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.”

the Alaska Supreme Court

After state judge keeps ranked choice repeal ballot measure, Alaska Supreme Court will weigh in

The Alaska Supreme Court is likely the last chance for opponents of the ranked choice voting repeal to prevent it from coming to a vote.
black bears

Bear cams begin streaming from wildlife area near Wrangell

More than a dozen high-school students worked this summer to install Anan Wildlife Observatory's first two online cameras.
Utqiagvik

NOAA selects Alaska projects for funding from its climate-resilience program

Federal climate resilience grants, including for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, are aimed at helping at-risk communities.
Akiak

Search continues for 2 missing after boat capsizes near Akiak

Search and rescue volunteers are focusing on an area upriver from where a female survivor was found clutching to the riverbank.
boat docks sit on dry, cracked earth

As the Great Salt Lake dries up, it’s also emitting millions of tons of CO2

A new study found that the drying Great Salt Lake in Utah is now a major source of the gas emissions that are causing the climate to warm.
Alaska public health laboratory

Chronic hepatitis C is recently on the decline in Alaska, state says

Infections are higher among Alaska Native people and in rural communities, though researchers say data may be skewed.
man stands at podium

HUD issues grant for 43 affordable homes in Anchorage

Cook Inlet Housing Authority has won a $6 million Indian Housing block grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
a protest

In Anchorage protest, woman’s family says she is convicted killer Brian Smith’s third victim

Cassandra Boskofsky’s family says she is the woman in photos on Smith’s phone released after his murder convictions this year.
a screenshot

All the news that’s fit to reprint: AI and plagiarism drive revamped Tundra Drums website

The motives for resurrecting a storied Bethel newspaper's website to hoover up a wide range of Alaska content remain unclear.
salmon

Bristol Bay sees smallest sockeye sizes on record, despite large run

Sockeye salmon returning to Bristol Bay this year were, on average, the smallest the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has ever seen.
a fire

Human remains found after reported gunshots and fire at Aniak home, troopers say

Residents who reported hearing gunfire Thursday put out the blaze. Troopers have not yet identified remains found in the home.
a hospital

Juneau’s hospital closes its crisis care unit less than a year after opening it

Bartlett Regional Hospital spokesperson Erin Hardin said the closure is due to a lack of funding and staff to keep the program afloat.
soldiers

Alaska highlighted in new Department of Defense Arctic strategy

The newly released strategy cites Alaska’s role in protecting the homeland from increased Russian and Chinese threats.
a building

Ketchikan Borough recovers $625K stolen by email hacker

The borough announced Thursday that all but $23.84 of the lost funds had been deposited back into a borough account.
a man

Maduro and opposition both claim victory in Venezuela’s presidential election

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" that the result did not reflect the vote of the Venezuelan people.
a man wearing glasses in a suit and tie smiling for a portrait

In third act of Anchorage’s accounting ‘cautionary tale,’ a CFO races to close $147M deal

The city nearly missed a critical window to secure huge amounts of capital needed to pay for voter-approved infrastructure projects.
Man stands with dip-net

It’s dipnetting season, and Alaskans say the annual tradition is about more than just filling their freezers

Alaskans fishing in Kenai said they enjoyed spending time with family and the sense of community built on the busy beach.
dogs

CDC amends new rules for dogs entering U.S.

The new rules will still introduce some novel requirements starting Aug. 1.
a jeep getting delivered to a dealership

U.S. automakers had a punishing week — with a silver lining for shoppers

The four major U.S. automakers — GM, Ford, Stellantis and Tesla — all reported earnings this week and saw their stocks decline.
a floatplane tied in the water

Bill mandating end to use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams becomes law in Alaska

The new law requires a switch to PFAS-free foams by Jan. 1 and sets up a system to help rural villages get rid of them.