Brent Sass is first Iditarod musher to leave race’s halfway point
All mushers in the nearly 1,000-mile race across Alaska must take three mandatory rest periods: a 24-hour layover at any checkpoint, an eight-hour layover somewhere along the Yukon River and another eight-hour layover at White Mountain, which is 77 miles from the finish line.
‘Proud to be an Iñupiaq woman’: Apayauq Reitan makes history as first out trans woman in the Iditarod
This is a story about a family and their names. Both hold deep meaning. That’s something Kaktovik musher Apayauq Reitan knows all too well.
Exploring a career route less taken, with Skilsaws
The spring break program is available to high school students age 16 and older. Accuracy with a Skilsaw is part of the course.
Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, lost since 1915, is found off Antarctica
An expedition that set out in search of the lost ship of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton has found it — remarkably intact — 106 years after the vessel sank off Antarctica.
Iditapod bonus: Apayauq Reitan interview with Shady Grove Oliver
Kaktovik dog musher Apayauq Reitan, the first out trans woman to compete in the Iditarod, talks to Iditapod colleague and Alaska Public Media contributor Shady Grove Oliver - originally for a piece in the Guardian newspaper - about Reitan's goals for this year's race, what it's like to mush dogs, her Alaska Native culture, coming out as trans and a lot more.
Retired public employees and state settle long-running legal dispute over medical, dental benefits
The Alaska Constitution says that public employee retirement benefits “shall not be diminished or impaired.” But the state and retirees have differed on how to interpret this guarantee.
Alaska North Slope natural gas leak is under investigation
Authorities are investigating a natural gas leak detected last week at a ConocoPhillips Alaska oil drill site on Alaska’s North Slope, officials said.
I am an Alaska Native Healer | INDIE ALASKA
Amelia Simeonoff helps others heal their traumas with ancient Indigenous practices.
Here’s what McGrath looks like as Iditarod mushers settle into their 24-hour stop
One musher has regrets. Another is focused on canine appetite. And a third is relieved to have survived the "spiciest" trail.
Wandering bison and bone-jarring moguls challenge back-of-the-pack Iditarod mushers
At least one musher was stopped by a half-dozen buffalo on the trail from Rohn to Nikolai.
Eureka musher Brent Sass is first into Cripple, the Iditarod’s halfway point
Defending champion Dallas Seavey was the first musher to leave of Ophir. Brent Sass later passed him on the trail.
Alaska House bill would start process to rename highway named after convicted war criminal
A bill working its way through the state Legislature would start the process of renaming the Glenn Highway. Glenn was convicted of committing war crimes in the Philippines.
Alaska sees a swift drop in the value of its Russian investments and looks to sell
Alaska's revenue commissioner said the value of state-held Russian investments has declined from $267 million at the end of last year to a current estimate of no more than $15 million.
Iditarod teams navigate rough, windblown trail into Nikolai
Hugh Neff said his 54-year-old arms were exhausted by the constant bumping. “I’ve taken a few Tylenols, let’s say,” he said.
Aaron Burmeister and his 13-dog team are first to McGrath
For his first-place arrival, Burmeister won a pair of locally-made musher mitts and a musher hat.
Alaska hospital cases drop by more than half as omicron wave recedes
Anchorage hospital officials dare to hope that we're nearing a return to more normal conditions.
Iditarod rookie describes trip down steep and twisty Dalzell Gorge as ‘just zip, zoom, zag, bing, bang, boom’
Teams must navigate the Dalzell Gorge on their way to Rohn. It's marked by a series of steep downhills and some very tight turns.
Iditarod teams met by ‘super good trail’ as they enter Alaska Range
At Rainy Pass Lodge, many mushers soaked up the mountain views and the love from a few excited tourists who arrived on charter planes.
How do mushers afford the Iditarod? Anja Radano says every year it’s a struggle.
Running the Iditarod takes months of preparation, training and a lot of money. While some mushers have major tour businesses and sponsors that help fund their kennels and pay for staff, Radano waits tables to help balance the big bills that come with being a dog musher.
What the ban on Russian oil could mean for Alaska
There is at least one facility in Alaska that has historically included Russian crude among its foreign imports — the Marathon Refinery in Kenai.