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.”

Massive algae bloom in the Gulf of Alaska could be good for marine life, researchers say

Each spring and summer, a large concentration of phytoplankton blooms in the gulf. This year, researchers recorded the biggest bloom they’ve ever seen.

As Providence moves to crisis care, other Alaska hospitals grow strained

One Alaska hospital nearly ran out of supplemental oxygen, says hospital association CEO.
Two people ride on an ATV toward a white pickup truck.

Bethel doctor advises residents to avoid physical risks as hospital beds grow scarce

Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation Chief of Staff Dr. Ellen Hodges says if Alaskans get hurt, they might not be able to receive adequate health care as surging COVID-19 cases destabilize the state's health care system.
A man in a blue vest

Alaska governor will let PFD stand that lawmakers passed

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who has advocated for a roughly $2,350 check, late Tuesday said he would not veto the dividend approved by lawmakers, though he considered it a “partial” dividend. He said Alaskans “need help now.”
cars lined up and a sign that reads "COVID-19 TESTING SITE"

Alaska reports 1,095 COVID cases, a new daily high

It's Alaska's highest-ever daily tally of new cases, and it comes a day after doctors at Providence Alaska Medical Center announced the hospital was rationing care due to staffing shortages and an overload of patients infected with the coronavirus.

Officials arrest ‘drug kingpin’ who’s accused of trafficking drugs from Mexico to Alaska

Federal prosecutors say Miguel Baez Guevara recruited Alaskans through social media and encrypted texting apps to help smuggle drugs to the state from Mexico.
A colorful building stands in the distance with a parking lot of boats in the foreground.

I Lived in Whittier, Alaska: A Town Under One Roof | INDIE ALASKA

Erika Fitzgerald jumped at the opportunity to teach in Alaska after graduate school. She didn't expect she'd be living and working in Whittier, a town where nearly all residents live in the same building, and the only way in and out is through a tunnel that closes each night.
A nurse in a white suit, mask and clothes holds a vial

COVID spike prompts Fairbanks hospital to convert meeting rooms into patient rooms

"We are in a spike far bigger than anything that we have seen to date," says chief medical officer of Foundation Health Partners. "And unfortunately we’re in it at the same time as many places across the country and Alaska.”
Homes clustered in the grass, under a cloud

Adak — the nation’s westernmost city — made it 18 months with only one COVID case, until now

City Manager Layton Lockett said the city has nine new cases of the virus — all of them visitors to the remote island. It's the first time the virus has reached the community of roughly 100 people since they recorded their first case last December.

Two more cases of Alaskapox reported in Fairbanks area

It's the third and fourth known Alaskapox infections.
a barrel of crab

With low stocks and closures looming, Bering Sea crab fleet braces for another blow

In 55 years, there have been just two other closures: once in the 1980s and again in the 1990s.
Man at table wearing a tie and outdoor vest

Alaska lawmakers land on $1,100 PFDs, Dunleavy calls another special session

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the Legislature into a fourth special session starting on Oct. 1. He issued the call on Tuesday after the Legislature passed a bill setting the PFD amount for this year. 

Anchorage School District ditches quarantine requirement for asymptomatic close contacts

Now, parents are still notified when their child is a close contact of a positive case in school. But if their child isn't showing symptoms, quarantine is not longer a requirement. Instead, parents can decide whether they want their child to remain in class, quarantine or test for the virus.
People wearing masks, some in white jackets, stare athead.

Alaska’s largest hospital now rationing care due to COVID surge

Doctors at Providence Alaska Medical Center said Tuesday that they’ve begun to ration care as Alaska endures one of the worst surges of COVID-19 in the country.

Coast Guard encountered Chinese warships in the Aleutians in August

The Coast Guard encountered a flotilla of Chinese warships 46 miles off the Aleutian Islands at the end of August, inside of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
A woman with black hair speaks from an office

Former Anchorage epidemiologist says mayor’s inability to help with rising COVID hospitalizations ‘doesn’t quite make sense’

Janet Johnston is now senior epidemiologist at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She says it's important for any city to have sufficient hospital capacity, but in Anchorage it's particularly important.
A brown blob microscopic

Mu variant is fizzling in Alaska

Mu was detected in Alaska in May but lost ground to the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Sullivan Arena shelter floor with a number of cots spread out and people wearing masks

Private company to take over operations at Anchorage’s largest shelter

99 Plus 1, a private company, was awarded the contract to operate the Sullivan Arena shelter for the next six months, taking over the job from Bean’s Cafe.
children watch a brass band.

Up to 100 Afghanistan evacuees to settle in Alaska

Catholic Social Services of Alaska said the evacuees will stay at military bases in the Lower 48 until they’re ready to move north. The agency is also asking for volunteers to welcome the new arrivals and help them settle in.

Alaska PFD remains unresolved as special session nears end

The Legislature's third special session must end by midnight.