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 woman poses in a jacket outside.

Maine man appeals Alaska murder, sexual assault charges

Steven H. Downs, 48, filed a notice of his appeal Monday with the Alaska Court of Appeals.
pink salmon

Ketchikan’s tribe asks federal board to expand subsistence hunting and fishing opportunities

For decades. Ketchikan residents have been barred from taking part in federal subsistence hunts and fisheries. Ketchikan Indian Community wants to change that.
two people in fishing gear in a boat

Bill Hill is named Alaska’s Superintendent of the Year for his work in the district he graduated from 35 years ago

Hill grew up in Kokhanok, a village on Iliamna Lake. His family moved to Naknek in the Bristol Bay Borough when he was in high school.
A black and white photo of eight men in suits sitting around a table with papers.

Alaska is one of 26 states that picks judges through a council. Here’s why some voters want a change.

They say the Alaska Judicial Council is responsible for a “liberal” judiciary.
a man in a tan shirt talks into a microphone

AFN delegates push for measures to decrease salmon bycatch

Debate over both resolutions was contentious, and revealed a regional rift among tribes.
Nome subsistence camp

More than 400 Alaskans receiving FEMA financial assistance after Merbok

Federal Emergency Management Agency staff have disbursed more than $3.3 million to help Western Alaskans rebuild after ex-typhoon Merbok struck the coast last month.
Models of a protein from RSV

Children’s hospitals grapple with a nationwide surge in RSV infections

The latest spike is months early and it's pushing care facilities to capacity. Children under the age of 5 are most vulnerable.
a school hallway

Alaska students stay steady in reading but decline in math since pre-pandemic, says national assessment

Math scores were down this year for students in Alaska from pre-pandemic 2019, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Alaska News Nightly: Monday, October 24, 2022

A former Kenai Peninsula Borough employee accuses former mayor and current gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce of sexual harassment. Also, AFN hosts a forum for U.S. House and Senate candidates. And an unexpected predator attacks a North Pole woman's dog.
a man puts his ballot in a ballot box

Early voting in Alaska’s general election has begun

Voters will rank their favorite candidates for governor, U.S. House and Senate, and state House and Senate.
a woman at a bingo hall

Bingo night is back at Juneau’s Filipino Community Hall, and as popular as ever

Regular bingo nights have started up again at the Filipino Community Hall in downtown Juneau after a two-year hiatus. On a recent Thursday evening, the bingo hall was buzzing.
Juneau youth shelter staff

Juneau’s Shéiyi X̱aat Hít Youth Shelter has helped dozens in its first year

Juneau's Shéiyi X̱aat Hít, or Spruce Root House, a youth homeless shelter run by the city and Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority, opened in July 2021.
Alaska 2022 gubernatorial candidates

Candidates for Alaska governor differ on how to handle deaths in state corrections custody

Contenders laid out positions on tribal recognition, housing affordability and public safety during a forum at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage.
two men speaking

Delta Junction area faces ‘decision point’ on ambulance service funding

Most Delta area residents at a packed meeting supported continuing ambulance service, but many don't want to pay taxes for it.
Into the Wild bus

UAF gets federal grant to preserve ‘Into the Wild’ bus

The 1940s-era Fairbanks public transit bus will eventually be displayed outdoors under a shelter at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
a cruise ship

Cruise season ends in Juneau, with an estimated 1.15 million passengers

The estimate, which beat a February projection of about 1 million tourists, represents about 74% of the capacity for all the ships that sailed to Juneau this year.
a tugboat

Nationwide labor shortage hits Alaska tugboats

An entry-level tugboat cook can earn $80,000 without a college degree, working about six months out of the year — but many of those positions remain unfilled.
Metlakatla

Ketchikan City Council OKs plan to link power grid with Metlakatla’s

“For Metlakatla, today’s a big day,” Metlakatla Mayor Albert Smith told Ketchikan’s City Council Thursday, highlighting the historic link of the two communities’ power grids.
President Biden

Biden’s student debt relief plan is temporarily blocked. Here’s what you need to know.

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan — but people are encouraged to keep submitting applications.