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 red and white building

Here’s how the Bethel hospital is preparing to respond to coronavirus

The Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation is increasing its inventory of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns, and gloves, at its Bethel hospital and village clinics.

Female Denali Commission employees file discrimination complaints against boss

At least four female employees have filed civil rights complaints against the top executive at the Denali Commission, according to an Anchorage lawyer. Jason Hoke has been out of the office since Friday.

Musher Jeff King pulls out of Iditarod because of health emergency, rookie handler will run his team

Hours after a live event in Anchorage, the veteran musher was in the ER for what looked like a hernia, but turned out to be much more serious.
A large cruise ship with a white cabin and a blue hull

The Westerdam, turned away from Asia ports over coronavirus fears, will dock in Juneau

One passenger from the Westerdam initially tested positive for the virus but has since been cleared. All passengers have now left the ship, and the crew has tested negative.

Kaktovik is crawling with polar bears. Now a man is going to prison for wasting one.

The case shows how it’s become common for polar bears to disrupt village life in Kaktovik, which sits on an island at the edge of the Beaufort Sea. As climate change melts sea ice and drives the bears ashore, residents say they’ve been under increasing stress.

Coronavirus hasn’t hit Alaskans, but economists here are bracing for impact

Alaska has no known cases of the coronavirus, but the outbreak has set off economic shockwaves that are already jolting Alaskans. But foreseeable outcomes are not universally terrible.

Illegal for decades, many Anchorage homes still have covenants that prohibit sale to blacks and Alaska Natives

A nascent effort by local officials is grappling with thousands of discriminatory contracts still written into deeds all over town, part of Anchorage's legacy on race as it grew.

Cruise ships dumped more than 3 million pounds of trash in Juneau last year

During the 2019 summer tourism season, cruise ship companies dumped more than 3 million pounds of trash at Juneau’s private landfill.

Citing ‘escalation of violence,’ Noorvik pleads with local, state officials for law enforcement

Residents of the Northwest Arctic village of Noorvik, where there is no village public safety officer, say their town is feeling increasingly unsafe. Describing a “dangerous escalation of violence,” villagers have drafted a letter to local, state and federal officials asking for permanent law enforcement.

21-year-old Unalaska snowmachiner dies in avalanche

Trey Henning was buried in the avalanche and later recovered from the site near the quarry on Overland Drive. In a statement, the Department of Public Safety said life-saving measures were unsuccessful.

A second ‘blob’ marine heat wave disappeared but warming trend will continue, scientists say

The first blob decimated fisheries, caused a mass seabird die-off, and spurred toxic algal blooms up and down the coast. As Alaska braced for the second heat wave, it disappeared — at least for now.
A sign says University of Alaska Anchorage in the snow

‘None of us wants to do this’: UAA leaders recommend eliminating degree programs to shrink budget gap

UAA is proposing to cut degree programs to save money and shrink budget gaps.

After last year’s loss, Anchorage alcohol tax boosters bring in Mark Begich’s firm for this year’s campaign

After losing at the polls last year, supporters of a 5 percent alcohol tax in Anchorage say a better public opinion campaign could make the difference when the measure goes before voters again in April. So they've hired Mark Begich's company to help.

Anxiety creeps into oil-dependent Alaska as banks step back from Arctic investment

An aggressive advocacy campaign against banks' involvement in Arctic oil means that Alaska companies are facing more obstacles to raise the cash they need. They've responded by tailoring their pitches to financial institutions, as Alaska lawmakers fight back.

In the YK Delta, a murder acquittal gives one young man his life back, while miles away, a mother grieves her son

Adam Williams, the young man who shot and Eliza Wassillie’s son in 2017, was acquitted on murder charges. She is still looking for justice.

‘Much of Alaska’s history is not here anymore’: The National Archives are moving again, this time even farther away

In 2014, despite public outcry, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget decided to move Alaska's federal archives to Seattle. Now those archives could be moving again, to California and Missouri.

The ACLU is suing Nome, alleging a pattern of civil rights violations against Native women

The lawsuit alleges violation of state and federal civil rights protections stemming from mishandled police investigations of sexual assaults.

In letter to lawyers, Alaska Supreme Court clerk pushes back against Dunleavy bias complaints

The clerk for the Alaska Supreme Court responded on Wednesday to questions about Chief Justice Joel Bolger’s ability to be impartial over the proposed recall of Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
A courthouse sign

Alaska oil, mining education group alleges former director stole at least $187,000

Alaska Resource Education, which promotes the oil and gas, mining and forestry industries in Alaska's schools, is suing former executive director Michelle Brunner, alleging she embezzled nearly $200,000.

Dunleavy wants to pay back cuts to PFDs, but lawmakers are skeptical

A bill introduced at Dunleavy’s request on Wednesday would pay $1,304 to every eligible Alaskan.