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.”

After crossing Bering Strait, Anchorage man detained in Russia

John Martin of Anchorage had been traveling down the Yukon River in his one-seater. After reaching the Bering Sea, Martin traveled more than 50 miles across the Bering Strait. Listen now

Mark Begich trots out his own energy plan

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is hoping to be Steven's democratic opponent in the general election. And he has his own national energy plan. Much...

No second king opening for Southeast trollers

After just eight days in early July, the summer king salmon season for Southeast trollers is over. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced Friday that there will be no second king opening in August. It will be only the third summer in 15 years without an August opening. Download Audio
An empty hallway lined with red lockers.

COVID is surging in Kenai Peninsula schools but district won’t require masks

In the week since the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District started tracking COVID-19 cases, 130 students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 while 930 others have been identified as “close contacts” of cases.
a woman in a kitchen

Over 50 gig workers were killed on the job. Their families are footing the bills.

A new report on gig worker deaths found that more than 50 people were killed while working for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash. Often the families receive no compensation in the wake of the killings.

As pandemic worsens, 40,000 Alaskans endure “inexcusable” wait for relief

Frustration and impatience with Congress is building among out-of-work Alaskans and local leaders, who say the lack of a social safety net has made it far more painful to maintain health mandates aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Gubernatorial Candidates Say Parnell Should Not be Distracted by Health Care Fuss

Candidates to take Sean Parnell’s seat in the governor’s office are reacting to this week’s announcement that he’s making a Constitutional challenge to...
toys

Alaska does not have enough housing to keep survivors of domestic violence safe

Advocates say they have the money to house survivors, but no place to put them.

AK: Bear Aware

For naturalist Steve Merli, bear education isn’t just about staying alive. The way he sees it, knowing how to behave in bear country allows Alaskans to explore wilderness more deeply. Merli works with Discovery Southeast, a Juneau organization that connects kids with nature programs. Earlier this month, KTOO’s Lisa Phu joined campers for a lesson that had some questioning their assumptions about bear encounters. Download Audio
A gas station sign showing gas prices

Alaska gas prices among highest in U.S., despite producing most of it in-state

Even though Alaska supplies and produces the majority of its own gasoline, consumers are stuck paying prices based on other West Coast states.

Without legislative action, state could suspend Medicaid payments to providers in April

For smaller hospitals and providers that rely significantly on Medicaid, the suspension could keep them from paying contractors or making payroll. Listen now
A wall with the name "Palmer Police Dept."

Action on Palmer police chief’s protest-inducing statements still pending

Two weeks, one protest and one city council meeting later, and the city of Palmer has made no decision yet on how to handle statements by its police chief calling the Black Lives Matter movement a "hate group" and questioning the honesty of sexual assault victims.
an aerial image of a storm

Western Alaska residents urged to brace for what could be one of the worst storms in recent history

“In 10 years, people will be referring to the September 2022 storm as a benchmark storm," said a climate specialist.

New unemployment benefits are here, but laid-off workers are having trouble getting applications processed

Workers have reported weeks-long delays in getting unemployment insurance claims processed, but state officials say they've been working overtime to process the record number of applications.
Close up shot of a woman with dark hair and eyeglasses looking into the distance

In ERs and public meetings, Alaskans rage at health care workers trying to stem COVID spread

Alaskans have been "belligerent, disrespectful, very, very aggressive" to contract tracers, says a public health nurse manager. They've followed nurses to yell at them.

Alaska tribe’s members say corruption, self-serving deals brought Manh Choh gold mine to their land

A former tribal chief for the Native Village of Tetlin greenlit the mine and leased mineral exploration rights to a mining venture, now led by Kinross Alaska.

Iditapod: Rollin’ on a river (the Yukon, that is)

Iditarod teams are passing through the village checkpoint of Anvik and onto the Yukon River.  We have that, as well as stories from earlier on the trail about how mushers were setting their teams up for these runs earlier in the checkpoint of Iditarod and about the tiny village of Takotna reopening as an Iditarod checkpoint this year, after closing down due to COVID. Then there’ll be an update from Jason Mackey about carrying his brother Lance Mackey’s ashes along the trail, a Mackey Dog of the Day named COVID and a listener question about what the mushers are listening to, if they’re listening to anything at all, aside from, you know, dog feet and sled runners.
a man feeding his dogs

For those mushing the Iditarod trail, the ultimate form of social distancing, coronavirus news begins to trickle in

As news of emergency measures and coronavirus closures spreads, there’s at least one group of people that is almost totally in the dark: Iditarod mushers.
a bottle of pills

Safeway to pay feds $3M after Wasilla pharmacy lost thousands of pain pills

The supermarket chain Safeway Inc. has agreed to pay $3 million dollars in a settlement that involves missing pain medication from a pharmacy in Wasilla. Listen now

AK: Exploding History (Archive)

It’s been more than 70 years since Unalaska came under attack during World War II, but you don’t have to look hard to find the remnants. The community is littered with old gunnery installations, battered Quonset huts and bunkers – some of which are being preserved for posterity. But there’s history, and then there’s hazard, and the shells and bombs that keep washing up on Unalaska’s shores fall somewhere in between. Download Audio