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.”

Fairbanks is riding a weather roller coaster, from freezing rain to snow and frigid cold

Department of Transportation crews are battling a thick coating of ice on roads, and the local utility, Golden Valley Electric, continues working to restore electricity to pockets of customers.
A cruise ship docked, with a mountainous backdrop, on a sunny day.

Alaska Native nonprofit receives $2.9M grant to build totem pole trail along Juneau waterfront

The Sealaska Heritage Institute said the grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will cover 10 poles though the longer-term goal is to have 30 poles in place.
Bags at an airport and people in line.

Snow and COVID surge cancels or postpones many Alaska Airlines flights in Seattle

Flight delays and cancellations have tangled travelers' plans and led to baggage confusion.
A woman stares with a mask on.

New CDC isolation guidelines raise concerns among health experts

Cutting the isolation for positive cases to five days could lead to more infections if people don't take masking seriously. A testing requirement, would have made the policy safer, experts say.
a seal of the municipality of Anchorage

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson names Cheryl Frasca as budget director

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson on Tuesday named Cheryl Frasca as the director of the city’s Office of Management and Budget. Frasca has held the position...
Steamy water surrounded by snow

New geothermal hot springs to open soon near Whitehorse

The Takhini Hot Springs near the capital city of Canada’s Yukon Territory has been closed to the public for more than a year. A new facility with a new name is on track to open this coming February.
a person looks to camera-left

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer says he won’t run for re-election next year

Meyer says now he won’t be a candidate in the election that he oversees, as head of the Elections Division.
Ice coats a tree branch

Alaska’s weekend Christmas storm was one for the record books

This past holiday weekend was one for the record books. Between rain and snow, Fairbanks recorded its third highest amount of daily precipitation. In Kodiak, temperatures soared to 67 degrees — the highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska in the month of December. Meanwhile, Ketchikan recorded a record low.
Roof collapse through the window of a grocery store

Interior Alaska residents cautioned to monitor roofs in wake of powerful storm

Weather experts are advising that residents of Interior Alaska to monitor snow load on roofs after a powerful storm moved through the region, coating buildings with snow and ice.
People stand in line outside at a ski area.

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area is having a really tough time with staffing this year

Labor shortages, especially for low-paying jobs, have been common this past year across many industries. On the mountain in Juneau, starting pay for lift operators, food service workers and others is below the state minimum wage.
A person gets tested for COVID outside.

These numbers show just how impactful the latest COVID-19 surge is

COVID-19 cases are up across the country, fueled in large part by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Alaskans we’ve lost to COVID: James Elliot Fisher, beloved father and attorney

James Fisher was elected to Alaska's first Legislature in 1959. His children say he was patient, considerate and kind.

COVID testing at Alaska airports to end after Jan. 31

The service is currently available at airports across the state. Earlier on in the pandemic, the state mandated testing for people coming to Alaska from out of state. At the end of April, testing became optional.
ship in icy waters

Sullivan still seeking a ‘bridge’ ship to fill the icebreaker gap

The Coast Guard is set to receive a new icebreaker 2025. Sen. Dan Sullivan says the country can’t wait that long.

‘Tidal Network’, Tlingit & Haida’s new broadband internet service, coming to Wrangell

Southeast Alaska’s regional Tribal government will pilot its new broadband internet program in Wrangell, which it says will, eventually, be available to everyone on the island.
A man with his hand in a foot trap

Half a dozen dogs and one person were accidentally caught in traps or snares last year, Alaska wildlife group says

Several submissions described close encounters with traps or snares near trails and roadways, and one man said he was pulled off his motorbike after a snare caught his foot on a trail in the Mat-Su.

Omicron will cause more infections but lower hospital rates, analysis shows

The analysis projects the omicron wave will infect more than 400,000 people a day in the U.S. when it crests in about six weeks. That's far more than the 250,000 people who caught the virus every day at the peak of last winter's surge.
pie chart

COVID money boosted Alaska federal funds by a third, study finds

CARES Act money to Alaska rivaled what the state gets from Medicaid
Two fishing boats with a tall snow covered mountain in the distance

Citing economic concerns, cities will weigh in on lawsuit over Cook Inlet commercial fishing closure

Kenai and Homer both are submitting amicus briefs to a suit from the United Cook Inlet Drift Association that attempts to stop the closure before it goes into effect next summer. The cities say the ramifications of the decision on their local economies could be intense.
A blue building with a ramp leading to the front entrance

Bethel OCS worker charged with sexual assault of an adult

A state employee for the Office of Children’s Services in Bethel has been charged with sexual assault. Several local non-profit organizations that he is a board member of are evaluating whether to remove him.