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.”

Supporters wave signs on a bridge on a sunny day. Many are wearing tie dyed shirts and rainbow colors.

Alaska House Democrats introduce legislation to protect LGBTQ Alaskans from discrimination 

On Wednesday, the state’s first-ever out, queer lawmakers sponsored a bill in the Alaska House to enshrine anti-discrimination protections in law. For LGBTQ Alaskans, it’s long overdue.
A dog team runs through the snow

On Yukon River, Iditarod teams recuperate from early bruises and strategize big moves

The trail on the Yukon River is reportedly hard and fast making for relatively easy running. But it makes plotting a surge up the standings tricky.
a person gives snacks to dogs

Iditarod mushers recover from rough trail and crashed sleds in Shageluk

Cold overnight temperatures froze the softened trail into a bobsled track.

Iditapod: Rollin’ on a river (the Yukon, that is)

Iditarod teams are passing through the village checkpoint of Anvik and onto the Yukon River.  We have that, as well as stories from earlier on the trail about how mushers were setting their teams up for these runs earlier in the checkpoint of Iditarod and about the tiny village of Takotna reopening as an Iditarod checkpoint this year, after closing down due to COVID. Then there’ll be an update from Jason Mackey about carrying his brother Lance Mackey’s ashes along the trail, a Mackey Dog of the Day named COVID and a listener question about what the mushers are listening to, if they’re listening to anything at all, aside from, you know, dog feet and sled runners.
A musher in a red jacket pushes off his sled.

Jessie Holmes wins Iditarod’s First Musher to the Yukon Award

His award included a five-course gourmet meal prepared by the executive chef at Marx Bros. Cafe, Jack Amon.
Elizabeth Kudrin as a child

Elizabeth Kudrin remembered as ‘great survivor’ of World War II

Kudrin, who died just a few days after her 82nd birthday, was among about 40 Attu residents taken to Japan as prisoners during World War II.
the Soldotna Walgreens

Walgreens’ decision not to carry abortion drug in Alaska could be felt well beyond its stores, doctor says

Homer-based Dr. Robin Holmes said going to a provider’s office to get a pill can be hard in parts of Alaska with few doctors.
a man feeds his dogs

A tight pack of top Iditarod teams eye their next move at the halfway mark

Iditarod contenders are recalibrating their race strategies as the trail pushes through its most remote stretches.
A person in a black underwear suit drinks coffee as others walk through the door

At the Takotna checkpoint, Iditarod mushers indulge in sleep and pies

The only things that disrupted the peace: mushers snoring.
A musher in the night

Iditapod: Run, rest, eat and repeat

In this episode, we hear from Iditarod mushers in the midst of their required 24-hour layovers and from our current Red Lantern musher. We also have a chat with a former top 10 musher who’s returning to the race and running a team of mostly rookie dogs, plus a look at the Iditarod's new pilot program for tracking dropped dogs. And as always we have our Dog of the Day -- not a new dog but a dog who got a new name -- and a listener question with answers from several mushers this time. (Hint: This one might make you hungry).
A woman in a blue hat hols a ziploc bag filled with an oatmeal bar

Favorite trail snack? 5 Iditarod mushers weigh in

From sweet and sour chicken to dried mangoes, there’s a variety of food in mushers’ vacuum-sealed bags.
A person holds a bag with the number 24

Iditarod tests out tracking collars for dogs sent home from the trail

After an incident last year in which a dog escaped, officials are trying to attach tracking collars to all dogs left behind at checkpoints.
a dog on a leash looks to the side

Senior, who’s so good he got a new name

Hunter Keefe’s dog Senior brings years of Iditarod experience to his musher’s rookie run.
resting dogs

It’s eat, rest and repeat as Iditarod teams take their 24-hour stops

As the race transitions from big mountains and technical terrain into the heart of Alaska’s Interior, mushers are watching their teams come into race form.
Cots and totes are organized on the floor of an arena.

Anchorage Assembly orders third-party oversight of emergency cold-weather shelters

The city will hire a consultant to receive and investigate complaints, after the homelessness coalition said clients’ basic needs are not being met.
the Alaska Senate

Proposal that would restrict transgender students’ rights lacks support in Alaska Senate

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposal was formally introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday.
a man looks over his shoulder at a table

Iditarod rookie Gregg Vitello has had a heck of a ride

Gregg Vitello was the last musher into Nikolai. He's had his fair share of troubles on the trail.
A dog team runs up a frozen riverbank

Iditapod: The dog days of Iditarod

Iditarod mushers are making decisions about where to stop for their mandatory 24-hour rests, some opting to take that break earlier than planned, as the teams continue to contend with warm weather. The village of Nikolai is also fully open to visitors for the first time in three years of COVID-19 restrictions, and that's where some mushers were dealing with busted sleds and their own bruised bodies. In this episode, we also get into how the race shapes up after those 24-hour layovers and how the weather is expected to change for the cooler. Plus, we have a speedy Dog of the Day -- Matt Failor's Mach 10 -- who's learning to slow down, plus a listener question, a musher answer and a follow-up to yesterday's question about adopting retired sled dogs.
Kotzebue snowstorm

Kotzebue declares disaster after back-to-back blizzards, power outages and boil water notice

Kotzebue and the Northwest Arctic Borough have declared a disaster after a series of massive snowstorms battered western Alaska.
A woman lies in straw behind a dog sled and in front of a team of dogs

Photos: After mud and moguls, Iditarod teams recover in Nikolai

Mushers slept. Dogs slept. And sled repairs got underway.