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.”

Two roads intersect, covered by a light snowfall, surrounded by spruce trees.

Ask a climatologist: Look for snowflakes soon

Climate researcher Brian Brettschneider with the National Weather Service is back for our Ask A Climatologist segment, and he says Fairbanks is getting a little behind schedule, while Anchorage is just approaching the average date for its first measurable snowfall.
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz at a COVID-19 press conference in Anchorage in March.

With ‘moral authority’ compromised in a pandemic, Anchorage mayor steps away

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz resigned Tuesday, a day after the married mayor acknowledged what he described as a consensual, inappropriate messaging relationship with a television anchor.
People line up to provide public testimony at the Anchorage Assembly meeting.

Anchorage Assembly extends emergency declaration through Nov. 30

The vote came after a contentious start to the meeting, during which Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s resignation was announced by his Chief of Staff, Jason Bockenstedt.
cots laid out in the bare floor

COVID-19 cases grow among Juneau’s homeless population

A cluster of positive COVID-19 cases among Juneau’s homeless population has risen to 31 people.
Two side-by-side imiages, one of an Alaska Native girl sitting on a porch, the other of two elders sitting outside

‘We need you for the future’: Elders and Youth conducts virtual conference

This year’s meeting was a little different, conducted mostly through pre-recorded messages and live Zoom calls. However, both keynote addresses highlighted the desire to keep thousands of years of Native culture moving forward, pandemic or not.
A faint image of a woman's face ringed by the fur ruff on her parka next to lettering of the film's title, "Ada Blackjack Rising," with the space inside the D made to look like the oblong Gambel Island

LISTEN: Iñupiat Ada Blackjack’s story of survival 100 years ago captured in short film

An Alaska filmmaker celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday by releasing a short film that tells the story of Ada Blackjack, an Iñupiat woman who survived two years on an uninhabited island, alone in the Arctic, about a hundred years ago.
A man stands in front of a chain link fence, body of water and a city in the background.

Anchorage mayor apologizes for years-old “inappropriate messaging relationship”

Anchorage Mayor Berkowitz's statement on Monday said that Anchorage police and the FBI jointly investigated Athens' allegations against him and found "no evidence of criminal conduct."

JCPenney, Nordstrom property purchases promise to reshape downtown Anchorage

ACDA will pay $1.7 million for the parking garage and $1.5 million for a majority stake in the Nordstrom building.

Galvin campaign raises $1.8M for quarter

U.S. House candidate Alyse Galvin has raised $1.8 million since July - more than double what she raised during the prior quarter.
Voters mark their ballots in a long hallway

Alaska Supreme Court rules that absentee voters won’t need witnesses

Alaskans voting by mail will not be required to have witnesses sign their ballots, after the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a judge’s ruling on Monday.
A man speaks at a podium

Rep. Don Young says feds should compensate state if Pebble mine gets blocked

The state’s sole U.S. House member said Monday that the federal government has no business telling the Pebble Limited Partnership whether it should be allowed to build the proposed copper and gold mine near the headwaters of Bristol Bay.

LISTEN: Bear spray can blast bruins despite wind, cold and age, study says

The research is published in the Journal of Wildlife Management and shows that even in a strong headwind, bear spray still travels far enough to hit a bear, and that it also remains effective at temperatures well below zero.
A map of Alaska in all red

249 new COVID-19 cases reported in Alaska on Sunday

The number continues a surging trend in cases in nearly all areas of the state.
A man speaks in front of a blue banner

Filings show group opposing oil tax initiative raised $18.5M

OneAlaska has raised more than 10 times as much as Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share, the largest group supporting the oil tax measure.
Two white men in side-by-side photos speak into microhones

State elections watchdog orders ‘No on 2’ campaign to fix or take down ads

The group opposing a ballot reform initiative used outdated donor information in its advertisements.

After Dunleavy administration loses recall case in court, judge orders payment of $190,000 legal bill

The ruling can be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court. It comes after Dunleavy's administration, at the advice of former Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, refused to certify the recall campaign's application, saying it did not meet legal requirements.

Conflicting claims, big money at heart of debate on Alaska’s oil taxes

Ballot Measure 1 — or the “Fair Share Act” — is an initiative that supporters say would fix Alaska’s oil tax law while opponents argue it would jeopardize Alaska’s economy.

Alaska’s largest ski resort has a plan to operate during the pandemic. What will the slopes be like this year?

With a new operations plan in place, Alyeska Resort in Girdwood is set to get the lifts running again this winter.
A man in a blue button up shirt, black baseball cap, and sunglasses, holds a piece of paper with photos of an apartment.

‘From a cot to a palace’: What one man’s story says about the difficult road out of homelessness

39-year-old Moses Aguilar's journey was smooth, but he was aided by luck at every step of the way, from breaking addiction, to getting an identification.