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.”

Wielechowski to file suit against Permanent Fund Corp. on Friday

Senator Bill Wielechowski plans to file a lawsuit Friday seeking to force the Permanent Fund Corporation to transfer the full amount for Permanent Fund dividends this year. Listen now

Senator David Wilson says he’s not running for Lt. Governor, he filed by accident

On Wednesday, State Senator David Wilson filed a letter of intent to run for lieutenant governor. Later the same day, he amended that filing, saying he is not running. Listen now

Palin hires lawyer to handle Monegan/Wooten investigation matters

Governor Palin has hired a private lawyer to defend her in the investigation over the firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The Legislature...

Fauske resigns as president of state gas line corporation

Dan Fauske has resigned as president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. It follows other recent changes at the corporation, which is responsible for Alaska's share of the proposed $45 to $65 billion project to bring natural gas from the North Slope.

U.S., Russia and others agree to ban fishing in the Arctic Ocean

Ten nations, including the U.S. and Russia, have agreed to ban commercial fishing in the central Arctic Ocean for at least sixteen years. Listen now
a weather station

State resolution would push feds to fix rural Alaska aviation weather stations

A pending Legislature joint resolution would urge Congress to address FAA Automated Weather Observing System outages common across Alaska.
An emergency sign outside a hospital.

More Alaska health care workers are out sick or in quarantine as omicron hits

The head of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association says it’s unclear whether omicron will cause as many hospitalizations as delta did. But, already, it's forcing health care workers off the front lines.

Department of Defense studying economics of drawdown in Anchorage

The BEAR group held its second meeting to look at ways of mitigating negative impacts from loss of thousands of troops.
an airliner

Boeing agrees to plead guilty and pay a nearly quarter-billion dollar fine

Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from the crashes of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

Tsunami Impact Appears to be Minimal in Alaska

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska Japan is currently recovering from a major earthquake that has left hundreds dead. Alaska’s coastal communities braced themselves for...
Alexander Baranov

Sitka plans to relocate Baranov statue

About 120 demonstrators gathered to demand removal of the statue.
A swampy tundra area as seen from above

Biden suspends new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands, including in Alaska

President Joe Biden hit pause Wednesday on any new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands, drawing cheers from conservation groups and criticism from the fossil fuel industry.

LIVEBLOG: 2016 Alaska Democratic Caucus

Liveblog of the 2016 Alaska Democratic Caucus from Alaska Public Media.

Citing ‘escalation of violence,’ Noorvik pleads with local, state officials for law enforcement

Residents of the Northwest Arctic village of Noorvik, where there is no village public safety officer, say their town is feeling increasingly unsafe. Describing a “dangerous escalation of violence,” villagers have drafted a letter to local, state and federal officials asking for permanent law enforcement.
A satellite image of Red Dog mine's pits flooded with water.

As Arctic warming accelerates, permafrost thaw hits Red Dog mine with $20 million bill

The problems at Red Dog, one of the world’s largest zinc mines, show how climate change poses a challenge not just to residents of Arctic Alaska, but also to the economy of the region, which is warming at triple the rate of the global average.
a woman holds a baby and a $4,000 check

Got a business idea? Pitch it to Soldotna’s own ‘Shark Tank’

Like the TV show, Spark Soldotna has local entrepreneurs pitch their best business ideas to a slate of local judges, or “sharks.”
A woman with brown curly hair and a grey sweater sits at a table in a school counselor office with a high school student who is wearing a black hoodie and a glasses.

An alternative high school in Anchorage is focusing on mental health to help students graduate

Karen Hobart said her main goal as a school counselor is to help kids graduate, and that means looking at a lot more than just their grades or the number of credits they’ve earned. She also connects them to resources like food, safe transportation, or different types of mental health care. 

Alaska Supreme Court rules for LeBon in pivotal election recount case

The Alaska Supreme Court is meeting in Anchorage this morning to hear arguments in Kathryn Dodge’s case against state election officials and her election opponent.

TransCanada, Exxon Want Shippers to Bid on North Slope Gas

TransCanada and Exxon-Mobil on Friday formally filed their request to take the Alaska Pipeline Project to possible shippers to bid for space on...

Alaska’s salmon industry contends with a rumor from China that COVID-19 can be transmitted via fish

Fish marketing experts are assessing how the rumors could affect Alaska salmon’s image in the world.