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.

Ellis sentenced to 3 years, 2 suspended, for death of cyclist Dusenbury

An Anchorage teen who pleaded guilty to hitting and killing a man on a bicycle will be sentenced to three years in prison with two suspended. Judge Michael Wolverton accepted the plea deal agreed to earlier this year. Download Audio

Small-scale hydro project comes online in Iguigig

A prototype in-river hydropower system is currently in operation at Igiugig in southwest Alaska.  It’s part of a recent surge of research that has pushed in-river hydro power closer to becoming a reality for rural communities seeking an alternative to diesel-based electricity. Download Audio

Glacier Bay’s missing stories find a new home in Tlingit tribal house

A $3 million Tlingit tribal house is being constructed on the shore of Bartlett Cove in Glacier Bay – likely the first time the National Park Service has funded a tribal house. Download Audio

Pebble asks to subpoena former EPA official

The Pebble Limited Partnership is asking for a former Environmental Protection Agency official to be subpoenaed as part of the lawsuit over the agency’s alleged violation of federal regulations. The case is in front of Federal District Court Judge H. Russel Holland, who denied the EPA’s motion to dismiss the case in June.

Sitka landslides: Part of a larger landscape change?

The landslides that struck Sitka early Tuesday morning are the latest in a series of similar events that started in 2011. Although these slides are triggered by a combination of wind and rainfall, forecasters believe it’s too early to correlate these incidents with changing weather patterns -- but that may change.

S&P says Alaska’s bond rating jeopardized by budget deficit

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised its outlook from stable to negative in a ratings report released Tuesday.

From working to homeless and back again — a story of hope from the Brother Francis Shelter

People don’t usually plan to experience homelessness; life just takes unexpected turns. But for some guests of the Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage, like Michael Hindman, the experience leaves them with more hope than anything else.

3 missing persons in Sitka landslide ID’d and presumed dead

Three people are missing after heavy rain triggered a series of landslides in Sitka Tuesday morning. Governor Bill Walker plans to be in the city Wednesday to visit the affected areas.

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Recovery efforts of 4 missing persons suspended until terrain stabilizes; Legislative panel votes to spend $450K to stop Medicaid expansion in court; A project to remap Alaska reaches its halfway mark; Yukon king run shows signs of recovery; Anchorage hospitals appeal state's ER bed cap; Woman pleads guilty to running a sex-trafficking ring, sentenced to 5 1/2 years; Life's curvy road leads to homelessness for some; A lifetime of fighting: A history of Alaska LGBT rights; Can we call it 'Hoo-Brew'? A new brewery opens in Hoonah Download Audio

3 People Missing In Sitka Landslide

Four people are believed missing after rain triggered a series of landslides in Sitka early Tuesday morning. Recovery efforts have been suspended while officials wait for the affected slopes to stabilize. Download Audio

Legislative panel votes to spend $450K to stop Medicaid expansion in court

A legislative panel has voted to sue Gov. Bill Walker to stop Medicaid expansion. The Legislative Council made the announcement after a closed door meeting in Anchorage on Tuesday morning. Download Audio

A project to remap Alaska reaches its halfway point

An effort to remap Alaska celebrated its half-way mark Tuesday during a ‘skybreaking’ ceremony in Anchorage. The remapping initiative is a significant undertaking for the state. Download Audio

Yukon king run shows signs of recovery

Chinook salmon continue to swim up the Yukon River, the latest indication that the long ailing run may have turned a corner toward recovery. Download Audio

Anchorage hospitals appeal state’s ER bed cap

Anchorage's two largest hospitals are appealing the state's recent allocation decisions in hopes of building more emergency room beds in the next several years. Download Audio

Woman pleads guilty to running a sex-trafficking ring, sentenced to 5 1/2 years

Amber Batts was sentenced to five and half years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking in the second degree Monday afternoon. The defendant was running the sex trade business “Sensual Alaska" that served people around the state. Download Audio

A short history of Alaska LGBT rights

Alaskans voted in 1998 to define marriage in the state constitution as only between a man and a woman. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated that definition, Alaska and the entire country has marriage equality. To some it may seem like things are changing fast, but Alaska’s fight for gay rights began half a lifetime ago. Download Audio

Can We Call It Hoo-Brew? New Brewery Opens in Hoonah

On Saturday, a Hoonah microbrewery is opening its doors to serve the village a variety of craft beers. Kegs used to become scarce around the same time tourists did. Now fresh pints are guaranteed through winter. Download Audio

5 youths, ages 10 to 13, suspected in Bethel school vandalism spree

Bethel police have identified five juveniles age 10 and 13, suspected of vandalizing preschool classrooms and smashing windows in more than a dozen cars owned by the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Charges are being sent to the division of juvenile justice.

4 missing in Sitka landslide event

Those missing were all likely involved in the construction of several new homes on Kramer Avenue. The slide in that area destroyed one of the new homes entirely, and damaged another.

Three landslides prompt Sitka to declare state of emergency

The City and Borough of Sitka has declared a state of emergency after heavy rain triggered at least three different landslides this morning.