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.”

a "pharmacy" sign

Alaskans insured through certain providers may soon be unable to send their prescriptions to Fred Meyer

Kroger, which owns Fred Meyer, announced that it was terminating its pharmacy agreement with Express Scripts beginning in January. The split will impact thousands of Alaskans.
Haze above a spruce forest

Homeless man dies in Fairbanks during 50-below wind chill

Troopers say 55-year-old Charles Akiviana was found dead Friday morning, frozen in a snowdrift near a tent he had been living in.
an Alaska Department of Corrections hiring sign

Alaska’s top-earning state employees include investment managers, troopers and psychiatrists

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s salary, set by a state board, is the 862nd highest below the manager of the Bethel airport.
the Cannery Loop natural gas storage station

Regulators approve the sale of Alaska’s largest natural gas utility

Canadian company TriSummit can move forward with the purchase of ENSTAR Natural Gas and its share in Cook Inlet’s gas storage facility — an $800 million deal.
a home for sale

2022 marked the end of cheap mortgages and now the housing market has turned icy cold

Sharply higher mortgage rates have cast a chill on the housing market. Many buyers have paused their searches with home prices no longer affordable.
Five Alaska Airlines planes parked at gates

Flight cancellations lead to hectic holiday travel for Alaskans

“We can safely say this was one of, if not the single worst, airline meltdown that we’ve seen," said Thrifty Traveler's Kyle Potter.
a volcano

Mount Young: Aleutian volcano is renamed for explosive Alaska congressman

The mountain was named for a fierce creature. Now it will bear Don Young's name.
Rebecca Trimble and her family

Congress passes bill to help former Bethel resident who faced deportation

If everything goes right, former Bethel resident Rebecca Trimble will be an American soon. But in the end, it took a literal act of Congress to get results.
A maroon building with blue lettering that says "North Star Residential Treatment Center"

Too many Alaska children are unnecessarily institutionalized, says U.S. Department of Justice

A federal investigation found that Alaska children were forced to endure unnecessary and unduly long institutionalization in locked facilities because no alternatives exist.
people with suitcases wait in line

Southwest cancels 5,400 flights in less than 48 hours in a ‘full-blown meltdown’

The disruptions add to chaos that has left people stranded at airports across the country, many of them with little idea of when they can get home or where their bags are.
Buffalo snowstorm

At least 50 people have died across the U.S. in ‘once-in-a-generation storm’

A massive winter storm that's killed about 50 people across the U.S. is expected to claim more lives as the frigid weather continues into the week.
a grocery store

With thousands waiting, state says food stamp backlog won’t improve any time soon

As Alaskans choose between paying bills and buying food, Alaska's health commissioner says a months-long food stamp backlog won't improve any time soon.
a woman poses for a photo, in a blue jacket

Alaska projects in $1.7 trillion bill have Murkowski beaming; Sullivan votes no

Murkowski got nearly half a billion dollars in Alaska earmarks. Sullivan says there was no time to read the 4,000 pages.
A woman poses in front of books

The Anchorage Public Library finally has a confirmed director

Unlike Mayor Bronson’s past picks, veteran librarian Virginia McClure has a strong library background and the Assembly’s confidence.
a boat with buoys on the side

Nearly 3 years after deadly sinking, debris from the Scandies Rose finds its way to a family in Kodiak

“When I touched those buoys it was like getting a hug from my brother," said Gerry Cobban Knagin.

Alaska’s first Miss America, Emma Broyles, reflects on her year in the spotlight

Broyles became a statewide sensation after she became the first Alaskan and the first Korean American named Miss America last year. 
a polar bear cub

Alaska Zoo takes in orphaned Prudhoe Bay polar bear cub

After its capture and transport to Anchorage, the cub weighed in slightly underweight at 103 pounds. The cub is being treated at the zoo, and is not on public display.
a virtual courtroom

Rep. Eastman isn’t just an Oath Keeper but also supported their cause on Jan. 6, opposing attorney argues

Eastman intended "to be part of the insurrection on Jan. 6," a lawyer trying to disqualify the legislator said.
An older white man in a tan suit, a woman in a black blouse and a white man in a grey suit and red tie speak at a table in front of microphones

Anchorage’s ousted muni manager says work environment was toxic

Amy Demboski thinks the mayor fired her because she wrote out concerns about municipal agencies repeatedly overstepping their legal authority.
a meteor in the night sky

Intense meteor brightens Southcentral Alaska’s winter solstice

The winter solstice may be short on sunlight, but Alaskans saw a different kind of illumination Wednesday from a falling meteor widely seen across Southcentral Alaska.