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.”

Blue police lights.

Anchorage reaches its 30th homicide of 2024 after recent deaths

The 2024 death toll from homicides in Alaska's largest city remains behind its record of 37 in 2017.
A snow-covered glacier beneath a shear rock wall.

Denali’s Ruth Gorge could be deepest in North America (if it weren’t filled with ice)

Glaciologist Martin Truffer says knowing the gorge's depth could help our understanding of how much ice is in other mountain glaciers.
Icicles at the corner of a school.

ASD to release plan to close schools, redraw middle school boundaries in November

The state’s largest school district plans to reduce schools due to declining enrollment.
a snowstorm

Fairbanks snowstorm closes borough schools, buildings

A storm bringing up to 10 inches of snow to Fairbanks halted bus service Monday, also closing school and university classes.
Mike Dunleavy

Data centers face growing opposition Outside. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants them in Alaska.

The Republican governor says Alaska has in excess what the data industry is finding increasingly scarce Outside: land and water.
a river

Juneau water levels recede after moderate Mendenhall Lake and River glacial outburst

The National Weather Service has canceled a flood warning issued Saturday as waters continue to recede Monday morning.

Murkowski says she hopes Peltola is reelected to Congress

Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Mary Peltola two years ago, when Peltola was running for her first full-term as Alaska’s sole member of Congress.
A homeless camp near downtown Anchorage.

Unhoused Alaskans are 8 times more likely than housed people to get serious cold injuries

Recent data from Alaska’s Section of Epidemiology shows serious risks for people living outside.

Analyzing Debate for the State: U.S. House | Alaska Insight

How did incumbent U.S. House Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican challenger Nick Begich make their case across three debates in one week?
fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills

Fairbanks man’s fatal fentanyl overdose leads to life sentence for California dealer

Junior Tulali, 48, was sentenced Tuesday as federal prosecutors seek to "disrupt the flow of dangerous drugs into the community."
campaign fliers

Campaign ads from outside group falsely claim Peltola vote harmed Alaskans’ PFDs

Rep. Peltola’s vote took place as state lawmakers were setting the amount of this year’s PFD and had no impact on debates within the state Capitol.
a girl holding a puppy, in a flood conditions

AI-generated images have become a new form of propaganda this election season

This election cycle, AI-generated images have proliferated on social media platforms after politically charged news events. They often spread partisan narratives rather than facts.
two candidates at a deabate

Begich’s ‘Ponzi scheme’ comment on Social Security was taken out of context, recording shows

The congressional candidate's criticism was with the way Social Security is funded, not the benefits the program pays.
A man with a backwards hat listens to a newly recorded song.

Young Alaskans collaborate with Indigenous artists to produce music about culture, family and home

Organizers of the workshop said they hoped it encouraged participants to think about pursuing music, to increase the number of Alaska Native artists.

‘We are giants’: Outgoing Alaska Federation of Natives President Julie Kitka delivers convention keynote address

This year’s convention theme is “Our Children, Our Future Ancestors,” and Kitka presented her comments as an open letter to her two young grandchildren.
A sign that reads vote here on a sidewalk.

Could Alaska be pivotal in a presidential victory? Not likely, but a poll has politicos talking

Political types say it's unlikely, but not impossible, for Alaska's three electoral college votes to be a factor in the presidential election.
a highway

Goldbelt, Royal Caribbean plan new cruise ship port on Juneau’s Douglas Island

The companies also hope to develop floatplane and whale watching docks, helicopter pads and a recreated Lingít village.
candidates

Final Juneau election results show mayor reelected, Ship Free Saturdays fail

This year’s election yielded one of the highest voter turnouts of the last decade.
a man

Israel says Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead

The Israeli government believes Sinwar was the mastermind behind Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Mount Spurr

Volcano advisory issued for Mount Spurr due to seismic activity

Although the volcano's alert level has been raised, scientists say there are no indications that an eruption is imminent.