fill themselves, and it goes to City Recreation.
  • It's there between seasons too — That is when people ask. The card tells you what last season did and still lets you start the form.
  • No form of ours? We point at theirs — If the office publishes its own application, Olen opens that one instead of describing where to look.
  • "Who's hiring" shows the actual postings — The jobs posted on the Slope in the last two weeks, with the flyer, instead of a list of places to check.

Ask Olen remembers programs, not just this month's posts

September 2026
  • Ask about an office, see everything it runs — Ask what the Native Village of Barrow has and you get each program it has posted this year, one line each, with the nearest deadline first.
  • A program opens right in the conversation — What it is, who it's for, how to apply, the number to call, and the dated posts we read it from - each one opens the original.
  • "Can I apply?" - three questions from their own flyer — Answer three questions and Olen says whether you likely qualify. The office still decides, and the questions come off their own form, never from us.
  • "Not posted yet" is a real answer now — Ask about a scholarship that has not opened and Olen tells you how last year went - when it opened, when it closed - instead of saying it does not know.

One reply sets an event reminder

September 2026
  • Reply a number, get the reminder — The weekly text numbers each event. Reply the number and we'll text you an hour before it starts - that's the whole thing, no second step.
  • Reply it again to cancel — Changed your mind? Send the same number back and the reminder goes away. You stay on the weekly text either way.
  • Several at once — Reply "3 10" and you get a reminder for both, with the time and place in one message back.

Fewer notifications — one a week, and the reminders you asked for

September 2026
  • One notification a week — The Wednesday roundup, and nothing else. The automatic alerts about free food, deals, money deadlines and closures are gone — your phone stays quiet unless you asked for it.
  • Reminders still work — If you tapped I'm going or asked to be reminded about an event, you still get that — and never before 9am or after 9pm.
  • Notification settings are honest now — The page shows only what we really send, so nothing on it is a promise we can't keep.

Programs can see that their forms arrived

September 2026
  • One more morning email for the office — After a registration day, the office that received the forms gets the names it already has and one tap to say who came. Nothing changes for you — no sign-in, no extra step.
  • Your village on what you do — When a program reports how many people it reached, your pinned village is counted as a community, never as a name.

Services — every program, one place

September 2026
  • Services — Every local program in one place: what it is, who it's for, what you need, and the phone number you can tap. Food is in Browse now, and search asks Olen.
  • Apply from your phone — Forms that used to mean a trip to the office — filled in on your phone, and you keep a copy.
  • Headings that mean what they say — “Heads up” is the list of closures and changes, whatever day they land. “Today & tomorrow” is exactly that. Nothing on the home page counts you down any more.

Tell us when a program page is wrong

September 2026
  • A new line on every program page — “Something on this page not right? Tell us.” Program details come from the office's own packet, and packets go out of date. Now you can say so in one tap and we check it with them.

Less writing on the cards, more meaning

September 2026
  • A tag only when it tells you to do something — A deadline, a closure, a job opening. The word “photos” above a photograph told you nothing, so it is gone — along with a dozen others like it.
  • Nothing in the archive claims to be today — Older posts no longer carry words meant for this morning.

Which village, and which closures matter

September 2026
  • Every closure says which village — “City Operations closed” now tells you whether that is your City. The page is the same for the whole Slope, so the label is how you tell what is yours.
  • The yellow banner is for plans you have to change — School, the clinic, the utility, the plane, the Borough, the tribal government. An office closing still shows — a little further down, where it belongs.

One holiday, one card

September 2026
  • Labor Day arrives once, not five times — When several places close for the same holiday you see one card with all of them, instead of the same news repeated as separate posts.
  • Your village's notices, not everyone's — A school changing its bus times in one village no longer sits at the top of the page for the whole Slope. You still see it — it just isn't shouting.

Open now, in the order that matters

September 2026
  • The closest deadline comes first — Things with a date lead; anything you can do any time waits at the end instead of sitting in front of something closing on Friday.
  • Real logos instead of grey boxes — Each card now carries the program's own poster or the organization's mark.
  • How long it takes, before you start — A form we host says how many minutes it needs, right on the card.

Ask the Clean Up Crew from your phone

September 2026
  • Free junk removal, without the trip to the office — NVB's Clean Up Crew takes away old furniture, yard junk and broken appliances free for elders and tribal members. Fill in the request and sign it here — about two minutes.

A home page you can finish

September 2026
  • Today, this week, around town — in that order — The home page stopped being an endless scroll. What changed today comes first, then the week's jobs, sign-ups and deadlines, then what the community has been up to. When there's nothing urgent, there's no red banner pretending there is.
  • “You're caught up” — There's an end to it now. When you reach that line you have seen everything new — about a minute most days. Everything older is still there under More, twenty at a time.
  • Several places closing on the same day arrive as one card — Tap it and you see every organization and whether it's closed or just on different hours, instead of scrolling past the same announcement ten times.
  • Videos stopped taking the whole screen — A recap video used to fill your phone before you had read a single thing. It now sits in a normal-sized card like everything else.

More numbers you can tap

September 2026
  • 46 more places you can just call — Their numbers were always in the answer, written out in a sentence. Now they are buttons — the hospital's appointment desk, the churches, the utility, the airlines.

No paid spot at the top

September 2026
  • Nobody buys the top of your feed — Posts from the organizations that help fund OlenHub used to sit pinned above everything else. They don't anymore — every post is placed by what it is, so the first thing you see is the thing that matters today, not the thing someone paid for.
  • Who pays is still said out loud — The community calendar is free because ASCF and the City of Utqiaġvik pay for it, and their names stay on it. That's a thank-you, not a place in line.

Groundwork

September 2026
  • Nothing new to see yet — Behind the scenes, Ask Olen is learning to answer with real records instead of a paragraph — so a phone number in an answer can be one we checked. Not switched on yet.

What's happening today comes first — and your name is spelled your way

September 2026
  • Closings lead the feed — When offices, the clinic or school are closed or on different hours, that sits at the top instead of six scrolls down — and when several close on the same day, they arrive as one list, not ten posts in a row.
  • The Bulletin is sorted the same way — Feed and Bulletin used to disagree about which post mattered. They now use one order, so nothing important shows up in one place and hides in the other.
  • Names with ġ and ḷ work now — Signing up used to fail with an error if a name had a ġ or a ḷ in it — the letters in Utqiaġvik and Iḷisaġvik. It goes through, and the form prints the name the way it is actually spelled.

No number Olen can't check

September 2026
  • A number you can trust, or none at all — Every phone number in an answer is now checked against the record it came from. If Olen can't verify one, it says so and points you at the numbers we have checked instead of guessing.

Phone numbers you can tap, and Food where it belongs

September 2026
  • Call straight from an answer — When Ask Olen names a place, the number sits right under the answer as a button — the one we checked, not one to copy out by hand.
  • Food is in Browse now — The most-asked thing on the Slope finally has its own tile when you open Ask Olen, alongside a direct WIC number.
  • Search in Services asks Olen — Describe what you need in your own words instead of guessing what a form is called.

The week by text, and one reminder that knows when to ask

September 2026
  • Get the week by text — At the end of the calendar: the same list we post, sent to your phone every Wednesday morning. One text, nothing else, STOP anytime.
  • A reminder when you say you're going — Tap I'm going and, if reminders are off, OlenHub offers to turn them on — once, at that moment, and never anywhere else.
  • Bethel and Ketchikan links go where they should — A calendar link posted for your region opens your region — not the Slope's.

One message a week — and one place to choose it

September 2026
  • One roundup a week — Wednesday morning, by text or on your phone: what's on this week, and nothing else. The extra Friday message is gone.
  • Notifications live in one place — More → Notifications: the weekly roundup, free food, event reminders and rare alerts, each its own switch. Nothing anywhere else in the app asks you again.
  • A quieter app — No bell in the corner, no card in the middle of the feed, no banner after a notification — just what's happening.
  • Sign your child up from the couch — The Forms tab is now Services. Little Dribblers takes about two minutes on the phone — read the City's release, sign with your finger, and it goes to City Recreation as the City's own form. You do not need an account.

Reach us — and let us reach you

September 2026
  • Contact & support — Call or text (602) 688-2310, email us, send a message, or report a problem — your app version rides along so you never have to explain your phone.
  • Notifications, asked once — One message a week, a heads-up when there's free food, nothing else. Your first roundup arrives right away.
  • Where's home? is one tap — Arctic Slope, Bethel, or Ketchikan. Your village is a lens you pick from the pin up top, whenever you like.

OlenHub in Bethel and Ketchikan

September 2026
  • A weekly calendar for Bethel — with I'm going, Submit event, and Ask Olen for the Y-K Delta.
  • Ketchikan too: the week's events, the Deals feed, and reminders an hour before anything you're going to.
  • Somewhere else? Search your community and tap Tell us — we count every ask when choosing where to go next.

One place to choose what we send

September 2026
  • Stay in the loop: the bell opens one card — Events this week and Free food — by text or by notification on this phone.
  • Free-food alerts now arrive about an hour before the meal, not when the post was spotted.
  • Tap I'm going on any event and your phone reminds you an hour before it starts.

Deals, and a Feed that plays

September 2026
  • Deals — a new tab: store flyers, garage sales, free stuff, and local services. Nobody pays to be listed.
  • The Feed brings together posts, flyers, and videos from around the Slope, and plays videos right in the app.

Have Your Say — a place for surveys and studies

August 2026
  • A new spot on Today for interviews, surveys and community input — how long it takes, when it closes, and whether it pays.
  • We're looking for three people to talk with us for 30 minutes about OlenHub. If you're picked, we mail you a real $25 Visa gift card after the call.
  • A paid interview study on the Slope pays $20 an hour — listed with the contact and the sign-up deadline.
  • Running a survey for your organization? Swipe to the end of the row and tell us — we'll take a look.
  • Sending us an event is quicker: tap Submit event on the Calendar and you're straight into the form — add the flyer and you're done. Usually posted within an hour.

Posters full screen, money that stays current

August 2026
  • Tap any event poster to see it FULL SCREEN — swipe through multi-page flyers and add the event to your calendar right from the viewer.
  • Event cards now tell the whole story at a glance: schedule changes, online meeting links, and a link to the original post — no extra taps.
  • Real logos everywhere — schools, churches, the borough, the hospital, and local programs, so you can see who's behind an event instantly.
  • Find Money is now live: scholarship deadlines always show the next real date, and newly announced grants and assistance appear automatically.
  • The Help tab leads with what's timely — deadlines closing soon and money just announced sit right at the top.
  • Events open instantly with a loading preview, and browsing is smoother across the app.

Your calendar, one tap away

July 2026
  • Every event card now has Add to Calendar — one tap puts it in your Google or Apple calendar at the real date and time, including multi-day events.
  • Share sits right on the card too, so you can send a flyer to family without opening the event first.
  • The community calendar now checks for new posts twice a day, so afternoon announcements show up the same evening.
  • When an event's time or place gets corrected, a small “Updated” note tells you what changed.
  • A new Culture category makes Iñupiat culture events easy to spot on the calendar.
  • Ask Olen now points to trusted local help first — crisis lines, offices, and programs — before anything else.

Less in your way

June 2026
  • Open OlenHub and you go straight to what’s happening — no setup screens before you can look around.
  • Today’s Brief now leads with what’s actually happening today, instead of long programs that started weeks ago.
  • A little red dot now appears on Calendar or News when there’s genuinely new content since you last looked — so you never miss an update (and it only shows when something real changed).
  • On iPhone we’ll quietly let you know once, after you’ve had a look, that OlenHub is on the App Store — instant weather and safety alerts, events, and news on your phone.
  • Already using the app? We’ll gently offer your morning brief once — today’s events and safety alerts each morning — instead of nagging you to install what you already have.

Get the app, and clearer privacy

June 2026
  • You can now grab OlenHub straight from the App Store — look for the badge on the About and More pages.
  • Our privacy page is clearer about the little we collect: no precise location, no ad trackers, and only anonymous, community-level stats.
  • Fewer false “you’re offline” messages — the app now double-checks the connection before telling you it’s down.

More money you can actually apply for

June 2026
  • Find Money now lists more North Slope scholarships — your village corporation, the city, and tribal programs — each with a real, confirmed deadline.
  • Live countdowns show what's closing soon, so you don't miss a window.
  • Ask Olen can point you to the right scholarship for your village and set a reminder for the deadline.

Keep OlenHub one tap away

June 2026
  • It's easier to add OlenHub to your home screen, so it opens like an app — no app store, no account.
  • A smoother first-time welcome that gets you to what you need faster.

A smarter morning, only-current money

June 2026
  • Today's Brief now leads with the day's biggest event and what's coming up next.
  • Find Money hides opportunities that have already closed, so you only see what's still open.

See where the info comes from

June 2026
  • News and the Calendar now show when they were last updated, and that they're gathered from across the community.
  • The news feed puts official villages and organizations first.
  • An easy way to send in something that's missing or out of date.

A fresh OlenHub

June 2026
  • Ask Olen — your guide to the Slope, answered with real local sources.
  • The official calendar, safety alerts, and a directory for all eight villages.
  • Free, no login, no ads — and we never sell your data.

Something missing or out of date? You can send it in from any page — OlenHub belongs to the community.