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.”

a group of firefighers in smokey woods

Firefighters work to contain 13-acre Anchorage wildfire as roads reopen

The fire was 30% contained by 8 p.m.
a ship near the mountains

In victory for commercial fishermen, court orders Cook Inlet fishery to reopen

Judge Joshua Kindred said the federal closure was arbitrary and capricious and that the closure did not comply with national standards.
the capitol building with a blue sky

The Senate gun bill would close the ‘boyfriend loophole.’ Here’s what that means.

Federal law prevents some convicted domestic abusers from owning a gun, depending on their relationship to the victim. The new gun safety bill would expand that definition to include dating partners.
railroad tracks through trees

Federal infrastructure dollars will fund an Alaska railroad bridge replacement, with more to come

A $3.1 million grant to help fund a railroad bridge replacement is the start of a "once in a generation" opportunity for infrastructure improvements in Alaska.
A girl in a pink shirt and mask gets a shot

Alaskans under age 5 can now get COVID vaccines

In Anchorage, vaccines are available at Fairweather’s Tikahtnu Commons clinic and a pop-up clinic in Fairview every day for the rest of the month.
Skiffs pulled up on a riverbank

Chum salmon counts are lower than ever in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Fish and Game says chinook counts are well below average too.
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.
La Quen Náay Liz Medicine Crow sits at a table, speaking into a microphone

President of First Alaskans Institute testifies at committee hearing on federal boarding schools

La Quen Náay Liz Medicine Crow pointed to the history of Alaska Native youth being sent out of state to boarding schools and to punitive asylums in the Lower 48. 
A glass of water on a window sill

Sitka’s drinking water places second at national taste championship

Sitka qualified for the national competition after winning Alaska’s title.
A fire crew moves brush away from a firebreak

With hot, dry weather expected, Alaska boosts firefighting resources

Alaska is now on “Preparedness Level 4," the second-highest level based on current fires and fire potential.

Tara Sweeney does not plan to sue to fill vacancy on US House ballot

“We made the decision that this is not a candidate fight,” Sweeney campaign manager Karina Waller said in an interview.

As drive-through testing sites close, Alaska begins ‘privatizing COVID’

Most drive-up COVID testing sites in Anchorage are set to close by June 30 as demand drops and funding runs out. The few sites that will stay open aren’t offering testing to uninsured Alaskans.
ballots go into a scanner

In Alaska’s first statewide by-mail vote, turnout was highest for a primary since 2014

Final preliminary results posted Tuesday night by the Alaska Division of Elections show 161,614 people voted in the special election for U.S. House, Alaska’s first statewide election by mail.
A rally with a banner that says "Don't look away" and the U.S. Capitol behind it

Senators reach final bipartisan agreement on a gun safety bill

The bill would incentivize states to pass red flag laws and expand background checks for 18- to 21-year-olds, among other measures. It's expected to have enough support to pass the Senate.
a woman in a green jacket

As last ballots arrive in Alaska’s special US House primary, Peltola inches upward

Peltola is up three percentage points since the first count June 11, suggesting her campaign may have picked up momentum as the postmark deadline neared, or that her supporters were, for whatever reason, late to the mailbox.
A white man with a beard and a suit

Anchorage mayor appoints staunch conservative after municipal attorney resigns

Patrick Bergt resigned as city attorney after less than a year on the job.
smoke over tundra

Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta wildfires, part of a new pattern, push Alaska to early season milestone

This year’s fires are the product of a combination of long-term climate change and short-term ignition forces.
a person standing behind a podium

Gross, a top four candidate for US House, calls it quits

Al Gross is out, possibly allowing Tara Sweeney to advance in the special election.