Top Stories

News stories, radio and TV episodes that warrant one of six spots on our homepage. The homepage is in chronological order of publication date, so stories are moved off the homepage as more are categorized “top stories.”

Three women walk carrying folders smiling

Alaska Legislature passes budget with $1,300 PFD and boost to school funding

The House and Senate came to an agreement late in the day Thursday, the first day of the special session.

Alaska Public Media receives 5 Northwest Regional Emmy nominations

Check out the award-winning work.
solar panels

Alaska’s big shift to renewable energy appears stalled, as future access to natural gas in doubt

Reporter Nat Herz with the Northern Journal says efforts to craft a mandate for utilities to pursue renewable energy haven't gotten very far.

Alaska’s youngest female murder convict could get out after successful appeal

Winona Fletcher was 14 in 1985 when she and her then-boyfriend robbed and shot to death three Anchorage residents after breaking into the family’s home.
A large tan building with a stairwell in the front

If Anchorage doesn’t act soon, ‘we’re going to be putting people back in Sullivan’ 

Alexis Johnson, Anchorage's housing and homelessness coordinator, said the city and Assembly need to come up with a plan soon, or the Sullivan Arena shelter will be reopened again.
Jill Biden

First Lady Jill Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visit Bethel

The first lady's visit occurred just hours after her husband, President Joe Biden, made a refueling stop in Anchorage aboard Air Force One.
Two people speak

Alaska Legislature ends regular session without a budget

The House voted to adjourn without hearing the Senate’s budget that had a $1,300 PFD. A special session starts Thursday.
ice flows on a river

Interior and Southwest Alaska ice-jam floodwaters recede as recovery continues

The outlook for ice jam flooding on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers was improving Wednesday as the breakup moved downriver.
Rows of cots are organized on the floor of an arena.

How did an Anchorage soup kitchen make millions on its homeless shelter contract? A reporter explains.

The money came from a generous city contract funded by federal taxpayers. And more than a year after Bean’s Cafe lost its contract to run the shelter at Sullivan Arena, the billing dispute remains unresolved.
A woman and her dog walk around a yellow van

With Anchorage’s shelters full, homeless campers eke out life in limbo

Policymakers haven’t publicly said what they’ll police within the camps. For now, the plan is to meet the campers where they are.
Craig Johnson

Alaska’s legislators and top executive-branch officials will receive pay increases by 2024

The state House and Senate failed to pass a bill that would have blocked the pay hikes from coming into effect.
A white bearded man sits at a desk in front of a gold seal while two people talk to him.

Senate fails to pass budget Tuesday, leaving narrow window for a deal during the regular session

The Senate adjourned on Tuesday afternoon without passing a budget bill for the House to consider.
A vast expanse of Interior Alaska's boreal forest

Alaska House follows Senate to pass bill authorizing sale of carbon credits from state land

Senate Bill 48 authorizes the leasing of state land for up to 55 years for preservation of its powers to absorb atmospheric carbon.
two women hug in a doorway.

LizAnn Williams, mother of Alaska congresswoman, has died

Congresswoman Mary Peltola's mother, LizAnn Williams, was raised on the Gweek River and in Kwethluk. She retired as a medical records clerk.
Two people walk through a prison.

Alaska Legislature unanimously passes bill requiring IDs for people leaving prisons

The bill would make identifications issued by the Department of Corrections serve as legal IDs.
water pools around houses and covers roadways

Flooding closes schools in Glennallen as high waters continue to inundate Alaska communities

Officials say the floodwaters are swamping Alaska towns, tearing buildings from foundations, seeping into homes and covering roads.
two people lay on a pile of fish

USDA to buy almost $120M of Alaska sockeye and Pacific groundfish, with nudge from congressional delegation

It’s a win for the state’s marketing branch. But the purchase won’t totally clear out the storehouses and shelves.
an Alaska Airlines jet

Juneau celebrates first arrival of Crystal Worl-designed jet: ‘Just so proud of her’

The Alaska Airlines plane — its name means "Salmon People" in Lingít — features a giant, colorful formline design by Crystal Worl.
a man holds up a bag of coffee beans

Most people don’t think of rural Alaska as a place to get fresh-roasted coffee. Bob Foster wants to change that.

Foster said his business has grown so fast, it's sometimes difficult to keep up.