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.”

snow

Anchorage sets new record for getting an inch of snow this late in the season

Yes, the city's official measuring station has recorded later snowfalls — but none that come in at an inch or more.

Despite conflict with Iran, Alaska oil prices are mostly unchanged. Here’s why.

Alaska North Slope crude has settled at a lower price than it was before tensions boiled over.

Voter Intent Bill Passes Through House

Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau Voter intent would be the determining factor for counting write-in ballots in Alaska under a bill on its...
pipeline

What do high oil prices mean for Alaska’s economy? We asked an economist.

After a long period of uncertainty in the industry, oil prices have topped $100 for months.

Judge Dismisses Miller Suit

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage and Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage Joe Miller’s bid for an election contest has been turned down by a...
An illustration shows cartoon people around a cooked turkey and pumpkin.

Welcoming family into your home for Thanksgiving? Here’s how to keep COVID out.

Intergenerational indoor gatherings, a.k.a, Thanksgiving dinner, still pose a COVID risk to older adults and the immunocompromised. Here's how to keep everyone safe.
a textbook

New textbook spurs speaking and teaching of Alutiiq language

The new textbook, from the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak and the Alutiiq Museum, focuses on the language's Koniag dialect spoken in Kodiak.

With an Anchorage audience, look into whale’s death begins

The extraordinary sight of a 30-foot long dead humpback whale that washed up on a beach area in Anchorage has drawn dozens of onlookers to gawk at its carcass. Among them Tuesday were veterinarians working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Listen now

What the healthcare overhaul at VA means for Alaska vets

The MISSION Act goes into effect on June 6th, and is intended to modernize veteran healthcare as a wave of younger vets are beginning to access services.
A glass reflection of a woman pushing a stroller

Uptick in COVID-19 cases prompts new restrictions in Juneau

Juneau has 80 active cases of COVID-19 among residents and non-residents. And that has triggered the city’s emergency operations center to raise the local risk level to moderate.
Lawmakers sit around tables in a committee room

Legislators are divided over what to call state payments to Alaskans and the message it would send

House majority members say describing the entire $2,550 payment as a dividend would set expectations that PFDs would be that size every year. 

How a longer growing season affects gardening | Alaska Insight

On this Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Anchorage horticulturist Debbie Hinchey and Will Criner, manager of gardens and facilities at the Alaska Botanical Garden to discuss what's new with growing and harvesting in your backyard.
Dominion Voting Systems lawyers

Fox News reaches blockbuster $787.5M defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems

Fox News has struck a deal averting a trial in Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit over spurious claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

Abortion ruling at center of justices’ retention battle

Voters will decide whether to keep two Alaska Supreme Court justices on Election Day. Alaska Family Action, which described itself as focused on advancing biblical principles, opposes retaining the judges. But advocates for keeping the judges said the group’s opposition to the judges could harm the state’s tradition of choosing and keeping judges based on merit. Listen Now
children watch a brass band.

Anchorage refugee assistance program readies for up to 100 people fleeing Afghanistan

Catholic Social Services CEO Lisa Aquino says the refugee program's staff and volunteers will help with things like finding housing and employment, as well as learning English.

As his crime bills languish, Gov. Dunleavy renews the idea of a special session

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, at a news conference Monday, again suggested he could order Alaska lawmakers into a special session unless they start advancing his batch of criminal justice bills.

Iditarod drops COVID vaccination requirement, says decision not linked to mushers

The announcement comes as mushers have been slow to sign up for the 51st running of Iditarod, with only 26 listed as of Tuesday.

Consumer Alert: Dangerous E.coli bacteria may be hiding in Alaska's beef supply

The Department of Agriculture believes some shipments of ground beef sold in Alaska could be contaminated by potentially deadly E.coli bacteria. The product had...

Proposed Film/Photo Regs in Wilderness Areas Come Under Fire

As conservationists celebrate 50 years since the passage of the Wilderness Act, a U.S. Forest Service proposal to make certain wilderness area regulations permanent has brought forth accusations that the agency is infringing on First Amendment rights. Nearly a third of the 17 million-acre Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is designated wilderness. Download Audio:
a man in a suit

Anchorage Assembly members decry mayor’s equity measure veto as political gaslighting

The mayor’s veto message triggered indignant backlash from some Assembly members. The Assembly overrode the veto.