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.”

Two women stand together near a table with handwoven baskets.

Kenaitze Tribe’s craft classes help elders socialize and learn new skills

Helen Dick, a Dena’ina elder, learned to make birch bark baskets from her grandmother. Now, she’s teaching others to make them, too.

Sharp comments reflect ill will as Legislature starts 2nd special session

House majority’s handling of budget debate was compared to Pearl Harbor attack, tyranny and Jim Crow laws. Listen now

Stevens Pays Tribute to Kennedy

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens joined the chorus of voices today paying tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy, who died last night of brain...
two people on a porch

Millions of Americans are resorting to risky ways to buy an affordable home

Alternative financing arrangements can be the only option for low-income Americans. But they lack the same protections as a mortgage, and many end up paying for years without ever gaining ownership.
A man talking into two microphones

Ketchikan City Council candidate violated restraining order after relationship with 18-year-old, records show

Dave Timmerman pleaded guilty and served time in jail for violating one of the protective orders, court records show. He filed on Wednesday to run for a one-year city council seat.
Wooden gavel and dollar banknotes

Cost estimates for constitutional convention in Alaska range widely

Issues include the length of the session and the amount of support delegates will need.

Trombley out as Anchorage Mayor Bronson’s chief of staff

Bronson named Mario Bird as acting chief of staff, effective Wednesday. Bird is a lawyer who had previously been rejected to be the city’s municipal attorney.
A man in a suit faces a woman in a suit. they are in a wood-paneled room in front of a fireplace with a U.S. flag beside it.

Sen. Sullivan meets with Trump’s nominee to Supreme Court

Sullivan he said he met with the nominee, who indicated that she was a strong defender of the Second Amendment.

BSEE employee claims whistleblower protection

A federal agency that protects whistleblowers is supporting an Alaska employee who says the Interior Department took shortcuts in its environmental review of Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic offshore drilling program. Listen now 

Alaska avalanche survivor and winning essayist spent years digging out of PTSD

Joe Yelverton says the most formative moments of his life, and the story of his survival, began on a day in April 1984 with his friends Steve and Barry, as they approached the top of Eagle Peak.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Two people wearing masks avoid social distancing in Central Park as temperatures rose amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 25, 2020 in New York City, United States. COVID-19 has spread to most countries around the world, claiming over 200,000 lives with over 2.8 million cases. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

CDC: If you’re vaccinated, you don’t need to mask outdoors (unless you’re in a crowd)

Still, the CDC is urging all people — vaccinated or not — to continue avoiding medium or large gatherings, since it's still learning how well the vaccines work to curb the spread of the virus.

Kott defense wraps case, closing statements next

The defense rested its case this morning in the federal corruption trial of former legislator Pete Kott. David Shurtleff and Steve Heimel, APRN - Anchorage

Alaska natives talk oil in DC

Alaska Natives worried about oil development on and off the North Slope are in Washington, DC this week to voice their concerns to lawmakers...

Palmer man faces federal charges in 2016 double homicide

A Palmer man faces federal charges in a Wasilla double homicide last summer, and the defendant, 30-year-old John Pearl Smith II, could face the death penalty. Listen now

Health Providers Seek Answer for Low Vaccination Rates of Alaska Children

Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO – Juneau More than one-third of Alaska children do not have all the vaccines they need to fully protect them against...
A sign says Anchorage School District.

Anchorage’s Service High principal resigns after investigation into ‘community concerns’

Allen Wardlaw had been on administrative leave since April when the district said it launched an investigation into concerns linked to him.

Anderson corruption trial delves into secret recordings and alleged under-the-table deals

The bribery and corruption trial of former state representative Tom Anderson plunged right into the critical evidence today as prosecutors began playing secretly recorded...

Russian nuclear power plant afloat in Arctic causes anxiety across Bering Strait

Russia has produced the world's first floating nuclear power plant. A barge mounted with nuclear reactors is expected to begin traversing the Arctic this month, bound for the Chukotka Peninsula. Across the Bering Strait, Alaskans are worried about radiation, though one Arctic security expert also sees room for optimism.

Alaska Native Heritage Center ready to rouse ‘sleeping giant’ of cultural tourism

The Anchorage-based center is one of five Indigenous groups nationwide that will receive federal money to expand cultural tourism.

Jeff King rolls into Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King has arrived at the Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby. He pulled in just after 1:00 Thursday afternoon. He told...