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 dog team in snowy low sprice trees

Chatanika musher Dan Kaduce races to win experimental Summit Quest 300

Organizers put in place a new rule that required about 50% more rest at checkpoints than usual in hopes of achieving better dog health.

‘Use words to make a difference’: The legacy of Elizabeth Peratrovich

For many, civil rights icon Elizabeth Peratrovich is more than a historical figure. For Diane Benson, a Tlingit woman living in Petersburg, learning of Peratrovich changed her.
An empty conference room

Politics take center stage as Anchorage school board race gets underway

After a year of difficult decision-making more people are interested in influencing the non-partisan body.
An aerial view of one of the exploration pads and wells that ConocoPhillips drilled during the 2018 exploration season at its Willow prospect.

Judges block work at ConocoPhillips’ huge Alaska project, casting cloud over ‘North Slope Renaissance’

Conoco executives have celebrated the Willow project as part of a "North Slope Renaissance" that could revitalize Alaska's oil industry. But a two-judge panel just put the project on ice — the latest recent setback for Alaska oil companies now contending with an uncooperative new federal administration.
The House of Representatives entrance

Mostly Democratic majority forms in Alaska House, seeks to add Republicans

After a month-long stalemate, the dam has finally broken in Alaska's State House. With a new majority, speaker and committee assignments, legislators can finally get to work.

After years of discussion, Anchorage will consider a tax levy to fund body cameras for police

Anchorage officials have discussed introducing body-worn cameras for police for a few years, but a lack of funding has stopped the idea from moving forward.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Vaccines and safety measures hang in the balance as Alaska lawmakers allow COVID-19 response power to expire

Lawmakers are allowing Alaska's emergency authority to respond to COVID-19 to expire. But the pandemic isn't over — so what's the plan now?

Trump acquitted: Murkowski among 7 Republicans who voted to convict.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski told a reporter afterward that she knew some Alaskans would be proud of her and some dismayed, and that there could be repercussions for her.
Two uniformed police officer crouch over a woman they have pinned to the floor in front of several grocery store checkout aisles.

LISTEN: Inside the viral video of a Wasilla police officer’s forceful arrest

A Facebook video of Wasilla police pinning down and arresting a woman last weekend at the local Walmart has gotten tens of thousands of views and drawn some criticism to the Wasilla Police Department.
A woman speaking at a podium

Dunleavy’s public safety commissioner says she was forced to resign

Amanda Price says she was told that the administration is “taking public safety in a different direction.”
The community of Ambler along the Kobuk river as seen from the air

State investment authority joins mining company to put $35M towards controversial Ambler Road

Subsistence advocates have filed lawsuits over the road, concerned that construction would impact the migration of caribou, a staple of the local Inupiaq diet in Northwest Alaska.

Now vaccine eligible, Anchorage teachers ready to get back to class

Initially, teachers were separated into different eligibility tiers, but the state changed course, opening vaccines to educators of all ages.
Iditarod musher Aliy Zirkle stands outside at a remote Iditarod checkpoint.

Alaska mushing icon Aliy Zirkle says the 2021 Iditarod will be her last

After more than two decades of competitive mushing, Aliy Zirkle posted a retirement letter on her kennel’s website Thursday evening.
A white woman with a black mask

Stutes elected as Alaska House speaker, breaking deadlock

Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes was elected Alaska House speaker on Thursday, breaking a deadlock on the 24th day of the legislative session.
A man holsds a reddish dog in front of a log house

After dog death and ban, Hugh Neff tunes out critics in return to Quest

It’s been three years since longtime musher Hugh Neff last competed in the Yukon Quest, but the 53-year-old said he’s as motivated as ever to race.
woman stands on the floor of the Legislature under a board that displays the vote count

Dunleavy asks Alaskans to be aware of COVID-19 pandemic misinformation

Gov. Mike Dunleavy warned Alaskans away from “misinformation” regarding the pandemic and his administration’s response to it. He encouraged people to challenge those making allegations.
Governor stands at podium with a woman on a zoom projected next to him

State scrambles to maintain COVID-19 response effort as disaster declaration nears expiration

State officials are scrambling to determine if they’ll still be able to allocate vaccines and determine who’s eligible if the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration expires at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
a person pipettes something into a tray

Scientists team up to make Alaska a leader in the hunt for new COVID-19 strains

Alaska's health department has pulled together a group of researchers from the state's public health labs and its university system in hopes of speeding up and expanding its search for more contagious strains of COVID-19.
People stand with signs that spell impeach. white dome of capitol visible behind them

‘Pretty damning’: 2nd Trump impeachment case is compelling, Murkowski says

Alaska's U.S. senators say watching videos of the Jan. 6 violence reignited their anger.