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.”

Senate passes bill cutting Permanent Fund dividends in half

Permanent Fund dividends would be cut in half under a bill the Senate passed Monday. It’s part of a plan to change the basis for funding state government from a dependence on oil revenues toward Permanent Fund earnings. But the plan is controversial. Download Audio
a man in a black uniform with the yellow letters NTSB holds a propellor of a crashed airplane

New planes will bring regular service back to Unalaska, Ravn says, but not until next month

In a statement Thursday, RavnAir Alaska said the company will fly Dash 8 planes to Unalaska, starting "sometime during the week of November 4th."

As case counts rise, Anchorage mayor calls for renewed ‘personal responsibility’ to keep city safe

The virus is spreading within the community, with one cluster of 12 cases centered on a single household.

Alaska Airlines and Mechanics Union Reach Tentative Agreement

Alaska Airlines and the carriers aircraft maintenance mechanics union along with related employees have reached a tentative agreement on a new, five-year contract, according to the Seattle Times. The over 600 union members still must ratify the agreement. That vote's expected next month.

An invasive parasite is taking over Alaska blue mud shrimp. Researchers want to kill it.

Orthione griffenis, or O. griffenis, eventually kills its host shrimp, and soon the remaining shrimp can’t find each other to reproduce, rendering a blue mud shrimp population extinct.
a woman kneeling next to an electric heater

Researchers studying whether electric heaters can help reduce air pollution in Interior Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers will study reducing air pollution in the North Pole area with new electric thermal storage unit heaters.

Allen Moore Wins 2014 Yukon Quest

Allen Moore has won the Yukon Quest International Sled dog Race for the second consecutive year.  Moore’s team is known for its petite stature, perky ears and wagging tails and they didn’t disappoint.  They jumped in harness and yelped after arriving at Takhini Hot Springs 30 miles outside of Whitehorse. Listen Now

Statewide initiative would restore Alaska campaign finance limits

Alaska's latest campaign finance limits were struck down three years ago by federal judges. Citizens Against Money in Politics hopes to create new ones.

Amid icy trail conditions, mushers ready for K300

Twenty-five mushers, some local, some international – all prepared to race this evening along icy river trails — are in Bethel for the Kuskokwim 300. The race starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. It’s the longest of three races that’ll take place over the weekend. Download Audio

Fish and Wildlife Service Opposed to Doyon Land Swap

A controversial idea to swap land between the Native regional corporation Doyon Limited and the federal government is unlikely to move forward. The Environmental...
A group of elders participate in an exercise class in an indoor pool.

For older Alaskans, exercise classes build community

Many older Alaskans are building community, battling isolation and staying healthy in exercise classes.

AK Supreme Court upholds supertanker tax

The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld a property tax levied on supertankers entering the port of Valdez. The city of Valdez in 1999 began...
man in suit in hallway, seated on bench

For Wrangell’s new city manager, deadly landslide highlights other potential threats to public safety

It was Mason Villarma's first day on the job when the disaster struck. Now he's also concerned about the city's dam giving way.

Card Street Fire Grows On Kenai Peninsula

A wildfire burning on the central Kenai Peninsula had consumed about 150 acres and destroyed six structures near the community of Sterling by Monday evening.
An empty hallway with a long corkboard on the wall that's empty as well

Alaska advocates see severe child abuse skyrocket during pandemic

Abuse reports are down overall and advocates say it's because there have been fewer eyes on children during the pandemic.
pills

In a pandemic milestone, the NIH ends guidance on COVID treatment

The National Institutes of Health is sunsetting its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, used by millions of doctors to guide care during the pandemic.

Probe Into Stevens Prosecutors Reveals Concealment But Does Not Call For Charges

A special independent investigator who probed into misconduct by prosecutors in the case of the late Alaska Senator Ted Stevens says they should not face criminal charges. Despite that the investigator found widespread concealment of evidence that could have helped Stevens mount his defense.

Hilcorp announces project to bypass oil terminal by Redoubt volcano

An environmental group is praising oil and gas company Hilcorp after it announced a new pipeline project in Cook Inlet. Hilcorp said the project would eliminate the need to store oil at the Drift River Terminal. Listen now
People outside, looking through binoculars.

In Southeast Alaska, high-end tourism businesses feast as cruise industry weathers famine

Interest in private and small-scale Alaska trips is at an all-time high, making for a booming summer for some lodge, yacht and tour operators. But tourists are arriving in far smaller numbers than many of Southeast’s cruise-focused businesses are equipped to serve.

UAF to Get New Climate Center in Anchorage

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will host a new federal regional center for climate change research.  The Anchorage-based Climate Science Center is the...