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The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear an Alaska case challenging the National Park Service's authority to ban hovercraft on navigable rivers. But the case has alarmed people with no interest in hovercraft, and it splits Alaska Native stakeholders. Download Audio

Buried deep in the October 2004 supplement of the Alaska Administrative Code are a few sentences a lot of Alaska health care experts are talking about right now. It's called the 80th percentile rule. It was adopted as a consumer protection measure, but insurers say it's encouraging excessive prices for specialty care. Download Audio

Twenty-five mushers, some local, some international – all prepared to race this evening along icy river trails — are in Bethel for the Kuskokwim 300. The race starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. It’s the longest of three races that’ll take place over the weekend. Download Audio

The Anchorage Mayor's office is throwing its weight behind initiatives to end homelessness, a problem the administration says has intensified in recent years. As social service providers gather data on homeless individuals, they're pairing new technology with an increased level of political support. Download Audio

A federal proposal to make Southeast Alaska’s logging industry sustainable while preserving old growth in the Tongass National Forest does too little, too slowly--according to one conservation group. The Oregon-based Geos Institute says the Tongass National Forest draft plan is out of step with a global agreement to reduce climate change. Download Audio

Nearly three decades after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, the litigation for the remaining cash the state and federal governments could pursue from Exxon is at an end. But one biologist says the spill's after-effects may linger for centuries. Download Audio

The EPA's inspector general has concluded the EPA did not treat the Pebble project unfairly when it issued a controversial document detrimental to the mine.

It’s official: the contractor handed off the keys to the newly renovated Sitka Public Library this week, and the Sitka Library Commission moved right in. Download Audio

Lydia Doza got a text message she nearly ignored. It led to a special White House invitation to honor her efforts inspiring Native American youth to choose STEM careers. Download Audio

Is 'The Blob' taking a winter breather? Or, is it fizzling out? After over two years, is The Blob finally dead? The giant, persistent mass of warm ocean water seems to have cooled over the last few months, possibly because of another warm ocean phenomenon that is now dominating the Pacific. Download Audio

In late December, the Association of Village Council Presidents laid off 30 employees. AVCP has made no official statement about why the layoffs occurred, but documents show misappropriation of federal grant money over nearly a decade. Download Audio

A soldier stationed at Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson is set to receive one of the nation's highest military awards on Friday. According to Army officials, it's the first time the Soldier's Medal has been awarded to a troop in Alaska for a rescue that happened in state. And it started with a fishing trip. Download Audio

January 7th is Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated in many communities across Alaska. And the celebration is in full swing in the Alaska Native village of Nanwalek on the Southern Kenai Peninsula. Download Audio

A special state investigator for the Guard scandal flagged Michelle Clark's death as warranting further review. But with a toxicology report that found nothing and a tight-lipped police department, the pregnant soldier's family feels there's been no justice for Michelle. Download Audio

For many Alaskans, the scandal at the Alaska National Guard is long over. But nothing is resolved for the family mourning Michelle LaRose Clark, a guardsman who died in 2011, of unknown causes. Clark's family, and a retired officer, can't let go of the idea that her death is related to what she knew about crime within the Guard. Download Audio

The Civil Air Patrol occupies an unusual place between the worlds of civilian and military aviation, one that relies primarily on self-monitoring. Download Audio

Common murre seabirds are challenging rescue workers as they make their way inland, becoming stranded and hungry. Download Audio

The city of Kodiak released video and audio recordings and other documents associated with the case where three city police officers are suspected of using excessive force in subduing Nick Pletnikoff, an autistic young man, in September.

Anchorage municipal attorney Bill Falsey got a quick lesson in labor and delivery this week. He and his wife, Alaska Dispatch News reporter Jeannette Lee Falsey, expected to have their baby in the hospital. Falsey says Jeannette woke at about three in the morning on December 29th, with contractions that were far apart. By 6 am, the couple had called Bill's mom to come to the house and were getting ready to go to the hospital. Then Jeannette's water broke and the contractions quickly became more urgent. Download Audio

A new trend has landed in Haines, and for once we’re not trailing way behind. Adult coloring is wildly popular pretty much everywhere, including Alaska, and the Babbling Book on Main Street can’t keep the boutique pages in stock. Download Audio