News

All news stories, regardless of topic (local, statewide + national news stories, as well as Talk of Alaska, Alaska News Nightly, Alaska Insight, Alaska Economic Report). Some news stories may also have other categories marked, which will also put them on a subpage. Not all news stories will fall into a subpage.

Alaska health department changes Medicaid renewal process to keep thousands covered

About 37% of Alaska’s Medicaid recipients were procedurally disenrolled in the first four months following a pause during the pandemic.
a plane

Alaska Seaplanes to close Petersburg and Wrangell locations

Company staff say they're ending service to the Southeast Alaska communities by late October due to low ridership, as well as limited cargo.
a woman poses on a wooden deck, at a daycare

$400-a-month pandemic bonuses were life-changing for child care workers. That’s over.

Now that federal emergency funding for child care has expired, child care facilities face difficult choices about how to operate with less.
an explosion

Israel is trying to regain full control of its territory following Hamas attack

More than 1,000 people have been killed since Hamas' Saturday surprise attack on Israel, with 130 people reportedly captured by militants.
the front of a building

Two dozen Alaska legislators join opposition to Kroger-Albertsons merger plans

Two fifths of the Legislature’s 60 members have asked the Federal Trade Commission to block the grocery chains' impending $24.6 billion merger.
A man and woman sit at a desk speaking to each other, while a third person watches from a nearby television monitor.

The Niĝilax̂ restoration project | Alaska Insight

The design of a traditional large skin-on-frame boat used by the Unangax people was thought to be lost after Russian colonizers destroyed the last remaining examples in the 1800's, but after decades of work, the design of the niĝilax has been restored. Now, the recreated boats are touching Alaskan waters for the first time in over 200 years. To discuss the process and significance of the restoration, host Lori Townsend is joined by Ethan Petticrew, an Unangax dance instructor, teacher, and Executive Director of Cook Inlet Head Start, as well as Marc Daniels, the boat builder who facilitated the restoration project.
a man and woman hug

Peltola says she’s still grieving but ready to return to work in Congress

The Alaska congresswoman will return to a speaker-less U.S. House where some are floating an idea she's familiar with: bipartisan leadership.

A traditional Unangax̂ boat sails for the first time in over 200 years

https://youtu.be/_Ka9-tBUweg It’s been about 200 years since Russian colonizers demolished the last remaining examples of large Unangax̂ boats called a niĝilax̂. The wooden framed boats...
a barrel of crab

Alaska fishermen will be allowed to harvest lucrative red king crab in the Bering Sea

It's the first time in two years fisherman can harvest the crab, offering a slight reprieve to the beleaguered fishery.
A man sitting next to a red car and a boat

For Anchorage’s homeless residents, the path out is precarious and rarely straight

Shelter beds opening up soon are a stepping stone to stability. But a bad choice, a bad actor or bad luck can quickly reverse progress.

New AEDC president focused on making Anchorage more attractive to workers

Jenna Wright, the Anchorage Economic Development Corp.'s new head, says the city needs to become more desirable and affordable to workers.
a podium that says AFN on it

AFN convention launches Oct. 18 with exhibit honoring veterans

The 2023 Alaska Federation of Natives convention, preceded by the Elders and Youth Conference, will start in Anchorage in less than two weeks.
museum workers

Researchers say Unangax knowledge can help solve the mystery of Unalaska’s ancient bear bones

There are no bears today on Unalaska and Amaknak Islands, where the bones were found, and no historical records of bears ever living there.
snow crab clusters

Bering Sea crab surveys show populations still low a year after marquee Alaska harvests closed

With snow crab and red king crab stocks still ailing, state officials are due to decide soon whether harvests will be allowed in the coming year.
bears

This Fat Bear Week, take a look at the scientific reasons bears need to bulk up

Fat Bear Week's brown bears can lose one-third of their body weight over the course of hibernation, so they really need all the food they can get.
a map

Anchorage gets 4.2 wake-up jolt from Friday quake

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6:01 a.m. temblor struck about 2.5 miles west of Anchorage at a depth of about 24.6 miles.
man standing at a microphone

Alaska’s U.S. senators pair help for Ukraine with border funds

Sending money overseas for Ukraine’s defense has become controversial among Republicans.

Palmer voters approve bond for new library

The roof of the library collapsed under a heavy snow load in February and the city has provided a temporary library at an alternate site since May.
Students in red jackets march and play instruments on a football field (Shiri Segal/Alaska Public Media)

‘The epitome of school spirit’: Alaska high schools embrace marching bands

Marching bands are a staple at high school and college football games across the Lower 48. In Alaska, though, only a few schools have them.
close up of a police car, it reads "Emergency 911."

Anchorage police will start outfitting officers with body cameras in mid-November

The implementation of the cameras comes two-and-a-half years after Anchorage voters approved a $1.8 million tax increase to purchase the equipment.