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.”

Passengers check in at one of about a half dozen kiosks next to blue Alaska Air banners

Layoffs and shop closures hit Seattle and Portland airports, terminal expansions continue

The recovery in airline travel seems to have hit a plateau in recent weeks, according to Transportation Security Administration checkpoint screening numbers, spelling a warning for two of the largest layover hubs for traveling Alaskans

Rep. Young seeks legal path for CBD

Congressman Don Young is the only Republican to join a group of House Democrats on a letter seeking legal status for cannabidiol, a popular and non-intoxicating additive known as CBD.
Jamie Heinz inside Anchorage Election Center

Furor over mail-in voting fades as Anchorage prepares for April election

It peaked in 2021. Anchorage’s election administrator thinks increasing transparency around election operations has helped settle the public’s concerns.
Two reporters sit at a desk with a third reporter on a zoom monitor.

What to expect from the 2024 legislature | Alaska Insight

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Alaska Public Media's Legislative Reporter Eric Stone, and Anchorage Daily News Politics Reporter Iris Samuels to discuss what to expect from this year's session.

Fish and Wildlife Decides Against Unimak Island Wolf Kill

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided that it will not conduct a wolf kill on Unimak Island...

Alaska Legislature presses Attorney General over ‘Troopergate’

The legislative and executive branches of the State today looked for ways to improve relations after the turbulent altercations of last fall over the...
A white, luminous globe seen over spruce forest with green aurora in the sky above it

Scientists say they can explain the giant, glowing orb seen over Interior Alaska last week

A Fairbanks photographer captured video of a foggy ball of light that was far larger than a full moon and moved slowly from the northeast to the southwest.
a classroom

Anchorage’s top education official sought a per-student funding increase. Then she became a commissioner.

Deena Bishop has defended the governor's latest budget proposal, which does not include an increase to the Base Student Allocation.

Computer Models Aid Firefighters

The wildfires around Nulato and Ruby on the Yukon River have been burning slowly but steadily this week. The Nulato Fire has covered more than 26 thousand acres, while a series of fires around Ruby have burned close to 65 thousand acres.

The Supreme Court is raising doubts about Alaska’s $500-a-year limit on contributions to political candidates

The Supreme Court is raising doubts about Alaska's $500-a-year limit on contributions to political candidates. The justices are ordering a lower court to take a new look at the issue. The court says in an unsigned opinion Monday that federal judges who had rejected a challenge to the contribution cap did not take account of a 2006 high court ruling invalidating low-dollar limits on political contributions in Vermont.

Companies trumpet 1.2 billion-barrel oil discovery on North Slope

The companies behind an already significant oil find on Alaska’s North Slope on Thursday said they’ve confirmed the biggest onshore discovery in the U.S. in three decades. Listen now
Waves roaring on a Kotzebue beach.

Weather service officials say worst of heavy Bering Sea winds have passed

After a massive storm brought storm surge and flooding across hundreds of miles of Western Alaska coastline, officials with the National Weather Service say they expect the worst of the wind has passed. 
Cars in a line with a person in a blue gown talking to someone through the window

‘We’re not interested in documenting this pandemic’: Changes coming to Alaska’s COVID-19 dashboard

The state is considering ending daily case reporting and switching to weekly reports. Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink says weekly reports can still provide important information about COVID trends, while not overburdening local health departments.

Commission recommends removing Bethel judge from bench

The Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct recommends suspending Bethel judge Dennis Cummings from the bench for ethical violations. That's a sanction that they've never...

Exxon Valdez ruling seen as narrow and legalistic

The Supreme Court has been sharply divided on the issue of punitive damages for years, and today's Exxon Valdez ruling doesn't change that. Steve Heimel,...

Stevens trial judge calls emergency meeting, agrees with defense on evidence format

Judge Emmet Sullivan held an emergency hearing today in Washington, DC in the federal case against Senator Ted Stevens. The judge wanted to settle...

Emmonak Gets Boost from FEMA Funds

The City of Emmonak is still repairing itself after massive flooding on the Yukon River last Spring. The village recently got a boost...

Kotzebue Library to Close Doors

Lori Townsend, APRN - Anchorage The Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly in Kotzebue voted yesterday to discontinue $125,000 in funds for the public library that will...
A woman and her son hold a phone with a photo of a dog

Anchorage dog dies in trap on Glenn Highway, reigniting debate about regulations

A 13-year-old Anchorage teenager's dog was killed in a legally-set Conibear 330 trap off the Glenn Highway. Some say the incident shows the need for more regulation of the deadly traps, but trappers fear it could squeeze out their trade.
The Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska facility

Despite decades of warning, looming natural gas shortage threatens to drive up Alaska energy prices

For the second time in just over a decade, utilities are talking about importing liquified natural gas amid looming Cook Inlet gas shortages.