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.”

Farm advocates discuss agriculture resources and sustainability | Alaska Insight

Farming in Alaska has changed and expanded in recent years. As seasons lengthen and innovations in farming techniques advance, advocates for eco-friendly farming see big potential.
Senator Lisa Murkowski speaking at the August 26, 2020, opening ceremony for the Operation Lady Justice Task Force Cold Case Office in Anchorage, Alaska. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

Murkowski breaks with GOP 12 times to confirm Biden nominees

With votes for Democratic appointees, Sen. Murkowski cements her reputation as a centrist.
Three ferries dock at the Ketchikan Shipyard for repairs and upgrades in 2012. All 11 ships would tie up by early July if the Legislature does not reach a budget compromise. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)

Governor, lawmakers unveil plan to use $76.8M federal windfall to fund ferries for 18 months

The governor and legislative leaders have agreed on a rough plan to use federal pandemic relief from Congress to help stabilize Alaska’s beleaguered ferry system.
A man in a police uniform poses in front of flags.

McCoy makes history, with appointment to Acting Chief of the Anchorage Police Department

McCoy says his top priority is building and earning trust within the community.
Small glass vials lined up on a table

What’s next for the J&J vaccine? U.S. health authorities discuss resuming shots

Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee is meeting again to discuss whether use of the vaccine should resume — and whether any warnings should accompany the shot.

With fewer Alaskans eager for COVID-19 vaccines, more doses are going to waste

Since December, Alaska has recorded just 3,000 wasted doses out of a total of 500,000 administered, for a loss rate of less than 1%. But those data also show a sharp increase in waste this month, with two-thirds of all the lost doses — 1,985 — coming since April 1.
Photos of two men side by side

Bronson and Dunbar have starkly different visions for Anchorage

Dave Bronson, a retired commercial and Air Force pilot and Forrest Dunbar, a captain with the Army National Guard who serves on the Assembly. The candidates, who will take part in a runoff election next month, have starkly different visions for the future of Anchorage.

LISTEN: With tribe’s input, Wasilla High updated ‘warrior’ logo but kept Indigenous mascot

Wasilla High School is altering the logo of its warrior mascot, but not changing the mascot or logo from depicting an indigenous person, as some other sports teams have done recently.
a student in a classroom

Hoping for a ‘Mississippi miracle’ Alaska lawmakers push bipartisan reading bill

The bill will provide funding for pre-k programs and standardize reading policies across the state.

State foster care agencies take millions of dollars owed to children in their care

Roughly 10% of foster youth in the U.S. are entitled to Social Security benefits, either because their parents have died or because they have a physical or mental disability that would leave them in poverty without financial help. This money — typically more than $700 per month, though survivor benefits vary — is considered their property under federal law.
A girld smiles with a bandage on her head and stitches

3-year-old girl medevaced after dog attack in Chevak

The girl’s mother is planning to press charges against the neighbors who she says own the dogs and is calling on the city to put down the animals.

LISTEN: In Alaska, relief and renewed calls for reform after guilty verdict in George Floyd’s murder

That was the case for Celeste Hodge Growden, president of the Alaska Black Caucus, who says there is still much more work to do on improving racial equity here and elsewhere, and not just in law enforcement.
A woman in a blue surgical mask speaks on a microphone

Alaska House bill would fund schools ahead of time, prevent pink slips

House Bill 169 would fund education ahead of the rest of the state budget, to avoid teachers and other school staff receiving layoff notices next month. This happens when the Legislature goes deep into May without passing a budget, triggering notices required under teachers’ contracts.

For Kenai Peninsula pharmacist, COVID-19 vaccine fight tests friendships

Justin Ruffridge grew up in Soldotna and, as a conservative and a Christian, he's part of the same demographic as some of the COVID-19 vaccine’s biggest skeptics. He’s also a medical professional lends him a measure of credibility that elected officials and other government employees can lack.
a person holds a bowl of butter garlic shrimp

Anchorage’s small international eateries, used to take-out, found a growing market in the pandemic

Smaller, family-owned eateries have done better than established fine-dining restaurants, adapting quickly to social media marketing and online ordering for take-out.

Anchorage School Board passes anti-racism and equity policies with overwhelming support

The policies stemmed from the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and have been hotly debated for weeks. The policies passed the same day a jury convicted the police officer who killed Floyd.
The bow of a white cruise ship

Alaska joins Florida in federal lawsuit over pandemic cruise ship rules

The lawsuit says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is overstepping its authority with the Conditional Sailing Order, which imposes strict COVID-19 safety precautions on the cruise industry.
A woman eats kelp while a farmer harvests kelp in the background.

Could Alaskan Seaweed Help Save the Planet? | INDIE ALASKA

https://youtu.be/LhbRCzxaqoE Seaweed and kelp are a billion-dollar industry with the potential to help alleviate the pressures of climate change. Currently, the biggest players in the...
A float plane lands in the water

NTSB: Obstructed views, lack of alerts caused midair crash

Obstructed views of the sky and problems with a system that alerts pilots to nearby planes were factors in a mid-air crash of Southeast Alaska sightseeing planes that killed six people two years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board has determined.
As see from above, boats swirl around a small, spruce covered area

A decade after Fukushima nuclear disaster, Alaska expands seafood monitoring

State environmental regulators announced Monday they’re expanding radiation testing of commercially harvested Alaska seafood, including crab, using a gamma radiation detector at a state laboratory in Anchorage.