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.”

(Photo by Zachariah Hughes, KSKA - Anchorage)

2015 Anchorage Municipal Election

With over 97 percent of the precincts reporting in, the winner has yet to be determined in Anchorage's mayoral race. Leading the pack of 11 candidates is Ethan Berkowitz, with 36.84 percent of the vote. Amy Demboski and Andrew Halcro trail Berkowitz with 24.31 percent and 21.60 percent, respectively.
a musher with a microphone under the Iditarod burled arch

The Iditarod has a new champion: Brent Sass arrives first to Nome

The 42-year-old musher took command of this year’s race around the halfway point and never gave it up.

Trump’s opioid disaster declaration could expand help to suffering Alaskans

Today, President Donald Trump took a major step in dealing with the opioid epidemic, laying out an ambitious vision of stamping out opioid addiction within a generation while treating those currently suffering. Listen now

Public health data shows 13 percent rise in Alaska suicides

New report comes beside a study documenting the presence of drugs and alcohol in incidents of self-harm.
Snow, ice and icicles overflow the roof and gutters of a house.

Should you shovel your roof now? Here’s why you might want to.

For most homeowners, the load isn't the problem.
the U.S. Capitol

Alaska’s regional Native corporations seek to expand federal influence

TJ Presley, the corporations' first government affairs director, says his job reflects a growing need to educate federal policy makers about them.
a boy in a chair

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain

Troopers said there were no obvious signs of foul play identified at the scene and the investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.
the front of a building

Alaska retirement board recommends closure of widely used plan after analysis finds flaws

The "managed accounts" program covers more than 10,000 of the 122,000-plus retirement accounts managed by the state.
a grocery store

With thousands waiting, state says food stamp backlog won’t improve any time soon

As Alaskans choose between paying bills and buying food, Alaska's health commissioner says a months-long food stamp backlog won't improve any time soon.
A swampy tundra area as seen from above

Biden suspends new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands, including in Alaska

President Joe Biden hit pause Wednesday on any new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands, drawing cheers from conservation groups and criticism from the fossil fuel industry.
pillars and dome of u.s. capitol

Murkowski votes to remove threat of credit default while Sullivan blasts Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate

Alaska's U.S. Senators have staked out opposite ends of the Republican spectrum.

Two Anchorage police officers indicted, suspended in alleged assault of man who frequently recorded police

An Anchorage police officer has been indicted for assaulting a man while serving him with a bicycle citation in 2019 and, along with another officer, on charges of tampering with public records.

Murkowski calls on Trump to end ‘sad chapter’ of splitting families at border

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is urging President Trump to use "all available resources" to reunite migrant families. Listen now

Sullivan, Young Call for Anchorage to Support 8(a) Program

Anchorage needs to take a more active role helping Alaska Native Corporations keep their 8(a) business development program.   That was the message...
A musher in the snow with a yellow parka drives a team of dogs

This year’s Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest?

With just 33 teams in this year’s Iditarod, many are questioning how the organization can keep attracting mushers to the expensive sport.

Anchorage’s homegrown Howard Weaver remembered as a ‘national-caliber newsman’

Tom Kizzia, who worked with the editor for more than a decade, says he urged Anchorage Daily News reporters to find stories on-the-fly in rural Alaska.

Two former Jesuit officials resign from Gonzaga University after revelations about abusive priests

Two priests in high-level positions at Gonzaga University resigned today. Both previously held leadership roles in the Jesuits’ Oregon Province while it sent Jesuits accused of sexual abuse to live in a home on campus.
Wooden white crosses dot a grassy park.

Last year was Alaska’s deadliest on record for opioid overdoses

Alaska lost 342 people to opioid overdose in 2023 and had the highest increase in deaths per capita in the nation.

The lack of law enforcement in rural Alaska prompted promises of more police. Two years later, they haven’t been kept.

Gov. Dunleavy promised to put Alaska State Troopers and police in specific communities off the road system. But two years later, reporting by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica has found the state has mostly failed to follow through on those promises.