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 person crosses a finish line that says Ironman Alaska

Ironman Alaska canceled for the next 2 years

Liz Perry, president and CEO of Travel Juneau, said the Ironman Alaska triathlon organizer called her to say that the decision arose from economic concerns like inflation and the potential for a recession. 
A woman shovels snow from a driveway.

‘Anomaly’ winter storm closes Anchorage and Mat-Su schools, slows traffic

The latest storm brought more than a foot of new snow. The snow again closed schools, tangled traffic and left residents frustrated about unplowed roads.
an ambulance with a mountain in the background

Nursing shortage leaves Juneau hospice patients with few options until gap is filled

Juneau has been without hospice and home care since mid-September.
An album cover says 2022 Holiday songs with a tree on it

Proceeds from new holiday album will help rural Alaska domestic violence shelters

Each song on the Bright Lights album is a fresh take on holiday music.

Santa visit brings joy to a frosty Alaska Inupiat village

Santa and Mrs. Claus left Rudolph at home to catch a ride recently on an Alaska Air National Guard cargo plane to visit the Inupiat village of Nuiqsut.
A snowy street with a Speed Limit 25 mph sign

Kenai woman killed by plow truck in whiteout conditions

About 18 inches of snow were piled on the roadway at the time of the fatal crash, troopers say.
a trooper car

Wasilla explosion that injured man and demolished building likely due to gas leak, troopers say

A woman who identified herself on Facebook as the wife of the owner of Connoisseur Lounge, a cannabis retail shop, wrote that the injured man was a contractor checking on a newly built part of her husband’s shop.
a woman in a sweater poses for a photo, seated at a table

Alaska elections chief, never one for drama, makes an orderly exit after a big year

Gail Fenumiai is retiring just as Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom takes up her new duties, which include overseeing elections.
Snow plows plow snow on snowy street.

Anchorage Mayor Bronson commits more workers and equipment to snow removal

Bronson said the new agreements will bring up to 10 additional graders, 10 plow trucks and numerous dump trucks.
Cars drive down a road while a person walks in the middle of the road. The sidewalk to their left is covered in snow.

Mat-Su schools closed, Anchorage schools reopen Tuesday after weekend storm

Mat-Su Borough schools remained closed Tuesday in the wake of Sunday’s major snowstorm, with Anchorage schools set to reopen after four consecutive snow days.
a damaged fish camp

Arctic Report Card 2022: Rapid climate change brings extreme events to the North

NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad says the changes are visible in diminished sea ice, plankton blooms, mass seabird die-offs, coastal erosion and damage to Arctic communities.

In wake of a smaller $48M deficit, Anchorage school officials weigh numerous budget cuts

School board members on Saturday found wide consensus on closing Abbott Loop Elementary School, increasing the student-to-teacher ratio by one and using roughly $28 million in savings to close next year's budget gap.
A blonde woman in a blazer smiles at the camera.

Nancy Dahlstrom has spent most of her 20-year political career out of the spotlight. Now she’s second in command.

Dahlstrom said she’s committed to upholding the policies of the election system set in law. Even so, she expressed reservations about the current ranked choice voting system.
livestream still showing four boxes

Wasilla Rep. Eastman’s qualifications trial delves into Oath Keeper ideology

Rep. David Eastman isn't accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol. But if he belongs to a group that did, his legislative career could be over.
A group of Police officers bring out a coffin covered in an American flag

Man killed by a muskox near Nome

Troopers say Curtis Worland was trying to haze a group of muskox away from his dog kennel on Tuesday when one of the muskox attacked.
A person uses a red snow blower.

Anchorage’s back to back (to back?) snowstorm totals pushing city toward December record

Back for our Ask a Climatologist segment, Brian Brettschneider with the National Weather Service says there are a couple ways to think about the snow, including one measurement that gets at how it feels to, say, shovel it out of driveways.
the Alaska State Capitol

Ahead of first-draft state budget, oil prices are driving a tighter Alaska fiscal picture

Alaska’s revenue forecast, to be updated this week, relies on oil futures markets that are at their lowest point this year.

Respiratory virus cases are filling hospital beds in Alaska

At the same time, the state is seeing a shortage of amoxicillin.
A man in a black coat walks on a snow roadway.

Anchorage and Mat-Su schools closed after 3rd major snowstorm hits the region

Anchorage and Mat-Su Borough schools and state offices are closed Thursday as a third major winter storm this month coated the area with snow overnight Wednesday.
a snow plow

From Buzz Iceclear to Clearopathra, snowplow naming gains traction around the country

What do Buzz Iceclear, Clearopathra and Snowbi Wan Kenobi all have in common? They are some of the named snowplows hard at work during the winter season.