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 cash-only sign at a store

‘Like night and day’: Fiber-optic cables aim to make Y-K Delta internet faster, cheaper

Two subsea cables being deployed with $100 million in federal funding will bring fiber-optic internet service to Bethel and many other Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities.
soldier boots

As suicides rise, U.S. military seeks to address mental health

Suicides among active-duty service members increased by more than 40% between 2015 and 2020. In longtime suicide hotspot postings such as Alaska, the rate has doubled.

Mat-Su Borough Assembly votes to hand-count all ballots

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted at its Oct. 4 meeting to hand-count ballots for future elections. The borough will no longer have voting machines beginning in 2023.
soldiers boarding a helicopter

White House Arctic strategy puts new emphasis on national defense, Russia

A new Arctic strategy released Friday acknowledges some big changes in the region over the past decade – the rise of military threats posed by Russia, the largest Arctic nation.
russian missile strike debris in kyiv

Deadly missile strikes hit Kyiv as explosions reported in other cities across Ukraine

Explosions rocked several cities across Ukraine in the most extensive attack on the country since the early days of Russia's invasion in February.
a woman holding a bottle

September storm leaves behind treasured beach finds

The remnants of Typhoon Merbok flooded homes and destroyed personal belongings across Western Alaska last month — but also left behind a few treasures.
an Alaska Native cultural presentation

UAS will host language panel on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The University of Alaska Southeast is hosting a panel Monday on language revitalization efforts for three Southeast Alaska Native languages.
a black bear

Alaska News Nightly: Friday, October 7, 2022

Another fall storm brings high winds and coastal flooding to Northwest Alaska. Alaskans weigh a constitutional convention ahead of next month's election. And a bear-viewing site in Southeast Alaska puts its own spin on Fat Bear Week.

Anchorage School District considers closing schools to help fill budget gap

Declining enrollment in the district means there are too many buildings with not enough kids.

As Northwest Alaska heavy winds die down, flooding likely to impact communities

The National Weather Service has a flood advisory for the Kotzebue area through tonight, with Nome and Utqiagvik’s going into tomorrow. Officials say damage to fish and hunting camps along the coast is expected, with erosion also a possibility.
fishing boats

Feds working on new plan for contentious Cook Inlet fishery

Federal officials have started working on a new Cook Inlet salmon fishery management plan, months after a court said their plan to completely close the fishery was unjust.
a Coast Guard cutter captain

Coast Guard captain describes encounter with Chinese, Russian warships off Alaska

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Kimball and its commander, Capt. Thomas C. D’Arcy, encountered a formation of seven Chinese and Russian warships in the Bering Sea last month.
a black bear

There’s another bear contest in Alaska, and the awards range from cutest bear to most chill

As for best fisher-bear? That award went to Scuba Sue at Anan Wildlife Observatory.
marijuana products

No marijuana-possession prisoners in Alaska, state officials say

The state of Alaska, which voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2014, has no one in prison for simple marijuana possession, state officials said on Thursday.
Joe Biden

Biden to pardon simple federal marijuana possession convictions

President Biden on Thursday announced that he is taking executive action to pardon people convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law and D.C. statute.
Kelly Tshibaka

U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka talks fish during Bethel visit

U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka stopped in Bethel Thursday as part of her campaign vying for Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s seat.
a subsistence fishing net

Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, October 6, 2022

An Alaska girl’s report leads investigators to a major child pornography scheme. Also, how the state's fishing permit system has affected local communities. In Western Alaska, the September storm brought some unexpected treasures.
An outdoor sign reads: James M. Fitzgerald United States Courthouse & Federal Buildling

Alaska girl’s report leads authorities to arrest ringleader of ‘one of the most malicious’ child porn schemes

Zobaidul Amin posed as a teenager on Instagram to meet minors, who he convinced to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves, according to the indictment.
(Creative Commons photo by Matt’ Johnson)

Fairbanks wilderness guide killed in floatplane crash

Jerald Stansel was the plane's pilot and sole occupant.
a portrait of a woman in a white shirt

Meet the Alaska Native creatives in the NYC writers room for ‘Alaska Daily’

“Overall, I really hope people see in this, in some way, the Alaska that I love,” said Lingít playwright Vera Starbard, whose career took off when she was tapped to write episodes for the PBS hit children’s series, Molly from Denali.