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.”

Park Service rangers describe troubling conduct as hundreds of climbers attempt Denali

Park Service rangers identified a number of concerns in a blog post on the Denali National Park website titled “Troubling Trends.” In the post, they cite several problems including inadequate experience, attempting to summit too quickly, and not fully appreciating the difficulty of climbing Denali.

Former Alaska Rep. LeDoux and her aide face new charges of felony voter fraud

LeDoux’s former legislative aide, Lisa Simpson, also faces two new felony charges, which could increase the pressure on her to cooperate with authorities in their efforts to convict her former boss.

Southwest Alaska ranks highest for maternal mortality

Alaska has a lower rate than the national average, but still sees 6 to 13 maternal deaths each year, according to the Alaska Maternal Child Death Review Committee. Rates are highest among Indigenous mothers in Southwestern Alaska.
A canada flag next to a us flag

Canada might loosen border in early July — but no word yet on ending the recreational travel ban to Alaska

The tourism ban is likely to continue past June 21, when the current rules expire.
On a cloudy, twilight winter day, an oil platform an be seen rising in the water.

Alaska sells eight oil and gas leases in Cook Inlet

An Anchorage-based company and a Texas-based company got bids for 21,000 acres of oil and gas tracts in Cook Inlet, the first time a company other than Hilcorp Alaska has won leases in a state sale since 2015.

Indian Affairs promised to reform tribal jails. NPR found death, neglect and disrepair

At least 19 men and women have died since 2016 in tribal detention centers overseen by the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, including...
People around a table at a conference room

Gambling will be among options to close future state budget gap, Alaska revenue commissioner says

State Revenue Commissioner Lucinda Mahoney told the House Finance Committee on Tuesday that the options would include the governor’s proposal to expand gambling in the state. Previous estimates show that the proposal could raise anywhere from $2.3 million to $1.2 billion, depending on the details.

There’s a stark red-blue divide when it comes to states’ vaccination rates

Surveys have shown Trump supporters are the least likely to say they have been vaccinated or plan to be.
a child strikes a pose while dancing on a lawn, while others watch a musical performance

Postcard: Scenes and sounds of Anchorage coming back to life

A series of events including First Friday art shows at local museums, several live music concerts, and dance parties livened up Anchorage's downtown the first weekend in June.

LISTEN: Alaska research on wildfire smoke’s impact on health paints clearer picture

Micah Hahn, an assistant professor of environmental health at the University of Alaska Anchorage, says while it might seem obvious that wildfire smoke causes health impacts, there had actually never been a nuanced, scientific look at those impacts.
two shallow streams meet in a lush green landscape

Pedro Bay shareholders accept $19M deal that would thwart efforts to mine Pebble deposit

The Alaska Native village corporation is selling conservation easements to save salmon habitat and preclude industrial development.
Two salmon in the water, with a much smaller one in front of a large one

New genetically modified salmon is on the menu. Here’s what that means for Alaskans.

AquaBounty’s salmon is a genetic mixture of three different fish — Atlantic salmon, chinook salmon and the eel-like ocean pout. It grows twice as fast as its non-engineered counterparts, reaching full market size in 18 months.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Dunleavy urges lawmakers to act on PFD plan

Some legislators have raised questions about some of the administration’s modeling assumptions and concerns with tackling the dividend issue without other pieces of a possible fiscal plan.
People outside, looking through binoculars.

In Southeast Alaska, high-end tourism businesses feast as cruise industry weathers famine

Interest in private and small-scale Alaska trips is at an all-time high, making for a booming summer for some lodge, yacht and tour operators. But tourists are arriving in far smaller numbers than many of Southeast’s cruise-focused businesses are equipped to serve.
A woman speaking at a podium

On Dillingham trip, Murkowski pushes permanent protections for Bristol Bay

Murkowski said the best way to ensure long-term protections is for Congress to pass a law. Earlier this year, regional and statewide groups opposed to Pebble put forward several options for protecting the area.
Donald Trump, wearing a black suit and dred tie, gestures in a rainy lot next to several black SUVs with microphones visible in the foreground

Trump accuses Murkowski of killing ANWR; ‘I will be there to campaign against her!’ he vows

Donald Trump says Sen. Murkowski is responsible for the Biden administration's suspension of drilling leases in the Arctic Refuge.

‘These Fs are tied to the pandemic’: Thousands of Anchorage students start summer school

The Anchorage School District is prioritizing re-building kids' relationship to in-person learning and starting to address learning loss.
Two lab technicians wearing protective equipment transfer vials from a box.

Alpha variant of COVID-19 appears in Y-K Delta

The Alpha strain is also known as the B.1.1.7 variant. It has also previously been referred to as the UK variant.
A whoman holds a clear plastic bag filled with black leafs

For Alaska’s first tea farm, geothermal energy is key

Jenney Tse is an international-award-winning tea expert, consulted by artisanal growers in Hawaii, India and China. Now she will be starting the only tea farm in Alaska linked to Chena Hot Springs geothermal resources.
A large Trump flag waves in front of the U.S. Capitol

‘Baked Alaska,’ far-right troll charged in Capitol riots, avoids house arrest

A federal magistrate on Friday declined to order house arrest for a far-right internet troll charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after court officials raised concerns about his recent encounters with police officers in Arizona.