Top Stories

News stories, radio and TV episodes that warrant one of six spots on our homepage. The homepage is in chronological order of publication date, so stories are moved off the homepage as more are categorized “top stories.”

A picture of the Mat-Su Borough School District Center

Mat-Su Borough schools abandon remote learning

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District's change came after a policy shift by state Education Commissioner Deena Bishop.
protesters

Americans are furious over health care. Is this an Occupy Wall Street moment?

The public outrage unleashed by the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO echoes the anti-banking fury after the financial crisis.
pipelines

Lower prices dim expectations for Alaska oil earnings in coming years, revenue forecast says

The report says North Slope production will rise in a few years, but state oil revenue will decline through the end of the decade.
Man speaking into microphones in wood-paneled room

Dunleavy introduces first-draft budget with $1.5 billion deficit and more than $3,800 PFD

Over the next several months, there’ll be lots of back-and-forth with legislators before they pass their own version.
Two images of a young woman wrestler wearing red.

Rising star wrestler overcomes tragedy in Wrangell | INDIE ALASKA

Wrestling is more than just a sport for young people living in many parts of rural Alaska. In Wrangell, the high school wrestling team is dominating the competition. Della Churchill leads the coed wrestling team as the team captain despite surviving tragedy in her family and in her small Southeast Alaskan community. Della's resilience, gratitude, and compassion for others has shaped this athlete into a powerful force in her community.
a building

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board approves 10% raise for CEO

Board chair Jason Brune said the raise comes after Deven Mitchell got high marks on an annual performance evaluation.
Joe Biden

Biden says Native boarding school monument ensures history will not be erased

President Joe Biden says the monument, to be created at a former boarding school in Pennsylvania, builds on his apology to tribes.
a trail

Outdoor recreation sector contributed 4.6% to Alaska’s economy in 2023, new report says

The outdoor recreation industry also added jobs at an impressive pace in Alaska last year. The employment growth rate in Alaska rose more than double the rate for the United States as a whole.
a group of students standing around an EV engine

New study aims to fill in the data gaps on EV use in rural Alaska

The study doesn’t promote EVs, but aims to better understand their usage in rural Alaska and clarify misconceptions about them.

Glass recycling coming to Mat-Su next year

Glass will be accepted at the region's recycling center near Palmer.
a sign

2 Alaska seafood processors to pay $2.1M in wage lawsuit settlement

Workers at OBI Seafoods and Ocean Beauty Seafoods had sued the companies over wage violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
an airliner

Alaska Airlines drops early bird Juneau-Seattle flight for winter

A spokesperson for the airline cited low demand for the flight during the winter months as the reason for the suspension.
pipes

New contract between Enstar and small producer could help delay natural gas shortage in Southcentral Alaska

But Enstar’s president warned of risks as some of the gas supply will depend on future drilling.
Joe Biden

Biden commutes the sentences for 1,500 people, the largest act of clemency in a day

The 1,500 people had been serving long prison sentences that would have been shorter under today's laws and practices.
a group of people

After a year rocked by tragedy, Sitkans gather to grieve

The loss of five lives aboard the seiner Wind Walker earlier this month was the latest in a string of tragedies that has shaken Sitka this year.
a dig site

15 years in, the success of community-based archaeology in Quinhagak is bittersweet

The Nunalleq excavation's lead archaeologist calls it a stark reminder that many precontact Yup’ik sites may soon be lost forever.

Dunleavy says he plans to introduce education bill pairing funding increase with reforms

Education and energy top the governor's list of legislative priorities, he told reporters ahead of his annual holiday open house.
Christopher Wray

FBI Director Wray to resign at end of Biden administration

Christopher Wray told employees at an FBI town hall that he will resign to "avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray."
sockeye salmon

Kenai gets nearly $80K in fishery disaster funds from feds

Most of the money is coming from the east side setnet fishery’s 2018 season and the 2020 Upper Cook Inlet salmon fishery season.
a trail

Some popular Juneau trails could soon be open to guided tours — while others would off limits

The recommendations would revise tourism rules at 13 locations across Alaska's capital city.