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.”

Gov. Walker announces public safety plan

Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth said reducing crime will take enhanced collaboration across different departments. Listen now

After BP leak report, state calls for review of all North Slope wells

The emergency order comes after BP blamed an April oil and gas spill on a piece of a flawed well design and melting permafrost. Listen now

Congress let CHIP expire; Denali KidCare OK for now

Funding for CHIP, the low-income children's health insurance program, has expired. Several states are close to running out of money. But the Alaska Division of Health Care Services says the state has enough money to continue funding its CHIP program, called Denali KidCare, until April. Listen now

Payroll tax and crime overhaul on the docket for fourth special legislative session

Today ends the first week of the Legislature’s fourth special session. Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes spoke with KTOO’s Andrew Kitchenman about where things stand. Listen now

AK: The Birdman of Alcatraz’s grisly Juneau connection

In this spooky pre-Halloween edition of AK, we revisit the scene of the crime, the site of a cold-blooded murder over a hundred years ago in Juneau. KTOO’s Matt Miller spent this summer researching what happened when the Birdman of Alcatraz killed for the first time. Listen now

BP likely to plug thirteen at-risk wells after April accident

BP thinks the accident was caused by thawing permafrost deep below the surface, which put uneven stress on the well. Eventually, the well gave out, rising several feet out of the ground and colliding with the top of the building over the well. Listen now

Trump’s opioid disaster declaration could expand help to suffering Alaskans

Today, President Donald Trump took a major step in dealing with the opioid epidemic, laying out an ambitious vision of stamping out opioid addiction within a generation while treating those currently suffering. Listen now

ANWR drilling clears another hurdle in Congress

The U.S. House has passed the Senate's budget resolution, and with it the seeds of legislation that could open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Listen now

Oil production is up, and DNR expects it to keep climbing

Production was up about 3 million barrels, and the state is predicting that it’s going to be up next year too. Listen now

Alaska U.S. senators quiet on colleagues’ critique of Trump

Two Republicans rocked the U.S. Senate Tuesday with harsh criticism of President Trump, for what they call flagrant disregard for truth and debasing the nation. So far, the two senators aren't discussing it. Listen now
A map showing where the national petroleum reserve in Alaska is.

Trump administration offers more NPR-A land for oil leasing than ever before

The Bureau of Land Management announced all 900 tracts set aside for leasing will be up for bid. That compares to just 145 tracts offered last year. It's the largest lease sale ever in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Listen now

Key critic says the votes aren’t there for full repeal of crime bill

The House Judiciary heard a variety of proposed changes to Senate Bill 54. The bill would scale back some of the reductions in criminal sentencing enacted last year. Listen now

Amid doping scandal, a mushing whodunit

On Monday, the Iditarod Trail Committee announced dogs belonging to four-time champion Dallas Seavey tested positive for a banned substance. But Seavey insists he didn't do it, which is fueling a mystery right beside the ballooning controversy. Listen now

ACA enrollment: Better rates for Alaskans but less time to find them

President Trump says "Obamacare is dead." That negative advertising from the White House is just one of the obstacles Alaska's navigators have to overcome ahead of the enrollment period that starts Nov. 1. Listen now

Iditarod committee names Dallas Seavey as musher whose sled dogs failed drug test

After weeks of speculation over a top Iditarod contender doping sled-dogs, the race's governing body has announced the name of the musher. Four-time champion Dallas Seavey's team had four dogs that tested positive for the banned substance Tramadol, a pain-reliever, according a release from the Iditarod Trail Committee. Listen now

Investigation shows BP Alaska reckoning with multiple accidents and leaks

BP isn't disputing that the incidents took place. The company has already taken extreme steps to address the issue. Listen now

State Attorney General says all 229 Alaska tribes are sovereign

On the second day of this year’s annual AFN gathering in Anchorage, another significant announcement regarding the relationship between the state and tribes was put forward. Listen now

Newtok says state agency blocked access to disaster funding

The money Newtok was counting on will likely go to Butte and Sutton, in the Mat-Su Borough, instead. Listen now

U.S. Senate passes budget that could open ANWR

The prospect of drilling rigs in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge just got a little more realistic. Listen now

Alaska and its tribes sign child services compact

The state of Alaska has entered into a first-of-its kind compact to let tribes and tribal organizations take over child welfare services in their communities. Listen now