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.

Line One: DNA Testing and Genetic Counseling

Genetic testing provides valuable information for patients and families about the risk of developing certain cancers, known diseases OR, whether someone is a carrier of a genetic disease. Testing encodes the small traits of our DNA which can help us to prepare for or prevent future health issues. How does this information empower people and What role do genetic counselors play in medical decisions? Join host Dr. Jillian Woodruff as she explores these topics on this episode of Line One.
a fishing boat

Southeast trollers help study a warming ocean: ‘Fishermen are natural scientists’

Two new citizen science projects will help Southeast Alaska troll fishermen gather data about how the waters they depend on are changing.
Spring Creek Correctional Center

Smuggling cases point to need for better drug treatment in Alaska prisons, advocates say

At least two state employees have recently been charged with bringing medication into Kenai Peninsula correctional facilities.
the Supreme Court

Supreme Court guts affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions

The Court found that Harvard and the University of North Carolina's admissions policy violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.
an oil facility in a remote, snowy area

ConocoPhillips faces potential fine of $914,000 for Arctic gas leak

State regulators propose a civil punishment for last year's gas blowout at Alpine

Valdez presses its case to unseal Hilcorp’s finances before Alaska Supreme Court

More than three years after Hilcorp bought BP’s Alaska assets, Valdez wants assurances that Hilcorp has the money to safely maintain its operations — and clean up a potential oil spill.
a lunch counter

Alaska schools struggling to keep up with the cost of food

As Alaska school districts look ahead at their 2024 budgets, many are under pressure because of steep inflation in the price of food.
plastic

Behind the scenes of plastic lumber production on the Kenai Peninsula

On the Central Kenai Peninsula, plastic is getting a second life as lumber, thanks to a local collections program and innovative recycling project.
A stink bug crawls up a girl's arm

Alaska Botanical Garden summer camp teaches kids about insects

Parents in Anchorage have dozens of camps to choose from. The Alaska Botanical Garden has been sponsoring summer day camps for about 20 years. One new option on the schedule this year is an insect safari camp.
the Hōkūle’a

The Hōkūle’a canoe has a special connection to Hydaburg, its last Alaska stop

The Polynesian Voyaging Society built one of its vessels with trees that grew on Shelikof Island, about six miles from Hydaburg.
A woman in a grey shirt describing clothes on a rack.

Anchorage outdoor apparel company Alpine Fit wins small business award

Alpine Fit was recently named women-owned business of the year - the owner credits the accolade to their contributions to domestic apparel manufacturing.

Anchorage entrepreneur named finalist for national award spotlighting Black community leaders

Jasmin Smith is an entrepreneur who was nominated for the inaugural theGRIO Hero award.
Chicago wildfire haze

Air quality plummets as Canadian wildfire smoke stretches across the Midwest

Smoke from wildfires in Canada is again blanketing parts of the U.S. with a thick haze that's prompting air quality warnings in several states.
Kasilof River dipnetters

With strong sockeye showing, Kasilof River opens to dipnetters

Tents lined the shore at the Kasilof River's mouth Tuesday, while families stood by four-wheelers and coolers full of fresh-caught sockeye.
Bill Wielechowski

Alaska Supreme Court considers whether Hilcorp’s financial information should stay secret

The city of Valdez, site of the trans-Alaska pipeline’s marine terminal, wants the public to have information about Hilcorp’s financial wherewithal.

Talk of Alaska: Broadband in Rural Alaska

No online banking, no Amazon orders, no internet classes. A broken fiber optic cable buried far below the Beaufort Sea ice, north of Oliktok Point has brought internet service for a wide swath of Arctic communities to dial up speed or a complete halt. Repairs are still weeks away. How are schools, local governments and businesses coping with the lack of reliable online commerce? How much redundancy is there in the system now and will federal funds make it more robust and reliable? We discuss the need for modern communication connections in the far north, on this Talk of Alaska
dancers

Yup’ik dancing, Christian prayers mark Dillingham’s blessing of the fleet

Dillingham residents and fishermen gathered before the Fishermen’s Memorial for the 34th annual Blessing of the Fleet earlier this month.
a memorial

Amateur historian wins national award for podcast on one of Alaska’s deadliest shipwrecks

Ronan Rooney's Wrangell History Unlocked podcast revisits the Star of Bengal's 1908 sinking, which killed 111 of the 138 people aboard.
the Bering Strait

Study: Erosion has made the Bering Strait a meter deeper on the Alaska side than it used to be

A mapping project uses new data and reassesses old data to get more precise measurements in the critical Pacific gateway to the Arctic Ocean.
A small airport next to a river as seen from above

Aniak residents shocked by quadrupled power bills

Aniak Light & Power's unannounced rate hike has left residents and businesses trying to figure out how they'll keep the lights on.