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.”

EPA, Alaska seek to relax water pollution rules

The Trump administration is quietly reviving a long-stalled effort by state regulators to loosen pollution standards where fish spawn.

Party Officials Hope for Compromise on Seat B

An Alaska Native, 39-year-old Joe Nelson is admissions director at the University of Alaska Southeast and a member of the Sealaska Corporation Board of...

As the Bering Sea warms, this skipper is chasing pollock to new places

“Across the board, everybody has a story about something that they haven’t seen before,” said Dan Martin, a 53-year-old captain of a Bering Sea pollock trawler. We took a fishing trip with Martin to find out what he’s experiencing as the Bering Sea heats up.

Alaska tribe’s members say corruption, self-serving deals brought Manh Choh gold mine to their land

A former tribal chief for the Native Village of Tetlin greenlit the mine and leased mineral exploration rights to a mining venture, now led by Kinross Alaska.
St. Lawrence Island

Alaska asylum seekers are Indigenous Siberians from Russia

“These individuals were in fear, so much in fear of their own government that they risked their lives and took a 15-foot skiff across those open waters,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
red clothes

Garments taken from Ketchikan memorial for missing and murdered Indigenous people

Dozens of red garments, hung in remembrance from trees near Ketchikan's Ward Lake, were taken down and discarded.

Oil lease sale for National Petroleum Reserve sees little interest

Nine hundred tracts, totaling more than 10 million acres, were up for bid. But at the annual lease sale held today, oil companies bid on only seven tracts. The sale lasted less than 10 minutes. Listen Now

Fishing towns object to Alaska’s mandate overruling local COVID-19 restrictions

Fishing towns are asking for more say in regulating who is allowed into their communities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Two girls pull meat off of a Moose leg bone.

Alaska students put moose on the menu with hands-on learning and special permit

A Chugiak High freshman biology class butchered a moose recently after their teacher used a cultural education permit to harvest the animal.

Feds will pay millions for Native care neglect

The Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation has settled its on-going lawsuit with the Indian Health Services. Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK - Bethel

COVID-19 hospitalizations rise to new high in Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The number of Alaskans hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen, worrying health care providers who are facing staffing issues and fatigue and wondering when the latest wave of cases might peak.
Slick roads outside buildings

High winds cause Alaska Airlines jet to slide on icy Dillingham runway

The jet was carrying 74 passengers and four crew members. The airline said no one was injured.

Differences over future divide Alaska Legislature

Philosophical differences between members of the House and Senate are raising the risk that the Legislature ends the session without resolving the state’s ongoing budget crisis. Listen now
a woman speaks into a microphone behind a podium

Mayor Bronson announces sudden replacement of Municipal Manager Amy Demboski

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson announced Amy Demboski's departure in a two-sentence statement Monday, providing no additional details.

Iditarod to Start in Willow, Not Fairbanks

The Iditarod Sled Dog race will start from Willow as planned. The Iditarod Trail Committee has been weighing moving the race start to Fairbanks in the last week because of low snow and icy conditions on the 65 miles of trail between Willow and Skwentna.
water floods a wooden boardwalk

As recovery begins, Hooper Bay reckons with the emotional toll of the storm

“I’ve lived through storms before, but this was the worst,” said Loretta Smith, who lost her home in the storm. “The water came up so fast, and it was so high that the waves looked violent.”

Run, zipline, signal fires mark J’eet’s Challenge

For the first time last month, Hoonah hosted an 8.3-mile footrace called J’eet’s Challenge. The course begins near sea level, runs through town and then up a mountain to the finish line. The race winners lit mountaintop signal fires, echoing events from a Tlingit story. From there, runners hopped into harnesses and ziplined back down to Icy Strait Point, which is Huna Totem Corp.’s salmon cannery turned tourist attraction. Download Audio
an empty downtown street

New report says emergency orders helped slow the spread of coronavirus in Anchorage

A new report shows COVID-19 pandemic restrictions helped slow the spread of the virus in Anchorage. That’s according to the state Section of Epidemiology.

At White House podium, Fairbanks business owner decries ‘arbitrary’ wetlands enforcement

President Trump on Wednesday turned his White House microphone over to Alaska business owner Richard Schok to highlight what he says is unfair government regulation.