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.

Scientists Detect Eruption at Peninsula Volcano

Alaska’s most active volcano appears to be erupting. Mount Pavlof, on the Alaska Peninsula, started rumbling Monday morning, according to Alaska Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge John Power. Download Audio

Wildfire Season Expected To Start Later Than Normal

The federal government is predicting a normal wildfire season in Alaska this year, but it could be later than normal. Download Audio

Body Discovered In Burning Van In Anchorage

A man's body was discovered in a van that was burning in the parking lot of a mid-town Anchorage restaurant Thursday night. Karl Leroy Cox. Junior, 28, was reportedly living in the van. The van was not street legal. Investigation continues.

Child Hospitalized After Big Lake Sled Dog Yard Attack

A child visiting a sled dog lot in Big Lake is hospitalized after a dog got loose and attacked her. The lot was Jake Berkowitz's but there were other dogs boarding there as well.

White House Releases Arctic Strategy

The Obama Administration lays out guidelines for future Arctic policies. Download Audio

APICDA Searches For Ferry To Serve Pribilof Islands

The Pribilof Islands of St. Paul and St. George are just 45 miles apart, but getting between them can be challenging because of limited flight service, and the area’s notoriously foggy weather. This summer, a regional community development group is hoping to solve that problem by contracting a ferry to run between the islands. But, finding a suitable vessel has proved challenging. Download Audio

Copper Center School Shutting Down

The oldest school in the Copper River School District is officially closing down.  The Copper River School Board voted unanimously this week to shutdown the Copper Center School due to low enrollment.  The District is seeking approval from the Alaska Department of Education to move forward with its closure plan. Download Audio

Some Legislators Assisting Effort To Repeal New Oil Tax Bill

Two Anchorage lawmakers stood outside Barnes & Noble in Midtown Anchorage today, gathering signatures for the referendum to repeal Gov. Sean Parnell’s oil tax overhaul. The bill narrowly passed at the end of this year’s legislative session. It’s expected to lower taxes on oil companies by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Download Audio

Alaska ACLU Head Leaving State For New Position

Alaska ACLU head Jeff Mittman is leaving the state for another post with the organization. An ACLU press release does not disclose what his new job will be, but says that an interim Executive Director will serve while a national search goes on.

More Lawsuits Filed Against Former State Probation Officer

More lawsuits have been filed by women against former state probation officer James R. Stanton, already convicted of charges related to allegations of sexually preying on his clients.

How Much Are Hospitals Charging? How Much Is Medicare Paying?

How much does a hospital charge for a certain procedure? That information can be difficult for consumers to access before they get a bill in the mail. Now for the first time, the federal government is publicly sharing what hospitals bill Medicare for the 100 most common procedures. The information shows hospitals across the country, and across Alaska, charge dramatically different prices for the same procedure. Download Audio

Arctic Scientists Take On ‘Emerging Research Questions’

Environmental changes from climate warming are hitting the Arctic harder and faster than anyone predicted. This week, top Arctic scientists have been meeting in Anchorage looking for better ways to investigate and even track the changes and what they could mean. Download Audio

City, Borough of Juneau Keeping Track of Marketplace Fairness Act

Juneau officials are keeping an eye on legislation making its way through Congress that would allow states to collect sales tax on online purchases. The U.S. Senate this week voted 69-27 in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act. Download Audio

Alaska Native Fisheries Group Wants Fair Share

An Anchorage based Community Development Quota group wants a greater share of Alaska’s deep sea fisheries. The Coastal Villages Region Fund, which represents 20 villages in Western Alaska, has asked the state’s Congressional delegation to make changes in how the fisheries quotas are allocated, but critics call the plan “reckless” and say it could endanger the entire CDQ program. Download Audio

Man Arrested In Haines In Connection To Utah Cold-Case Murder

A man accused in a cold-case Utah murder was arrested in Haines on Wednesday. Haines police and Alaska State Troopers assisted Ogden, Utah police in apprehending Stephen Ellenwood after he eluded law enforcement on a foot pursuit through a wooded Haines neighborhood.

Bethel Cop Charged With DUI At Police Shooting Scene

A former Bethel police officer is being charged with being intoxicated while on the scene of a police shooting last fall. Last October, a Bethel police officer shot and killed a man in a neighborhood near Brown’s Slough. The man, 24-year-old Sam Alexie Jr., was intoxicated and pointed a rifle at the officer who then shot him. Download Audio

State Leases Nearly 150,000 Acres To Oil, Gas Developers

The state of Alaska leased nearly 150,000 acres to oil and gas developers in a sale on Wednesday. The sale represents a continued interest in development in Cook Inlet that could focus on oil drilling in the coming years. Download Audio

Federal Government Targets 50 Legacy Wells For Clean-Up

Across the North Slope, there are over a hundred oil wells drilled by the federal government that are no longer operational. At some sites, there are abandoned drums sunk in oil seeps; other wells have gas leaking from them. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management released a draft plan identifying 50 of these so-called "legacy wells" for clean up. Download Audio

How Much School Can A Student Miss?

The high cost of travel for extracurricular activities in Sitka’s schools has been an ongoing debate for years. Now, the school board is going to take a hard look at whether travel costs students and parents more than just money. Download Audio

Interior Department Declares Offshore Well-Capping System Test Successful

The Interior Department says a test of an offshore well capping system in the Gulf of Mexico was successful. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says Noble Energy and the Helix Well Containment Group have shown the device could contain a deep-water blowout.