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.”

Seward's railroad terminal

Alaska’s job recovery is expected to continue this year

Alaska will continue to recover jobs in 2023 from its significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a job forecast from the state Department of Labor.
children with fishing nets

Alaskans invited to tell Congress what climate change means for them

Alaskans can submit their input on a draft of the upcoming National Climate Assessment until Jan. 27.
An animated still image of two people sitting side by side on swings while holding cans of beer.

A new documentary film project will focus on Alaskans’ relationships with alcohol

Scott Burton's film called "Earnest Drinker" will include interviews with experts and people in recovery, plus a lot of his own stories.
A man in a hat pushes a snow blower spraying snow.

December was Anchorage’s wettest and second snowiest on record

Climatologist Rick Thoman says climate change is driving this more extreme winter snowfall.
the seal of a fire department

2 Anchorage New Year’s house fires leave 1 dead, 1 injured

Anchorage firefighters say two house fires over the New Year’s holiday weekend left one person dead and a second critically injured.
A man by a truck with his dog

The rising cost of food is outpacing inflation. Here’s how some Alaskans are coping. 

Bobby Superb is retired and on a fixed income. He says he’s eating less, and even his dog no longer gets hamburger meat mixed into his food.

Meet One of Alaska’s longest Aurora Borealis Researchers | INDIE ALASKA

Syun-Ichi Akasofu always had a curiosity for the aurora borealis. Yet, no one in his hometown in Japan knew exactly where these multi-colored shimmering lights in the evening sky came from. He's now one of the top aurora researchers in Alaska.
houses

In northernmost Alaska, a battle is on to limit the damages of permafrost thaw

Warming soils beneath Utqiagvik are triggering erosion that threatens homes, infrastructure and cultural resources.
woman in fur boots on marble stairs

Peltola sees House speaker impasse as a symptom of bigger divisions

Mary Peltola was supposed to be sworn in for a full term in Congress. That didn't happen.
two orange crabs

Warming waters are driving Bering Sea crashes, but Alaska’s fishing industry is quiet on climate

Advocates say seafood businesses, trade groups and fishermen need to take more action to advocate for lower carbon emissions or risk continued catastrophic declines.
The double yellow line in the center of a road is almost completely covered in snow.

Anchorage is still struggling to remove snow, weeks after a trio of winter storms

City officials say crews have made progress. But there are challenges.
a grocery aisle

State workers say chronic understaffing caused food stamp backlog

Many of the thousands of Alaskans who rely on assistance say they’re desperate for relief.

Alaska is getting a new tallest building — an upgraded air traffic control tower

The new control tower at the Anchorage airport will stand at 306 feet, 10 feet higher than the ConocoPhillips building.
Cook Inlet

Hilcorp is sole bidder in controversial Cook Inlet lease sale

Hilcorp Alaska offered $63,983 on one 2,304-acre tract in Lower Cook Inlet, a small sliver of the nearly 1 million acres posted in the federal sale.
the University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska will gain a plot of land that’s half the size of Rhode Island under new federal budget law

A clause in the new law, written by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, would give the university 360,000 acres in the next four years.
Ketchikan's police chief

Ketchikan police chief left man bloodied after off-duty fishing resort brawl, indictment says

Jeff Walls was indicted in the alleged felony assault on Thursday. He was ordered not to discuss the case with witnesses other than his wife.
A man in a hat pushes a snow blower spraying snow.

From Mary Peltola to Typhoon Merbok: Our top 10 stories of 2022

Here are 10 stories our readers spent the most time with this year.
caribou walking on the snow, with snowy mountains in the background

Climate change seen as suspected factor in Western Arctic Caribou Herd decline

Alaska’s Western Arctic Caribou Herd population is lower than at any time in over four decades.

‘Arctic pay’ among the perks Congress is sending to improve military assignments in Alaska

Extra pay and travel reimbursements are aimed at boosting morale of Alaska-based troops.

Murkowski: ‘Never, ever, ever’ should we see another Jan. 6

Congress passed a reform of the Electoral Count Act, which U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski helped negotiate.