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.”

Ed Sniffen

Sex abuse case against ex-Alaska attorney general thrown out

A judge dismissed a sex abuse case against former acting Alaska Attorney General Clyde “Ed” Sniffen, citing the statute of limitations at the time.
medals

Alaska Natives rescued Navy crew in 1955. Their medals have arrived.

The 16 men were honored with Alaska Heroism Medals, recognizing their rescue of crew from a plane shot down by Soviet fighters 67 years ago.
A woman sits at a news desk and talks to a man on Zoom.

State senators share their thoughts on Alaska’s 2024 budget | Alaska Insight

Alaska Insight host Lori Townsend is joined by Senate President Gary Stevens, and Sen. Bill Wielechowski to discuss how to address the state's fiscal crisis.
A mirrored building.

Contractor sues Anchorage for unpaid work on shelter

The acting municipal attorney previously said that if the contractor sued, the city would lose.
stacks of food in a warehouse

State’s fix for Alaska’s food stamp backlog misses the mark, insiders say

“It’s very much a Band-Aid,” said Ron Meehan with the Food Bank of Alaska.
the Anchorage Animal Care and Control Center

Anchorage animal shelter suspends dog intakes, adoptions after viral outbreak

A wave of canine parvovirus infections has Anchorage Animal Care and Control staff working to examine animals currently in care and clean the facility.
Outside of the Alaska State Capitol

An update on Alaska’s legislative session

As with many recent sessions, discussions largely center on the state’s finances, while a number of social issues have come up as well.
man standing at a microphone

With the Trump charges still sealed, Sullivan denounces prosecution as unjust

Sen. Sullivan's castigation of the decision to charge the former president contrasts with the neutral positions taken by the rest of the Alaska delegation.
a line of books

There’s a new Gwich’in alphabet book and it’s available for free

It's part of a long-term community-led project of language revitalization.
Four young adults sit in chairs on stage.

Young leaders from Alaska, Canada and Greenland stress need for cultural preservation and climate adaptation

The panelists spoke at the three-day Arctic Encounter conference in downtown Anchorage that brought together leaders and organizations from around the circumpolar north.
a man in a red tie and suit jacket

5 key takeaways from the Trump indictment news

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury. District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said it has contacted Trump's attorney "to coordinate his surrender" for arraignment.
the National Tsunami Warning Center

Alaska’s annual tsunami warning test failed for some communities

Wednesday was the annual test of Alaska’s tsunami warning system — but Homer, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Sitka and Unalaska didn't hear it at all.
A person in drag stands on stage raising their hands

Haines residents split over planned Juneau Drag performance at the Southeast Alaska State Fair

What started as an online ripple became a wave of public comments at the last borough assembly meeting in Haines.
shoppers in line

Alaska lawmakers pitch ways to close gaping budget gap from state sales tax to cutting oil tax credits

A revenue forecast released last week estimated the state has a shortfall of more than $450 million heading into the next fiscal year that starts July 1.
people talk to staffers in windows at the PFD office

Reminder, Alaska: PFD applications are due Friday

The state’s online PFD application will be available until 11:59 p.m. on Friday.
an IRS Form 1040

These are the states with the highest and lowest tax burdens, a report says

Alaska leads a WalletHub list of states with the nation's lowest overall tax burdens, at 5.05% of personal income.
Bert Stedman

Alaska House prepares to block legislators’ pay increase, but top senators say they’re uninterested

In the Alaska Capitol, committee chairs can exert an enormous amount of power, as demonstrated by the "Bert Locker."

UAA to house Ted Stevens papers

The collection fills 4,800 boxes, not counting a warehouse full of memorabilia.
A man with a hat is standing on a sidewalk next to a utility pole.

Connecting the Seward and Glenn highways scarred Fairview. Now, lots of agencies want to make it right.

The Anchorage neighborhood recently won a federal grant specifically for repairing damage to the community from past transportation projects.
Alaska state ferry workers

Alaska’s ferry system expands hiring efforts amid recruiting, retention issues

Two state ferries were scheduled to sail the key Yakutat-Bellingham route this summer — but there’s only enough staff to run one of them.