One of our first most-read stories of the year: “Alaskans are stuck on vacations that won’t end.”
And, one of our last: “Flight cancellations lead to hectic holiday travel for Alaskans.”
The year 2022 started with travel woes and ended with them, too. The world continued to open up after the COVID-19 pandemic shut so many parts of life down for so long. But Alaskans are stranded in airports again.
It’s been a year of powerful storms, of communities banding together and, of course, of elections.
Here are 10 of the stories our readers spent the most time with this year, reported by journalists at Alaska Public Media and at our partner public radio stations:
1. ‘Alaskan Bush People’ get the cold shoulder when looking for land in Southeast
The famous Brown family from “Alaskan Bush People” tried to buy land in the Southeast community of Petersburg after living in Washington the last three years. But locals did not welcome them as neighbors.
Reporting by CoastAlaska in Southeast. Read more.
2. Peltola leads in Alaska’s U.S. House race, while U.S. Senate race tightens
Our election night story. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski went on to win another term in office, securing the seat she has held since 2002. And Congresswoman Mary Peltola won her first full term in the U.S. House, after making history in the fall, winning the August special election and becoming the first Alaska Native person to serve in Congress.
Reporting by Alaska Public Media. Read more.
3. High-end coolers wash up on Alaska beaches after Washington cargo spill
Consumer goods from coolers to bike helmets washed up on Gulf of Alaska beaches earlier this year, after a cargo ship spilled 109 shipping containers off the coast of Washington.
Reporting by KUOW out of the Puget Sound. Read more.
4. Anchorage Health Department director resigns amid investigation into fabricated resume
Joe Gerace resigned citing “severe health issues” as Alaska Public Media prepared to publish a story detailing misleading statements he made about his military service, glaring omissions about his work history and outright lies about his education.
Reporting by Alaska Public Media and American Public Media. Read more.
5. Historically powerful storm slams Western Alaska. Here’s what people experienced across hundreds of miles of coastline.
Wind tore off roofs. Houses floated off their foundations. Boats sank. National Weather Service climatologist Brian Brettschneider described the storm as the “worst-case scenario.” The disaster is tied to climate change.
Reporting by a team from Alaska Public Media in Anchorage, KYUK in Bethel and KTOO in Juneau. Read more.
6. Wind almost derailed Brent Sass’s first Iditarod victory. Here’s what happened.
Brent Sass and his team tumbled down a hillside in a raging windstorm. Sass said when he looked up, the trail was gone.
Reporting by Alaska Public Media. Read more.
7. Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons canceled amid population declines
For the first time ever, the Bering Sea snow crab fishery did not open. The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery also closed for a second year in a row.
Reporting by KMXT in Kodiak. Read more.
8. Soldier killed by brown bear on JBER was marking course for navigation training
Investigators determined a sow with two cubs attacked the group. A den was found nearby.
Reporting by Alaska Public Media. Read more.
9. Millions of Alaska-bound honeybees die at Atlanta airport
Hundreds of pounds of honeybees were set to ship from the Lower 48 to beekeepers across Alaska in April. But most of the bees died in transit when the crates carrying them were left for hours on a hot tarmac in Atlanta.
Reporting by KDLL in Kenai. Read more.
10. Travelers say staff shortages and COVID-19 outbreaks are spoiling their Alaska cruises
Experienced cruisers said a lot of passengers were getting infected with COVID-19 and that, on board, they were left in the dark as the risk level changed.
Reporting by KTOO in Juneau. Read more.
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