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.

a blur of people walking on a crowded street

American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades

A new report shows the pandemic and the overdose crisis helped push down the average life expectancy in the U.S. for a second year in a row.

Alaska’s first Miss America, Emma Broyles, reflects on her year in the spotlight

Broyles became a statewide sensation after she became the first Alaskan and the first Korean American named Miss America last year. 
a polar bear cub

Alaska Zoo takes in orphaned Prudhoe Bay polar bear cub

After its capture and transport to Anchorage, the cub weighed in slightly underweight at 103 pounds. The cub is being treated at the zoo, and is not on public display.
a virtual courtroom

Rep. Eastman isn’t just an Oath Keeper but also supported their cause on Jan. 6, opposing attorney argues

Eastman intended "to be part of the insurrection on Jan. 6," a lawyer trying to disqualify the legislator said.
The inside of Sullivan Arena currently serving as housing for the homeless.

Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, December 21, 2022

The Anchorage Assembly expands the capacity of its largest shelter amid a leadership shakeup in the Bronson administration. Plus the bright light Southcentral residents saw in the sky this morning wasn't a bird or a plane, but something more exciting. And a new book examines the history of Black Alaskans.
An older white man in a tan suit, a woman in a black blouse and a white man in a grey suit and red tie speak at a table in front of microphones

Anchorage’s ousted muni manager says work environment was toxic

Amy Demboski thinks the mayor fired her because she wrote out concerns about municipal agencies repeatedly overstepping their legal authority.
a closed hospice in Juneau

Juneau hospice and nursing home closures are the latest symptom of the nation’s nursing shortage

The closure of Catholic Community Services' home and hospice care has forced Juneau patients to visit emergency rooms, in one part of a statewide problem.
People hold signs in front of a snowy dumpster in a cold, foggy parking lot

Eagle River High School Green Club works to recycle holiday leftovers

Green Club partnered with the city's Solid Waste Services to set up a cardboard dumpster on campus, where the community can bring their flattened boxes and paper to recycle. 
a meteor in the night sky

Intense meteor brightens Southcentral Alaska’s winter solstice

The winter solstice may be short on sunlight, but Alaskans saw a different kind of illumination Wednesday from a falling meteor widely seen across Southcentral Alaska.
a sepia portrait of two men positing for a photograph

‘Black Lives in Alaska’ highlights more than 150 years of African American history in the Last Frontier

Author and historian Ian Hartman says while most of early Alaska history focuses on territorial days and the Klondike Gold Rush, Black people have lived and worked in the region long before.
a group of people gather outside, in front of a snowy mountain

Appeal denied for man convicted of killing 2 Coast Guard coworkers in Kodiak

James Wells was sentenced to life in federal prison for the 2012 murders of Petty Officer First Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Rich Belisle.
Bright skies and noon golden hour sun shines through tree branches heavy with snow.

Ways to celebrate winter solstice in Anchorage

It’s the darkest day of the year. Each day ahead, until summer solstice, will get a little bit longer.
flooding around a series of homes

‘Unusual for sure’: Excessive rain triggers flood warning in Unalaska

The city has closed several roads and public buildings.
a woman with a dog team

COVID-19 pushed Alaska’s death rate higher and life expectancy lower in 2021

The report documented noticeable increases in alcohol-related and drug-related fatalities in 2021.
Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visits Washington to speak with Biden, address Congress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit President Biden and address Congress in a trip aimed at underscoring U.S. support for the country as Russia's war drags on.
Rows of cots are organized on the floor of an arena.

Anchorage Assembly approves Sullivan Arena shelter expansion, with begrudging ‘yes’ vote

“Homelessness, and I know some will disagree with this, but it has been politicized, and the homeless are paying with their lives," said Assembly member Randy Sulte.
a sign says "We accept Quest/EBT cards"

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Anchorage School Board approves cut recommendations, but there's likely still more to come. Plus Alaskans are losing their food benefits with no explanation from the state. And Kodiak High School students are working to tackle food insecurity among their peers.
Goose Creek Prison. Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA - Anchorage.

Alaska Department of Corrections reports 18th in-custody death of the year

The corrections department said it cannot release medical information, citing privacy provisions.
an anchorage police car is parked in a parking lot

Anchorage man accused of killing roommate

Police investigators say the roommate jumped from a third-floor window attempting to escape the attack.
a man mushes a team of dogs on the snow

Kwethluk’s Raymond Alexie wins the first race of the Kuskokwim mushing season

Alexie beat the second place finisher, veteran Pete Kaiser of Bethel, by 14 minutes.