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 woman stands outside of her Anchorage home.

LISTEN: As Alaska’s COVID-19 count spikes, contact tracers bear the strain

The job wasn’t an easy one to begin with, and the surge of infections is increasing the pressure on Alaska’s contact tracers, leading to burnout and turnover.
A side by side image of a girl holdinng a puppy on a deck and a white man with long hair smiling

Officials call off search for 2 Haines residents missing in landslide

The decision to suspend the search for David Simmons and Janae Larson is due to bad weather and unstable ground.
A syringe next to eight little glass bottles

Alaska will get special first shipment of 35,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine as soon as next week

State officials say that the federal government is treating Alaska as a "territory" and sending its initial batch of COVID-19 vaccines all at once, instead of once a week. The vaccine will be prioritized for front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care centers like nursing homes.

Federal court rejects approval for Hilcorp’s Liberty Project

A federal appeals court has sided with environmental groups and overturned approval for Hilcorp’s Liberty Project in the Beaufort Sea.
A tundra landscape half covered in ice

Trump administration to auction oil drilling rights in all federal lands of ANWR coastal plain

The Bureau of Land Management says, however, it could withdraw some tracts from leasing after its 30-day comment period ends Dec. 17.
A village

After COVID-19 closes post offices for weeks, Western Alaskans suffer critical mail delays

The post offices in Kwethluk and Pilot Station have been closed for weeks because employees were infected with COVID-19, delaying shipments of essential medicines and supplies.
a person stands in a neighborhood street

Anchorage mayor tests positive for COVID-19

Austin Quinn-Davidson began feeling symptoms a week ago, according to a Sunday press release.
Several people carry a rolled up carpet in a muddy road

In Haines, clean-up and search efforts happen in brief good-weather window

Search and rescue teams took off for their fourth day of looking for two missing residents, whose home was caught up in a 600-foot landslide on Wednesday.
An ambulance backing into a dock on a rainhy day

Dozens of Haines residents evacuated from their homes as rain and landslides continue

Dozens more homes in Haines were evacuated Thursday night as rain continued to saturate the mountainsides near residential neighborhoods.
A broken foot bridge over a river

Around Southeast Alaska, communities assess damage from record-breaking storm

Sitka broke rainfall records on Tuesday, and damage from serious rain, winds and power outages afflicted communities across Southeast.
A side by side image of a girl holdinng a puppy on a deck and a white man with long hair smiling

Search and rescue teams in Haines still hopeful they’ll find missing residents alive

Searchers continue to look Thursday for two people missing after a large landslide rumbled through a residential area on Beach Road in Haines Wednesday afternoon, destroying at least four houses.
A concrete sign with the words "Anchorage Correctional Complex_

More COVID-19 cases at Goose Creek as outbreaks climb in Alaska prisons

Three-quarters of Goose Creek Correctional's 1300 inmates have active cases of COVID-19.

LISTEN: Alaska geologist says rainfall-induced landslides are like an ‘air hockey table’

Landslides don't always occur under the same conditions, but in Southeast Alaska they're often associated with rainfall soaking soils over time, followed by a sudden, torrential downpour that shifts the balance between friction and gravity.

Alaska officials say hackers stole voter info, didn’t compromise election integrity

State officials said Thursday hackers stole personal information such as birth dates and driver's license numbers of more than 100,000 Alaska voters, though they stressed the hack had no effect on the results of last month's election.
A microscopic image of yellow blobs in a purple background

8 COVID-19 deaths as Alaska sets daily record 760 new cases

8 Alaskans died and 15 residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, the state health department reported Thursday.
A white man in a black suit and awhite woman in a grey jacket

There will be a recount Friday of the East Anchorage House race Liz Snyder won by 13 votes

A group of 11 Anchorage residents requested the East Anchorage recount on Tuesday. They said they believe an election official made mistakes that could change the result.
Two silhouetted figures in the distance around some lakes with mountains in the background

Trump administration announces ANWR lease sale for Jan. 6

The plan sets up a final showdown with opponents before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Landslides and rising water across Southeast as rain breaks records and keeps falling

High winds, flooding and landslides caused moderate to severe damage in communities across Southeast Alaska Wednesday, as an atmospheric river stalled over the region and brought record-breaking rain.
A female teacher points to a word projected on a white board in a classroom with three students sitting a tables facing the front of the classroom

Here’s ASD’s latest plan to bring Anchorage students back to classrooms

Under the plan, small groups of students will return to in-person learning in January, with more joining in phases. But the biggest obstacle will be staffing classrooms.