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.”

Delta city council member denies posting racist comments on social media

A Delta Junction City Council member says he’s been victimized by a fake Twitter account established under his name in January that includes several posts with racist comments.

LISTEN: Where do cars go when they die? In Alaska, off the road system, not far

Broken down cars are sometimes part of the landscape in Alaska. In areas off the state road system, it's more expensive to ship out the dead cars than to just leave there.

For decades, homeowners claimed this Anchorage lake was private. A new report reveals it’s not

Anchorage’s Campbell Lake is ringed by expensive houses and floatplanes, and it’s often referred to as a “private lake.” But it's not private.

DEA uncovers a flood of painkillers reaching rural Alaska by mail

An operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration has turned up a previously undocumented drug problem with a mild opioid that is spread across Alaska.

Rep. Laddie Shaw, blocked from Senate seat appointment, says he wasn’t fairly judged

The Alaska Senate Republicans rejected on Thursday Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s choice to fill a vacant Senate seat. The senators blocked the confirmation of Anchorage Republican Rep. Laddie...

On both sides of the border, officials chafe over looming end to Prince Rupert ferry link

Addressing the Southeast Conference forum of civic and business leaders Thursday, Alaska’s Transportation Commissioner John MacKinnon placed the blame on the feds.

Cokie Roberts was a pioneer journalist — and she had an Alaska connection

NPR political correspondent Cokie Roberts died this week, and her passing has been a reminder, not just of Roberts' contributions to journalism, but also her connection to Alaska.

SE Conference takes aim at Gov. Dunleavy’s cuts to state ferries

The Southeast Conference was founded 58 years ago to help establish the state ferry system. Now it's reckoning with a governor who would close the system down completely.

Attack in Saudi Arabia highlights Alaska’s diminishing role on the global oil stage

This year, for the first time in at least a dozen years, the state of Alaska will change the way it forecasts the price of its oil.

Judge: case of slain Mountain Village woman shows how Alaska’s justice system is failing

In a blistering order, a Fairbanks judge has declared a crisis in the state’s courts, saying that turnover among public defenders is delaying criminal trials and denying justice for victims and defendants alike.

Kodiak villages brace for reduced ferry service this fall and winter

While the city of Kodiak has relatively reliable alternatives for transportation to the mainland, an upcoming gap in ferry service will pose serious difficulties for the some of the island’s outlying villages.

Seattle council votes to withhold business from oil companies that explore Arctic Refuge

The Seattle City Council voted Monday to avoid doing business with any company that that leases land in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to explore...

Marooned: Cordova braces for a winter without ferry service

Alaska’s coastal residents have long warned of dire effects if lawmakers sharply reduce ferry budgets. Now, absent an adjustment to the ferry schedule by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration, those warnings could become reality.

Nanwalek residents worry ‘if this is the future of no water’

The Kenai Peninsula village is one of six Alaska communities that have dealt with water shortages this summer, a season of record heat and dryness.

Justice Department to send millions to rural Alaska law enforcement

Tribal agencies are set to receive $5 million for equipment and hiring, with another $6 million is set for infrastructure and hiring in rural communities.

Alaska’s sales pitch: Vast resources and a melting Arctic

It was the first time the annual meeting has been held in the United States, and it offered a unique chance for the state to pitch itself as a great investment opportunity to wealth managers from across the globe.
Caribou graze on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with snowcapped peaks of the Brooks Range as a backdrop. (USFWS)

Trump administration rolls out final environmental review for Arctic Refuge oil leasing

Today, the Trump administration took one of the last necessary steps before it allows oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  The Interior Department...

Rural Alaska clinics depend on broadband. What happens when it goes out?

In rural Alaska, broadband is vital for health care delivery, but an outage sends clinics back in time.

District finds pattern of bias in judge who DQ’ed teen swimmer

After a 17-year-old athlete was disqualified at a swim meet over a uniform infraction, and uproar and investigation lead ASD to call for a volunteer judge's dismissal.

A year after a dam was removed, this river near Anchorage is still waiting for water

The effort to remove the dam on the lower Eklutna River couldn’t succeed on its own because upstream, utilities divert the river into a hydroelectric power plant. Officials say it will take years before they decide whether to add more water that could help restore salmon.