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.”

Anchorage School District Superintendent Deena Bishop at Huffman Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020.

Anchorage schools could temporarily close if COVID, travel and weather leave them too understaffed

Already, the district has had to close one school this week for four days.
Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski speaking to the media

Delta Junction man who threatened to murder Alaska’s US senators pleads guilty

Jay Allen Johnson signed a plea agreement that states he’s guilty of threatening to murder Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan ins separate voicemail messages he left in September.

In gun-loving Alaska, some ammo is scarce

In a state where hunting is a way of life — not to mention a way to put food on the table — that's a problem.
Searches pull a snowmachine out of water.

New Stuyahok man found alive more than 18 hours after he went missing

"He saved everything on the snowmachine, and went up, built a fire, dried off his clothes and changed into dry clothes," said one searcher about Andrew Wyagon. "Amazingly, he had a space blanket that helped keep all the chill off all night. Sitting in space blankets works wonders.”

Alaskans are stuck on vacations that won’t end

Airline cancellations continue, leaving some Alaskans unable to return for a week.
A semitruck is overturned

Strong winds hammer Mat-Su, leading to widespread damage and power outages

The winds, reaching up to 91 mph Sunday near Palmer, flipped small planes, overturned semitrucks, toppled trees, tore off roofs and closed Mat-Su schools for at least two days.
A woman in a yellow shirt and mask hands two boxes to someone under a glass plexiglass sheet

With signs of omicron spike in Alaska, residents scramble for hard-to-get tests

In Alaska’s largest city, many pharmacies are sold out of at-home COVID-19 test kits, and long lines have formed at testing sites.

Alaska prepares to sue feds over contamination on Native corporation land

Much of the contamination dates to the Cold War or World War II.
totem poles

Hydaburg residents have running water again after days without

Hydaburg residents have running water again after a snowstorm and freezing rain caused parts of the Southeast community’s water system to freeze last week.
Sign that reads "COVID-19 Test Kits"

What Alaska’s move to more at-home COVID tests and fewer lab tests means for managing the pandemic

Home test kit results aren’t necessarily captured in state pandemic data, which impacts other public health systems officials have been using to manage the pandemic.
A man puts on a face mask.

With omicron, you need a mask that means business

To block a variant this transmissible, scientists say you need an N95 or other high-filtration mask. Here's how to find a good one and when to wear it.

Fairbanks woman finds abandoned newborn at intersection

A newborn was found abandoned in a cardboard box at an intersection in Fairbanks on Saturday afternoon. 
a person is sworn in as mayor by another person, and others are watching

Bronson proposes making Anchorage municipal clerk an elected official

Under the mayor’s proposal, the city charter would be changed to have the clerk elected for a three-year term. Other requirements would be that the clerk be an Anchorage resident while in office and be a resident for at least two years prior to the election. 
three people and two dogs cross a frozen lagoon in front of some houses and mountains

Alaska Public Media’s 10 most read stories of 2021

From spiking COVID-19 cases to political scandal to tangled supply chains, 2021 was a doozy. Here are some of our most read stories of the year.
Snow piles up in a truck.

Alaskans in the Interior digging out after a wintry weekend wallop of snow, ice, wind

Another foot of snow fell in Fairbanks Tuesday into Wednesday and the community continues to deal with rough road conditions and power outages caused by falling trees.
A person reaches for two small purple boxes from the hand of another person

Here’s how to get an at-home COVID test kit in Anchorage

A delayed shipment of tens of thousands of rapid at-home COVID tests has arrived in Anchorage, and city officials say they’re racing to distribute them to sites around town before New Year’s.

Alaskans endure air travel anguish as weather and virus keep them grounded days on end

Chris Dimond tried to warn his daughter off flying to Seattle. "She could be spending some time sleeping on the airport floor, for a few days," he said.
two election workers talk to each other

Ballot counting during Anchorage’s next election will be livestreamed 24/7 under updated rules

Some of the changes were designed to counter the harassment election workers faced in the 2021 election, but members mostly billed the updates as routine changes.
A dirt road under cloudy sky

St. Paul couple accused of killing toddler who was in their care

Troopers say after a thorough investigation, they determined the child’s guardians, 31-year-old Steven Melovidov and 28-year-old Sophie Myers-Melovidov, had killed him in their home and attempted to mislead investigators over the course of the investigation.
A man behind a podium with flags on either side.

Trump endorsement of Alaska Gov. Dunleavy comes with a catch

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would endorse Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy for reelection, but only if the governor doesn’t back U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s bid to return to the Senate.