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.”

A white man with a bald head and glasses in a black suit and red tie speaks into a microphone

Alaska Legislature will sue Gov. Mike Dunleavy over lapsed appointments

Lawmakers say that actions by unconfirmed appointees, including Wednesday’s vote on ANWR oil leases, could be illegal.
A brown wooden building in the woods

COVID-19 outbreak reported at Hiland prison

Three prisons in the state currently have over 100 active COVID-19 cases.
A white man in a black suit

Online news outlet Alaska Landmine sues Dunleavy administration over access

Alaska Landmine owner and journalist Jeff Landfield is suing Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration. He said the administration has violated his constitutional rights by excluding him from Dunleavy’s news conferences.
An icy, snow expanse of land.

The lease sale is set, but how much oil actually is under ANWR’s coastal plain?

What the federal government knows about the coastal plain’s oil potential is limited and based, in part, on decades-old seismic data.
A tundra landscape half covered in ice

Alaska’s state development corporation weighs bidding in ANWR lease sale

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is asking its board to allow it to spend up to $20 million on the leases.
A white man in a gray suit speaks at a podium

Dunleavy splits Alaska Department of Health and Social Services into two new agencies

Dunleavy said the idea is to provide better services for Alaskans as the department has continued to grow.
A microscopic image of yellow blobs in a purple background

Alaska reports 10 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday

It's one of the highest daily COVID death counts, but it comes amidst a trend of declining cases in the state.
a person wearing a face shield and mask prepares to administer a shot to someone wearing scrubs and a mask

Second COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use arrives in Alaska

State health officials said some 26,800 doses of a second new COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Alaska on Monday.
A mother with four children stands next to a wooden cross over a grave site decorated with flowers.

Bethel family loses young father to COVID-19

Bethel resident Kevin White was only 35 when COVID-19 took his life. He left behind four children, ages 16 months to 14 years old. His wife, Liane White, said no one expected Kevin to have a hard time with the disease.
A man dressed like santa sits behind a plexiglass barrier

Alaska’s mall Santas face new precautions in coronavirus era, but kids don’t seem to mind

While some adults may find the plexiglass barriers and masks strange, kids seem to be adapting to the COVID-era precautions just fine.
A path leads through a dense forest.

Investigation blames U.S. Forest Service for giving Alaska grant used for Roadless Rule fight

A federal watchdog agency said the U.S. Forest Service acted illegally when it awarded a $2 million firefighting grant to the state of Alaska in 2018. The state had asked for the grant to gather input on a proposal to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Clinton-era Roadless Rule.
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In last-minute move, Trump administration shrinks ANWR oil lease sale by almost a third

The Bureau of Land Management announced the decision to shrink the available acres by about 30% on Friday evening, just three days before it began accepting sealed bids for drilling rights.
a person holds a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine

As groups clamor for vaccine, here’s how Alaska will decide who’s next in line

An advisory committee made initial recommendations about who should receive Alaska's first doses of COVID-19 vaccine without much uproar. But now its work is entering a more delicate phase, as letters pour in from state agencies, trade groups and nonprofits asking to to be among the first in line.

The 2021 Iditarod sled dog race is still on, but will end in Willow

Teams will now travel on a 860-mile loop that starts and ends in the Southcentral community of Willow, instead of heading to Nome.
Person holding white cardboard box

Ketchikan’s first COVID-19 vaccine shipment was too warm and had spoiled, officials say

Ketchikan’s first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine was spoiled and couldn’t be used. But replacements have already arrived.

Without tourists or in-person markets, 2020 has been hard on Alaska artists

Artists in the state are trying to adapt by moving business online. But some artists say they’re making a fraction of normal sales.
People standing in front of white capitol dome holding banners that say protect the Arctic.

Biden’s pick for Interior secretary is a passionate foe of drilling in Arctic Refuge

The New Mexico Democrat is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Indigenous person to serve as a cabinet secretary.
A white woman with glasses speaks at a podium

Health officials ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Alaska’s COVID-19 case plateau

This time, the lower numbers don’t appear to be a case of underreported data, which happened a few weeks ago when staff couldn’t keep up with reporting on the spike in new infections.
a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine

Alaska hospitals find bonus COVID-19 vaccine doses in their Pfizer vials

It's one of the most coveted substances in the world. And, like their colleagues around the country, Alaska providers say they're finding an extra dose, and in some cases two extra doses, in their five-dose vials, presenting both benefits and complications.

Ask a Climatologist: Anchorage avoids Chinook wind events, holds onto snow

Anchorage is within its usual range, and has held onto its snow, as the city's been missed by a couple Chinook wind events like those that've caused melting in recent winters, like 2019 (pictured).