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 man holds two dogs

Dan Kaduce finishes 4th in Iditarod. With 14 dogs, he feels like a champion.

Kaduce said he opted to keep 14 dogs in harness instead of sending the slower ones home.
A woman smiling at the camera

Sophie Sergie cold case murder trial ends and goes to jury

Lawyers stepped the jury through evidence and testimony in four hours of closing remarks on Monday.
a highway

Surprise snow dump closes Anchorage schools Wednesday

A shifting storm blanketed most of Anchorage with six to nine inches of snow Tuesday, exceeding forecasters' expectations.

Dunleavy administration ‘strongly advises’ against non-essential air travel as pressure builds

Dunleavy's administration has released a "strong advisory" that Alaskans "cease non-essential out of state personal, business, and medical travel now." It's also strongly advising against non-essential, long-distance travel inside the state.

Kuskokwim and bogus mushers get welcome break from past years with snowy trail

Friday, on the Kuskokwim River outside Bethel, nine mushers and their teams will dash under the start banner for the Bogus Creek 150. An hour and a half later, 20 more will follow over a trail twice as long in the 38th Annual Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race. Listen now
A grey building on a dirt road

COVID-19 outbreak puts Western Alaska village of Stebbins in lockdown

The Stebbins Community Association has imposed a 10-person limit at the store, a five-person limit at the laundromat and a 10 p.m. curfew.

Middle Class Alaska Families Struggling in Current Economy

A new report analyzing the status of working families in Alaska has been released by the Alaska Center for Public Policy, a local...
Dozens of teachers with signs gather. Some say: No contract, still working.

Mediator to solve dispute over Anchorage teachers’ contracts

A federal mediator is expected to help resolve differences over key terms of contracts for Anchorage teachers after the union and the state’s largest...

Anchorage settles case on transgender access to women’s shelter

The municipality will pay $100,000 to cover legal expenses associated with litigation over whether the Downtown Hope Center's shelter policy was discriminatory.
A white man speaks at a podium

Report: Alaska Attorney General quits after reports of sexual misconduct with 17-year-old

The Anchorage Daily News was preparing an article about allegations that then Attorney General Ed Sniffen had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old when the Dunleavy administration announced Sniffen's resignation.

Longtime Petersburg resident, hospitalized in Washington state, has died of coronavirus

A Petersburg man in a Seattle hospital after testing positive with COVID-19 Monday, March 16, his family said.

Impacts Of The Shutdown On The Tongass

The U.S. Forest Service employs about 400 people in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. And most of them are on furlough, awaiting a call from the federal government that they’ll soon be back to work. With the partial U.S. government shutdown in its second week, KTOO’S Rosemarie Alexander takes a look at the impact on the Tongass. Download Audio
the Kodiak Animal Shelter

Kodiak dog tests positive for canine distemper

Kodiak Animal Shelter staff say the dog has been put down, with all other dogs put into quarantine and adoptions temporarily halted.

Okmok volcano throws ash 60 miles from evacuated Umnak Island

Image of the eruption of Okmok, taken Sunday, July 13 by flight attendant Kelly Reeves during Alaska Airlines flights 160 and 161. An Aleutian...
A grey building on a dirt road

Stebbins teacher arrested after sexually explicit chats with girl

Lon Dean Gillas, 65, is alleged to have used his Google account with the Bering Strait School District to chat about sex and BDSM with a 16-year-old girl, and to ask her for explicit photos.

Injunction Plugs Water Utility Strike

A utility workers strike in Anchorage has been averted, due to health concerns. Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility workers voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to go on strike.

Mayor of Pilot Station dies after falling through Yukon River ice on a snowmachine

Nicky Myers was a mayor, a deacon, a father, a grandfather, a husband, a firefighter and a search-and-rescue member.
Tlingit and Haida headquarters

Tlingit and Haida, Tanana Chiefs Conference withdraw from Alaska Federation of Natives

The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska said Monday that it would withdraw from the Alaska Federation of Natives.

$50 Million For SAP Software To Come On-Line, Says Anchorage Candidate For Mayor

The criticisms are part of the politicking ahead of the April 7th election, but carry extra weight because of how close the candidate is to the topic.
A helicopter on a mountainaouus snow field

Tributes paid to Czech billionaire killed in chopper crash

Among those offering condolences was the Czech Republic's prime minister.