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.”

Anchorage Assembly ends its indoor mask mandate

The ordinance mandated that people wear masks in indoor public and communal spaces. 
People outside a white building with columns.

Why overturning Roe wouldn’t end abortion rights in Alaska

Making an abortion ban stick would likely take an amendment to the state Constitution.
A community on the edge of a frozen ocean.

A historic settlement turns 50, but questions linger over whether it was fair

While the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created monetary wealth for Alaska Native shareholders, it also came at a huge cost.
A man in a winter jacket holds a baby in a winter jacket.

Alaskans we’ve lost to COVID: John Redmond Evans Sr., hard-working dad

His youngest daughter, Suzanne, says his work ethic was matched by his care for his family – and that many of her favorite memories of him involved holiday gatherings.
Four orcas breach

Alaska’s resident killer whales have a lot to say in underwater recordings

Hannah Myers is a Ph. D. marine biology student with UAF's College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. A recent paper Myers co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports delves into the mysteries of where North Pacific killer whales spend their time in winter.
An eagle perched on top of boxes.

Unalaska volunteers rescue eagle that ‘decided to go shopping at Alaska Ship Supply’

As staff at a local Unalaska shop opened the back door for a delivery last week, they got an unexpected visitor. An adult female eagle dashed in and headed for the rafters, occasionally swooping down toward the people and merchandise below.

Anchorage School District faces $67M budget shortfall going into next year, officials say

The most recent ASD budget was around $565 million. The district's projections anticipate that revenues will decline by about $20 million and expenditures will increase by about $47 million.
A white five story building

Anchorage’s deputy health director is resigning, the latest in a string of departures

DeeAnn Fetko announced her resignation in an email to staff on Monday after 25 years working for the city.

As much as 30 inches of snow could fall in parts of Southcentral Alaska

The National Weather Service is forecasting between 16 and 30 inches of snow in the Upper Susitna Valley, while the area north of Seward along the Turnagain Arm could see between one and two feet of snow. 
People lined up in an airport

Omicron spreads uncertainty about holiday travel and dampens recovery for airlines

The rapid emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has many questioning whether they should rethink their holiday travel plans.
A snowy city street in downtown Anchorage.

Anchorage Assembly questions Bronson administration over credit rating report

Some Assembly members said the revenue forecasts that the administration presented to a major credit rating agency before the agency downgraded Anchorage’s score intentionally downplayed the city’s forecasts to score points in an ongoing budget debate.
A whitish gray gravestone with a small cross and the word "unknown"

Alaska Native stories featured in new ‘Buried Truths’ documentary on painful history of boarding schools

A new half-hour documentary on the Al Jazeera program "Fault Lines" delves into that painful history of Native American boarding schools in the U.S.
A blue city notice in the snow.

Bethel just recorded its coldest November in 80 years

The deep cold is causing and exacerbating problems around the Southwest Alaska hub. It's the kind of cold that freezes barges in their tracks and makes pipes burst open.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is seen running alongside the Dalton Highway, next to a small mountain.

Oil prices plunge amid omicron variant concerns

After months of increases and a short plateau, oil prices in Alaska and worldwide have plunged in the last week. A barrel of Alaska North Slope crude was about $71 on Monday, $11 less than the week of Thanksgiving.
a medical professional swabs a driver's nostril

State to extend contract with out-of-state health workers brought up to help with pandemic strain

The contract was initially for 90 days, and has been extended to Jan. 20.
A group of kids sit underneath a deck.

New report could guide how Alaska spends $1.5B in federal funding for broadband

Providing every Alaskan with a high-speed internet connection is a challenge, considering the state’s far-flung geography and extreme weather. But the new federal infrastructure law has $1.5 billion for broadband in Alaska. And that could help the state reach its goal.
a nurse administers a vaccine to a patient

Alaska health officials urge COVID vaccinations as omicron continues to spread across nation

Alaska has no confirmed cases of the variant, but officials want residents to be prepared.
Boats at a dock.

One man is dead and another missing after their skiff sinks near Whittier

Troopers say 28-year-old Stefan Weingarth of Anchorage and 28-year-old Luki Akelkok III of Dillingham were coming back from a hunting trip on Esther Island when they encountered bad weather.
Mountains peak through clouds.

Three volcanoes are erupting across the Aleutian Chain. But scientists aren’t worried.

Three of Alaska's 54 historically-active volcanoes are at elevated alert levels — geologists’ way to say the trio is erupting, but there’s no immediate cause for concern.
Man in beanie cap in a snowy back yard

This Anchorage man took in one Afghan who needed help. Now he’s trying to rescue 17.

Bill Barnes has devoted heart, soul and savings to bring Romal Safi's family to Alaska.