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.

President Biden

Biden implements sweeping changes to how the military handles sexual assault cases

The bipartisan reforms remove serious criminal cases from victims' chain of command, instead placing them under trained prosecutors.
cars

Bethel’s first car show is a blast from Alaska’s past

It takes a lot of work to maintain a vehicle in Bethel, and that’s a big part of why Zack Huckstep organized the city’s first car show.
construction workers and machinery at a coastal construction site

Trident’s new processing plant in Unalaska will be the largest in North America

The plant will focus on automation, renewable energy and on 100% protein capture — being so efficient that not a scrap of fish is wasted.
a woman holding a bottle of whale feces

How whale poo could be making the planet cleaner

The "whale pump hypothesis" claims nutrient-rich whale excrement feeds phytoplankton, a key producer of Earth's oxygen.
a birding trail

Audubon Alaska launches virtual birdwatching trail for Southeast Alaska

The new Southeast Alaska Birding Trail is a free virtual guide to 18 communities across the bird-rich region.
Fairbanks smoke

Alaska seeks more time to submit air-quality plan for particulate-plagued Fairbanks

The state’s environmental commissioner is pushing back on EPA’s position that the state should address power-plant emissions.
an adaptive bicycle

Wanted woman leads police to suspect in Challenge Alaska bike theft

More than a dozen bicycles were stolen from a shipping container outside Challenge Alaska’s Mountain View office.
a room with a bed, a refrigerator, and a countertop.

Anchorage’s former Barratt Inn will soon open as low-income housing

It's the third Anchorage hotel converted into housing within the last year.

Panel recommends renaming port after Don Young and reverting to ‘of Anchorage’ 

The Anchorage Assembly is set to hold a public hearing and vote on the renaming Sept. 12.
a faucet

As dry spell drains Wrangell reservoir, officials urge water conservation

If the reservoirs continue to deplete, the Southeast Alaska town could implement its water emergency plan as early as next week.
two whales

2 humpback whales freed after entanglements near Juneau

One of the freed whales, a humpback calf named Herbert, was the third reported humpback entanglement in the area this month.
a wildfire

Alaska firefighters hustle after lightning sparks 80 wildfires statewide

There were over 30,000 lightning strikes in Alaska Monday through Wednesday, with the number of acres burned rising from about 1,500 to nearly 11,000.
a playground

Alaska Department of Health moves to ease parts of child care licensing burden

State law requires child care centers to have static IP addresses, which can be costly and hard to get in remote parts of Alaska with sporadic internet access.
A screenshot of the Alaska Board of Education and Early Development's Zoom meeting on July 26, 2023.

State board postpones vote on transgender athlete regulation

The board postponed action that could bar trans girls from competing on high school sports teams that align with their gender identity.
a woman holds boxes of kits

Mat-Su Borough passes resolution to allocate $2.3M of opioid distribution settlement funds

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to begin allocating the funds on July 18.

State asks U.S. Supreme Court to reverse EPA’s veto of Pebble Mine

The EPA “confiscated state property and created a de facto national park," the state argues.
a fishing vessel

Why sockeye flourish and chinook fail in Alaska’s changing climate

Scientists say they have clues to help explain this tale of two salmon.
An aerial view of the Port of Alaska.

Anchorage Assembly OKs Port of Alaska cargo terminal design and user fees to finance project

Modernizing the port, an essential cargo lifeline for the entire state, has been bogged down in political and technical processes for years.
A gray-scale photo of a person in a mask, with just their eyes showing, and wearing a jacket.

Man who vandalized Alaska Jewish Museum with swastika stickers sentenced to 18 months in prison

Luke Foster, 28, was convicted on two acts of hate-motivated property damage and one drug trafficking offense.