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.”

AK: 2016: The year Bristol Bay landed its 2,000,000,000th salmon

Bristol Bay is home to the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Over 132 years of commercial effort, now more than two billion salmon have been harvested from the Bay’s waters. In fact, the two billionth salmon was landed sometime, by someone, on July 6, 2016. Listen now
a woman smiling and standing between several COVID-19 piñatas

This Anchorage piñata maker is crafting giant COVID germs for smashing

The orders for coronavirus piñatas have helped fill a slow spot for Carolina Tolladay Vidal's business, with Alaskans eager to get their hands on a version of the germ they can easily destroy.

Coast Guard personnel to receive Dec. 31 paychecks despite government shutdown

According to an update posted on Coast Guard All Hands, the official blog for Coast Guard workers, meeting payroll in January “will require a fiscal 2019 appropriation, a continuing resolution, or passage of an alternative measure.”
A map of a proposed hydro project

Hydroelectric project takes small step forward amid pushback from Moose Pass residents

Homer Electric Association has been working on the project for over a decade.

Continued deep freeze postpones U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships

Subzero temperatures have canceled a third day of competition of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage. Races took place on Monday, but...

Oil Spill Commission Releases Key Chapter of Report

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage The commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon blow out will release their full report next week. One key chapter...

Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion, Homer News sold to GateHouse Media

The Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and weekly Homer News are among 11 papers being sold by Morris Communications to GateHouse Media for a reported $120 million. Listen now

How a deer can cause a plane crash

Throughout this year’s hunting season, Sitka’s airport has been contending with an unusual issue: dead deer. Carcasses have been washing up on the runway since November, attracting birds. And this has posed a big problem to business as usual. Download Audi0

Dunleavy: Wasilla special session will be focused on PFD, capital budget can come later

Dunleavy held a press conference Friday in front of Wasilla Middle School, his recommended venue for the session. He says while there is still work to be done on the capital budget, the dividend is his priority for this session.

220 Anchorage teachers receive layoff notices

Two-hundred-twenty teachers in the Anchorage School District on Wednesday received layoff notices. The pink slips were issued as legislators contend with a $2.5 billion budget deficit, leaving education funding levels for the coming year uncertain. Listen now
A white man in a gray suit gestures in front of a microphone

Dunleavy proposes nearly $5,000 in dividends for Alaskans, cuts other state spending

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday proposed a budget that would cut state spending on government services, but would also pay out nearly $5,000 in Permanent Fund dividends.
people in winter jackets wave signs

Mat-Su parents say ongoing bus driver strike has led to lost income and carpool complications

"My wife had to resign from her job," Kent Schiebl told the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board.
A woman nurses a three-month-old baby and holds his hand.

A collective of doulas and midwives is helping Alaska Native mothers stay connected to their roots

The Indigenous birthworkers will attend medical appointments with mothers, advocate for them and help connect them to traditional practices.
an airliner

3 passengers sue Alaska Airlines over Horizon Air flight scare

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs have suffered from anxiety, insomnia, fear of flying and other emotional effects due to the incident.

ConocoPhillips pipe rupture leads to spill

Emergency clean-up crews are on the North Slope this evening after more than 4,200 gallons of fuel and water leaked out of a pipeline...
trash in a street

Teen kills brown bear outside Sitka home

Alaska Wildlife Troopers have concluded their investigation into the shooting of a brown bear killed by a 16-year-old in a Sitka neighborhood early Wednesday.
New York

America marks 22 years since 9/11, from ground zero to Alaska

President Joe Biden is set to remember the 2001 terror attacks Monday at Anchorage's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, as he returns from Asia.
A hearing room with a bunch of people

Here’s what you need to know about the Legislature’s stalled budget process

The Alaska legislative special session ended on Friday without an agreement to avoid a state government shutdown on July 1. Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the Legislature back into a new special session to start on Wednesday, June 23, with the goal of reaching agreement.
a blonde woman and younger man listen at a meeting

Bronson’s winter sheltering plan now includes using 2 Anchorage rec centers previously described as emergency options

Bronson's administration first outlined the plan last week. What's different now: using the Spenard and Fairview rec centers as emergency shelters is no longer a last resort.